Two weeks ago I took a two day Red Cross First Aid, CPR and External Defibralator course. I was concerned that working with youth, and travelling to the National Youth Gathering in London, ON next August, it might be a good thing for me to learn. It was already helpful when I had a children’s party at church this past week and the Mom told me her son had Type I diabetes and was I comfortable with that … and I said “Yes.”
I didn’t realize I would be putting my training to use so fast. … The Doug “Story.”
Yesterday Doug was taking the garburator apart as the sink wasn’t draining. He got it all cleaned up and put back together quite promptly. I was busy in the bedroom putting my make-up on. …. Then I heard him YELL … “Oh, F*@*!” …. I waited to hear something – nothing. … I called out “Talk to me!” … silence in the house … I yelled again “Talk to me.” ….. silence.
I went running out to the kitchen expecting Doug to be dead. Doug is sitting up. I said, “What happened? Why didn’t you answer me?” I was sure he had electrocuted himself.
Doug was so mad. The previous homeowner had mislabelled the breaker in the basement. The good news is that he started with the ground wires so he didn’t get a shock, but the garburator started running.
I was so mad at him for not answering me when I called out. I was imagining being at his funeral … and someone asking me “What were Doug’s last words to you?” …………………
As you can see, Doug has finally selected a 2010 Toyota Corolla S as his new car. After three months of renting cars to come out to Swift Current on the weekends … and countless trips to car dealerships … a choice was made. And Doug is thrilled to have a red car!
It is December 5th and I pulled out the old, familiar, Christmas decorations and had to decide where I would everything in this new house. All the furniture is all the same but things don’t “fit” in the same way. 
In this house we do not have a formal dining room. This means the buffet and hutch are in the living room (above photo) and there is only a dinette area. I have put two extra leafs into the table in anticipation of Christmas company, but usually the table is small and round and just the right size for the alloted space. Having a few extra leafs allows me to put some decorations on the table.
I love these pieces and I thought I would have no place for them … then I spied the fridge! As an extra decorating effort – I put a blue box of Kleenex up beside it instead of the brown one that was there …… attention to detail is everything!!!
My home congregation in Regina gifted me with an Advent stole in celebration of my ordination. In this photo you see me with Pastors Bob, Dennis and Lynn. 
This stole is a piece of art. It was handcrafted by Karen who is a member at CLC. She does amazing work. She also provided me with an explanation of how the Holy Spirit inspired her design. 
One of the great things about living in Swift Current is that my brother, Leslie and Barbara, live here, too. Leslie and Doug both love football. They spent the fall watching football games in front of our TV (that’s because we bought a flat screen & can watch it in HD). 
A quick post to show off a few of my gladiolas from the fall. They only began to bloom at the very end of August. Doug was very good at cutting the gladiolas and bringing them to me in Swift Current. I had purchased about seven different colours. Of course the problem was that they bloomed in consecutive colour order, so I rarely had any more than three colours at a time. Gladiolas, shrub roses and peonies are my favourite flowers. Seeing all these flowers growing in my backyard was a highlight of being off work for the summer!
It is amazing how different the weather patterns are just 2.5 hours west of Regina, where I have lived most of my adult life. I have always heard and known that Swift Current was part of a semi-desert area and catches the edges of chinooks from Alberta … but it is the wind! The wind is almost constant. To have only a breeze is a day of celebration. This will explain why they have a bunch of wind turbines just a half hour further west.
I am taking these pictures with my cell phone, so they are not quite as good as they could be. Take a look at these tumble weeds! It was incredible to see these dried-up weed balls blowing across the highway. 
It is official … and I have the church sign board to prove it … I am full-fledged newbie pastor. I began my ministry at the begining of September – what an overwhelming month! I have two wonderful pastors who I am in team ministry with, and I deeply appreciate their guidance and support. If you would like to see more photos, 
At the begining of October my installation service was held. The evening began with a potluck supper that was well attended. In this photo are my two pastoral partners – Greg and Linda. The pastor on the right lead the service and he serves a congregation in our ministerial area. In the service, members from each of the five congregation – which makes up our very large geographical area – presented me with symbols representing the types of ministries that I’ll be involved with. It was a touching service.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that three of my girl friends from seminary had made the 2.5 hour trip down to Swift Current from Saskatoon. Here you see Connor, Courtenay, myself and Laura. 
We had absolutely perfect camping weather at Cypress Hills Provincial Park, which is located in the southwest corner of SK. Rhett & Leah arrived late on Thursday night and Emily came by suppertime on Friday. Emily wasn’t able to arrange boarding for the dogs … so she brought them. Flame & Phoenix have never been camping before. Fortunately we had rented a van for holidays. We emptied the van and that’s where Emily slept with the dogs.
I told you in an earlier post that the enire family are pyromaniacs. I don’t have a photo of Rhett’s handiwork, but here Emily was willing to pose for me as she admires her skills.