Whistler with Ma & Pa Fox

A few weeks ago I had a dream come true...a week in the mountains with my parents...and no hospital :) I was SOOO much in need of a break from work (I now understand how these vetran women of Nursing are burnt out and unpleasant after years of working...and I've only been doing this for 3 months! oh oh!) Anyway, I flew from Edmonton into Vancouver to spend a few days there before heading to Whistler for Dad's Royal LePage Conference--mom and I were just tag alongs-- :)

The Irvine's, mom & dad's good friends moved to Vancouver about 10 years ago and we were able to spend some good time with them before the conference. Their kids were friends with Janna and I growing up so it was really great to see Joanna and meet her boyfriend Pierre after SO many years! (Caleb lives in Calgary) There was lots of laughter-as usual with these four-and we even had a lobster dinner (mom and dad brought them from home...yay!)

I was also able to spend an afternoon with Jeanette which I had been really looking forward too! We walked around China Town, in and out of all the little gerocery shops (actually trying to track down a specific coffee candy that Dad says is to die for...but no such luck)...I love looking at foreign (as in 'new to me') food. It is so interesting...dried scallops, dried sea cucumber, dried dragons on a stick...cool! We went into this little flea market and both bought a belt for 5 bucks...nice deal :) Actually, "we" did more shoping than was intended...Jeanette found this absolutly georgous coat-wish I had a picture of her in it cause she looks wonderful-and it was a rediculous price :) Anyway! So we wandered around with our Starbucks in hand meandering through the streets (accidently crossing probably the worst intersection in Vancouver....Main St and East Hastings...oops!) and through a really nice little park with bamboo, big plants, ponds and the biggest gold fish I've ever seen--could feed a whole village seriously! Then we walked and talked along the waterfront, had dinner, and went back to her new place...it was a nice day. Sure wish we'd had more time though Jeanie...just not quite the same after being apart so long huh?

We were off to Whistler the next day traveling up with a bunch of Dad's coleagues in a bus! If mom and I didn't feel "out of place" yet...we sure did when we arrive infront of our 5 diamond hotel with all the staff and conference leaders clapping outside with a literal red carpet for us to walk off the bus on! Swanky! woof... it was a bit over the top, but hey, when else in this life am I going to be able to say that I walked down a red carpet! (I'll not tell the embarising story about how I dropped/threw my Nalgeene at the pretty hotel consierge-man on the way off the bus!! :S) The "out of our league" feeling didn't go away as we talked into the Hotel...becuase Dad was on the planning comitte for this shin-dig we were put up all expenses paid in the Fairmont...picture needed...my name for it? Mountain Palace :) One day I walked out the loby doors to see a couple sitting (perhaps awaiting their limo) on a bench...he was wearing kahki pants and a purple sweater and she was wearing perfect gray hair a white turtleneck under a navy blazer with gold buttons, kahki pants and little navy and white tennis shoes...where is the yacht??? (*here's how 'high class' I am...I had to look up online how to spell that word!*) Good fun! Needless to say, it was the nicest...and cheapest!... hotel that I'll probably ever get to say at :) We made good use of the pools and hot tubs twice a day...steared clear of the gym though ;) Actually mom bought us goggles so that we could "do laps" while we were there-which we did. But, what do you think...Are my goggles a bit too tight in this picture!? Mom almost wet herself laughing at this :)

We were such hard-core swimmers that we were even in the pool/hot tub the day it snowed!! Gotta live it up while you can...that's the Fox moto :)

Unfortunately I have limitted pictures of Dad on this trip...he was "working" and bussy with conference stuff most of the time I was there, but mom and I got some good time in together during the day :) We poked around in all the little shops, did lots of walking, contemplated the zip line, enojoying the mountains, ate good food, and went up the gondola on Whistler Mountain.

So our first day there was the best weather...after that is was pretty rainy and even snowy..yikes! The day we went up the gondola, we couldn't even get all the way to the top-just the midway point due to weather conditions, but mom and I still had fun. I liked this gondola experience better than in Ecuador-the pillars were closer together which greatly decreased the "sway factor!" As much as I love summer, there is just something about snow that makes me happy-not that I am wishing winter upon us quickly, but to climb a mountain, have snow for an afternoon and then come back down the montain and leave the snow behind is NICE! :) Mom and I even had a snow ball fight on the top! We bought some post cards...which was depressing cause they were all of the "beautiful view" from where we were...but we could hardly see 20 feet infront of us! oh well...I guess it's just nice to know that its out there?? I'm trying to be positive on missing the view :P

We felt bad for this 'little' bear...all covered with snow -and can't even wipe it off! :)

There was this really cool looking inukshuk up there too, it was huge...and very patriotic-I really like these :) Like Biblical "Standing Stones" to mark a time/story about what God did--they're all throughout the old testiment.

