Wait, What? June 1/2 Done?

We had a CNIB dog in house again! Only for a week, but Aiden and Jasmin were happy :) Useful for Jasmin finishing her course homework too. So very opposite from Freda!

Jasmin is in her final push to finish all her homeworks and get them sent in before the 15th, so we're getting some interesting sentences out of her as her brain jumbles her words :D

Grace started going weekly to a nearby retirement home with a new friend from church. She's taken her flags along and gotten at least one lade intrigued enough to request a flag she can use herself. So mom has a new craft project :)

Mom finished the ladies' study at church with a good recap session followed by a potluck lunch at the leader's house. They did 1 Corinthians - an overview only as it was only 12 weeks - but it was useful to make them think. The recap could be summarized this way:

1 Corinthians is about Paul teaching the Corinthian church how to be a functioning healthy church: by rejecting cultural norms where they cross 'God's culture', weeding out sin, setting aside selfishness, being content, using their gifts correctly, and rejoicing in the resurrection. All these are done by/in/through the Spirit, for the gospel, powered by love.

Aiden thoroughly enjoyed himself at OnCon with people, God times, and funhouse games and came home not quite so tired as expected and full of odd little stories. The very next day he turned 14 - but we chose to celebrate the following Friday instead, when the kids could spend the afternoon rock climbing and then come home to a birthday party courtesy of our generous neighbour here, eager to share her BBQ with us. Dad did a pretty good job cooking, considering this is is first time barbequing (how did he manage that?!).

And May's Complete

Rest of May thoughts:

•  We had a mini heatwave (2-3 days of 30+ weather) and then right back to a normal spring of cool sunny days sprinkled in between lots of cold rainy ones. Kinda wish the warmth had stayed, but normal weather patterns are good!
• Walking to Nova Youth one of those hot days, Aiden and I saw this little family of ducklings right beside the road. Hopefully the duck pair on our pond at home have managed to hatch and protect their young from the resident mink as well.
• We've appropriated a square of dock pulled up on the shore near us for our picnic spot. No one from the near by restaurant or boat club is bothering us about doing so, so we're happy to have such a lovely spot: we even get to watch the sailing club sometimes. 
• Mom had her birthday lunch there, but then we also had a mini mini party on Friday: a few friends over to eat mini cakes, pies, and rolls and play mini Quirkle.
• Aiden has finished off one more course of grade 12 and has just two more to close out the year.

June thoughts:

• How quickly it's June already!
• Jasmin took her final exams this last weekend and now only has a few assignments to finish! Then, after all our travels, she can take the certification exam to be a professional trainer. 
• OneCon weekend for Aiden: youth conference in Moncton. He went last year, but this year his sisters aren't going so he's "flying solo."
• We're planning for two more birthdays this month
• We're finally settled enough to focus on getting into smooth routines of healthy habits, filling up for our later travels in July: daily walks discovering local neighbourhoods after lunch, more regular mealtimes and bedtimes, etc. Here's hoping for 3 weks of quiet routine normalacy (with birthdays!) before we leave on our travels!

 

Momentous May

May has been a scramble so far. On the 15th we moved out of our house temporarily for the summer so it can be a movie set! It was nearly as much work as a full on move as we had to pack up everything, while contemplating what to take with us on our various summer travels. But we've done it and it went pretty smoothly, all told.

Right at the beginning, Grace turned 20: we ate some Asian food mom cooked up, and a cake of course. Then on the 13th the kids and a friend went out for more Asian food and took in a cross-cultural concert (Innuk variations on classical music!) together.

In the middle of packing, daily life, and a few extras, we also took time to notice God's precious love gifts: while we won't get to watch the fantastic progression of blooms around our house, we did get to discover and enjoy may flowers, daffodils, and forget me nots - some of mom's favorites.

 

And then, to top it all off, at our temporary place, much closer into the city, we still have flowering bushes, forget me nots, and even lilly of the valley - and still we get to watch birds and deer our our front window! 

Our first week settling in is being super busy: 

• Monday the kids took the dogs out for a walk that got longer than expected becuase they got a little turned around and did a fair bit of backtracking to find the way home. Jasmin got stung by a wasp on her foot that swelled so much she has been since hobbling and hopping around the house.
• Tuesday Mom drove Grace to three different medical tests - one that we had to go to Truro for and get groceries.
• Wednesday Mom and Aiden are out all afternoon and evening for a homeschoool youth meet up and youth group - with some time in libraries (yes, more than one library: the Sackville one had to close because of a heat policy - it got too hot inside - so we went down to Bedford) in between to save round trips to Sackville.
• Thursday Mom, Dad, and Grace will spend the whole morning at church for prayer, a Bible study, and a meeting with the pastor. And in the afternoon Imma will come for her dogs and hopefully time for tea and talk.
• Friday we all have to go meet our new family doctor (Yeay for getting one finally!) in the morning and then in the evening EncounterEquip conference starts so Mom, Dad, and Grace will be out again!
• Saturday Mom, Dad, and Grace will be at church all day for EncounterEquip again.

Whew! Not much true settling in has been happening, I guess. Hopefully we get to stay home a bit more next week!


 

Spring!

 Creeping green mist over the fields

(the green on th trees still is only moss)

Spring rains offering wild beauty:

Misty hills, jewel drops on twigs

Tulip leaves piercing up through leftover Fall leaves

Crocuses reaching up to yell loud yellow and purple joy to the sun

Crinkly dark green and purple leaves

Unfolding close to the ground

Sounds of rain in the gutters

Robins and phesants (mostly) in the grass

Peepers loud and numerous in the pond

Cries of delight as we discover yet another growing thing

A few other spring things:

Another week of a borrowed dog to train for Jasmin's course

Jasmin and Aiden in full tilt year end study crunch

Took time one evening to catch our stubbornly resident porcupine - without quill adventures this time!

And news that our summer travels will begin 6 weeks earlier than expected:

An in-town move prompted by our house requisitioned for a movie!