Happy New Year!

...40 days ago!

You could say I've been a bit busy of late. On January 3rd, I met with a local chiropractor in town who needed an assistant and I started with him a mere two days later...while still holding my job at the grocery store and trying to ref as many basketball games as my new schedule would allow. I've settled in nicely, I'd say, though it took a few weeks. It can be pretty high paced at times and I'm really enjoying interacting with the clients. Not to mention, I'm enjoying the chiropractic care myself! :)

Two weeks ago, I joined Dr. Cary in Calgary for a conference. It was pretty awesome because I had asked him if I could head up to Edmonton after the one day conference to visit Donny and Tamara for a few days and he said it was ok! So, all the money I've been saving for a trip to visit them was supplied by my new employer! Yay! It was a great conference too! It's called Warrior Chiropractic and it's a group of Christian chiropractors who live their faith pretty loud and throughout their practice. Oh, and they like to run. We met at 4am for a 'push yourself hard' run OUTSIDE on the frozen tundra around the Calgary airport. Super dark, super cold and frankly, super awesome! I don't remember running so hard for 50 minutes ever before! Yep...got that blood in my lungs feeling that only comes from a good old fashioned run. Then, I just had to stay awake for 10 hours of the conference, not to mention a nice 3 hour drive in a prairie snow storm to Edmonton that evening.

Edmonton was super great too! Tamara is doing a really good job at growing a baby, but when you live in Edmonton and it 'warms up' to -22, you typically stay inside which is like a perma-incubator!

I honestly didn't realize how long it had been since I last posted. Oh, I even forgot to mention that I turned the big thirty-two! I'm excited for the coming year and what God has planned. I can just feel that it's going to be big and spectacular! Yay!

Big Girl Panties

Maybe I should've added this tid-bit of news to my year in review, but I figured it needed it's own post. I'll give you the whole history of it and keep you waiting...and reading.

I've spent the last half of this year trying to figure out what to do with my life and to see where God wanted me and what he wanted me to do. Not many people know but when I left Maui, I was offered an opportunity to return in May of 2010 in a paid position as the Volunteer Coordinator. All along, that was my plan. I was going to work in Whistler until March, have 2 months at home visiting and packing and then move to Maui for 3 years. When I was in Kansas in April, something just wasn't feeling right about this move. So, after much prayer, I decided to pull out of this opportunity. Now what? I had no idea.

I went home in May a bit confused -- trying to stay the course, but what course was it, exactly? My plan from November was that I would be in Maui by May but that wasn't going to happen. I had such an amazing time in Kansas that I thought maybe this is where I'm supposed to be. Not know exactly in what capacity but I just had to get back there. I went back to Kansas in June open to what might be there and enjoyed the hospitality of the King family. Near the end of my stay, it was brought to my attention that my friend Mark's dad, who is the pastor in a Mennonite church down there, were looking for a Youth Pastor. I had a meeting with the elders in the church and was offered the position! Woo -- so, I clearly thought that THIS is what I was supposed to do. All I needed was a Visa. The application for the Visa started right away and we guessed that maybe by August of 2010 it would be at such a stage that I could start my move down there. But it took too long and I was back to the drawing board. All of the options seemed like such a great and unique fit but it wasn't a go.

That brought me to the decision to just stay in Penticton and find a job and make it work. I couldn't really start looking for work until mid-August when we realized that the Visa just wouldn't happen and I certainly didn't expect it to take two months to find a job...any job! That brought me to mid-October when I finally landed a job at the Old Town Farm Market selling fruit and vegetables at a whopping $9/hour. Humbling accepting any income. But let me tell you, it is quite difficult living for free at Mom and Dad's at this level. I am very thankful!

Perhaps the combination of a limited income and the fact that I was still looking for that 'perfect job' as a manager or something but not getting anywhere plus the desire that I was starting to come back to the idea of working with my strengths again with youth and in coaching (and the bball reffing has helped too) that I was hit with the idea like a brick in the face. I was sitting with Mom at Sarah and Ben's school Christmas concert and I thought to myself, 'hey, I could totally do this teaching thing'. And there it was. A perfect storm. All things coming together and I've FINALLY decided, under my own intensions and desire to become an elementary teacher! Yep, I for real have found my big girl panties and have made a real decision to become educated and find a real job! No more shluffing along waiting for something to land on my lap. I'm going to earn it and I'm going to do it!

