Life with a paddle in my hand

Last weekend was wet, rainy, cold and so much FUN!  I spent it on the Coulonge River with the staff who will be guiding trips for me this summer.

It was so refreshing to be on trip and to just roll with the weather, nature and my fellow trippers.  Life in the "city" can be stressful with busy-ness, people and work, but on trip (even when it's for work) you have space to focus on those things that really matter.

I find trip is a great time to process through the stuff rolling around inside of me. In my day to day life, I don't usually make time for that, or I work at ignoring what is happening inside and focus on the things happening around me.  On trip, you have the space to slow down and start looking at that stuff inside that we often hide or ignore.

It is scary and hard to process what we are struggling with but it is worth the work.  When I am processing on trip, it feels far more peaceful than at home.  I find I connect with my Creator and revel in His handiwork, which makes me realize that He is in control and can carry me through the process, even if I am scared.

So I had fun, I spent time in creation with my Creator, I looked inside, acknowledged some things I had been ignoring and came home a little more peaceful than I went out.  I really hope that I can go out again soon!

I said I would keep you posted.....

Welcome to the end of week 5 of my 6 week break!  I have been thinking about posting for a couple weeks but have struggled to know where to start or what to write.  If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you will have noticed that this struggle is not unusual, even as it frustrates me.

So we'll start where I left off...

The bathroom looks great and is a refreshing change from the overwhelming yellow-gross colour that formerly dominated the room.  My flatmate and I had a great time in Syracuse, shopping and relaxing in a hotel there.  Then I flew away on the wings of an United Airlines commuter plane to disembark in the almost tropical (26 degrees Celsius) climate of Kansas City, Missouri (pronounced 'miz-UR-ah' by southerners, so Mr. Jim tells me and I believe him cause I heard it more than once).

Kansas City, MO.  

There is always some confusion when I go to KC, from so many people.  They ask, 'Where are you going?'  And I excitedly say, 'To IHOP'.  And they look at my funny and say, 'For how long?'.  And I reply with increased enthusiasm, '12 days!' or whatever length of time I am going for.  Then I have to explain to them that I am going to the International House of Prayer not the International House of Pancakes.  Again they look a little puzzled but accept that I would be flying halfway across to the country to pray for 12 days more readily than the possibility of me going to eat pancakes for 12 days.  The first time I ever told people that I was going to 'IHOP' I truly did not know the Pancake House existed, so it was an honest mistake.  Now I still do not think about the Pancake House when I say it, but I am making a conscious effort to say IHOP-KC in order to help them out.  I completely understand where I am going and what I am talking about, but I will make accommodation for those who do not live in my brain.

IHOP-KC has always been a very busy place for me and a place that included my sister.  I would go down there to visit her because she worked there, and got the bonus of spending hours with Jesus in the prayer room.  So I would plan my schedule around hers.  The first few times I was there I went to the OneThing conference which was ridiculously busy!  It's an amazing conference but helping my sister prepare and then attending the conference morning till night for 5 days was always exhausting for my little introverted personality.  It always felt like we were running, even as it was very life-giving.

This visit was VERY different because it was far less busy and it was the first time I had been there since my sister moved back to Canada.  So the first few days were strange and I had to learn how to BE, without her there.  Have you ever had the experience of spending time in a place with a specific person always in attendance and not have them with you the next time you go there?  It was weird.  It was like these familiar places and people were unfamiliar again.  There was definitely an air of something missing, especially the first few days in the house she used to live in.  All I can say is this... it was a strange type of re-learning:  a place I already knew well, a space I was already comfortable in, and people I already knew and loved.

As I re-learned how to be in KC, I realized that my identity down there was completely entangled with my sister.  The Lord, in His kindness, kept showing me that I relied on her status (and previously her being there) to make me feel part of things and worth getting to know (in other words valued).   He allowed insecurity to rise and for me to grapple with who I was there....which ultimately is grappling with who I am here and everywhere (I will probably share more on that later).

For now, you have probably heard enough.  But this was only week 2 of 6 weeks, so there will be many more entries as I process this through.

North of 60!

I am back home and it is green but I would go north again.  I loved visiting Rosie, although I probably wouldn't go to Hay River as a tourist.  I would go back to Yellowknife as a tourist in a different season, probably when the Aurora Borealis are more active and easier to see.  

I went dogsledding and Aurora viewing in Yellowknife, along with shopping and walking all over the townsite.  We went to Enterprise, just outside of Hay River, for burgers and to see one of the Twin Falls.  I went to pool in Hay River twice and enjoyed shopping in a place where Red Peppers are $5.49/lb.  It's amazing anyone can afford to eat up there.

So below is a link to see a pictorial reference of my adventures.  I didn't take any pictures of dogsledding, as I was driving the sled.  It was a good time but a little like going on the kiddie rides after the mammoth roller-coaster.  The dogsledding was a great beginner tour and would be fabulous if you had no prior experience. But I have one experience which was different enough to make this one not as exciting.  I would recommend it and the company is very conscious of having all levels of ability to deal with.  I also went Aurora viewing, but my camera doesn't capture the experience well.  If you are going to do this tourist activity, take a camera that will let you do manual shots and get a tripod.  I couldn't hold my camera still enough and the length of time the shutter was open was too short to really capture them.   So you will see my attempt.  I am hoping my new friend Sophia, whom I met at the B&B, will send me some of hers.

Click here to see more pictures!

The Best is Yet to Come!

I am on holidays, vacationing in the ever popular Northwest Territories and I grabbed the wrong cord.  So my iPod is fully charged but, due to my foolishness and limited internet, my pictures will not make it online until I get home.

So, stay tuned for some interesting shots of Hay River and Yellowknife!

The true North, strong and not-so-free

Arrived in Yellowknife and can tell you, it's not free, in the sense that everything costs money, and more than I am used to.  However, it is starkly beautiful.  It is barren and cold looking.  The trees are shorter than home and more spread out, however there are more hills than I thought there would me.  Flying in the tundra looks like pictures of the moon, all speckled and pock-marked, but with ice/snow filling the craters.  Most of the buildings look like they are just trying to survive the harsh climate but the people are friendly and helpful. 

I am staying at a lovely little B & B (Embleton House) in the center of the city, but could be in a suburb, as it is very quiet.  The cab driver, who sounded East Indian (really, yes, up here) recommended an amazing little restaurant that was worth every penny I payed to eat Arctic Char!  I would recommend Le Frolic, if you happen to get to Yellowknife.

I was going to take some pictures, but discovered I had no batteries when I pulled out my camera, so I will post some later this week.  Fortunately Yellowknife, along with having some cute local shops (all closed by the time I got here), is also blessed with a Shopper's Drug Mart and batteries were purchased. 

Yellowknife has an interesting mix of people and they all seem to drive everywhere, unless they are in the four blocks of downtown, then SOME walk.  It feels pretty Thunder Bay, only less spread out!

All in all it was a good day!  I am pretty tired after flying across the country and will be going to bed soon.  Tomorrow it's off to an Easter service and then flying to Hay River!  I am glad that flight is tomorrow, cause I am a little weary of going up and down.

One last note:  I saw a musher driving his sled/dogs across the lake as we landed!  There is a distinct lack of roads when you are flying this far north but an amazing display of tracks made by sleds, snowmobiles and vehicles all over the lakes and rivers.  It looks like someone went crazy with an 'etch-a-sketch'!