How God is blessing me

This is more of a test post more than anything. I’m fairly busy at the moment playing around on my brand new computer (editing pictures in Lightroom). It was a long story putting this thing together, but I’m glad the wait and the agony of tech problems are behind me. I’m just testing out the blogging software that came with Windows Live/Windows 7 operating system. It lets me post pictures! Nice! Well, I’m gonna post this and maybe when I have more time I can actually play around with this Live Writer program more in depth at a later time :)

It dawned on me that I forgot to elaborate on the very theme of this blog and it's mission. God has beenn showing to me what it is I can do to help make my existence on this planet a little more useful rather than merely surviving on a day-to-day basis. I realized that with a business I would be interacting more. If it's photography that I am meant to do then I will also be connecting with people a little more personable. I've gone from being a loner and a person that nearly hates other people to a person that loves interacting with others and talking about whatever. I love my job as a support worker and I loving sharing why I love my job. It opens up discussions why the needy deserve to be loved and cared for and how anybody can do it if they just open their hearts a little more. Anyways, I see this road being one for ministrial potential. I've always struggled with figuring out my place in witnessing or being a positive example of Christ's blessings. This idea makes sense to me and I'm looking forward to seeing the potential this has.

I'm adding this entry from my new work area - the kitchen. I was feeling cooped up in the office away from everyone, so I borrowed my Dad's laptop and set up here. He was kind enough to buy us a large and sturdy oak dining table. It's beautiful and expandable for 8 guests. What I love most is that the TV has been off more and we've been using it to congregate and do more activities here. William does puzzles, Tristan likes to launch cheerios across the room, and well.. Tonya still likes her place on the couch in front of the TV. Some things didn't all change I guess.

So, as usual, our lives remain well and we are steadily growing in many areas. I'm thinking less about myself and more about my family. I've placed less emphasis on bodybuilding and instead am looking for ways to invest in our future. I'm getting the entrepreneurial buzz and learning about business. While I've been able to scrape up a few thousand here and there every year with the design business, it's been limited as I've never really planned for expansion (nor advertised!). With art at my very roots I'm discovering better money making potential in photography. It's a small niche and market surveys will reveal the true potential to be had here in Sudbury. Having a sleep contract at my group home frees up my days to do whatever I feel like during the daytime in terms of a third income. As long as I keep my borrowing and my overhead to a minimum I can still get by with minimum profits and still do what I enjoy doing without worries like.. oh, bankruptcy!

But there's much work to do and the family eats up nearly all of my time, leaving me with next to no free time for any groundwork and planning. Such is life.

So, I'm sitting on the cough, laptop in lap, beside the Christmas tree... my wife, Tonya - she's getting some chicken fingers from the stove-top. My eldest son who is 19 months old is playing with toys near the flat screen TV. My newest son, Tristan (3 weeks old today) is sleeping in front of me; all wrapped up in blankets. Life is good. Things seem in place. Hey, my belly is full, and I'm chillin' in my jamies. There's a movie on about kid's hockey and I think I might flip over to play some scrabulous in FaceBook. And there's nothing wrong with a little scrable obsession because - hey! - it's educational. I should have spelled Scrabble but I don't feel like backspacing. So I suppose the picture that I'm painting for you that of a blessed man with a wonderful family. For Christmas, my wife gave me a beautiful new, leather binded bible. It's perfect. I still haven't opened it. I must. I have to, soon. Maybe tonight. So much to do. Well, I'm probably getting annoying with my short formed, spontaneous thougts, so I shall stop. Maybe I'll write in my blog in another 3 years or so. See you then!

Labels: God

This is quite a stretch since my last post. The date is certainly an indication of that. While it's been a while since we last met, it hasn't been as long since I've put an effort into updating this. I think there are two occasions where I went into detail about the latest events in my life, but failed to post them online because of software accidents. Yes, I'm not going to blame the computer for everything that goes wrong. I admit that these things do happen because of carelessness on my part.

