pictures!!!!!!

click here to see some pics i posted of the trip!

Pics of Clover from the Trip

i, Clover, posted some pics of myself from the trip, on my blog, have a peek!!!!!

home again, home again

well, ok, we're home. an awesome trip, an awesome God.... but now i have to get used to a split [ergonomic] keyboard again, after all the internet cafes and snuck in puter-time at friend's and families homes.....

even tho we are home, i am not going to abandon this blog..... i will put my memories, reminicenses, realizations, and reflections here.... and it would be kewl if mishun and kevo did the same thing, eh guys? yeah!!!!!

for me this trip has been one miracle, sign and wonder, etc, after another after another after another!!!!!! it's been amazing. little ol' me, sitting in a massive, and i mean MASSIVE electrical storm with NO FEAR.... getting lost in edmonton, TWICE, and having NO FEAR. it was fun actually, especially the second time, where yours truly got to drive us out of edmonton late on a saturday night on a five lane freeway at 110 km/h..... i LOVED it! and again, i had NO FEAR. God is amazing.......

i was thinking earlier how a friend in pg, dorothea, prophesied over me (last year, on my way to LA) that one day terrace would be too small for me..... and in many ways, that has 'come true'..... no longer is my comfort-boundary in the near northwest..... i have been as far as quebec, now!!!!!! and i love it!!!! and i want to see the world!!!!!!! [well, ok, i don't really want to see places outside of canada - yet. but one day i'll have a passport and venture around the states, too!]. one day i want to see newfoundland, the atlantic provinces. one day i want to go to churchhill, manitoba, and freeze with the polar bears. one day i want to go to whitehorse and the atlin center and northern alaska. heck, dream big girl, go to antartica for the winter and get peeps saved!!!!! lol. ....

.... but seriously, things like that don't seem as far fetched as they used to. i can now, seriously, see me travelling across canada in a camper or motorhome, sharing God's songs and ministering to peoples hurting, fearful hearts.....

and i need to start focussing more on that vision.... i need to practice piano, guitar, singing, microphones, etc etc etc seriously.... becuase when i was invited to sing to that church congregation (mind you, it was a small church, only about 10 peeps, and half had left!!!!) i realized how NOT ready i am for an invite like that. and God showed me that it can come up out of the blue, unexpected, and that i need to prepare NOW, becuase it can be sooner than i think, and just plain unexpectedly.

i guess i need to un-bury my piano.... and seriously drag someone with me to the sheep shed who can help me learn playing and singing with amplification..... ouch.

i also discovered that my head is so literally SO BIG, plus having dreads, that a clip-on-yer-head microphone doesn't work for me. can anybody say SQUEEZE MY BRAINS OUT????? lol

OHHH SOOO Tired

I am sooo tired I am goignt o go to sleep and then maybe I will be able to post something else in the morning again a day with many challenges.

mom's put me to shame!!!!

well, gee, i finish my last post, then get on to reading all of moms via-phone updates, and she puts me to shame, both with her verbosity and sheer volume of info she relays, and here i put a few little things cuz my mind goes blank when i try to think of something to write. so i'll try again.

yeah, i called jojo the elephant-baby for a day, becuase his swelling looked like the lump in the skull the elephant man had. ok, roy, don't panic, it wasn't that bad.... i just reminded me of it, lol.

hmm, what else? i love camping at the cache, it feels like home. i want to live like this somehow, someway, somewhere, sometime SOON!!!!! yes, i want to take mom camping. mom, maybe you can sleep in mishuns tent trailer? would that keep you safe enough from bears, period???? lol. "A LIFE LIVED IN FEAR IS A LIFE HALF LIVED" (fran in 'strictly ballroom')... and i'm not gonna live in fear of bears and dirt and bugs and germs, ANYMORE. ha. so there. period.

ok, something deleted here becuase it was not blog relevant. sigh. now what can i write about?

mishun's gone to visit an 'auntie' - her mom's best friend for many years. i have a headache sitting here, and feel the need for sleep. this internet cafe is grubby, but then it seems to be run by a bunch of GUYS, so what do you expect of computer geeks? vacuuming? NOT!!!! lol.

sigh, i'm cooking in here, 15 or so computers in one room? yeah, mucho machiniery heatin' the air up. so ciao for now. and i mean it this time. really!!!!!!

hugs all round!!!!

note to self:

doulos - a link to the greek text version of this word.... am i gonna use it in my tat? i dunno, we'll see.

grr, the dang printer at the internet cafe i'm at is hooped, so i'll have to try printing it somewhere else... where? i don't know. we'll see.

this morning at came we had wind and rain again, and i kept singing 'this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it".... over and over and over again, until mishun threw something at me. i forget what, but it's been a beautiful day!

last night at 10:30ish me and mishun went for a swim in the lake, in the dark. i forget so easily how much i love swimming!!!!!! it was so beautiful floating and staring up at the stars in the black sky, in the black water with an amber hue when your skin is just under the water. it's a beautiful lake for swimming, and y'all know how i hate swimming in lakes!!!!! the water is so clean, not much floating in it, and has that kewl amber tone to it, minerals or somethin', i guess. beautiful!!!!!!!!!

later today we're going to a place to see about getting my tat. i have a design i did on the road between camp and town today, and it's just skookum. i'll wear it with pride, if i can get in in the next two days. wearin my faith on the back of my neck, yeah!!!!!!!!!

what else to say? i don't know. we're camping at our site here tonight as well, then staying at the hojo (howard johnson hotel) tuesday night, and shipping out for home on wednesday. we're gonna take it slower, more relaxed than our hurried trip out here, and do some more camping.

