My boys

I just thought this was really cute! I was in my room doing some stuff on my computer when Eddie curled up with Rob, I had to take a couple pictures! Aren't they so cute?!

End of Summer

You know its the end of summer, when you walk outside, have to go back inside and put on another layer! I was noticing the other day too, then when I stepped outside in the evening is smelled like fall. Yes, fall has a smell! I don't mind though, I love the fall!

But you REALLY know its the end of summer when the soccer season comes to an end! Mandy and I played on the same team this year. We had a great time! I'm not the most fantastic player, but I really enjoy going out each week, getting some excersice and visiting with the girls on our team. It was a fun season. We played our last game last night and ended up tying with the first place team, so it was a good way to finish off. Good work this year Tiger Cats! Hope to see you all next season!

Family visit

This past weekend, Mandy, Rob and I headed to London to spend an afternoon with dad's side of the family. It was such a great time chatting and catching up with everyone. We didn't get a chance to see them over Christmas this year because we went away. It was great that we had the chance before Mandy and I moved to school. It was also the first time they had met Rob, so that was kinda fun too! The pictures up above are missing a few people (mainly my younger cousins, who had gotten bored and went to play at a different house) but, its most of the fam! My lovely grandparents, my Uncle Dave and Aunt Laura, and Uncle Mike and Aunt Carol. It was a great time! Thanks for a great lunch and visit!! xoxo

After we spent a couple hours there, Rob and I met up with my friend Janet. Janet is from Sarnia, but we met while we were both working in Zambia last year. We became really great friends. I had the privilege of attending her wedding earlier this year, but that was the last time we had seen each other. It happened that we were both in London for the day, so we got a chance to sit and chat! We ended up being at the restuarant for about 2 hours! It was so great to see her though! It was a great day of visits!

Date Night

Hey! So this past Thursday night (after my tire issue!) I went and picked up my friend Ashleigh from work and headed back to her place for a girls' night sleepover! We hadn't done that.....ever...as far as we could remember and we've been friends for 3 years! It was such an awesome night where we ate half a tub of ice cream, chatted about our boys, futures, etc! We also ate popcorn and watched High School Musical 2 (yes, we are fans!). Though Ash only saw about half the movie due to her little cat nap in the middle! We stayed up really late chatting and catching up, then got up relatively early to head to Cora's for breakfast! Ash had never eaten there before, so we had to document it by taking a photo! (We look pretty good for being exhausted!). All in all, it was such an awesome time!

Love you Ash!!!

Tire Tragedy!

Hi Everyone! So guess what happened to me the other day! (I'm sure you can tell by the pics!) I got my very first flat tire!!! I know I shouldn't be excited about it, and I can tell you that at the time, I wasn't very excited, but I had to document it! I was about to leave to go pick my friend Ashleigh up from work to have our sleepover, when I noticed my tire was very very flat! Thankfully, Mandy's friend Brandon was over and he could help me change it to put on the little donut tire. The next day I took it to the shop becuase I only had one rim, and they couldn't even save the tire. It had quite a cut in it! But it's all fixed now!!! I now have 3 winter tires and 1 summer tire on my car....planning ahead?!

Update!

Hi everyone!
Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I have been super busy! These last couple weeks before school are packed full of fun but are also a little overwhelming and tiring. I'll give you a bit of a download from the past week - since it's been about that time that I have written!