Ok, so on to my journal post. I'm lying in bed right now, but as lazy as that sounds, I am trying my best to be productive with my time. I've spent the last few days converting old family videos (VHS, 8mm) to MPG-2. It's been a lot of work and has required sitting through many an hour to get this stuff digital. For a while I was certain that our old Sharp ViewCAM was caputt, but it just turned itself on unexpectedly because I had left the power switch on while I was working on something else. I'm glad I didn't throw it out! Who knew, 13 years later, the things still has life left in it. Going through all these videos, getting them organized and putting them into a preserved format has really got me thinking about life again. My history and what is to come. Of course, you don't know this, because I'm such a lazy blogger, but Tonya is pregnant. I was tempted to use the word el-preggo, but that's a bat habbit I'm refraining from continuing! Tonya is about 5 and a half months pregnant, maybe more. So that means the baby will be in about 4 or less months. Wow...! I'm so excited. I'm just trying to get ready for that time. I'm doing all the things I've been wanting to do for so long and just getting my plate as shined up as I can before the REAL work comes. Because soon enough I won't have all this luxurious time like I do now. I might even skip the gym today because tomorrow (and today) I need preparation time for my interview. I'm not too worried about compared to how I've been with past interviews. I've been through enough now that I know the drill. I'm not even that pumped up because Tonya and I still want to move down south, and this is just a temp thing. Not exactly a high profile position or anything. But hey, it's an interview out of 45 online job submissions AND countless resume hand-outs!!! I could get into the pile of details about what's gone into that because I'm still out of work as of, oh, like 10 months ago. And I could also get into how many times we've moved. Like how we WERE in Garson, then moved to New Sudbury with my in-laws. Then we moved into the up-stairs apartment of 418 Ester St. which my parents provided rent-free. It was a process which helped them evict their nasty tenant and which of course gave us shelter and privacy once again. But that was short-lived as my in-laws sold their house for reasons of lowering their debts and living more simple. Oh, but have I mentioned yet that they moved in with US? Yup, we are back together again under the same roof. This time we're together with both sets of parents. Sounds a little unusual, I know. But things are great, actually. Unsurprisingly, our privacy is diminished and we all have moments where we can get into each other's spaces. But we're working together and helping each other where each one of us lacks. I do dishes and keep things tidey as best as I can. And they, well, they feed us, and feed us well. It's true that on most days the fridge is pretty much empty, but we manage, and somehow we get our 3-5 meals per day. And we're still making it to the gym regularly. I'm pushing harder than ever, exhausting myself past failure when I'm able for maximum muscle gains. I'm using some excellent when protein isolate so I'm seeing gains like never before. Watching some of these DVDs are helpful in that I see quite a bit of flag that could still go because defenition is an area I'm still lacking. But I'm confident to know that I'm not terribly far away from what could a great, competition-worthy physique.

I just heard the door close. I have a feeling Tonya might be back from the church. Lately she's been working at the church as a free-of-charge secretary. I've even gone in a few times to help out. She probably slapped together the entire 200 phone directories that are going to be handed out this upcoming Sunday. Speaking of this Sunday, Rich and Chantalle Carrier are going to be playing for their very last time. It's going to be a sad a joyful knowing that they will be going to doing new things in the future. I will defenitely have my camcorder with me and make sure to tape the whole thing as a memory saver.

Well, something is going on downstairs - I'm sure of it. It's just a matter of time before Tonya comes up for her loving greeting. So I'll have to resume this sometime later - hopefully it doesn't take two years for that to happen!

Well, I just wanted to make this a short blogg today. The probolem is I have so many things that I want to write about, but I just don't really have the patience or the time right now to do so. I've been sitting here at my cool little desk for a majority of the day (it's only lunch, but hey, it IS the majority) and I'd like to get off and move on to other things. Last night I realized I want change. I had an encouraging conversation with my "blond babe" last night on the phone ;) and I realized I have hurtles which I need to over-come, but will only be able to do so after I committ my life to God whole heartedly. That means, handing over my problems to God, having faith that He's going to bless me by laying out a path for me to walk, and having the faith to take the necessary steps on this path despite my complete blindness. I don't know what's around the corner, but I have so much more reassurance in the ability to take those steps because I have Tonya by my side for counseling and support. Obviously she is so much to me than just security, but it's easier to share those moments of uncertainty with another person since you know you can face those challenges together. I'm also glad I can be there for all of her challenges, with her physical situations (knee problems, exercise lifestyle) and her future educational persuits. We've always been like that, even when we weren't courting. When we were best friends we were each other's support, and we had genuine care and concern for one another's well being. That's one of the things I love about this friendship and romance of ours!