God is so good when he knits hearts together!!!!! me and mishun have been talking and really knitting into sisters-in-the-Lord-dom, and last night i was honored to be privy to a hilarious chat about the birds and the bees betwixt mishun and kev. it was kewl. and way funny!!!!!

ok, i'm over and out for now. hopefully we'll be able to log on again soon. love y'all and miss y'all!!!!!!

some more pics for ya

haha, we have six cds of pics yet to share from... so here comes. i'm currently at mishun's mum's house watching the kids while mishun and her mom and jerry go for an appointment.... and taking the opp to post some more pics. in not necessarily the right order either, lol. i'll do my best to recount where and whenish it was, k?

mishun's crazy heat rash:


grace cleaning the horribly dirty hospital in tims.... they should hire her!!!!!

matante annette and the one and only jojo!!!!

gracie wasnt too sure about the neighbours dog....

gracie and kevo feedin' the ducks at matante's house in timmins

The Victory Worship center

So we decided to try out a church today called the Victory Worship Center It was great. It is just a very small church right in the middle of town and it is a great outreach centre. We where very welcomed and they are a born again beleiving bible loving bunch of folks. The pastor is named Dennis and his wife is Sylvianna. The sang 3 songs that we sing often in church and they had flags so when we where looking for a place to go yesterday and we stopped by and saw there was a flag in the window. they are very much into the prophetic and ard so we felt quite at home. They are just a new church. They are having a big event on the weekend with different guest coming and there band playing is called "No Idol" anyway. I was telling them about clover's ability to sing and about her song Ride the Waves and we encouraged her too sing it and so she did and played the guitar. Whooo, hoo. Anyway it was very awesome. yesterday we spent most of the day with my mom and Jerry and had a great time. Today I plan to go and see her again and who knows what. So far this has been a very restful day. Well that is all for now but I will keep everyone posted.

yipppee Back in Timmins

So we made it to Timmins no problem. And now we are spending the day with my mom. Jerry and Keven are at the beach and we are just chilling. I am looking for some old friends but finding them are just about impossible. Oh well. I guess I am not the only one who has moved on. will someone give roy a big hug from us I really miss him and i think that he is very lonenly anyway that is all for now talk soon.

'allo my frendz!!!!

i must say today is a grand day. we have been a mishun's mom's house for hours, and i love it here, i feel so welcomed and relaxed here. today they put on a feast for us, bacon eggs bacon toast bacon potatoes bacon weinies bacon bacon and more bacon. j'aime bacon!!!!! lol. what did i just say? hehe.

watching back to back episodes of inked... and i want my tattoo!!!!!! 'doulos' on the back of my neck, in greek, in brown. but it prolly aint gonna happen yet. one day maybe, God willin'. yes, tattoo's close some doors for ministry, but open others, so i'm not gonna second guess what's on my heart and say 'no' to what i believe is God, i'm not gotta conform to what our canned western society deems to be the 'standards' of a godly, church-goin' woman.... i am who God made me, and that's what i'm gonna be, as i find it in the midst of the mess and polish off the dust. yup. God puts no chains on me, i won't be bound by arbitrary societal standards. i wont be bound by churchianity, thank you veddy much - i am a Christ-one, i belong to Him, and i follow where He leads. /rant.

hopefully we'll get to do some shopping later today. i got some clothes for a great price in ottawa, we'll see what i find here. God has so blessed me, thank You Jesus, thank you mom, thank you unkle fred, thank you matante mireille. thank you for your restful home, christine!!!!!! it was much needed.

soon hopefully we'll put up a scad of pics for you guys.... just a matter of time, y'know? we got 6 cd's of pics, and some more on the way i'm sure.... and we got some phenomenal video of what seemed like a mile of uprooted trees along the highway, if we can figure out how to post video we'll try that too. (can anyone tutor us on that one??? :D )

well, ok, enough blabbing. i can't even begin to write out how i'm feeling. after what was a kind of low period, today im feeling pretty good. God knows what we need better than we do!!!!!

crocville

oh btw, me and mishun both got crocs. we both got beige crocs. the only way to tell them apart is that mine float on her feet hers are a small mine are a large..... and oh, i got mine first!~ naner naner naner!!!! :P lol

a new 3D friend

so last night i got to meet a friend from the hippie christian forums, ela!!!!!! whoo hoo, so now i can say she is a friend in the 3D too! we had a nice visit, she drove me around a bit looking at wind damage from storms earlier this week, and then we sat and chatted at a coffee shop for what seemed like hours spent with an old friend, then the clouds were getting dark and so we decided it was time to go - and it was only 8 pm!!!!! [VERRY dark clouds, a nice thunderstorm to follow.] anyways, i already miss ya, hun, and i'm not even out of town yet!!!!! lol. shortly, i hear... shortly. we have some laundry drying here at mishun's aunt's house....then we'll bolt. man, i need some real breakfast!!!!! lol

oh btw, we have been having some troubles with getting irritable at certain times and with certain peeps.... ;) .... prayers would be great!!!!!!

