Postcards from the Mighty Miramichi

Coram and I spent an afternoon at Ritchie Wharf, a sweet spot on the river and a great place to see its banks flushed with red, yellow and orange on a sunny day. I couldn't resist bringing my camera!

Autumnal Portraits

Glorious fall leaves in New Brunswick

At long last, settling into life in New Brunswick

August. It was a strange feeling walking into our new house, keys freshly handed over to us by the realtor. It was still a stranger's house, and I felt like an intruder in a space that felt - and smelled - completely unfamiliar. Though I had spied on it's interior so many times on the MLS website to imagine how I'd furnish it, I still couldn't quite believe that this house was really, truly ours.

Coram, I think, didn't quite know what to make of it either. For the first while, he pointed at everything and responded to my answers with a never-satisifed "Oh!". He'd crawl around the house, poking his head into closets, playing with the old swinging cat door to the basement, or doing funny things that kids do best, like gathering balls of remnant cat hair (yuck!) hidden in places only small hands can get to.

Joash, on the other hand, has become enamoured with the barn spiders guarding the side-entrance under the carport. They are nice and fat, after a spring and summer of mosquito hunting, but Joash still feels compelled to turn on the light for them in the evening for their "feedings." And since we aren't going to kill them, he's decided we should be friends and has urged us to give them names. So far, I believe the one farthest from the door is named Charlotte (of course), who has a current lover on her left named Carlos. On her right, however, is a sneaky spider named Pedro who is intent on stealing Charlotte away but is waiting for the right time to make his move. Then, there's Pig Pen, who can't seem to keep his web clean at all, and the one closest to the door is a big fat spider called Nameless, because he keeps getting closer and closer to the door and there's a chance we may have to kill him one day. Sad, but true.

Apart from spiders and other things, we spent the rest of August unpacking (in fact, I think we're still trying to find homes for random things) and cleaning up the basement. We also introduced Coram to the above-ground pool in the backyard, got into a bit of gardening and watching songbirds flit in and out of our pine tree at breakfast. Coram and I spent a lot of August and September taking walks to French Fort Cove and down the riverside path in Chatham. Meanwhile, when Coram took his naps or played in my so-called office in the breakfast nook, I wrote website content like a madwoman, trying to exercise my brain after a year of career-related inactivity.

Now, it's October - the height of fall. The leaves have turned their fiery shades, setting the forest around us ablaze. At Sovereign Community Church, we've already begun plowing and tilling our "front yard" for a community garden. Today, among the red-orange maples against a clear blue sky, our church deacon was out on his tractor tilling manure into the soil to help prepare it for planting next spring. What a difference from life in Vancouver! Nobody owns a tractor nor several acres to spare for a community garden. Standing in the church parking lot, I can see a field of grass, a forest and a glimpse of the great Miramichi river sparkling in the sun. What a beautiful place to call home - and how blessed we are to be here!

Some pics of our new home and Coram settling in. More on our community garden to come!

Our house

I'm sitting in my damp basement apartment, after having packed most of my scant belongings back into suitcases and diaper boxes. I am SO ready to leave to move into our new home!

Yes, we are moving AGAIN. And gladly, only within Miramichi. I can hardly believe that in two short days, we'll be taking the keys to our VERY FIRST HOUSE, something I never even thought about while living in Vancouver. With new condos advertising the "affordable" prices of $500,000 for a 500 square foot apartment (that's $1000 per sq ft!), it never crossed my mind that we, the Schumpelts, would ever own any property. But come Tuesday, it's going to happen!

And while it's a bit intimating to be homeowners for the first time, I am excited to no longer have to fork over monthly payments to someone else. Keep posted for pictures . . .

Can't wait to have y'all over!

One year ago, God gave me this amazing gift . . .

. . . a sweet, silly, giggly, curious, delicious, totally adorable, - and stinky - baby boy. We named him Coram, and we loved him the moment we saw him. Today is his birthday, and I still can't believe that this amazing little person, who shoves food into his ears and already gives me teenage looks, was once in my body as a little ball of cells. I stand amazed, and thank God with all my heart for the precious gift that Coram is to me. How deep the Father's love is for us indeed!

