September??

It's so hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of September. This month went by really quickly, although being gone camping from Aug 7-15 could contribute because while you're out in the middle of nowhere without a connection to the 'real world' or the internet, it doesn't really feel like time is passing at the same speed.

We had a great time even though it was probably one of the wettest weeks I've camped with a campfire ban. :) But, we made the most of it and got out on the water many times, and finished our evenings playing games of Rook and Cities and Knights instead of sitting around the fire. I've created a photo album with some shots from the week, so feel free to browse through them - click on the Spanish Lake 2009 photo on the right. Here's a taste:


Last weekend we got up at 5:15 and drove out to Chilliwack with a bunch of the Dykshoorn family and hiked Mt. Cheam. I hadn't been there since we did it with out grade 7 class, but it is an amazing hike. You're out in the open the entire way (mostly because you drive quite a ways on a old logging road that's not longer maintained) and this translates into some breath-taking views - that is, if there aren't any clouds. :) And as you'll see if you browse the Mt Cheam photo album on the right, we had clouds. But, the flowers were out, and in some ways, the clouds added to the scenery because of how they drifted up from the valleys and through the mountains.


And this weekend, Mark and I decided to go kayaking. I had never been although Mark went a couple times last summer, but last winter we bought a certificate for kayak rentals at the A Rocha fundraising auction/dinner and it expires this October, so we decided we better use them! The weather was great on Saturday, so we called them up and reserved two single kayaks for two hours that evening. Not sure if everyone who reads this knows, but I'm not a big fan of water and water-related activities. I had a couple bad canoe-tipping experiences and really dislike being wet and swimming. Call me crazy if you will, but I prefer dry ground. :) Anyway, ever since I started going to Spanish Lake, Mark has been working hard to help me enjoy being on the water (not in!). I've gotten more comfortable in a canoe on fairly calm days, although I still only trust having Mark with me. So, when we successfully bid on these kayak rentals, I knew I was going to have to try it. And after Saturday, I think I'd be willing to go again. They feel way more stable than a canoe, and most of my frustrations stemmed from trying to steer where I wanted to go. Not surprising, since I've never actually had to steer a boat before. I've added a few photos from this trip to the Spring & Summer 2009 album, but here are two, to prove that I was actually in the kayak:


All in all, August has been a pretty good month on the activities side.


We'll save the job stresses for another night.
 

heat wave

So, I've added a link to my Celebration of Light photos as promised earlier. We made it to three of the four nights, but I forgot to bring extra batteries for my camera on the last night (Aug 1) so I didn't get any pictures. We missed one fireworks night because we were in Abbotsford helping our friend pack up her moving truck (we miss you already, Mel!!!) in 38 degree weather - boy, was it hot last week! While I enjoyed the sunshine, it was a bit too hot for my liking. Although, I have to say that the trip to the valley made our home closer to the water all the more appealing because it was a few degrees cooler! :)

The heat didn't help my exercise routine, because it's really hard to make yourself be active when you have sweat dripping off you when you aren't even moving. Instead of going to the gym, I went for a few short runs in the evening when it had cooled off a bit. However, I think the break was good for my body because it felt really good when I went back to exercising this week.

We're heading off for a family camping trip this next week. I think Mark is really looking forward to having some time off. He's taking two weeks, and aside from camping, we're hoping to just have a few days at home to relax. I'm sure I'll be posting pictures when we return. :)

A brief note about my work with A Rocha. All my newsletters have been sent out, and I'm hoping for a few responses. If you arrive here from my newsletter, I'd love to hear from you! I'm also still trying to discern where God wants me to use my GIS skills, so I could use your prayers with that. In the mean time, I've been volunteering in the admin office 2 days a week for the last month; we're starting to iron out set-up details with the new database program and I'm also continuing to input all the contacts from the current database into the new one - quite the task! I've also been working on a mapping project for A Rocha's property in the Pembina Valley of Manitoba.

Since it's getting late, I think I'll post more details on this project after camping, along with some pictures.

Have a good week!