Well, I think I've talked about most things, and showed you all the best pictures... no..that's not true...I have a few more...
Jenn Spen made be take a "Princess" picture...and this is the best I have...us in these big white "robes" wtih the Fairmont "F" on the pocket :)... It was a pretty sweet vacation from "real life" and SO good to spend time with mom and dad. I cried when the bus was pulling out from Whistler...not becase I was leaving there, but because I've been away for so long dang-it, and I just love my parents :) The Lord has really blessed me throughout my life with them. They are wonderful parents-fun and funny, wise and caring, supportive and encouraging... I LOVE YOU!
Can't wait to see you at Christmas.

This last picutre is driving on the Grayhoundon the way back to the airport...back to real life... But, the sun's rays are shining through...God's Light and Hope permeates even the darkest clouds...He is Love.

Indescribeable...Untameable

There is nothing quite like driving with a friend, windows down wind whipping, music blaring declaring God's God-ness, staring at His amazing creation, goosebumps on arms, knowing that a great day awaits you :)

As our "last horah" Julia and I rented a car and headed out towards the mountains her last full day in Alberta :) We had SUCH a great time...it was the highlight of my summer (well, at least the "fun" highlight!) I finally got to see some mountain goats...or were they the mountain sheep? I don't remember...it's easier to tell sheep and goats apart in Africa--tails up or tails down? :) We also saw lots of caribou and dear...and hoped and prayed ALL day that we would see a bear... After all, Julia had prayed the whole 4 hour drive to Jasper that the rain/storm clouds in the distance would clear so that she could see the mountains...and the Lord answered! :) It was a perfect day-weather wise...beautiful clouds too :D

So we headed off to Angel Glacier, which I had visited 4 years ago and loved. It was snowing the last time I was there so I was unprepared to see how brown things were and to see that you could walk right up to the glacier....SOOOO cool!! It probably didn't help that the 2 of us had watched Al Gore's "Inconvienient Truth" movie about Global warming this summer...the glacier looked smaller to me :) I think that by far, one of the top three cool things I've seen or done in life thus far was walking INTO this glacier (along with seeing Tungaraguha volcano active and spewing ash, and almost getting trampled by a live hippo in Ethiopia). Julia will kill me for putting this picture up, but-don't look at her...look at the craziness of the glacier roof!! These caves were amazing...I was wondering if we might not be in the middle of an Avelanche by talking/echoing inside them, especially when we heard one give a big crack! --you should have seen the looks on our faces...whew! :) Jules stole a rock that was stuck inside some ice for her dad-we figure that she could very possibly be the first person to actually touch that rock besides God Himself! After all...this is Noah Flood water left overs! :) Enough to make a fella "star struck!" This place was so beautiful, the glacier lake so green and SO cold.

There were lots of people walking to and from the Glacier that day...many accents from British to Chiniese, but most of the people all decked out in hiking gear, complete with walking sticks/poles and backpacks....Julia and I were doing the hike in our Birkenstocks :)...we took a picture to prove it, and I personally think Freeman should use it as a poster adervising his business!...just a thought :)

We got to see a little piece of the glacier break off up at the top...("and people say there is no such thing as global warming..."). Well, it looked small from where we were standing...but in actual fact, it was probably the height of multiple "me's" :) I think that, had we had lots and lots of time, we both could have just stayed exploring and enjoying the Lord's creation for hours and hours. It was so great. Eventally we started toward the car to head off in the direction of a new adventure, when Miss Julia desided to feed these gray birds that showed up...

"What don't feed the wild-life sign Paul?" ;)...I don't think that birds even count as wild life.

Who knew birds liked popcorn so much!? As a tribute to Joanna I sang Mary Poppins "A spoon full of sugar" while feeding these things...Julia can testify. It is that song that she has a robin on her finger isn't it? :)

Our next stop was on the other side of the park to see from a distance the glacier we were just at...and no, Julia, it wasn't Mt.Robsin ;) Then we walked around Downtown Jasper for a while...drooled inside a Chololate Factory...and left like good little goldie locks's, not buying the very expensive but yummy looking stuff (I suppose it helped that niether of us had cash...but we like to call it self control ;) Unfortunatly, we didn't see a bear...but Julia was more than happy to pose with this fella'...I guess we weren't specific enough when we prayed....we just asked for a bear...next time maybe we'll pray for a "real-live" one ;) We had a great drive home-good conversation with a star gazing stop on the side of the highway. Love you Jules...Big bear Hug :)

Run Away with Jesus

Back in July I had the opportunity to go to a place called King's Fold Retreat center. My friend Paul had been there quite a few times, and as part of my ministry triaining that I have remained in Edmonton for, I went for a weekend of Silence and time with the Lord.