UBC Vancouver has a 12 month program for elementary teaching with a July 2011 intake and I'll be completing my application for that once their offices open on January 4. That's all I know. I don't know where I'm going to live or any details but I have a goal. I'll be working to save money for tuition etc. and I'm very excited! This for sure is where I should be. I'm happy that it has taken me this long to figure it out. I'm happy that I figured it out on my own. I'm happy that I have a huge level of world experience in traveling and different jobs that I can use for the rest of my life. I'm ready to go to school and settle into a good job.

Woo! That's my news!

2011 is going to blow my mind and be a blast!

A great year in review

The other day, I sat down and wrote my own year in review in my journal. It was quite an epic year if I do say so myself. If there is a better year out there, it'll have to 2011!

Here are a few highlights I'll share:

JANUARY:

- lived in Whistler and worked at the Olympics as a housekeeping supervisor in Athletes Village

- went on the Olympic skeleton track (head first!)

- seasons pass to Whistler mountain!

FEBRUARY:

- Vancouver 2010 Olympics!

- attended the rehearsal to the Opening Ceremonies

- riding the bus with my ski gear to hit the hill for the day (especially on my birthday!)

MARCH:

- Paralympic Games -- amazing athletes

APRIL:

- went to Kansas! Farm life: strawberries, milking, birthing a calf (!), chicks, Cashew

MAY:

- hung out in Penticton

JUNE:

- returned to Kansas!

- hiked my first 14er in Colorado: Mt. Shevano

- road trip with the King family from Kansas to Michigan, stopped in St. Louis

JULY:

- celebrated Omi's life

AUGUST:

- Girls Weekend turning into a family reunion celebrating Omi's life

- looked for work

SEPTEMBER:

- started Financial Peace University with Dave Ramsey

- Kiera Harkness born...a little (lot) early but just perfect

OCTOBER:

- got a job (!) at Old Town Farm Market

- made my first few Lambie Loves

- visited Kiera in the Kelowna hospital a few times

NOVEMBER:

- started reffing basketball

- sold my car and bought Gladys

- paid off my student loans!

DECEMBER:

- graduated from Financial Peace University!

- Festival on Ice in Pencticton -- with Kurt Browning, Joannie Rochette, Sale and Peltier

- Carrie Underwood in Penticton! Amazing seats and good company with Carmen!

God is good and has provided all things!

Happy New Year!

-

Grocery Store Etiquette 101

For those of you who don't know, I work at a little farm market grocery store in Penticton. It's not much and every two weeks I wonder how I can live for free at my parents on such little pay but it's all I've got right now. It feels like I'm mostly a cashier but I do have my turn down produce alley -- stocking round things on square platforms (onions are my fav) or trimming lettuce and celery. Every item has a code. You can ask me anything. Come on. Go for it! Asparagus? Easy. 33. Kohlrabi? Never heard of it? Me neither. 187.

Anyway, my purpose here is to let off a little steam with a few things that seem to happen on a regular basis. Three cheers for customer service!

Here we go with Grocery Store Etiquette:

1. Please empty your OWN basket. I may look more than capable, but it's just rude and frankly slows the line down because I have to dig around your pile of food at a very difficult angle. Oh, and while your emptying your own basket and nifty cart, do recognize the urge found deep down that you really should put it back where you found it. Leaving it in the middle of the isle or in front of the door is really unsightly and giving people the wrong impression that it's ok.

2. Please place items on the counter as close to cashier as possible. Do not be fooled that the stainless steel countertop is NOT, in fact, a conveyor belt, nor do my arms fall below my knees giving me greater access to the items at the farthest end of the counter.

3. When given the total amount to pay, swinging your arm up in the air with a card of some description does not actually indicate how you intend to pay. Is that debit? Could it be a Visa? Mastercard? I consider myself fairly talented but I cannot read your mind or read the back side of any bank cards. Since when has society resorted to complacency and lost the ability to converse and say words like, "I'll use my debit card please" or "I'll pay with Visa, thanks". Maybe my favourite customers are the old people who use cash. They take their time, dig out their hard earned money, and count their pennies. It's an effort to spend money -- just like it should be. It's to easy to swipe and run, not to mention, completely impersonal. All this to say, USE YOUR WORDS. I don't care how you pay but it would sure be nice to know so I can push the right buttons on my end to take your money. Oh, and on this credit card business. There is no need to apologize to me for using your credit card. If you are apologizing because you feel bad for putting less than $5 on your credit card then that's your problem and clearly you don't have control of your money. Again, not my problem.

Well, that's just a start. Other things do arise and I'll be sure to jot them down to share. In the meantime, be nice to the grocery people (especially around Christmas time). They're typically decent people (cough cough) not getting paid a lot (gag!) and have to deal with a whole range of people. Be one of the nice ones. Thanks.

The heat is on!

