I'm having a heart-attack...

Facebook won't let me log in.

Okay, so that's rather hideous - and embarassing that I'm reacting this way.

In real life...I've heard so many stories lately from friends about situations and relationships in their lives, or in the lives of their friends or family, that are so heavy and rich with sadness. Do you know the types of stories I mean? Stories of brokenness.

Interestingly enough, while it has attacked my heart and made me pensive, I am also rather light in it all. I would not presume that this has anything to do with me, but rather that my Creator is granting me this. I think that to be heavy with the brokenness I see in life right now would not allow me the opportunities to speak life into people and to lift them to the Father as trustingly. I thank God that He picks up the dingy, shattered, shameful, rusty pieces. Because if we had to do it on our own? The result would be gangrene.

"Perhaps everything terrible is, in its deepest being, something that needs our love." - Rainer Maria Rilke

My life...as it appears in photo form.

Here you go - the most exciting photos I could find of the last month.

When I first came home we had a birthday party for little Charlee who turned one at the end of July (she's the daughter of the couple that I live with) - and we had a blast watching her splash in the pool and drink out of a straw for the first time. One is a big deal. One means you're not as new anymore. One means you're cool...well according to Charlee anyways, it seems.

Here she is...exploring her environment. Don't tell her she's doing it in her underwear.

And of course, her friends came to join - including London, who's very mature now that she's a big girl. (Our parties have changed since college....)

And then, middle of August, I started back at CBC. My first day back was the Cedar Springs Staff Retreat (tough first day!). It was great to be back on staff and enjoying the "play" time with the faculty and staff, gearing up for a new year. And Cedar Springs is a pretty decent place to do that!

Of course the day was filled with bocci playing and paddle-boating. Here's what happens when the bocci playing is too close to the paddle-boating. The guys tried their hardest to rescue the ball, but while they provided great entertainment for us all (and soaked me), we had to say good-bye to a friend. RIP, silver ball, RIP.
Last week, I was hanging out at Misty's house having dinner with her and her sister, chatting about life, when all of a sudden the rain stopped, and the sun came out...and we had the coolest view. Funny as we'd been talking about some major life stuff, and actually feeling a little discouraged, and the double rainbow came out - in fact we even saw three at one point - and decided that it was a reminder of Who is in control...
And this is today - just so you remember what I look like. And I got my hair cut...and I think it looks pretty hot. So...I'm mostly just fishing for compliments. Anyone?
Ok...now for the best part. Gary and Carleigh had a photo shoot done a couple weeks ago (they are the couple that I live with...and they are great...and I am enamoured with their baby girl...we're best buds). Anyways, here are some of the best shots...

Here's Charlee giving her typical face. She's a ham.

With her hat...which she puts on just because we all say, "Ooooooh, you're soooooo preeeeeettty." Yeah, I'd wear it too if people would say that everytime I put it on.Here's the fam...along with Matty - he's considered part of the family as he lives with us every other week. We love Matt. Doesn't Charlee look so impressed to be sitting still?
That's about it for now...first "Urban Mission Adventure" is just around the corner - but I know it's all gonna work out just fine..I love my job!

ego

Well, school is up and running - all the new students are here (including the five I picked up from the airport on Sunday...honestly, I feel like I do the same jobs over and over in different countries....)

Campus always feels so much better when it is filled with students. It has life again.

I can hardly believe I've been home from Costa for a month already.

Pictures are coming...I'm just waiting for something exciting to happen first. Anything really. Got a pretty hot pic of a rainbow the other day. Hm. Yeah. That's about it.

On a totally unrelated topic, I feel like we, as a province, are inviting someone to come and bomb us for having an inflated ego. Check out the new BC license plates...

"The Best Place on Earth" ?? People from Ontario already think that people from BC are cocky...now we just proved it.