quickie update :)

i hoped to blog a couple of times this week, but the three addiction assignments I'm working on continue to plague me and be the primary focus of every spare moment. cant wait til they're done, but also feeling really extremely thankful I decided to squeeze that unplanned class in last June... this is very relevant learning for where we are right now. i've already dropped a class from my fall timetable, as i respond to the demands and opportunities before us at Flatlanders. I just decided that I have the whole rest of my life to become a counselor, but I only have 10 months at Flatlanders!

tonight is birthday party night at Flatlanders.. there are several members of our community who have August bdays, so tonight is the celebration. The rest of today will be spent preparing.. we planning chocolate fondue, cheese fondue, and a bbq. I also plan to bake chocolate zucchini cake. I hope the recipe turns out great! Of course, my can't-follow-the-rules nature is already planning several additions/changes to the recipe, so if it flops it will likely be my fault, not the recipe ... (I've already registered a couple of flopped recipes here and everyone is very forgiving. I don't think I'll be trying seafood noodle surprise again anytime soon...!!)
The celebration happens to be on Kenny's actual birthday, and his excitement is contagious; he is looking forward to a couple of his family members joining us. Please think of Kenny if you pray, he is a wonderful member of our family here who has been having a few struggles of late.

at the moment, I'm feeling rather thankful for all the expressions of encouragment and kindness we've heard from the wonderful people in our life over the past few weeks. To those friends who are so often calling, emailing, asking great questions, staying in touch.. you often make our day. We love and appreciate you, and we sense your prayers in moments that challenge us as well as in the moments of quiet reflection that lift us up. You are on our minds often. Some of you in Winnipeg we haven't had a chance to hang out with yet, but we look forward to it soon! And to our Saskatchewan friends.. we miss you frequently and muchly! Sometimes it feels like Flatlanders and Hepburn must be in different universes, but we are so glad to have the opportunity to experience both communities.

a parting thought - I just posted a little reminder on the desk I work at that says:

Proposal for a well-lived day: Spend the whole day in real life.