Going to North Bay

Well looks like once again my plans are not God's plans LOL. That's quite alright. So It looks like we are heading to North Bay a little earlier than planned. My uncle Al has passed away on monday night so therefore we will be going to the funeral in North Bay . My heart and prayers are with you Matante Lorraine. I am glad though that I will be there for you . So that is why we will be going back to Timmins right on schedule. as for how long we will be in Timmins it is unclear as of yet. I guess God will let me know when it is Time to go home. Anyway. I spent to day shopping and looking at the mall on carling Avenue in ottawa and then came home and cleaned out my van. My uncle bless his heart flushed my radiator so hopefully it will not overheat anymore. Tommorrow I will be going to visit with my uncle Dennis and familly and then we are of to North bay. I pray for great traveling mercies. Thank you Lord for safe traveling thus far. Alright all that said I am off to bed. Nite all

Let it Be (Whatever You[r] Will)

From the raging fire
To the soothing rain
Whatever You will
Whatever You will
From the savage beast
To the gentle and tame
Whatever You will
Whatever You will

Whatever Your will, whatever Your will
Whatever Your will, let it be

From the lashing wind
To a whispering breeze
Whatever You will
Whatever You will
From a world of war
To life lived in peace
Whatever You will
Whatever You will

Whatever Your will, whatever Your will
Whatever Your will, let it be

From crashing waves
To peaceful depths
Whatever You will
Whatever You will
From a vibrant life
To the grave of death
Whatever You will
Whatever You will.....

Whatever Your will, whatever Your will
Whatever Your will, let it be
Whatever Your will, whatever Your will....
Whatever Your will,
Let it be.

(c)2006 Clover/LCH.
July 17, Aylmer PQ.

42 in the shade

well, at least including humidity it was 42. not including humidity it was what, about 34? needless to say i'm just about melted down to nothing. i've been very drowsy, so chilled out ALL DAY in the air conditioned bedroom my cuzzie allotted me.... and occasionally popping into the hot music room and the sauna of a bathroom. finally in the evening it had cooled just enough i could watch a bit of tv downstairs for a couple hours without passin' out!!!!! haha. no passing out so far, but i do gots me a wee bit o' vertigo kinda happenin'.

christine has really blessed me with her home - she installed a/c in my room, lets me use her piano/mike/amp, so i got some singing practice in.... has provided more food than i can eat in a week..... and unfortunately i'll only be here until wednesday (some new developements i'll let mishun share). so tomorrow i may go shopping in a nice cool mall with my auntie mireille, and sing some songs in the eve with my cuz.

saturday the cry was really good, although we only caught a couple hours of it, if that.... we started baking and sought cool and food in the rideau(sp?) center.... ate some italian just before the food court rezzie closed, then wandered around the closed but cool mall until close to 9 when we went back to parliament for the light show. silly me, i thought it was going to be a God-oriented light show to do with the cry, i didnt' realize they do it all the time showing some 'movie' about canada. well, just before the light show started we started seeing thunderheads with lighteneing off in the distance, and i tell ya, i didn't spend much time watching the worldy light show, i watched a God-light show after all. and i was struck by how good ol' canada exhalts herself, brash and loud with neon colors projected onto exhalted old brick buildings..... and God was there in the background with His majectic light show off in the corner, waiting for canada to let Him in...... quiet in the corner, but full of majesty and His awesome Power displayed through creation..... wow.

yesterday i went out to the cabin with my cuz, and met up with my aunt and unk and other cuz, and had a lot of fun, tho i was so stoned from the heat i was hardly good company for the most part, i'm sure. i didn't take any pictures of the cabin or the lake, silly me, but i did take a few pictures of a cool shack on the property who's asphalt tile sides had gone multicolored... the rainbow shack, or the rainbow hut. very cute.

we will be staying in north bay for a couple days (motellin' it, hallelujah for a/c) so i'll hopefully finally get to meet up with a new friend from the hippie christian forums, ela. i didn't get to stop in on the way there (already stoned out from the head, sorry chickie!) though we did spend a miserable two or three hours in the walmart there, mishun tryin' to download the 600 some photos from her camera (most of which yours truly took!) onto a cd, which took 6 cd's and mishun eventually just decided to download them all (which made me happy, so i was gonna pay for the cds (a measly $30 for 6 dcs! i remember when they were $20 per cd!!!!!) but she snuck ahead a paid. but i got her back (hehe) by gettin her a sunglasses case so she'd stop asking me that oft repeated question... 'have you seen my sunglasses?"...lol. oh, wait, i got that for her first. so maybe it was her getting me back? well chickie, turn about's fair play!!!!! hee hee

christine took off to escape the heat today to the beach, so i was (quite contentedly and by choice) left here by my sweet self hiding out in the a/c room and occasionally dipping into the music room.... so along with 'perfecting' my last song 'Giver of life' today, i also wrote out a new ditty, will post that next. blessin's, y'all!!!!!