This past week has been filled with visits! Thursday and Friday nights were spent with Rob, catching up, and sharing stories and pictures from each of our trips which has been super nice. I missed him! Friday during the day I had the chance to eat breakfast and spend some time with Mandy and her friends which was nice. I really enjoyed the chance to chat with each of them. Saturday was a day spent with Rob doing lots of errands and odd and end type things. Sunday we went to church and Mandy and I had a soccer game in Shelbourne (just outside of Orangeville). It was a bit of a commute, but we had a packed car, so it was fun to sing along and hang out. The game wasn't a great one, we lost 1-0. Fortunately I had a really good game, so it felt good to leave knowing that I had played well. Unfortunately, it was our second last game of the season! We have one final game this coming Sunday! The season went by so fast! I'm going to miss playing during the school year. Then Sunday night, Rob and I went for pizza with our friend Nathaniel. It was really nice to catch up with him for a little while. He's such a great guy! The Monday, Mandy, Rob and I headed to London to meet my nana for lunch. Sadly we got stuck in traffic for about half and hour and ended up being an hour late for lunch. Sorry nana! We had a nice lunch and time to catch up so it was really nice to see her. Then that evening, my friend Ashleigh was moving out of her Heritage dorm room into a house. Rob and I, along with our friends Nathaniel and Trisha, and Ash and her boyfriend Jake, packed up 2 cars and helped move her into her new place. Then Nathaniel and Trisha made a delicious dinner and we hung out for a while at the house. It was such a great time to have all of us together! Then Tuesday was a very busy running around day for Rob and I. We had lots of places we needed to go and things we needed to pick up. One thing we got to do was take Cable (Rob's bunny) and get his nails clipped. The poor thing was so scared! By the end of the day I was exhausted. We picked up a few groceries and a movie and headed back to Rob's place. I was tired that I layed down and slept for about an hour while Rob made us a fantastic dinner! Chicken, mashed potatoes and veggies. It was wonderful! We then curled up and watched a movie and turned in for the evening. I have been really tired this week with all the emotion and stress that I am starting to feel with getting ready for school. Then yesteday, we had such a great day! Mandy and I (along with 2 cars full of friends) headed to Canada's Wonderland. It was probably our 5th or 6th visit this season. Our season's passes definitely came in handy this summer. There we met up with family friends, Chris and Colleen and their 3 kids (who Mandy and I each babysat for a summer). We took the kids and got to spend the afternoon playing with, chatting with, and going on rides with. It was so much fun! I love those kids! It also gave Chris and Colleen a chance to do the adult rides - which I think they appreciated! Once we met up with the family and went our separate ways, our two groups of friends went out for Pizza Hut. Lots of laughs and jokes. It was really fun. Then Dan and Sarah and I went back and did one roller coaster at Wonderland before leaving again - this time to pick up Rob from work. We were a little late, so we didn't get back to Wonderland until around 9 pm. By this time it was dark, which is exactly what we wanted! We parked and went straight to Behemoth! That ride is insane enough as it is, but doing it in the dark was incredible! So crazy! We got to do a couple rides in the dark before the park closed which was so much fun! Then today dad, Mandy and I went up to Vaughan again and spent the day dropping of resumes and filling out applications for some potential employment opportunities. I applied at about 7 places. Now I am just praying for someone to call! Please pray! I am going to need to get a job this year during school to be able to afford to live. So ya, that is a brief update on my life in the past week! Still some very busy days ahead!

Tonight I am going over to Ash's house to spend the night! I'm really looking forward to a girl's sleepover! We are going to watch High School Musical 2! I'm sure it's going to be great fun!!

New Bed!

Ok, so all of you know that over the past couple weeks I have been buying different things as Mandy and I prepare for school. Well today, I was super excited to buy my new bedding! Sheets I'm just going to take from home, and I have a plain white douvet. I thought it might be fun to get a nice douvet cover to add some colour to my room at school! I found this one at the Bedding Store in the Cambridge Centre. When I originally picked it up, because of how it was positioned, I thought it was just purple and blue as none of the other colours were showing. When I opened the package, much to my excitment and surprise, it was all the colours! I am so excited! It's so cute!!! It's even reversable. I didn't take a picture of the other side, because I'm going to use the "bubble" side most often I think! The other side has all the same colours, except it's done in stripes. It's really cute! I can't wait to take it and use it on my bed at school!

On another note, I'm looking forward to this evening because Rob and I are going over to help our friend Ashleigh move. She has to move out of dorm and is moving into a house, so we're gonna help her do that. It's going to be fun because there are a few different friends that are coming to help out. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and having fun doing this all together!

Cute Bag!

I just wanted to show you guys a picture of the cute bag that Rob got for me when he was in Holland. It's so adorable!!!

Thanks Rob!!!

