This is not a Snipit.

...and we meet again. Well, I guess we're only meeting again if you followed along my last blog as I travelled Europe for six months this last year but if this is the first time you've ventured into one of my blogs, welcome.  I enjoyed writing so much while I travelled on the other side of the world that I decided this was no time to stop and now I am in, yes, you guessed it, the Okanagan. A stunningly beautiful part of British Columbia (not quite sure if it beats Vancouver Island, I may be slightly biased as I am a born and raised Island girl) from it's many vineyards to rolling, mountain like hill things (I know, I'm great at describing things), I am thoroughly enjoying the beauty of the valley right here in Penticton. What am I doing here, you ask? Well, back in the day, not so long ago actually, my lovely friends, Andy and Amie who I worked with at Capernwray Bible school once joked about me working for them in their Bakery one day which was at that time still a dream for them. Well, we both departed the beautiful island of Thetis, they headed to Penticton to fulfill that dream of theirs while I headed off to Europe to live my dream with the idea of possibly working for them afterwards BUT I wanted to be open to whatever may decide to come my way while my backpack and I spent some quality time together overseas. I didn't want to shut out the idea of possibly meeting some handsome young Irishman, fall madly in love, get married, make babies, and live there the rest of my life with him, my ten kids and all of our sheep...anything could happen you know. But, nothing of that sort happened so I headed back home to Canada and decided, yes, to Penticton I go! So I am here, I am the lunch lady as I like to call myself at Wouda's Bakery, where I get to make basically any soup, sandwich, panini, salad I want. I feel like I have the best job in the world except for the one day I was super nauseous (this like never happens) and I had to cook food all day, starting with chopping onions and garlic early in the morning to prep for coconut curry soup. Gag me. But anyways...this is the backdrop of this blog. I don't plan on writing as long of entries as I did on my Europe blog and probably not as often either but basically, I plan to write about little stories here and there and give updates to people who care like my family and close friends (or atleast I like to think they care) and just give you a little snipit into my life here.

So a couple of highlights so far...three days into my arrival I was grocery shopping when a lady came up to me and asked, "Are you from Penticton?" and I replied, "Uh, as of three days ago," she laughed with surprise and then proceeded to ask if I knew where a kitchen shop might be. I actually knew where one was (it was like I was a local already!) She said, "Thankyou, and welcome to Penticton!" That was my favourite welcome. 

The first night I arrived, I met the lady and her daughters that live above me and with great kindness they gave me an extra double mattress, boxspring, and sheets for free as a house warming gift. For weeks beforehand I was trying to problem solve how I would get a bed without spending hundreds of dollars. I didn't even need to spend one.  Praise the Lord, really is what it comes down to. 

The girls at work rave about my soups every day. I love this, and they hate me for it. I've always enjoyed making soups but I never got too excited about them because I have never found them exciting to eat but now the girls excitement has influenced me and I'm excited! Today one of the ladies I work with came up to me after overhearing two men in their seventies chatting and eating an Italian noodle and hamburger soup and said that they said, "This soup is as good as I make!" It was super cute.

Another highlight is, minus the reese's pieces icecream in my freezer and chips that I just ate tonight and the occasional bakery treat, I have actually been able to eat pretty healthy and am generally motivated to exercise. Yes friends, I can't believe it either, I have lost just about five pounds in three weeks.

I will end with this highlight, and that is being able to see my dear friends, Andy and Amie and their three adorable children often. I got to hangout with their daughter, Isabelle last week for the good chunk of the day, swimming at the local pool and going for apple juice and coffee at Starbucks together. It was great fun and I am looking forward to more funfilled days with that girl.

On a more serious note and to touch on the subtitle of this blog...life is beginning to slow down a bit as I went from planning a trip of a lifetime last year while on a tiny little island to living that dream and then coming home for a bit while planning and organizing my move out to the Okanagan, it was just crazy and now I am moved in, almost done a whole month at my new job and just putting the last few pictures up on my walls in my new home...I have more time to think and process. It is sometimes hard to settle down my mind but I am trying and basically what I have learned these last weeks as I am surrounded by the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan, I am reminded that He, Jesus, is the vine, I am the branch and I must abide in Him or else I can do nothing. I can't do anything without him and I am nothing without him. This is a struggle for me lately as I am getting pretty used to doing things on my own and taking care of myself, which I don't mind too much but my tendency has been to take control of my life, to be self sufficient and independant but God, the creator of the universe wants to take control of my life, He is sufficient for me and therefore I can be dependant on Him. Any other attitude besides this is to think I am  my own god. And well, history shows us that this only brings destruction. So this begins my journey, to press on to trust Him, and recognizing that I really am nothing without Him and can do nothing of value or worth without Him. Each day is an oppurtunity to abide in Him.
Sometimes this blog will be funny and lighthearted and sometimes I will share a bit of my heart in a more serious way. Whatever it is, I hope you enjoy and that it makes you laugh or encourages you somehow wherever you find yourself.