So, at church last night, the congregation shared which aspects about "The Passion of Christ" were most significat and meaningful to us after having experienced the movie. I didn't have the courage to speak and be heard by so many, but I'll share now in my blogger the one of the movie's moments which resounded within me with forever altering impact. When Christ was on the cross, the man that was being crucified to Jesus's right side was laughin in foolishness mocking Jesus for considering himself God of all things. He also mocked Jesus for forgiving the very soldiers and leaders which made his punishment happen. To the left of Christ there is a man which I was able to relate to. Here was a person which carried with him an abundance of sin - a lifetime of transgretions. The man was at the end of his life, and in his eyes, you can see the remorse overflowing. He pittied himself, and he was ashamed of his life of sin. He humbly asked God's forgiveness, though he knew he was not deserving of it. This remose was all too familiar with me, as I deal with repentance issues in my own life. I have a past I am disturbed by, and feel regretful of. All my life I have seeked God's face, longing to look Him in the eyes and have shelter from my human nature, something I will never be able to escape until I am in heaven. That moment of the movie was so powerful, because I saw myself on that cross, at the end of m life, coming face to face with God, meeting His judgment. Somehow Christ found the physical strength to lift his tired head after hearing this meager man's pleading for mercy - he turned towards him, and with eyes full of love and compassion, He forgave him and allowed him entrance into His heavenly kindgom. I realize those eyes of love were only those of an actor's infront of a film camera. But in my own heart, I believe when Christ did walk this planet of ours, had I been alive during that time of history, if I had the opportunity to meet Jesus personally, I know he'd look upon me with eyes of pure love - real love - a love that is unlike anything of this earth. I wonder how powerful such an encounter might really be like. But now, with the crucifiction complete, and His promise set about for all to hear, I know that I have even more peace of mind that my life has been saved by the blood he eventually spilled. As profound an encounter it would be, its the knowledge we have now which we must soak within our understanding so that we may fully appreciate our salvation.

Well, it is now almost 2 o'clock. I've been moving around the house during the writing process of this blog entry. I'd like to wrap it up now. I'm not sure what else to add. I think for documentary purposes, I'll just summarize everything that has happened, is happening, and will be happening in the following paragraph.

The past two weeks have gone towards moving my bedroom from upstairs to the middle floor as it once was a few years ago. As of this afternoon, I can say that everything is placed in their final positions. My old TV is now in Garrett's room. My telescope is propped up again after years of hibernation. My clothes are stuffed away rightfully and my boxed "stuff" is cramed under my bed, all of which was organized, sorted, and parced by me and Tonya. By the way, she was extremely helpful during the entire moving process, speeding it up a few levels for me! Speaking of organized, my new computer is completley pieced together, and it is now really, really sweet! It's also loaded with all of the "silent" goodies, making it nicely quiet! I've finally found the perfect software configuration, and the interface is sporting a final version of Mac OSX Jaguar (emulation), something I have been manipulating and fine-tuning for months now. My desk components are all connected and placed in a perfect layout. I even removed my relaxing leather chair and replaced it with my balance ball, something NOBODY has (nor would want). But MOST people are lazy and probably place comfort over something like strengthening back muscles (my spine will one day be greatful for these efforts!). Now, about this weekend; I will be riding along with the Van Dykes for the baptismal of Tonya's niece. I think we're going to play word games/card games on the ride down, so I'm looking forward to it. Tonight, Tonya will be stopping by right after my hair-cut is complete, and then we will start packing my stuff. After that, we will likely be working our legs at the gym, then, something that's needed for our romantic life, be dropping by 100 George's to take in the live music as our date.

Well, there's other big things looming over the horizon. Changes are on the way, I feel them happening soon. I'll write about them when they have happened so that you're up-to-date about God's blessings in my life. Bye for now, folks!

