Certified

It's great to finally be "on the map" on the Life Purpose Coaching Center's website. Check out www.lifepurposecoachingcenters.com After completing Level I's requirements, I'm now certified with this organization. (I'm especially grateful, because they somehow lost all my homework, but it resurfaced after a hunt!) The coaching process looks like this: You read Pathway to Purpose by Dr. Katie Brazelton and then you work through "Conversations on Purpose" with a coach. The "Conversations" book is 10 guided conversations that will point you towards knowing and living out your life's purpose. Coaching is not counselling. Counselling often revolves around your past and how that's affecting your present. Coaching revolves around your future - the steps you can take to move ahead in whatever area you need to move ahead in.
I hope to move onto Level II - Women's Ministry Consulting - in the New Year.
If any of you are interested in finding out more about these materials or working with a coach, I'd be happy to chat more.

Yippee!!

Our youngest daughter Lauryl and her husband Tyler bought a house in Regina! They're not moving until next year, so hopefully we'll get it rented soon. Can't believe I'd ever have kids living close to us.

Crazy Week

This has been one of those weeks! Pastor's Wives' Retreat planning meeting; Ordaining council for supper; Presenting Int'l Project tonight at my church; leave for Outlook to teach 3 seminars to SK West Network women. All this after returning from a crazy previous week in Ontario and Quebec. Next week is better - I hope. Sometimes our schedule just has to happen like this, even if it's not my first choice. "As our days, so shall our strength be"! Thankfully, God promises to show up when we're weak.

More good music

I love good music and I have a great appreciation for upcoming musicians. I'm listening to another new CD just released. Keith Kitchen - a young pastor in our District - has got his CD's out now. He spent all summer in BC recording with the likes of Carolyn Arends and other music greats. It's called Broomtree. Another one I highly recommend.

Memories abound in Kingston

Bayridge Alliance in their new location.

The kids' school - Collin's Bay.

We journeyed today down from Quebec City to Toronto, where we both begin meetings tomorrow. Enroute we stopped in Kingston, where we used to pastor and saw some familiar sights of homes we lived in, the church we pastored and some of the beauty we lived in, like this lock at Kingston Mills on the Rideau Canal.

Women's Ministries in Quebec

It was my privilege to briefly speak (through an interpreter) to a small gathering of Quebecois women. I had a wonderful chat with Natalie - the young leader at St. Foy. They face many challenges, but they are not unlike other groups across Canada. Busy, over extended women everywhere!

I had lunch with Diane Gendron, the District Director in the St. Lawrence. She's the one in pink. The older women with Diane (in pink) are 2 of the oldest believers at Alliance Churches in the province. Madame Savard (on the right) was nanny to my niece and nephew when Blaine and Shelly were in language study at Laval University many years ago.

The other picture with Diane is of the leader at Dubourger (sp?) and St. Foy.

Ferry ride sights to Levis

Quebec City in October

These are all from the L'isle d'orleans - an island in the St.Lawrence which is full of small villages churches and farms. These stone houses with bright red metal roofs - great for the heavy snowfalls they get - are quite typical. We ate dinner at this highly recommended restaurant which was originally an old flour mill dating back to the 1700's. It was charming, the food was superb and the service was excellent. I loved the presentation as much as the food itself. The pile of pumpkins was outside the fruit stand where I bought some maple syrup.

This misty picture is of the creperie where we had lunch in the old city. It was pouring rain all day and we managed to get a parking spot right in front of the restaurant, which for the old city, is quite remarkable. Well, Doug popped the 2oonie into the meter, but it wouldn't register. We took a chance on not getting a ticket, because it was such a miserable day, but unfortunately, the rain didn't deter the meter man! We called the # on the ticket and explained, so we now have to write a letter to plead our case. Let's hope Quebec is kind to its tourists!

These pictures are of the National Assembly and also the chapel that is now part of the Museum of French America which we toured this morning.

Sweet Jaxton!

We're in Ontario and I should be talking about that, but we just got these new pictures of Jaxton, so I had to show him off!

Thanksgiving weekend

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends who read this blog! Along with so many things, I'm grateful for each of you. Hope you enjoy every bite of turkey and pumpkin pie.

I'm blessed - we get to see 2 sets of our kids this weekend. Not bad! We saw them in September and now again in October. Karmyn is flying into Regina tonight. She's driving with me to Winnipeg tomorrow morning where I'll drop her off at her inlaws. Brock is already there, so I'll see him briefly. They're spending time with the Tylers.
Then, Saturday a.m. I head to Wpg airport to pick up my husband (he's been in Atlanta) and Tyler, Lauryl's husband (he's flying in from Calgary). We all head out to Morden - where Lauryl already is - for Ali Kneeshaw's wedding. Kneeshaws are good friends from Morden days. We'll travel home with L&T on Sunday night and have Thanksgiving with the kids on Monday. They fly home that night. It'll be a full, busy weekend, but a great one. Our friends, the Mcleods are joining us for Thanksgiving dinner too. I love it when my table is full of family and friends.