Some updates on the family front:
Nate is growing a moustache for Movember. He is a man always happy to support causes with facial hair growth. We were both pretty unfamiliar with this movement until this year, but it seems to have large awareness base in Canada overall. If you are unfamiliar with the Movember movement, it is for men to grow moustaches in the month of November to help raise money and awareness for men's health issues and cancer research. If you are interested in donating to the cause you are welcome to do so by copying and pasting Nate's MoSpace page address:
http://ca.movember.com/mospace/5032421.
Or you can just check out photo's of Nate's progress on growing his moustache. =)
We have moved into our new temporary home! We are thrilled to have a place of our own to call home even for just a little while. Saturday was move in day. I can honestly say it was the fastest move EVER! When you basically just have a suitcase of clothes and shoes, it doesn't take long to pack and unpack! Nate is thrilled to have an office to work in for sermon's and church work, while I have ecstatic to have a lovely tub to take regular baths in again! We continue to be thankful for the small things even during these challenging times.
We met with an immigration lawyer a few weeks ago to get a professional consultation on realistic wait times etc for the paperwork we are waiting on. We left the appointment with increased frustration and disappointment as he told us the standard time to expect is a full year from start to finish. So we would be looking at September 2013 as a realistic guess on when we will have completed the process for Nate to work in the US. We had been hoping more for a 6-8 month range previously. He did also walk us through some options for me while we are waiting during this time for us to remain together.
Nate celebrated a birthday last week, one of his first times to celebrate with family at home in many, many years. And by coordinating multiple family monetary donations, we were all able to pull together to get Nate a much desired iPad... Which was successful in leaving him surprised and speechless! He is now enjoying the process of familiarizing himself with the new technology. I think he most enjoys dictating instructions to Siri as this has not been a feature of his previous Apple products.
The weather is cooling but we are still enjoying some beautiful and sunny days, including today. Another perk of the home we are staying in is its access points to the hiking trails directly off the housing addition. So I am off to enjoy this incredibly mild day by taking some time to enjoy the nature around us!
We appreciate and value your continued thoughts and prayers.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Breakdown
This weekend we had the privilege of helping someone in need. After unsuccessfully calling some friends to make some plans to visit on Saturday afternoon, Nate and I were headed to run an errand in a nearby town when along the way we passed a car on the side of the road with a retired couple standing alongside the car. As we drove past I did the common 180 degree turn to have a longer assessment of what was happening and if more help was needed. As I turned, I saw a tire leaning against the front fender of the car and no work was being done.
"Do you think we should turn around?" said Nate.
"I think so."
"That's what I was thinking too."
And with that Nate pulled around and drove back to the car on the side of the road. As we pulled behind the car we saw they had New York plates and the wife had gone to sit back inside the car. The husband was still out and we introduced ourselves to one another.
Tim and Lori were headed back from Minnesota where they were visiting their family and grandkids to home which was just across the river near Niagara Falls in New York. The drive is actually shorter when you come through Canada instead of coming through the States. They were on the interstate when they started to smell something wasn't right with the car. It smelled like something burning. So Tim pulled off at the next exit and got out and looked at everything but nothing was visibly wrong. So he had just gotten back in the car to get back on the road when the front driver's side wheel fell off and rolled across the road... The bolts had been sheered off and there was no way to reattach the wheel.
So when we heard the story we called back to the house and gave our location and had Nate's dad call a tow truck for the couple since they didn't know who to call in the area they were in, and we waited in our cars (it's getting pretty cold these days!) Once the tow truck arrived we suggested a Canadian Tire store that wasn't far away and in the same shopping plaza we were also headed to. Since everything was taken care of for the moment we said we would go do the stores we had planned on and then check on them back at Canadian Tire.
Shopping completed we headed over to the shop as the tow truck was delivering the car into the shop bay. They got the news that the store wouldn't be able to get all the parts they needed to get them on the road again until the next morning. Tim called a neighbor who agreed to drive up and pick them up since they only were an hour and a half from home. So we stayed with them and visited at a diner across the street until the neighbor was well on his way and then we dropped them back off at the Canadian Tire and headed home ourselves.