We live, We love.

I have to admit that one of my favorite Christian Bands is a "girl power" type band called Superchick. Mandy and I have been into their music since their first album put out several years ago. We have even had the chance to see them in concert once and had tickets to another event but was unfortunately cancelled. Today while I was cleaning up my room and putting away laundry, little things like that, one of their songs from on of their older albums came on and got me thinking as I sang along to the lyrics. The song is very catchy and easily recognizable, you hear the chorus once and you'd pick it up right then, its so easy! Here are the lyrics:

We Live - Superchick
There's a cross on the side of the road
Where a mother lost her son
How could she know that the morning he left
Would be the last time she'd trade with him for a little more time(so she could say she loved him one last time)
And hold him tight
But with life we never know when we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then
With tragedy around the bend

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

There's a man who waits for the tests to
See if the cancer had spread yet
And now he asks why did I wait to live 'til it was time to die
If I could have the time back, how I'd liveLife is such a gift
So how does the story end?Well, this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we were meant to do

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

Waking up to another dark morning
People are mourning
The weather in life outside is storming
But what would it take for the clouds to break
For us to realize each day
Is a gift somehow, someway
And get our heads up out of this darkness
And spark this new mindset and start on with life cuz it ain't gone yet
And tragedy's a reminder to take off the blinders and wake up(to live the life)
We're supposed to take up(moving forward)
With all our heads up
Cuz life is worth living

We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love
We live, we love, we forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
And today we remember to live and to love

I think there is something we can learn from the lyrics. It is just a simple and fun reminder that life, no matter what struggles and challenges we face from day-to-day, is a gift. We are not guarenteed tomorrow, so why not live the life we have been given, while we have the chance?! Live a life full of love, full of forgiveness and hanging on to God to help us get through the hard parts, but never giving up. I think as Canadians we get far too caught up in our high-class society mindset. For us it seems a tragedy when our favorite store shuts down! Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point, that alot of times we worry and get upset about stupid little things. When in reality, is it worth getting so upset?! We only have one chance to live this life that God blessed us with - ONE CHANCE. Why waste it getting worried and upset on little things?? Why can't we remember to take one day at a time. One day to enjoy the small simple things. Enjoy the sunshine, the laughter of friends or family, the playfullness of a pet. I think far too often we forget to enjoy the simple things. I don't know about you, but I am going to take one day at a time. Thank Him for each little blessing that I enjoy each day, even through the bad times.

"Each day is a gift somehow, someway" - Let's be open minded enough to remember that there is a blessing in everyday. The gift of just being. The gift of being alive in Him. The gift of love. Being able to be loved by the creator Himself. Being loved by our close friends and family. There is a simple blessing in everyday.

So, Live, Love, forgive and never forget. The days we are given are gifts from above!

Home Sweet Home

Well, it seems that our little road trip is over! After driving about 6 hours (Alot of it in the rain) we made it home safely. We are all happy to be back but not looking forward to the busy-ness that the next couple of weeks bring before Mandy and I move to school.
Speaking of school, we got our official residence paperwork today! The final piece that we were waiting on before school starts! We are pretty pumped!
Anyways, I'm going to unpack and get ready to see Rob tonight!
Enjoy your evening!

Final Day

Well, this is officially our last day on our vacation! We got up this morning, packed up our suitcases, grabbed coffee and muffins and hit the road! Drove about 5 hours into Dayton Ohio where we're spending the evening. The drive seemed to go by fast. I did a little reading, finished reading "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis. It was a book that Rob lent me. It was a great book that challenges alot of different thinking about Heaven and Hell. I highly recommend it! I also got a chance to sleep a little in the car, and by little I mean 3 hours! I didn't expect to sleep that much but I couldn't keep my eyes open! We celebrated the end of our little road trip by having a nice dinner at the fancy hotel restuarant. It was great because we toasted to our trip and enjoyed great food and alot of laughs. I think we're all ready to get back to life at home. It was great to spend a few days away and enjoy some time together. Though, getting back into Cambridge means that we get back into our crazy lives. Both Mandy and I have busy busy schedules as we prepare to get ready and move away to school. These next two weeks are going to be packed with visits, packing, and meetings as we prepare to move into our appartment at school. I am looking forward to getting home tomorrow to see Rob! It's been about 2 weeks since we've seen each other. He was away in Holland for just over a week and he got back while I was away, so I'm looking forward to spending some time with him! Which means, I probably won't blog tomorrow night! I think I will write a little something just to let you guys know that we made it home ok, but then I will be spending the evening out!