To celebrate the monkey's birthday, I baked him a Tres Leches cake (my favourite) and let him have at it on the lawn - half naked (teehee!). Even Grandma Mary and Grandpa Winson were here to help celebrate.

Here's a review of Coram's first year in pictures, leading up to his big day and cake-mashing/eating adventure!

One year!

Happy 1st Birthday, Coram! We love you so, so much!

At home in New Brunswick

Still living in a basement suite in Miramichi, I couldn't wait to spend three days in a cabin on a lake, and getting to know the lovely people from the church. Packing up our stuff brought me back to our travelling days not so long ago, and this time, I hoped Coram would have a good time, too.

After an hour of bumping through dirt roads in an old logging area of New Brunswick, we arrived at a serene lake, curiously empty of the sound of motor boats and neighbouring cottagers. Being from Ontario, I thought this incredible. A lake as large and as pristine as this, populated only by loons and the occasional moose? It was heaven - or at least, close to it!

Because of our little monkey, we didn't think we'd last the whole three days at McKendrick Lake, but the good company of our new friends kept us from wanting to go home. Camps like this are always a great way for people to get to know each other . . . especially through competitive board games and the, er, inevitable toilet jokes! But what struck me the most was how we were so lovingly embraced and encouraged by each person there. By the end of it, we definitely left feeling more at home after more than a month of not having one. What a Miramichi welcome!

Thank you, friends!

Postcards from the Maritimes

Greetings from the Miramichi

The past few weeks have been overflowing with transition. Two weeks and more than 5,000 kilometres later, we arrived in Miramichi last week to an empty basement apartment, not quite sure where to begin. We had been on the road for so long, we had gotten into a routine of driving, stopping, eating, getting to our hotel. Now, we had arrived . . . and it felt a little surreal.

Our first few days were the hardest, not just because we were in a new place, but because Coram and I were quite sick - both of us with fevers, and me with chills. It was not a fun way to start our new life in New Brunswick! We also didn't have any furniture, so the first week was like living as college students again, improvising housewares out of boxes and sleeping on a lumpy air mattress. Fortunately, people from our new church were kind enough to gather essential items for us, so we gradually collected enough of the basics to make day-to-day life easier!

Let's just say that living in another dark (and somewhat dingy) basement apartment has gotten us quite motivated on the house-hunting front. The moment I started feeling better, we embarked on a 3-day house-hunting venture that led us to the home that we eventually put an offer on. If all goes well, we will be moving into our first real house by mid-August!

All in all, we are slowly getting settled here in the Miramichi, enjoying walks along Strawberry Marsh, reconnecting with our friends we met here last November, and getting used to Joash preaching every Sunday. There are many things to be thankful for, when we look at how God has taken care of us since we got here, despite having a hard first week. And though I miss my friends in Vancouver, I am glad to already have friends in New Brunswick, and looking forward to getting to know them better.

postcards from Ontario

A visit to London, ON, at the University of Western Ontario

My first-year residence. Ah, Napster and ICQ. So 1999

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Coram with his Aunt Tina in Mississauga.

Ontari-ari-ario! My home and native land

The moment we crossed the bridge from Port Huron, MI, to Sarnia, ON, I felt a surge of excitement. Though not much of the scenery had changed between the two countries, I was happy to be home - and not just in Canada - but in ONTARIO.

I was born here. It was where I spent my childhood and early twenties, camping in its many provincial parks, soaking up the summer on shimmering lakes, working as a camp nurse and counsellor in the Muskokas, and learning about life, literature - and the Gospel - at Western. My family is also here, as are many friends I'd made during university. Sure, it doesn't have the spectacular mountains or coastal wildlife of the pacific northwest, but this place still holds a special place in my heart.

Coming back to Ontario has been a bit like stepping back into time, taking me back to when I was 18 and saying goodbye to my parents after they dropped me off at my dorm. Back to a much younger, different me who had no idea what future was in store for her. Seven years later, I return from my rainy metropolis in the west a little bit wiser, a little more steady - and infinitely more blessed - now with a husband and baby in tow!

postcards from the wild west

A wild "tatonka" in the great plains of South Dakota . . .

