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!