Enjoy your evening!!!

Lazy Day

Hey everyone!

Today was a VERY lazy unproductive day! It started off very slow for Mandy and I. Dad got up early to go see the Titans' morning training camp - so he was up and gone long before we were up! I slept in, got up, got a little reading done and was able to chat with Rob online for a couple hours which was super awesome! Then around noon I decided Mandy had slept enough! So I woke her up and we both got ready for the day. Dad got back as we were getting ready. Since it was already after lunch time, we went for a walk through the hotel and found this great pizza place to have lunch at. Once we finished lunch we decided to take a walk through the mall across from the hotel. This mall was HUGE! We ended up spending about 2 hours wandering through there. Got a couple fun souveniers! You'll see up above a photo of a new suitcase I bought! It was on sale, and I have a few trips planned in the months ahead, so it was perfect! And it's adorable!!! WE both got a few atricles of clothing and a couple other things. It was fun to do a little "back to school" shopping! After the mall, we ended with some ice cream and headed back to the hotel. Mandy got a bad sunburn after being out in the sun all day yesterday, so she wasn't feeling super well. So when we got back, Mandy feel asleep for an hour and dad and I chatted and put the TV on for a little while. Once Mandy woke up, she still wasn't feeling good, so for dinner we ordered room service. I love ordering room service! It's fun to have people deliver food right to you! After dinner dad and I took a walk through the hotel to take a few pictures. (That's where the picture at the top of the blog is from!). The plan for tonight isnt much. Relaxing evening, and perhaps repacking all of our bags (our room is a MESS!). We check out tomorrow and start towards home. We're looking at driving about 6 hours and stopping for the night. Then driving the rest of the way on Thursday. Should be fun!!!

Enjoy your evening!

Totally Titans!

Today was a great day! Spent outside in the hot Tennessee sun enjoying some good old fashion touristing!!! Today started a little slow. We got up late and when we were finally ready to go we took off to one of our favorite breakfast places - the IHOP! After getting lost a couple times, we finally made it and enjoyed stacks of their fabulous pancakes! We then went to the LP Field and visited the Titans store. We spent about half an hour admiring all the strange and wonderful things that you can buy with the Titans logo on it! After picking out a couple pieces of gear we took a bit of a walk around the staduim and got a chance to take a couple pictures. Unfortuantely we weren't able to go into the stadium, but from one of the bridges beside it looked right down into it, so we got a really great view of the whole thing. It was really cool to see! After we had done that, we were pretty much melting in the heat! We hoped into the car, put on the AC and drove through downtown Nashville. It was really cool to go see the town. We did a little walking and driving around the town, it was nice to see a bit of the "real" Nashville. Once we finished our touristy duty, we headed over to where the Titans training camp was being held. As we waited for them to start it rained a little on us, which we all appreciated becuase it cooled the air down quite a bit. When the players came outside onto the fields, my dad was in his hay day! It was actually really neat to see the players up close and to watch them practise. We got some really great photos of the players. It was a great time to spend outside and to spend with my dad. It was really great to see him all excited! And to finish off the day, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Rainforest Cafe! So much fun!

The plan for tomorrow is looking great! We are looking forward to a nice relaxing day! Dad is going to get up early to go back and watch another Titans training session. Mandy and I are going to sleep in! Might talk a wander through the local mall and spend the afternoon relaxing by the pool! Doesn't that sound fabulous?!

Anyways, enjoy your evening, I will write again tomorrow!

Welcome Home!!!