Ottawa

Well We made it, it was late last night, but we made it. we got lost verrrrry mcuh so once again but we made it. I am so glad that I am here it the great city of Ottawa, It is raining right now but that's ok I think we need the cool down. I just woke up from a well needed nap and I am thinking of getting ready to go to the Cry a few hours late but none the less we will get there today. I am sure Clover is itching to get there. Speaking of itch anyone know what to do about a heat rash because I have a a really bad one allover and it is very itchy. Well I want to say thank you so much to my aunt Annette who has blessed us with her house for a couple of days when we where in Timmins and When we are going to return to Timmins, And Thank you to my friend Carole & Donna who also opened their homes to us. Thanks to matante Celine For letting crash at her house and when I mean crash I mean crash LOL. When we came home last night Jojo broke one of her wedding gifts, then during the night as I was going up the stairs to get a bottle for Jojo I came face to face with the railing that is sticking out from the the stairs going down stairs. Then this morning I was bringing in my stuff and Jojo fell down the deck stairs so a few minor scrapes and bruise but we are all good. So what is my agenda for the next week rest, visit, rest, rest, and stay cool. Ok well that is all for now. Hi everyone in terrace, I miss you all I miss BC, and I will post soon just got off the phone with Lynne and we are off to the Cry.

la la la

well, obvously i havent' had too much to say of late. i'm still roly poly oly in the gutty wutty, but the bottle of pepto bismol i drank today has slowed things down a bit. ;)

tomorrow 6 am or so we are leaving for ottawa, a full day of driving. i may meet up with my cuz tomorrow eve, or else on saturday (chris i'll call you when i get into town 'bouts!). i'm so hot and sweaty i have chills!!!

the roads out here are horrible - in fact, every highway has been horrible since we left bc. i love bc highways!!!!!!!! i'll never take them for granted again. (i hope). and i'll never take bc's humidity (or relative lack of) for granted again, either! (i hope).

well, it's late, i'm tired, gotta get up early, so i'm gonna drink a gallon of water, a bottle of gatorade for the electrolites, and hit the sack. nite all! love ya!!!!

well..... no, i'm not.

no, i'm not - well, that is. i'm sooo tired. practically useless. and i've spent so much time in the bathroom the last couple days..... yeah. so i've spent time sitting on various couches, playing the electronic sudoku game mishun got me, cuddle babies, and trying to get enough rest. last night i sleps 14 hours - from 9 pm to 11 am. and i'm so sleepy. so prayers would be good. thinking of seeing a doctor in ottawa if we still get there, as the clinics here evidently don't take out of province cards.... and the hospital is disgusting... dirty. our hospital is falling apart, and short staffed for maintenence janitorial, but is nothing like this one. it's horrible.

today it was 30 degrees here in timmins, but i heard someone say it was going to be 40 incliding humidity/humidex. gak.

anyways... what's positive?..... mmm, God is in control? yup, God is in control. i'm finding a lot of challenges to 'feeling good enough' as a person. so of course God is doing something there, so i list that as a positive. i'm looking forward to what mishun calls the worlds best poutine.... but maybe not tomorrow, i'm gonna keep it light food-wise tomorrow. jojo is already lookin' a bit healin' up. we saw a whole flock of ducks on the beach at mishuns aunts house where we are staying, they are so cute. i am blessed to be in a house that is relatively low allergen for me, except for the laundry room and the bathroom (air freshener)... i can't get away from it totally, tho i wish!!!!

i need to drink lots of water as i'm sweating everything out fast, but i'm wondering if maybe my system doesn't like softened water?.... it's so soft here it feels like the soap never comes off.....