It was 4 hours our lives overlapped with Tim and Lori, and we got to know about their family and their life story. We heard the story of how they met through traveling back from the same speech competition in Catholic school and went to mass together that night before heading home. They have now been together for 51 years and married 44 years. Tim retired 4 weeks ago. We got to know the story of their son who was a chemical engineer who was now going to school to be a deacon in the Catholic Church. We were all grateful that Tim and Lori's lives where spared this Saturday. We were grateful they were on the side of the road when the tire fell off and not traveling at high speeds on the highway. We were grateful that while Nate and I were not able to get together with old friends that afternoon, God arranged it so were able to make some new one's instead.
"Do you think we should turn around?" said Nate.
"I think so."
"That's what I was thinking too."
And with that Nate pulled around and drove back to the car on the side of the road. As we pulled behind the car we saw they had New York plates and the wife had gone to sit back inside the car. The husband was still out and we introduced ourselves to one another.
Tim and Lori were headed back from Minnesota where they were visiting their family and grandkids to home which was just across the river near Niagara Falls in New York. The drive is actually shorter when you come through Canada instead of coming through the States. They were on the interstate when they started to smell something wasn't right with the car. It smelled like something burning. So Tim pulled off at the next exit and got out and looked at everything but nothing was visibly wrong. So he had just gotten back in the car to get back on the road when the front driver's side wheel fell off and rolled across the road... The bolts had been sheered off and there was no way to reattach the wheel.
So when we heard the story we called back to the house and gave our location and had Nate's dad call a tow truck for the couple since they didn't know who to call in the area they were in, and we waited in our cars (it's getting pretty cold these days!) Once the tow truck arrived we suggested a Canadian Tire store that wasn't far away and in the same shopping plaza we were also headed to. Since everything was taken care of for the moment we said we would go do the stores we had planned on and then check on them back at Canadian Tire.
Shopping completed we headed over to the shop as the tow truck was delivering the car into the shop bay. They got the news that the store wouldn't be able to get all the parts they needed to get them on the road again until the next morning. Tim called a neighbor who agreed to drive up and pick them up since they only were an hour and a half from home. So we stayed with them and visited at a diner across the street until the neighbor was well on his way and then we dropped them back off at the Canadian Tire and headed home ourselves.
It was 4 hours our lives overlapped with Tim and Lori, and we got to know about their family and their life story. We heard the story of how they met through traveling back from the same speech competition in Catholic school and went to mass together that night before heading home. They have now been together for 51 years and married 44 years. Tim retired 4 weeks ago. We got to know the story of their son who was a chemical engineer who was now going to school to be a deacon in the Catholic Church. We were all grateful that Tim and Lori's lives where spared this Saturday. We were grateful they were on the side of the road when the tire fell off and not traveling at high speeds on the highway. We were grateful that while Nate and I were not able to get together with old friends that afternoon, God arranged it so were able to make some new one's instead.
Move-In Ready
Last night we arrived at our friends home to get the informational tour of the home we are housesitting this winter while they enjoy the warm temperatures down south!
You know, the basics:
"Garbage day is Friday. Here's the quirks to the shower. If there are water problems here is where you can shut the water off. The breaker box is here."
Here are the things I was giving silent cheers for while on the tour:
"Here is the heater switch to this side of the bed. I like my covers warm when I get into bed at night"
Me: Awesome.
"This shower had one of those rain shower heads. Nate will probably like that."
Me: I think I will like it too.
"Here is the switch to the fireplace"
Me: I will be good friends with this switch.
"This is one of those new 3D TV's"
Me: You better tell this to Nate, I will not remember anything more than it has 3D capability.
We are 11 days away from move-in!
You know, the basics:
"Garbage day is Friday. Here's the quirks to the shower. If there are water problems here is where you can shut the water off. The breaker box is here."
Here are the things I was giving silent cheers for while on the tour:
"Here is the heater switch to this side of the bed. I like my covers warm when I get into bed at night"
Me: Awesome.
"This shower had one of those rain shower heads. Nate will probably like that."
Me: I think I will like it too.
"Here is the switch to the fireplace"
Me: I will be good friends with this switch.
"This is one of those new 3D TV's"
Me: You better tell this to Nate, I will not remember anything more than it has 3D capability.
We are 11 days away from move-in!
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