Ok, so I just wanted to give a quick shout out to my Robert!!! Just over a week ago, I went with his parents to Toronto's Pearson airport to see him and his sister off as they took off to Holland for 11 days! It was a long week for me, but he is finally home! Unfortunately, I am not! lol. I know that him and his sister had a wonderful time and it was so great they had a chance to go.
Welcome Home Robert! I will see you in a couple days!!! xoxox

Time

Time. Time flies. Time crawls. Time seems to be able to speed up and slow down, but never when we want. You know those times in life where all you want is to freeze time? To stop in one moment and last there forever? Those moments are usually spent with people you love. Don't you wish that time could stop in those moments when you see the incredible colours splash across the sky when you witness your first sunrise. Or in that moment where you kiss your true love for the first time. The first time you hear your baby laugh. In these moments, you know that nothing else matters and you wish so badly that time would just freeze. Even just for a few moments to enjoy that special thing - whatever it may be. Then there are those times where you wish time would speed up. Where nothing you try, no matter how hard you try to keep yourself busy to pass the time, it never seems to go any faster. Time is a curious thing. It's often frustrating becuase it never seems to work the way you want.

Lately, I have really struggled with the concept of time. How to make it last. How to speed it up and then slow it down right where I want it to. I think it frustrates me, becuase I can't control it. I am one of those people who likes to be able to manage and be in charge of things. I like to plan things and make things happen how I want them too. I wish so badly that I could have a remote on life - make it speed up and slow down when I want it to. Now I know that sounds kinda selfish. Actually it sounds really selfish, but I'm human. My instinct is to want things to go my way. I have to constantly remind myself that God is in control. His timing for everything is perfect. It is a lesson in patience and a lesson in trust as I wait. I hate being patient. I wish that things would happen when I want them to. I have really had to work on being patient. I know that patience is one of the fruits of the spirit and I wish it just came naturally but it doesn't. It is something that is learned. Learned through situation. Learned and perfected through trial and error. Through times of tested patience where I remain patient. And times of tested patience where I have failed and gotten upset. All I can do in times like this is pray. God is going to teach me patience. But just becuase I ask for it doesn't mean He is just going to give it to me. He's not just going to tap me on the head and BAM! I have the gift of patience. Nope - unfortunately that isn't how it works. Wouldn't that be so much easier if it happened like that?! I know I would appreciate it! One of my dad's favorite movies is called "Evan Almighty" it is the sequel to the hilarious "Bruce Almighty". It stars Steve Carell as Evan. In one particular part of the movie God, who is played by Morgan Freeman, is talking to Evan's wife as she struggles through whether to believe her seemingly insane husband. This part in the movie really struck me - I think there can be an honest lesson learned from what he says.

"God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

I think that the writters hit this one right on the head. Just because I pray for patience, God doesn't just zap me with it. He is going to put me into situations where I can practice learning patience. In those times where I am practising and learning I have to remember not to get upset. That this is a way to strengthen myself, to grow and to learn. I can't grow unless I am placed in a situation that will test me. I will not be triumphant in any situation unless I try. Unless I practise. And unless I ask God for His strength and His help. I know I am going to fail. I am a fallen and sinful human being. I am guarenteed to make mistakes and to fail. But with God on my side, I will learn from the situation so that hopefully the next time I ask God to teach me patience I might succeed with His help.

Time is annoying. Learning to wait. Hoping that it speeds up. Learning to be patient. But in everything God is in control. His timing is perfect. I just have to trust that He knows what He's doing. Through these situations I need to keep an open mind and practise patience. I need to cherish those precious moments that I do have - those moments where I wish time would stand still. Hold them close to my heart and not soon forget. Those times where time seems just to crawl, I need to open my heart to learn and to grow.

Time & Patience. Ahhh!!!

Welcome to Tennessee!!