Timmins

Well we made it to Timmins all in one piece. It was a long hot journey from Thunder Bay Ontario, Also The semi drivers here are nuts, And find a bathroom with a change table on it yeah right, oh well all part of God's great plan. So we arrived in Thunder Bay very late it was misereable and trying to find a decent hotel was almost impossible but God provided once again. It seems God has ordained that our leaving time in the morning is to be around 10:00 because that is when I get the chicks out of bet and going. LOL. Anyway Thunder Bay to Terrace, oops i mean Timmins, was interesting, late start, took the long road by misinformation and had sick and cranky babies. But Lynne really enjoyed the Road. So that's is a good thing,, it was very beautiful.. I must say that this trip is turning out to be somewhat of a challenging adventure. "Lord Why this trip to test my patience" Anyway. We got into Timmins Very late yesterday after about 12 hours of driving. and of course Jordon would not hear of sleeping . Today again was another testing day. Went to see my mom and jerry, it was a nice visit. Although very short because I needed to go to the hospital with Jordan because of a rash that has broken out on his skin. well we waited 5 hours in the hopsital and Then the great doc told us that he has impatago. Nice so now i have a contagious child staying at relatives and Jojo can't see my mom for a while. I then go to the pharmacy to get his prescription and when I come out my van will not start, not the batterie. So I phone my uncle and comes to my rescue once again Thanks uncle Marss and Andy, Well looks to be either the battery or starter we will find out tomorrow.. So that was yet another day in the life of the Beckley;s. Yiu; & Hallman's. well I am going to bed right now because i am exhausted. Please pray that We will have a better day tommorrow. Nite all

Comments

That is right I forgot one thing, if you would like to send us your prayers words of inspiration or just a quick hello, or a long hello whatever,just click the comment key under any post and you can write us back we would really love to hear form anyone ok. Well that's all, really this time.

Saskatoon 1/2 way

Well we got here in Saskatoon at about 6pm or is it 5 I can't remember too many time changes I wish they would just invent the time traveling machines once and for all, but then we wouldn't have all the fun we have been having. LOL. After two long days with many stress triggers I am looking forward to a nice restful sleep with Jordan of course. Well it looks like we made it 1/2 way. only 1800 kilometres or so. Well That is all I am going to write for tonight. Except to say that I had a really good time with my friend Carole. I just wish I could have spent more time with her. I know things will get better Carole, My prayers are with you and maybe we will see you in Timmins. As for the kids, keep playing your music and having fun. Marc Thanks so much for that wonderful email. I truly appreciate your love and support. Mom & Jerry I love you guys both so much and I can't wait to see you only 3 more sleeps.. Oh bye the way Happy birthday Jerry. Everyone else in Terrace. Thanks again for your prayers and pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssseeeeeee give Roy a big hug for me. Ok that's it. nite all

Giver of Life

it's funny how God uses our struggles, weaknesses, illnesses etc to inspire us and grow us. as i'm laying here in the only unscented room in roy's sister's house, hoping i'll soon stop itching with the double dose of antihistamines i've had today, God gave me a few words..... and i've learned by now to not ignore it and just go to sleep, but to get up no matter how tired i am and write it down.... and then the rest flowed. music will follow soon, i'm sure! :P

* * * * * * *

Giver of Life

Jesus
You sustain my breath
more than the air i breathe
Jesus
You sustain my life
more than the food i eat

Jesus You alone
are the Giver of life
Jesus You alone
are the Giver of joy
Jesus You alone
are the Giver of peace
Jesus, Lord Jesus
Jesus You alone

Jesus
You destine my steps
more than the plans i make
Jesus
You destine my life
more than the mistakes i've made

Jesus You alone
are the Giver of life
Jesus You alone
are the Giver of joy
Jesus You alone
are the Giver of peace
Jesus, Lord Jesus
Jesus You alone

Jesus alone knows the depths of my heart
Jesus alone knows my struggle with fear
Jesus alone knows the hour of my death...
but one thing i know
is Who is in control
Jesus, Lord Jesus
Jesus You alone

(c)2006 LCH/Clover

a visit with my ol' highschool friend!!!!

it went really good~!!! it was so awesome to see her after so many years, at least 15 years!!!!! and i finally got to meet her hubby, and met a cool friend of her's too. we went out of b-day dinner, laughed lots, got a few pics.... and i lost my shoes on the stair's coming up out of their apartment, bashed my head twice on the wood behind the booth at the restaurant, and then banged my head into the roof of their car, TWICE.

and i discovered i really am eccentric.

and i listened to BTO on the drive today, lol! ;) :P

a relaxing day

so today was far more relaxing than any day we've had so far.... after getting the van door REPLACED at an auto wreckers and body shop, and the a/c fixed, we drove from edmonton to saskatoon in peace and relative quiet. very restful~! no more overheating, babies slept most of the drive, and i did my first freeway and big city driving coming into saskatoon tonight.

yesterday, crazy lost day, we came upon a sign that said rabbit hill ski area, which was a sign of our rabbit trail, hehe. today, as we peacefully drove along, we came across a sign that said mount joy ski area. and today is a day of joy!!!! it's an awesome thing.

tonight we stopped at tim hortons before coming over to roy's sister's house... we were going to eat there, but i said to mishuni think we're in a kind of rough area of town.... she shrugged and said that's ok~!... so i said, look in the car next to us.... it was an old beater, kind of like a cadillac, a virtual boat... with electrical cords hanging out of the dashboard. for all we knew it could have been how the owner had to start the car..... but it sure looked nasty!!!! lol. so mishun turned around and said yah, let's go, let's not be here..... such a turnaround, girl!!!! i'm gonna tease her on that one forever~! :D

Some More Pics

Girlz... and how they get ready to go on a trip:
Clover saying by-bye to dear maman: check the rainbow spray of God's blessin'!!!!

everyone but Brodeur is in the van... where is he? oh yeah, getting movies from chris!

clover is just amazed at the dandy size of this quasi dandelion!!!! wonder what it is?

beautiful sunset getting close to vanderhoof:

gracie conked out!

jojo out like a light:

we prayed that the van would be full of happy campers, and the kids have been that amazingly so!!!! they don't fuss much, and sleep lots. wow, God~!