The retreat center is there for just that. They have individual cabins and rooms where people go to to get away from the everyday bussiness and distractedness of life and re-locate their true focus...Jesus :)

This time out there was just a blessing for me. I had myown little tree house, complete with bed, chair, desk, kettle and hot chocolate...what more could a girl ask for :) The cabin had 2 journals there that people had written in over the years as they stayed in that little "Hideaway"-and at first I really thought the idea was cheesy, but as I started to read the entries I really enjoyed listening to the wisdom, prayers, stories of healing and so on that were on it's pages. People are so broken and lives are in such messes. I'm no exception. I went, without an "aggenda" but really was hoping to spend time praying about a few things specifically, and was hoping to hear the Lord's Voice on a few specific areas of life perhaps...but I really was trying to just be silent and wait for what He would have for me. Well...I must say I was surprised. Have you ever had those "things" in life that you think you've fully handed over and layed at the feet of Jesus, only to find that months or years down the road they somehow ended up back in your hands?? Isn't that frustrating? Well...this particular time with Jesus He flippin' handed it back to me and said "Chris, this needs dealing with." Let's just say I wasn't too thrilled :) Just when you think you are healed and things in life move on, they are back...but, this was a first time for me that God Himself stoped to say "we need to dwell here." I still don't know what He is/was doing with that...I have more questions than answers, but that's ok...I got to cry for 2 hours in my little cabin with Jesus. Surprise! I had no idea He had that up His sleve for my weekend with Him :)

I had some really great times just reading Scripture, drawing-which I haven't taken time to do in EVER but is medicine for my soul, sing, enjoy creation from my favorite swing on a cliff, and just BE.

It was also a nice blessing to talk with some of the other people there. Some were attending a conference, another was given this "getaway" as a gift (and that guy really needed it), one mom who was tired of cooking and screaming kids and a bussy husband who "ran away" for a few days :)--I liked her. Others were in full-time ministry and just needed a refreshing break with the Lord...it was a really neat atmosphere. Although my favorite person that I met was Kacy...the dog :) She was beautiful and SO friendly...reminded me of Sprite and Coka the dogs from Langano in Ethiopia... The lady that ran this center told me that people often come for the weekend just to see Kacy...she is half the ministry. I believe it :) We played her version of "catch" for a long time...and she just has this way of making you think that you are her favorite person in the world...VERY therapeutic :) I wanna dog.

May I encourage you to do the same? (no, not get a dog...) Go "run away" with Jesus. Get away from the bussiness of life and spend time with the Life-Giver.

Farwell to Nova Scotia the Sea Bound Coast...

There is ALOT to be said for that feeling of being home...
Where the dirt is Red...and not Black...and where the cows are Black & White...and not Red :) Where, when you breathe in deep you taste and smell the salt air...where your friends and family call you nick names that you haven't heard in years...like "Tiane" and "Chrissy." Where the fog is so thick you can't see past the pier, where feeling sand under your toes makes your eyes well up with tears, and where, when those eyes are full of tears people look at you with a familiar and loving smirk on their face, give you a hug and say "it's so good to have you back." :) I love being home.

As you may have guessed already...my 3 weeks at home in June was a Blessing to my soul. Don't get me wrong...I have greatly enjoyed (and am STILL enjoying) my time out West...but people...it's been 5 years!! As they say..."you can take a girl out of the Maritimes...but you can't take the Maritimes out of the girl." :)

I was able to see so many of the people that I had wanted to...had some conversations that were MUCH over due, went back in time to a youth group that only had about 3 familiar faces...besides Glen's :)...spent quatilty time with family...returned to some my most favorite places in life...such as Malagash, Peggy's Cove, and PEI. Stayed up too late watching movies with Janna, had a belated Bryant/Fox Christmas Eve party, and talked late with Jenn Spencer, had great breakfast dates with the Marsh brothers, sang at church with people I always forget I love sooo much (and of course...the eyes fill up again!).

Walked the paths at Malagash, sang by myself in the empty chapel, meandered over the sandbars...yes, crying...and praising the Lord for the years of my life spent growing in Him there and thanking Him for those who so greatly impacted me from that place...and praying the same Blessings upon the throngs of kids that would come that summer...sigh. God is SO good.