Well, we made it to Tennessee!! After another full day of driving we're here! Last night we enjoyed a nice swim and a couple hours of CSI Miami before bed! It was very relaxing.
This morning started out slow. We slept in a little bit, then went for breakfast before we hit the road. Then we drove through Kentucky and got a chance to stop and see one of the NASCAR Speedways. That was really neat. We didn't actually get to go inside, but we could drive up to the fence and take some pictures. Dad was really excited because he loves NASCAR! Then we drove the remainder of the way (minus a couple pit stops) to Nashville! We made it to our hotel, forgetting that there is a bit of a time change in Tennessee...we lose an hour. Tonight we are going to explore the hotel, maybe go for a swim and then tomorrow begins the REAL reason we are here - the TITANS of course! We're hoping to see one of the training camps and visit the gift shop. Dad can't wait! I'm sure that we're going to have a great day as we bake in the hot Tennessee sun!
Enjoy your evening, I'll write again tomorrow!

Road Trip!

Hi Everyone!
My dad and sister and I decided that it would be fun to take a few days and get away from the craziness of life. So we are on our way to Tennessee!!! We are going to take out time, taking a couple days to drive, then enjoying a couple hot days there, then taking a couple more to drive home. It's been nice to pack up and get away! Currently we are half way there. We spent about 6 hours driving today to make it to the Ohio/Kentucky boarder. We are spending the night at a little hotel where we plan to relax, maybe go for a swim, then get back on the road tomorrow!
I'm really enjoying the chance to get some reading done, I have several books I want to finish by the end of this road trip! It's also been nice even just this one day, to spend some really good quality time with Mandy and dad. We went out for dinner tonight and it was just fun to be silly and laugh! Even when the server came to bring us dinner, we were laughing alot and he said "Sounds like we're having a good time!". I think becuase of my loud laugh the entire restaurant knew we were there! It has really been nice to get laugh together.

As you can see from my picture, I have a very packed full suitcase, but what you can't tell from the picture is the size of my suitcase. When I had to start packing for the trip, I decided I didn't want to have to pack a full size suitcase becuase I was only going to be packing shorts and tank tops, nothing that was going to be taking alot of room. So I went into my basement and found the CUTEST little suitcase! It stands about a foot and a half tall. My mom was shocked when I could pack a week's worth of clothes into this little suitcase. I am so proud of it! It's so cute!

Anyways, Enjoy your week! I will try to write everyday just to let you know how we're doing!!
Missy

New cups

My sister, Mandy, just finished her job at Starbucks. But before she finished, we decided we were going to get a couple of the mugs they had for sale using her employee discount! We decided on these clear mugs (pictured above) I LOVE them! They don't have any handle, which I like and they are double walled. Meaning that we can use them for regular drinks as well as hot ones! I am super excited to bring and use these mugs at school this year! We are going to be so hip! hahaha!!!

Half-birthday

Just a little tid-bit of information that I JUST noticed!! Today is August 13th - my half birthday!!!
Happy half birthday to me!!! lol

Bathroom Supplies!

Hi Everyone!
So my sister Mandy and I are preparing to move out to our college appartment in a couple weeks! So exciting!!! But since we've never lived on our own, we are in need of even the most basic things. Thankfully we've found a number of different items from home that we can take with us. However, there are several things that we still have to buy.
We were all excited when we got to do some bathroom shopping! We went and picked out our shower curtain and some items to match. We got this really cute butterfly-polka dot shower curtain with matching hooks. Once we had that picked out we decided our accessories had to match! We got a nice fluffy purple bath mat and we each picked out the colours of our towels. Mine are green and Mandy's are yellow. All colours match the colours in our shower curtain! We were so excited to shop for our very own appartment!!!

My new blog!

Hello everyone!
I have wanted to create a blog for sometime now, but have never gotten around to it. I don't know who it's going to be reading it or if I will write anything worth reading, but I enjoy writting, so I've decided to give it a try! I think that it might be some kind of outlet to share thoughts and ideas with anyone who will be willing to read them and perhaps give me some feedback! So bare with me as I figure this whole blogging world out!!
Looking forward to writting again!!
Missy

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone!
Thanks for coming to read my blog! I have wanted to start one for a while now, but haven't gotten around to it. I figure now is as good a time as ever! This is going to be a place where I share my thoughts, ideas and life experiences. I hope you as my friends can enjoy reading and giving me advice and ideas as I share these experiences.
I look forward to writting!!!!
<3 Missy