Alas, I am here to update ya'll (ya'll being me, and probably just Tonya) on life. Where things are. Well, as you can see by the date, today is nearing the end of February. Yes, the most dreaded month of the year is almost a thing of the past. Well, that is until 2005 is among us and we do it all over again! I'm in bed right now typing away on my laptop. I got my wireless network running yet again so I was just surfing the net waiting for Tonya to get out of bed. She stayed over last night as she often does. Yesterday, she worked, then we worked out legs (very carefully since her knee is at its worst ever) then we came home to make fajitas. UG and AP were over and they were displaying their pictures from Glenn Junior's wedding. After dinner we played a frustrating game of scrabble in which we were both getting the worst of worst letter combinations and most of my words were 3 letters long. We eventually gave up on, realizing our bad luck wasn't going to get any better, and we settled for some cuddle time.

So Tonya's birthday was this past Wednesday. She came over after the piano lesson I taught, and I presented her with her gift; a blue/silver bracelet, pink/blue/grey earings, a card and a dozen roses. Then we went out to Casey's for fajitas. Can you tell we really like fajitas?! :P Pastor John and Kate surprised us and dropped by to have dinner with us in between. After our dinner we went to church and watched the kids with Garrett and snacked on popcorn and I sorta got into the baby cookies and jube-jubies. That night there was a lot of excitement because Mel Gibson's "The Passion of Christ" opened up that night. We all went to the 10 o'clock showing. We got first in line an hour before time. It payed off because we sat dead center at the back. I sat with Leon and Tonya. It was SO hot in the theatre. I stripped down to my t-shirt and I was still pouring sweat at times. Felt like 30C. It was brutal. But the movie was too much emotionally. I couldn't budge. I was stiff as a board. I cried a lot, and I cried even more after the movie. It's been only 3 days after seeing the movie, but I've been repenting in so many ways since the movie. I'm forever changed now. I see Christ's crucifiction so much differently. I see his sacrifice so differently and I value it more and I see I've taken for granted his efforts to take away my sins, giving me such a fortunate opportunity to repent and to chose his kingdom over my own cheap, selfish desires.

Well, Tonya is up and she's here with me so I cannot type any more. See you in a later blog!

So.. it's been a real long time since I've written in my "blog" thing-a-ma-jobbie. It's just past 10 in the morning and I've been up for a while; just watching the Bruce Almighty. Actually, last night I brought up like 15 DVDs, many of which I'm gonna burn with my new DVD Burner. I went to blockbuster with Tonya and she helped me pic out the movies. I bought The Platinum Edition Lion King DVD, Matrix Reloaded, and X-Men 2.

Well, since I last wrote about my life, how God has been blessing me, SO much has happened in all of this time and I don't think it's possible to go over everything. I'm still with Tonya, and we're doing amazing. We had a great talk last night, and I'm excited at how great things are with us. We're committed at having a pure relationship, and we're placing God at the center of the relationship. We talk about everything, and NOTHING stays hidden. We both have full support from each other's parents, and our church is routing for us as well. She spoils me like no-one else, and I don't even ask anything from her. (Well, just a little help doing dinner and sorting laundry). My folks are in Cuba now for the second week, so I'm in charge of the house. It's been fun. We had a romantic dinner last week (stir-fry, bruscetta, salad) and did the grocery shopping and cooking together. We watched Alex and Emma and then did dessert (vanilla yogurt, fruit salad mix). The other day Tonya surprised me and came over to my house when I least expected her. She brought me a pair of NICE drum sticks. I used them for yesterday's service and they are so sweet. It was a so sweet of her to do that. I am so lucky she cares for me like that. I picked an amazing God. Well, God picked her out for me, I just had to follow His instructions. We went to the gym yesterday together and she taught me how to jab in boxing. We did legs also and her parents showed up and did treadmill. Sorry, I'm sort of rushiing this and going from topic to topic. I have to use the washroom so maybe I'll take care of that so that I can come back and make this a bit better.

Well, it's an hour later.. i forgot about my Blog. Well today I'm supposed to finish laundry and burn a few more DVDs, then, um, hit the gym for cardio, then Tonya's off at 5 at which point she'll walk over to the gym and i'll take her home. There's a Braided practice tonight at 6 and I'm on keys, Rob's on drums.

I'm watching Happy Gilmore. I'm sorta bored of writing my blog as I'm sure you can tell by my lain writing style today, so I'll end this and fold laundry and sort out some old artwork I pulled out to show Tonya last night. Bye for now!