Big News!

Well this was supposed to be posted in April, but *insert excuses*... When I last updated you all we were choosing between moving to Winnipeg or Edmonton. After pondering, searching, and praying we finally decided that we will be moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba at the end of August.
Bradley has finished his Undergraduate of Applied Statistics (with honours thesis) although we haven't received his actual diploma, he has gotten all of his marks back.
Meanwhile, I have been a busy little bee at work still. I am wearing myself thin with all the extra work I am doing, but I do get a break this weekend when we go up to Banff for an academic conference of Bradley's.
We plan on staying in Lethbridge until the end of August because we both have jobs here and that way we can save as much money as possible before me move and we have to rely on our savings for a bit.

March Update

Wow... I'm really on top of this (sarcastic tone)... It's the last day of the month and here I am, only now updating everyone. *insert round of applause*

So Bradley heard back from University of Alberta, and well, he got accepted! He went up and got to know the profs this last weekend. At Edmonton he would be co-supervised (have two professors to work with), which means two labs, two sources of grants, and well just two of everything.

We/he are so close to making a decision and will probably be ready to let everyone know in the April update :). (wish us luck)

My kickboxing class is coming to an end :( but I would definitely take another one! My arms are so toned and strong, I learnt how to do a roundhouse kick, and it is a great way to mix cardio and strength while also learning a new skill. I highly recommend it to everyone.

Lately, I've been getting into computer programming. Brad has been teaching me in Python and Livecode but I've also been learning HTML through tutorials online and google. I know that probably doesn't seem very interesting but I'm doing some pretty fun things with this new knowledge.

I even made this program that will laugh at all my knock knock jokes!! *cough* nerd *cough*

February Update

This month has been a busy one. Bradley has officially been accepted into the University of Manitoba and went over to check the campus out. While that is all exciting and whatnot, it really makes this real. We have a for sure option for fall 2017! He came back from Winterpeg (aka Winnipeg) with all positive reviews.

We are still waiting on the other options. Bradley ended up not applying to the University of Lethbridge because by the time the deadline approached, he had already heard from his first choice. So what was the point?

Brad and I have met a milestone in our relationship... not a happy one, but a milestone nonetheless. When Bradley went over to Manitoba, I stayed home, and that marks the first time we went to sleep in separate beds since we got married.

We spent a week in Whitefish with all my family, including my Aunty Tracey and her two kids, Kelci and Micheal, from New Zealand. It was great fun! I loved getting to know them better, playing games, going skiing for the first and last time of the season, and also having a week of (that's always nice).

Bringing the light of the gospel into your home

I wanted to share a talk with you. We read it recently for Family Home Evening and I think everyone deserves the chance to read Jean B. Bingham's (First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency) words.

I Will Bring the Light of the Gospel into My Home

My favourite part was the story of a girl who lived on a hill on one side of a valley.
Each late afternoon she noticed on the hill on the opposite side of the valley a house that had shining, golden windows. Her own home was small and somewhat shabby, and the girl dreamed of living in that beautiful house with windows of gold.
One day the girl was given permission to ride her bike across the valley. She eagerly rode until she reached the house with the golden windows that she had admired for so long. But when she dismounted from her bike, she saw that the house was abandoned and dilapidated, with tall weeds in the yard and windows that were plain and dirty. Sadly, the girl turned her face toward home. To her surprise, she saw a house with shining, golden windows on the hill across the valley and soon realized it was her very own home!

It's very easy to do (especially with pinterest and instagram out there), and I am probably the most guilty of them all, "we look at what others might have or be and feel we are less in comparison".
Yes, we can bring the light of the gospel into our homes, if we look for and share positive things about others and let the less-than-perfect fade away. Instead of judging others and ourselves, count your blessings, encourage people to be their best, and love unconditionally.

Our overarching goal (I guess you could even say New Year's Resolution) this year is just that, to bring the light of the gospel into our homes more.


You can read her full talk here.
 

January Update

As some may know, Bradley is graduating from the University of Lethbridge this May with an undergrad degree in applied statistics with a concentration in psychology and I am so proud of him. He has been busy applying to Grad schools and scholarships as well as keeping up with his current work load. A few of the prospective schools are (in this particular order) University of Manitoba, McMaster University (in Hamilton, Ontario), University of Alberta, and just in case, University of Lethbridge. Where ever we do decide to go, we are planning on being there for the next 4-6 years.

It's no small decision.

I have a feeling our summer is going to be full of academic conferences, leaving little time for much of anything else. But oh, what an exciting time in our lives.

In other news, the Paris temple is being dedicated this May! I would love to go... (see aforementioned summer plans). The temple is located along the bus route I would have to take every Sunday to get to church in Versailles, but while I was there, there was only the foundation to be seen.

I finally get to take a kickboxing class like I've been wanting to for ages! It actually starts this coming Monday, and I'm so excited!

I promise there will be more of these monthly updates, until then...

Let go, let God

Trust in Him

The fall, like always, brings with it the start of a school year (specifically the start of Brad's last year of his undergrad) which is always exciting. As for me, I have decided to take a break from school. I have a good full time job at an optometrists office so I am not teaching piano this year (which is sad, I love teaching...). I tell people it's so I can support Brad and we can save money for when grad school hits us, but it is also because I need a mental break. School is stressful... and your mental health is important.

I don't know when I will continue my education but I do know that I still want to get more education, it's just going to take longer than what I originally planned. More often than not, the plan God has in mind for us doesn't always work with the plan we had intended. I'm not saying to forget your dreams and plans but to let God lead your life to paths and doors you wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Alma 57:27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.

D&C 84:116 Let him trust in me and he shall not be confounded;

I know that when I let God lead my life and I have faith in him to know what is best for me, everything turns out better than I could've imagined.

Our adventure

In July, my hubby and I went on an adventure. It was cold, wet and tiring but an adventure nonetheless.

At the beginning of summer I wanted to take a road trip to Oregon to see my bestie, my travel buddy, from France. You may remember reading about the times I had with Alandra or you may not. But we got really close that year in France and I hadn't seen her since we parted ways that tearful day at the airport. 

Unfortunately that road trip wasn't able to become a reality and I was heartbroken. So as I consolation prize, Bradley took me back-country camping in Waterton. 

As soon as we parked the car I swear it started raining. We hopped on our bikes with our packs that probably weighed as much as I do. 

Since we couldn't start until after work at 5:30 we literally were racing the setting sun. 

It was an 8 point something km incline and we DID NOT stay on our bikes the whole time. I think I walked half the time. I am not complaining though, it was an adventure. 

We got to snowshoe cabin with sunlight to spare and a new burst of energy.

This was our 5 star accommodation equipped with a built in clothesline.

We saw some beautiful sites that made me appreciate nature.

And some sites that made me respect nature... (Luckily that is the only part of the bear that we saw)






Bringing the bikes was worth it even if it was just for the ride back. It took us less than an hour to ride downhill to the Red Canyon packing lot. We spent the hot afternoon walking through the icy water in the canyon to cool down. We even had time to go to a temple session after we cleaned up. I often forget how much I like being away from people and disconnecting from the world, so those 2 days were great to realign myself with nature and God.