Janna and I took a trip to PEI for a few days...there is just nothin' quite like belting out Praises (or Country songs) in the van on a road trip with your Sister :) We had some memories to make in Pictou for a few hours after missing the Ferry to PEI by 15 minutes... Down town Pictou...we should have had a chaperone let me tell ya-we hit up that Sobey's somethin' fearce! ;) Had a few photo shoots...not many "keepers" in the bunch...enjoyed time with Nanny and Pappy, went to our cousin's wedding shower...then stayed up until 3am with her (eating Pappy's peanuts) catching up on life and just being rediculous...like the good old days. Payed a visit to our "Family Pride Monument"...the most beautiful Lighthouse on the Island...met even MORE family for the first time (is it even possible to still be meeting MORE family from PEI at 23 years of age!?), went to our cousin Dan's High School graduation, and were finally able to find our way to The Shephard's Farm to visit with the Cousins Family. That trip to the other side of the Island was well worth the blessing for both of us to see the kids, and catch up with the ministry news, laugh and chase bunnies in the kitchen (well, Daniel wasn't laughing after he got bit!) and just to be with them all again :) But, the adventures of Janna and Christiane were not over yet as we left the Cousins (for the second time) and headed to the ferry...as we had...yet again...missed the boad...the LAST boat. So...we laughed as only blonde sisters can and headed toward the side of the Island we'd come from in order to cross the bridge! Then phoned Mom and Dad, of course, to tell them we had "unexpected delays" and wouldn't be home until the wee hours of the morning!! :)

Sometimes it's just hard to put into words the way your heart is blessed by things so familiar...but you know what I mean :) It's so good to see that some things just never change, and hard, but good at the same time, to realize the things that do.

Really, I'm very much looking forward to the time when the Lord finally says, "Ok, Chris...go home"--as if I am some puppy in training, sitting on the floor waging my tail expectedly at the treat that awaits me, with pleeding eyes looking up to my Masters face...It'll be a sweet "treat" though-either long or short I don't know...but I do know that I will Highly enjoy it when the waiting is over :) It is a True reminder to me that this is the same way I should view Heaven...held, against my will, on this earth (so to speak), and eagerly waiting for my Master to say "Ok Chris...come home." :) But in the mean time there is much to be done...many joys to experience where I have been placed, many trials to grow me and strengthen my Faith, and many people who need to know of God's Love. Even 2 years later, after Africa, where this realization finally came to my heart, I am constantly reminded by the Holy Spirit that my Truest Home is where My Jesus is.

Favorite things from time in NS...
1) Conversation and Sunset at Peggy's Cove with Jeanette
2) Uncle David Fox filling Janna and I in on Life details, stories, and pictures (cried)
3) Seeing one of my all-time favorite campers/people Samantha...and that smile on her face:)
4) The 2 oldest Bryant boys leading the church in Worship my first Sunday back...(cried again)
5) ...That the News paper headlines were...the Mooseheads (our hockey team), Lady slippers-the official flower of PEI (which I don't think exists in the West), recent Whale Sightings off the coast, and Sunday Shopping :)

~Ode to Julia~

Presenting..."Julia Churchill" ...beautiful blonde, highly talented, very hilarious, source of much joy and laughter in my life... :) We had some absolutly HILARIOUS times this summer and I would like to highlight just a few for you... There is a lot to be said for laughing so hard you almost pee your pants, and as only Julia can experience, laughing so hard her collar bone hurts!


Our VERY FIRST morning in Edmonton I forgot to tell Julia that the toaster is frigged and doesn't pop naturally...the result?? Christiane jumping out of the shower in a towel, Julia standing wide-eyed in a room full of smoke, both of us running around, to the buzz of the fire alarm, waving dish towels & opening windows to disperse the smoke, Christiane opening the backdoor of the appt in hopes that the door down stairs is open to wisk the smoke out side...it wasn't...So Julia & Christiane scream in unison as the BUILDING alarm FOG HORN goes off...Christiane tries to find clothes to put on, Julia yells "Well, we're off to a good start Chris!!" and we both fly out the door onto the lawn and wait for the trauma of telling the Fire department what happened!!...Thank the Lord, the firemen never did show up.


Do you suppose the leason was learned for us?....

...Well, not quite... (oh the laughter) Rumor has it that Dorjan Draper also burnt toast one morning at the Happy Place, but I was at work, and Julia was sleeping, so we didn't get to photo document that event!


We also invented the "Guess Who? Psychology" version and stayed up until 1am playing it one night...

What is it? you might ask...well, instead of asking the same boring questions like "does your person have blue eyes?" you ask "is your person a youth pastor?"...it is amazing how often your interpretation of what profession someone might have according to how they look is the same as someone elses!! We laughed SOO hard that night, and ended up making up the life stories of every character on the board!