Over the past few days, the weather has dipped below freezing...and by dipped, I mean it's well below! This is no Edmonton at -30 where your nose hairs freeze (crazy people!) but a solid -14 warming up to a balmy -11 still requires several layers of clothing dug up from the abyss of a 'winter tote'. It was a beautiful morning and a perfect day for Gladys to get her heat fixed! Have you ever had to drive is sub-zero temperatures INSIDE YOUR VEHICLE??! There's nothing like a touque, gloves, scarf, winter coat AND a quilt wrapped around you just to keep your own blood focussed on warming your vital organs while you drive anywhere. Oh, and it's best to not breathe too hard (or sing too loud) so your vision of the road isn't hampered by seeing your own breath...not because the wiper blades are frozen and can only seem to clear the windshield in those 'why do wipers even wipe there' places. Anywho...Gladys got her thermostat replaced today! Yay! It's all exciting to have heat, let me tell you! It's just too bad that my drive to and from work is only about 7 minutes and it takes about 10 minutes for the ol' girl to pump out some heat! I'm sure proud of her every time she starts up, though!

Now, to change gears and talk about something the same but different...

Living in the basement. Basements have a unique temperature all to their own. In the summer, it is the ideal place to sleep because it can stay quite cool. In the winter, it is not the ideal place to sleep because it can stay quite cool. I think it's about the 8th stair down that you can literally feel the cold creep through your socks. For the past several weeks, I've had to 'pre-heat' my room with a floor heater. If I failed to do this, well, it's achingly cold. Even if I do pre-heat the room, I have about four blankets on my bed and crawl in with a sweater and socks on (and sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll have one of those microwave beanbag thingys). Tonight was just the same. Half way through the Biggest Loser (that show makes me cry...like c-r-y!), I had to pause it and run downstairs to brave the elements to allow at least 2 hours of pre-heat to take place. Phewph. Little did I know that Mom had a little surprise for me! I was the last one off to bed (as usual) and doddled downstairs with my already cold feet so I knew it was going to be a rough start to sleeping. As I'm picking up a few things off my bed, I'm befuddled that they felt warm. I'm thinking, 'this is odd that that measly floor heater has reacted with these clothes to make this one area on my bed really warm'. And then I flip open the covers after recognizing that my top blanket is not there and my quilt is upside down to discover AN ELECTRIC BLANKET!!!!!!!!! I squeeeeealed! Mom had planted the blanket in the afternoon and turned it on this evening so it was (and is while I type this) toasty warm! Mom was wondering what was taking me so long to get in bed but after I squealed I heard the footsteps and a knock on the door. She dove into bed and we had a good laugh and enjoyed the toastyness together!

Oh, what a day! Happiness is in the moments!

(and I want to mention and thank everyone who have shown interest in Lambie Love. I'm still figuring out the cost but am totally willing to take orders if you seriously want one. Small, medium or large...email me! rachel.a.peters@gmail.com)

You know it's winter when...

...the snow that ends up on the floor mats from your boots when you get in your car doesn't melt throughout the day (or is that just because the heat doesn't work in my car?)

...you can see your breath while driving in your car...even after 20 minutes! (or is that just because the heat doesn't work in my car?)

...you bundle up in a quilt, touque, gloves, scarf and winter jacket just to drive to work (or is that just because the heat doesn't work in my car?)

...don't even get me started on the windshield wipers freezing.....

Seems to be a theme here. Pretty sure I'll be getting my thermostat looked at this week. And every time I think back to that time I had seat warmers, I smile and am very grateful for my Gladys. :) She's a trooper and has a great stereo system. Not to mention I won't be getting stuck on our driveway this winter...fun times.

Getting there

It takes a plan and it takes time. Throw a little sacrifice in and you'll get there. "There" is a big big place but, to simplify, the 'there' I'm talking about is dumping my debt. I wouldn't consider that I'm in a huge hole (and I'm super thankful about that!) but it still needs to be taken care of.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of paying off my student loans!! PRAISE THE LORD! Now, it wasn't huge but even with the automatic payments each month it wasn't going away. Good ol' Gladys comes into play here for without the so-called 'sacrifice' of driving her instead of my comfortable heated-seat Subaru I would not have been able to get rid of these payments.

The other sacrifice, which I would rather call a blessing, is that am able to live at home while I sort out my life. It's a sacrifice for my parents, no doubt, and I am incredibly thankful that the door is open. With a little more debt to organize payments for, and the freedom to live at home in the process (and be fed unbelievable meals!) I'll be debt free within 6 months! WooHOO!!

Set up a plan, live below your means and you can do it too! It's going to be worth it!