Some Pics So Far...

we took a lot of pics at the pit stop at the rest stop when we stopped so the van would stop overheating too much.

brodeur loves his guitar. his momma got it fixed so him and i could play on this trip, and maybe squeeze in a few lessons.
mishun at the van..... tryin' to solve things.

jojo, wait for me~!

this little guy is a roamer. and a fast one, at that!

the lovely rest stop, with it's beetle killed trees, and our overflow of anti-freeze.

mount robson!!!!!!

beautiful sun, beautiful lake, beautiful land, all from the hands of our beautiful God!!!!


our pit stop just past jasper. see the rocks we bathed the babes on? lots of semi's rolled by, and we got a few looks, for sure. i felt like a real hippie chick!!! see mishun's camp stove behind us? we left that site cleaner than we found it, too.

lunch at the leduc in..... the kids foolin' round.

and momma wanting us to shaddup already~!:

Vanderhoof to Leduc

so, the first half of our tuesday went like this:

we woke up in the early am at the campground we stayed at in vanderhoof, ate, packed up, and finally headed out at about 10 am. we got to prince george bout noonish, and spent some time in wally world there, and had lunch at the wally world mcd's. we headed out with the intention of going all the way to edmonton!

but a few klicks out of mcbride we overheated again, and spent an hour or so at a little rest stop. while mishun played around with the engine, i played around with the camera and kids, and got some adorable pics of jordan trying to climb the hill to see momma! as we were heading out, after mishun put some more water in the rad, i got a video of a poor bumblebee drinking himself on the antifreeze spill we left behind. so cute! and so sad.... the effects of civilization on nature.

rather than veering off the highway to jasper to get dinner, we kept on until the kiddos woke up hungry..... and we could find no rest stop, no rest stop, no rest stop.... so we finally picnic'd on the side of the highway where there was a resort driveway we could drive into and pull off of. so we sat on a blanket, true hippie chicks, eating pickles while mishun cooked din din in the cracklin' dry weeds.... no fire, hallelujah!!!! while banff nation park is beautiful, it's cracklin' dry, and camp fires are currently banned, and we passed what looked to be the start of a forest fire, prolly caused by the lightning we heard.

the kicker of our little picnic on the side of the road is that we gave the babes 'showers' right then and there - stood them on the bid rocks that were there, and doused them with the lukewarm water, dried them off, jammied them, and tucked them in for the night. by the time we left there it was 9:30 pm, and we figured we'd still try for edmonton.

well, it soon was evident we had a long long way to go, so we thought we'd try findin a motel in hinton, which was coming up..... but as soon as we were close to town both me and mishun started having allergies due to the polluted, smokey air, so we thought we'd try for edson... my mom's hometown! i thought kewl, i can say to mom we spent the night in your hometown, take some pics in the daylight..... but there were NO vacancies... NONE. so, off to edmonton we decided to go for after all... and if edmonton, it might as well be leduc which is only about 20 minutes out of edmonton. leduc being our ultimate destination for a couple days.

well, somehow in the woodwork, we got totally turned around in edmonton.... and eventually realized we were totally lost. we'd headed down a road that said 'red deer' (which is further on the same highway we were trying to get onto... but somehow we wound up first in a construction area, then the freeway petered out and we turned around at a sign that said "---> to rabbit hill" with a skier on it. yah, quite the rabbit trail we went on. so we headed back the way we came, to get to edmonton, but again, somehow, we lost the highway (how does one leave a highway without knowing it??? good grief?).... and we came to the conclusion the signage in alberta/edmonton is CRAP!!!!!!! so finally, after driving around trying to find something open where we could get directions for like an hour or more, about 4 am, we found a 7-11 that was open... and our story gave the lady behind the counter a good laugh!!!!!

[this whole trip has been one divine appointment after another.... i am convinced she needed a good laugh!]

so, at the 7-11, we bough a map and got some directions from another customer and headed out. well, guess what? the directions were wrong~!!!!!!!! at a main corner they had said to turn left, and we did.... but after a while we realized it was not right and after scouring the map i said the directions were wrong, we should have turned right there...... by then mishun's brain was short circuiting while mine was goin' like mad, stoked with the sense of God's grand adventure..... so i navigated us all the way to leduc. lesson learned: buy a danged map, in the first place!!!! lol. once we got to leduc MY brain shut down, mishun's kicked in, an at about 5 am local time we booked into the leduc inn to get some shut eye.