Then there was the night that we were up late waiting for the TreePlanter girls to come into Edmonton...it was like 11:30 at night and we both were in the kitchen, I was cooking and trying out a new recipie...people, never put apples in your soup!!...anyway...we were chatting along, minding our own business when all the sudden we heard a VERY large banning on our front door...AHHHH!!...did we ever scream!! Then we laughed so hard and felt stupid, cause the girls were sucessfull in freaking us out...so we grabbed the 2 biggest knives that I own and crept up to the door "Mission Impossible"-style to freak THEM out!! So, when we were in position we flung the door open and gave our most intense war cries (apparently forgetting that it was so late at night and eviction could have been an issue)...but the hallway was empty!! Julia went outside to find the girls while I was left in the appartment to think....we hadn't heard any footsteps rundown the stairs after the bang...the girls car wasn't outside...hummm....I was getting freaked out and finally Julia came up the back stairs of course finding no girls...creepy!! What are the odds that we'd be pranked really late at night...on the third floor...with no audible footsteps on a night when we were actually expeciting company...??!!! It was much later that Julia opened up the hallway closet only to find that my Bath and Body Works bag full of stuff had fallen off the shelf onto the floor....Banging the closet door the whole way down!! OHHH!! We found our Prankster, felt really stupid, & laughed so hard that Julia's "COLLAR BROKE??"....and the TreePlanters didn't even come until the next night :P Julia "took care of things" for us though, and that bag got the punishment it deserved!!-as you can see.

We had fun last week babysitting Julia's cousins: Jane-4 and Kate-2. We watched "A Bugs Life" with them and at one part when the scary grasshoppers came to get the ants Kate slapped her hands on her face and yelled "Oh, no...OH NO!!" it was SO cute! Then we gave them a bath and got them into bed. When I was helping Jane get her jammies on I asked her "Jane, don't you wear underwear to bed?" she answers, and I quote..."Oh no...I go comando!" :)


We spent a really fun day at the Edmonton Heritage Days Festival (like a Multi Cultural Festival) a few weeks ago...it was a SUPER hot day, but we took 4 hours walking around and in all these different booths from around the world...Seriously, this festival is Hudge...I'm pretty positive that almost every country in the world has a booth here...there are hundreds!!!

Umm good food. Collectively we ate, Ugandan, Ecuadorian(of course), Hungarian, Korean, Hawaiian, Fijiian, and I can't remember the rest! These pictures are of a really yummy "Elephant Ear" (pastry) from Hungary...Sooo yummy!!

On the walk home through the River Valley that day a golf cart came wizzing past us with 4 young guys on it who called out asking if we wanted a drive home...we were trying to maintain our dignity in case they were making fun of us or just being rediculous...and were doing alright by just ignoring them until Julia got a bit too close to the edge of the path and almost took a nose-dive into the Saskatchewan River!! She let out a good girly yelp, grabbed my arm and we both put on a good show for the boys in the golf cart! A day in the life of Christiane & Julia :) Not long after that we strolled past a big bush full of Choke Cherries...humm. I'd never tried one before so Julia convinced me...yuck! They are nasty! So then I dared her to take a handfull of them and chew them all at once...she did...12 of them-all down the hatch! It was one of the funniest things I've ever watched cause she bit them like 5 times, then opened her mouth so I could take the picture and she couldn't close it again!! Her mouth was so dry (choke cherry effect for those of you who have brians enough not to try them!) that her lips got stuck of either side of her braces and she was drooling all over her face...if I hadn't been concentrating so hard on not peeing my pants, I could have also gotten a picture of her bent over a bush spitting them all out with tears in her eyes! We still laugh at this story when we think of it!! haha.

I have quite a few pictures that we took from Julia's last day of work at Booster Juice...needless to say she was VERY excited. I'm afraid (although I'm sure you are relieved...this is getting super long) that I don't have any hilarious stories to go along with them...I think we'll have to convince Julia to start her own Blog so that she can tell you all about her cute and crazy customers and rediculous "Star Trek" boss!! Of course...my FAVORITE Booster Juice photo is not quite "Blog appropriate" so I'm afraid you'll have to bribe me in order too see that one--just don't tell Jules :)

Just look at this crazy girl...how could you not have just an amazing summer with HER around!? My next blog post is our pictures from our incredible trip to Jasper...beautiful and breath taking... I love you Jules-hope you know that. My Cup Ranneth Over all Summer Long...the Lord knows how to give Good Gifts to His Children, and your presence this summer in Edmonton and the Happy Place was certainly a Good Gift Sent from Above for me (James 1:17). XOXO... I CLEARLY miss you already!