. . . roaming till he finds his mommy!

a stopover at famous Wall Drug to catch the elusive jackalope!

Coram finds a furry friend

The wildlife out here sure is cute!

Life on the road

Currently, I'm writing this in Worthington, Minnesota, a place of endless fields, farm and sky -and where the air is growing thicker as is the accent of the Americans here. Summer is in full swing: What a difference from what we left, just six days ago!

Then, we were in Vancouver's wintry mist, layered in jeans, long-sleeved shirts and our merino wool socks (just as any sensible pacific northwesterner). By the time we reached the Yakima Valley, I realized that summer had already arrived everywhere but Vancouver! In Washington's version of the Okanagan, it was 30C, and we were seriously overdressed! (see Coram's outfit in pictures below).

The next day, we set off for Missoula, Montana, winding through stunning mountains and watching out for moose, deer and other fleet-footed wildlife that might try to cross the highway.

Speaking of wildlife, the next day we were spared - by God's grace, I'm sure - from hitting a deer. Having seen it running toward us from the grassy median, Joash slowed down as it darted across our lane, but the car just ahead and beside us didn't see, and hit the deer on its hip, sending it flying with a crash into the ditch along with pieces of the car bumper. Luckily the passengers seemed okay, but I'm sure the deer wasn't. It was the first time I actually wished I had a gun! Poor deer.

Thursday, we reached Rapid City, South Dakota, where we spent a day with Joash's grandma Jan. She brought us to Mt. Rushmore, which I had wanted to see since watching North by Northwest, then to Storybook Island - a place Joash loved as a child. Coram and I met Joash's aunt Debbie later that evening, then made it home just before a torrential thunderstorm descended upon us with ping-pong ball sized hail stones. Amazing that our car survived, intact windshield and all, and without a dent!

We said goodbye this morning, driving through the famous Battlefield at Wounded Knee, the South Dakota Badlands, and miles and miles of beautiful, rolling plains straight out of Dances With Wolves. Sadly, there were no buffalo sightings for me, but I did have a buffalo burger at the famous Wall Drug and spotted plenty of antelope grazing the plains.

Only six days, and we've travelled so far and seen so much. Too bad we have such a long journey, or we could have spent more time exploring all these famous landmarks. But, onward we go. Tomorrow, we head toward the big cities of the midwest. After all this natural beauty, I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it!

The last days

This week has been a hard one. I have been working endlessly at thinning out our collection of stuff - over four years' worth - while keeping up with an ever-curious, faster-than-lightning little boy. But, it's also been one of incredible blessing, full of friends, celebration, and fellowship.

On Sunday, we went with our dear friends Rock, Adrienne, Tya and Sher-Ping to have our last taste of amazing, stupendous Sushi Garden, complete with Alaska rolls and mountains of sweet, sweet sashimi!

Monday, we had margaritas and a bit of game 6 with friends - which then turned into a night of 2001 Space Odyssey . . . and eventually shooting each other in Halo.

Tuesday, I was treated like a bride, taken out for a pedicure with the girls (thanks, Rachel!), lunch, then evening drinks and appies with my closest friends. It was so special and I felt so, so loved! Then the next day, Coram and I sped off to meet dear Karen and two of her boys for a midday gelato run to La Casa Gelato . . . mmm!

Today, we jaunted down to Granville Island for my last Terra Breads fix, munching our goodies in the sun with good friends Kirk, Rachel, little Olivia, and Naomi. Joash and I later indulged at Kalamata restaurant, for some fabulous roast lamb and garlicky Greek goodness.

Tomorrow, the dance party.

It's all happening so fast. With each passing day of this week, and with each friend I spend it with, I'm beginning to feel our time in Vancouver slipping away. But it's okay. I am treasuring each of these moments, grateful for the seven years God has gifted me with and all the many, many dear friends he has given me. I am totally and utterly thankful.