BUT... the blessed 'happy camper' babes had slept the whole night, so were wide awake. i think we got maybe an hour of disrupted sleep, so about 8 am on the 5th, wednesday, we went to get breakfast at tim hortons, and say hi to mishun's friend carol, who we came to see. then we went shopping, and when jojo conked out, we went back to the inn to get some shut eye. mishun was desperate for sleep, and i felt wide awake.... but i slept like a baby and she got none. none!!!!! so, after having lunch at the inn, checking out and loading up, we went to wally world in leduc (the irony of this is that wally is my arch nemesis), then met up with carol and her kids, went to the dollarama, then headed out to carol's house.

by the time we got to carols, i was overheated and dehydrated and i was a zombie all evening. mishun put up the tent with carols help, and i crashed at 10pm with grace. we both slepts until at least 8 am this morning, mishun and the babe came and went at some point, and keven i didnt see until morning, as he stayed up all night in the house with carol's 9 year old son.

so here it is, thursday morning, in leduc, i'm typing on carol's puter, trying to stay cool (at least it's not likely to hit 34 again today, it's totally overcast hallelujah. after nightmares of tornados, i woke up feeling anxious, then while i was semi awake, mishun discovered the door on the van went again, and i fell over in bed cranky as can be.

and once again God spoke to me as he has done so many times this trip, saying, basically, this was His tornado in our lives for this day,... so i went back to sleep peacefully and had dreames of being in a tent in kansas and our tent flying up in a tornado, held up with God's hands, thinking we're not in kansas anymore, toto.... lol. God's grand grace-led adventure. whoo hoo!!!!!

today, hopefully i will see my friend nicole, a good friend in high school. other than that, we have no real plans other than getting the door fixed/replaced. and we're both so at peace it's hilarious. we have a funny God, hallelujah!!!!

oh, and while driving, i discovered the best way to tie my hair so i don't get ends flying in my face all the time is to put it up in pigtails on each side of my head. i got a few looks after that! lol.

aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggg

Aarrrgggggggggggg Wow what a crazy start, that's ok God is Great. He sees all things.
I hope we leave soon and it doesn't cost a fortune to repair the van once again.

A Crazy Morning!

so, we get loaded up into the van, close the side door, and then for some reason we have to open the door again... and it won't. it just... won't. totally jammed or broken or something.

it's a good thing i had an awesome morning, cuz mishun's was already crazy, so this just about gave her a heart attack! lol... so i'm the positive oracle of God this morning... this is SO God... the enemy want's to stop us from going, but WE'RE NOT GIVING IN!!!!!

we went to fast lane, too busy, "come back in a couple hours".... canadian tire, booked solid for the day.... the little shop on kalum - voila!!!! we're in!

so here i am at mishun's house, watching the kids, while she takes the van in to get the door fixed.... pray, people, pray!!!!!

i KNOW that we are leaving today... i KNOW God's letting us get tested... i just KNOW God's got His eyes on this trip, that it is precious in His sight.... thank You Jesus!!!!!

and what's most amazing?.... is that i still haven't thought of anything i forgot to pack!!!! so maybe i got it all!!! God is good!!!!

Present on my Doorstep

so, i'm posting again, because Someone (ie God) left a present in front of my front steps!

i went out to the car to get my N, and when i came back to the house, i saw a beautiful, pink, small, abandoned coil shell... from a snail! it's so little and delicate, it was like finding a little gem or something precious in the middle of nowhere. mom said she saw the snail in my flower box last night, and between then and this morning it either abandoned my shell (+) or got eaten by a bird (-), but either way, that's nature, how the world works.... and amazingly it was left, intact except for one tiny chip, on my doorstep.

what an amazing little send-off from God~!!!! it's like a hug, like He's telling me that i, us going on this trip, and this trip itself, is a beautiful precious thing in His sight. ooooh... *faint with love*

***

on another note, i, who do not function well in mornings AT ALL, got up at 5:30, washed my dreddies, finished packing, got dressed, ate breakfast, went and got my N from the car and found the shell... and was ready to go BEFORE 7:00 (our estimated time of departure)!!!! ... so i thought, since MiShun was a little late, i might have time to post about the shell... and when i get to the computer i find, typed on messenger, a note that she only got up about the same time as i was all READY to go, and was going to be late!!!!! LOL or what?!!!

what a wonderful morning, full of beauty, tenderness, and irony. God is hilarious!!!!! :D :D :D

Finally Packed.... i think

well, it's 10 pm sunday night, we are leaving about 7 am tomorrow morning, and i think i'm pretty much done packing. i think there are still a few things left to grab, but i'm desperate to cool off with a shower, and go to bed and rest my aching legs.

this morning i got up early, not to pack like i had figured, but to play keyboard during worship... so no packing in the morning. after church, i went to the bank, then went home and crammed my clothes into the 3-drawer plastic cupboard MiShun assigned me for clothes in the rear of the van. then i went shopping with her, picked up a certain something at a certain place where it was getting repaired..... tried it out for a while once i got home.... went for a desperately needed meal at DQ with mom.... and then when i finally got home, i FINALLY packed most of my toiletiries. and like i said, i'm beat. but i really can't quit for the night yet, becuase i do NOT function well in the early morning, so i gotta be ready to get in the van sleepwalking! lol.

so this is likely my last post until at least tues or weds i figure. God bless, take care, and enjoy the sunny weather!!!! (and try not to think too hard about us boiling in the van..... well ok, we have a/c, so it won't be that bad. but oh, the sun!!!!! what a scorcher!)

