Life at Oak Grove

I've been pondering of friendship lately.   I realized that I am not a person who will have tons of friends.   I've always been like that since primary school I guess.   I learned fast that others can take advantage of you and somehow my heart had shut down on future friendship...   Oh don't take me wrong, I have one close friend when I was in high school but somehow we lost contact when we left for college.   Then we reconnected when she had her 15 years conventum (a year after mine) and lost contact again...  Then I found her on facebook but then I got sick in my stomach with facebook and I scraped most of the supposively friendship I had.   No really Facebook made me realize how fake some of those friendship were.    The kind of friendship that say hi only when it is convenient or only when you go to church...  Mind you sinice we are planting a church ourselves, we left the mother church without others thinking much about us I think.   Why am I saying this?   Well, nobody called or e-mailed to ask how things were going...   Except one or two that I would consider friends.    One of them left for Cochrane, AB to finish her master in divinity.  The other is homeschooling as well but her kids are older than mine.

Speaking of friends moving away - I got my share lately....   Last year, it was friends who moved to Winnipeg.  Since then, we made the effort to call once in a while but honestly I feel like it's a one side thing.    So I am wondering how close was that friendship???   Then, Rob sister, her husband and their two sons left for Vancouver earlier this year.    That too bad but hey a guy has to go where there is job to support his family.   So I understand.   It just sucks that we won't have physical contact with my nephews...   Oh well.  Then I though I had some sort of friendship with an older woman but again because we left our mother-church to plant another church, well that friendship sort of went on the ice...

Then my friend and her family moved to Cochrane.   Her daughter went to school with Alexandre and they are close.    We "joke" about the fact that they might marry someday.   Hey we never know...    Anyhow, these two are close and even call themselves boyfriend/girldfriend.    I want Alexandre to cultivate this friendship so we will write to his friend Emily during the next two years.

But friendship for myself???   Right now, I must say that it's pretty platonic.    I know that Jesus is my best friend and I do have internet friends but meeting with someone who lives in Pennsylvania or Cochrane, Alberta on a regular basis is kind of hard don't you think?    So I give it up to God - totally.   After all He knows what kind of friend is best for me.   I won't be looking.  He will have to make things happens. 

But just in case....  Here's some of my requirements:  Someone who would like to read, take walks, christian, interested in crafts (mostly stamping and scrapbooking), camping, homeschooling (possibly - or at least encourage me to continue), skating (okay it has been years since I did this but hubby doesn't enjoy it so I figure a girlfriend might like it), shopping, someone who would lift me up (not put me down), someone who will move heaven and earth to take my out because she knows I need a break from the kids, someone who will laugh with me and cry with me...   Mmmm!  My list could go on and on.   But I sure hope that I will find such a friend eventually. 

In the meantime, hubby wants to give me a break and suggested that I go to the trailer by myself for a day or two.  Problem is - I hate driving bymyself on long distance.    I hate going to eat somewhere by myself also.    So I guess I have to work on these aspects of me...    because I do need the time by myself -desperately!

My in-laws are flying to Vancouver to visit my sister-in-law and her family today.    So last night, as we were driving back home from church, Dominic was asking tons of questions...

- Where are they gonna sleep?

- At Tante Nicole and Oncle Jean.

- Do they have a bed for them?

- Yes.  They have a futon.

- What's a futon?

- It's like a sofa that can be made as a bed.

- Oh....  So it's a transformer sofa?

and the questions went on about pillows, blankets and even stuff animals.  But the one that made of laugh was the transformer sofa...  

After more than 6 years living in this house we never put together the baldaquin part of our bed.   

Last night, hubby left with a friend to go fish.   This morning, I decided that I would look the pieces to see if I could finish to put the bed together.    I knew I had all the posts and the other pieces but some posts had screws at both end and others didn't...  MmmmM!    I figure it out!    I put everything together but when the time to put the metal siding I was missing the screws for them.    Well... well... where could they be???

I checked the box where hubby leaves all the screws... not there.    Then I thought of a box in a hallway closet close to our room.   What is inside this box?   So I checked it out...  Found some stuff to sell in a garage sale and one or two things to keep.    Then a plastic bag which was written Master Bedroom.   In the bag there is screws and others few things.   Eureka!   Found the little screws... well one is missing somehow.   But I was able to finish the job.   Took me 2 hours by myself but I think it will be a nice surprise when hubby comes later today.

I'm proud of myself... but tired though.  It doesn't helpo when you have kids getting up at 530am.   Arg!

This morning we went to the chiropractor and on the way back home we stopped at Staples to a few things for school as well as for the business.   Then we went to Wal-Mart to buy some milk and a few other little things.   Then we decided to bring the kids to the McDonalds there.   A treat really because we don't go to McDonalds really often.   They had the new olympics glasses in hand and we decided to buy   the whole set.   I think they are very well made - strong.   We had the Disney glass set from a few years back with the four theme parks in Florida and love them.   Here's a picture of what they look like.  Not sure if the McDonalds in the States have the same glasses or not.   

Okay.   So I used smilebox to put pictures together to show all the things we have done during our road trip.   Mind you some pics are not the best but the grin on my kids face is jsut worth it....   Just to remind everyone of what we did is left Ontario to Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, Massachusetts to Maine, Maine to New Brunswick, New Brunswick to Prince Edouard Island, Prince Edouard Island to New Brunswick, New Brunswick to Quebec (slept one night), Quebec to back home in Ontario.

We had a great time!   I would do it again...   

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We are debating... should we go on a one week trip early September or not?   The weeks after that will become hectic with the rave and the grand opening with H.E.A.T. - but at the same time not too long ago we were on a month long trip.   Speaking of which...   I just realized I never put some pictures.   Mmmm!    Gotta do that.

The one week trip is tempting for sure.    One week in the States again - most likely in the Syracuse area.    We even got tempted to go back in PA - Yes Heidi and others from that state we might have gone back.   But honestly I'm a bit tired....  not sure I want to go that far...

So we are pondering, thinking hard, on what to do.   

Okay!   I've experienced two years of toy testing and when I saw the e-mail of TOS for the focus group, I've decided to try it out.

My next step would be to write about two products.    I won't tell you right now what they are but I am quite excited about them...    So in the days to come I will check them out and blog about it as well.

So keep an eye open to read about my reviews.

... is always hard but when you know the people are following God's will then the sadness doesn't last long.  In the past we said goodbye to friends who went to become missionaries in Thailand and another couple who had to move to Winnepeg, Manitoba because of his job (he works for the defense).

Last night, we had supper with some friends of ours from our mother church.   We camp together last summer.  Their daughter went to school with Alexandre (they were in the same class) and they were in Sunday School together.   They are cute calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend.   When we learned they were leaving for 2 years so that Shannon could finish her master in divinity in Cochrane, AB well we provided  their daughter with paper, envelops and special pens to write to Alexandre.   

When they left to continue packing last night, my son cried, Shannon and I had tears in our eyes.    Not easy to say goodbye.   But they are coming back for Christmas time and next summer too!  

We will miss them but we will keep contact via e-mail, facebook with Al and the cameras on our laptops.    I sure hope that God will bless them in Alberta during this two years.

So I pray that Al had a good drive and that he will be protected during the trip.  I pray that Shannon and the kids won't miss Al for the few more days they will be staying in the area.   I pray that you give patience to Shannon who will be living with the grand-parents for half a week.  I pray that she and the kids have a good flight to Calgary.  

We will miss you guys... but we can't wait to see you again in December!