Chanterelles...

Well, today I went out with my good buddy and co-worker Mr. Chris Burdge to go mushroom picking for the second time.  The first time I got just over half a 5 Gallon bucket.  Today I picked more than two buckets worth!

Just another thing I probably wouldn't have done if it wasn't available to me so easily.

Chris has a sixth sense for locating these little beauties.  We hit a pretty good patch today and it seemed like every time you looked up there were more just a little ways away.  I can see how people can get so excited about this kind of stuff.  Out in the fresh air, getting exercise, looking for treasure, riding quads and making a little extra moola (hoping one comes home with the moola to justify leaving wifey at home with the boys)!

I have forgotten on both days to save a few so we could cook them up at home.  Maybe I'll have to buy some off Chris tomorrow.

Small Town Life...

When our family relocated from Prince Rupert to Abbotsford in 2007, we knew that leaving that small town behind meant more than saying goodbye to close friends, but a way of life as well.  For the next four years we were able to coordinate our lives so that school, work, church and life were pretty close together.  But something was missing.

We were busy.

There's the life of stuff and then there's the stuff of life.  Sometimes our lives can get cluttered with stuff.  Usually that stuff is the everyday gotta do it kinda stuff, like school and work and other routines...things we do because somehow we think we either have to do them or because it would seem strange not to.  

Then there's the stuff of life.  These are the friendships, the times spent doing things we enjoy, the ability and availability to be spontaneous...those kinds of things.  This stuff is the stuff that doesn't seem to keep time; that somehow our watches and internal time clocks seem to vanish.  It's those times which often make us late for the stuff we "have" to do.

I've found that living in a small town again has afforded a great deal more time for the stuff of life, not a life of stuff.  Whether it's having time to make breakfast in the morning, kissing my boys goodbye as they leave for school, looking at my watch and realizing I'm late to take lunch because I've enjoyed working, Waffle Wednesdays with friends, drop-in Volleyball, Thursday night dinners as a staff, mushroom picking, or it taking 8 minutes to go to the grocery store and back for sour cream and bread.  

Yes, living in a small town is busy, but it's a different kind of busy.  It's a busy where the time seems to fly by and the routine does not seem as forced or necessary.

Have I also mentioned that we've found a new church to get immersed in?  It's a Fellowship Baptist Church just up the road.  And when I say just up the road I literally mean that it takes longer to buckle up three boys than it does to drive there!  We will be the youngest family there and two of our boys doubled the sunday school size so there will be some adjusting, but it felt like home (at least it did for me).  

We're looking forward to a more intentional life as we adjust to this new season, and I really do think that living in a small town has a big part to play in that.

6.4 km's

That's how far it is from the river to the lake.  

The river = home.

The lake = work.

We're not entirely sure how long we'll be renting this amazing house on the river, so you just might want to stop by sooner than later.  We're so glad our camp friends were able to check it out for us and secure it on our behalf.  There are still a few boxes floating around here and there, but tonight was all about getting our emails finalized and the wireless running (amazing what one letter or number can do in that process).

Below is a view from the new dock the landlords built over this past summer.  When I accepted the position at Camp we were not sure what our accommodations were going to be for this year.  All I knew is that God had always provided for us in the past, and He would provide what we needed.  At that point I wasn't aware that this is what He had in mind!  We are grateful for His provision and we'll enjoy it while we can.

And if that wasn't enough, He thought we might need this so we could host many a dinner too.  Far fewer upper cabinets than we had previously, but oh the counter space and pull out drawers!  And yes, that is a five burner gas (propane) range back there.  We look forward to feeding many mouths from this kitchen.

Then there's the lake; the place I go to work now.  I mean really, someone pinch me!  Oh sure, I don't get to sit around and stare at the lake all day by any means, but it's there, surrounded by grand mountains, wildlife and nature.  I've always enjoyed God's beautiful creation and I'm not sure how else to explain it than to simply say that the special place in my heart which yearns for nature is now at peace.

So to and fro, from river to lake, lake to river, my routine will be from here on in.  At any given time I wont be too far from these two places...except maybe fixing a toilet here and there.