Novice Driver

any some of you may know, i had to hustle to get my N license so that i could go on this trip.... the whole kit and kaboodle depended on me passing my road test!!!!! so i put it in God's hands, cuz i sure didn't feel prepared, and prayed for favor with the examiner. i felt like i made so many mistakes i had failed... but i passed, and actually, from what i can make of my test results, i came nowhere near failing.... God is good! faithful!!! AWESOME!!!!!

[me excited that i just passed the test...and somewhat frazzled!!!]

the first pic they took for my new license, i looked positively evil in, so they took a second one and lo and behold, i look almost angelic (well, at least compared to the first one!!!! lol)... who'd a thunk you could like (love!) your drivers license pic?

Why this Journey??

So why are we going on this wild and crazy adventure. Well for a couple of reason. A couple of weeks a go we found out that my mother who lives in Timmins, Ontario is really sick and so Roy and I decided that I needed to go and take my lovely children to see their nana. After looking and hunting very hard for ways to get out there. We decided that driving would be the best way to go and so I tought well maybe Clover would like to come on our great adventure. And she said yes right away and so here we are taking this God's grace led adventure. We will definetly need His grace on this journey. With 2 babies and a lot of highway (4781 kilometers one way). There are bound to be some great story's. Anyway that is reason one for the trip. Reason 2 is because I have tons of familly in Ontario and I haven't seen them in a very long time and so we go..... As for Roy, my loving devoted husband Please pray for him as he will need to stay in Terrace all by himself. Roy has to work and could not take the time off to come with us. He has been working so hard and I am so entirely grateful for the provisions God has given us. Thank you God for an awesome man who is willing to lay down his life for others. I love My Roy so Please take are of him while I'm gone. Well that is all for now.

One More Sleep

Well everyone things are coming together nicely . We have church this morning, Then grocery shopping, after pack, clean and then Dinner at mom's house to visit with Paul & Carolyn & kids. Then off to Lynne's to collect her million of belongings. Then Gas fill up. After Tat I will go home and finish the last minute packing and then spend some time with my awesome hubby. Well that's what is on the agenda for today.

Brodeur

I broudur also known as keven is taking part of this trip of grace and I am mishun's sun. I think this is goingto be my biggest trip ever. It will be fun. It will be exciting. I can't wait to go and see the views , beautiful buildings , and much much more. It will be awesome.

Exausted

Well this as been a day from heaven, Lots of testings times. But the enemy wants to get in there and steal my joy. I refuse to let him do it.. I am excited only 3 more sleeps and then we go. yay , yay. Everyone is very excited and it will be a grand adventure.

Who are we?

so, we got this blog going for our trip, but who the heck are we, anyways? put a face to the name, puhleez!!!!!

This is MiShun, better known here in la-la-land as Mickie or Michelle. She is the instigator of this whole adventure, because she wants her kiddos to get together with family out east. i'll let her share more details on why in her time.

This is little Miz Gracie, better known as Grace-Ella to those who know her. 2 1/2 years old, she is full of sugar and spice and everything nice... and a little pith and vinegar for seasoning.

Meet JoJo, aka Jordan.... he just turned 1 last month, and he is an explosive little bundle of joy.... he radiates chortles and only lets 'er rip when he's hungry. what a little sweetie!

aah, handsome young Brodeur, better known as Big Brudda Keven. almost 12, he is one awesome little man. he helps momma around the house with the wee ones, and is one smart cookie!

Bringin' up the rear, we have me, Clover, better known in the 3-D realm as Lynne. i love this family up there over my head, and my role on this trip is devoted babysitter, part-time driver, and minstril - hopefully, if we can fit a guitar in the van after everything else!!!!! :D

***

also posting, left behind on the home front....

this is my dear beloved momma, going by the nic of StenoMomma, better known as Pat. call her patsy and she'll bean ya. she's on this list because when we can't get to a puter to post, she'll update this bloggeroonie when we call her and fill her in on what's goin' on. i'll miss ya tons, my momma! (don't nobody throw her off the train while i'm gone, y'hear? lol~!)

***

i'll let MiShun fill ya in on her dear hubby, royB, as she chooses. as his beloved wifey, she can extoll his virtues far better than i can, so that's her job!!!!!!

Our Grand "Grace-Led Adventure"!

so, we're heading off on our grand Grace-Led Adventure... in only 3 more sleeps!!!!! yay!!!!