seems like forever....

since I last posted - In reality it has only been 5 days but seems like much longer! I am going to visit my Nanna - my dad's mom, who I haven't seen since Rhonda's wedding in May of 2005. Now I was living in Haiti for much of that 18 months but still no excuse! She now lives in Victoria so I will hopefully also get to see my uncle, aunt and cousins. I am catching a ferry at 7am tomorrow to Victoria but am not feeling 100% right now so am NOT looking forward to the boat ride at all. I have been printing out photos to send to Ronel and will be taking most of them with me this weekend to show my family photos from the wedding.

Ronel update:

Tried calling Ronel ALL DAY Monday and couldn't get through - messages saying all lines were busy was all I got! I was so upset that I cried when I realized it was now past midnight in Haiti and I couldn't call at that hour. My whole family was still here and I don't think they quite knew what to say or do. My mom's boyfriend, Jacques offered to call me from his cell and talk to me in French (he is French Canadian) I told him thanks but it wouldn't quite be the same. I did get to talk to Ronel on Boxing day morning and he said that he tried to call me on Christmas too but couldn't reach me either. SO FRUSTRATING!!!!
I called him today when I got home from work cause 3 days seemed so long to not have spoken to him - what a difference from going a week if not two between calls! Oh how I enjoy technology!

Wonderful news - I have in my hand our marriage certificate!!!! I met up with Barb on Tuesday and she gave it to me. I was so thankful to her for bringing it out for me! So much less stress! I can now start working on changing my last name officially!! YEAH!!! That will make the whole "being married" thing so much more real especially with my husband so far away! I have been reading some blogs of people who are adopting from Haiti and the waiting and anticipation of having them home and I realize that it is very similar for me - I am not adopting a child but I am waiting to bring home a part of my family. It is hard to be waiting for something, especially since there isn't much I can do to make the process go any faster - other than to pray and ask God to send our paperwork to the right people!!

anyway - need to go pack and get ready for my early morning - plus I need to take a nap, my head is very congested and it hurts~~~

my new best friend....

Skype is my new best friend! (atleast in the online world of communication) Today I was able to talk to both Ronel in Haiti and my aunt & uncle who are in Puerto Rico. Talking to my aunt & uncle was free cause they are also on Skype and calling Haiti was cheap. I am going to call Ronel again tomorrow for Christmas Day (our first Christmas as a married couple and we're 5000 miles apart - you better believe I'm calling him!) and then my aunt & uncle are going to call me in the afternoon when the whole family is over and we can all chat with each other and we'll even be able to see each other via web cam! Technology is great -especially when family and friends are spread out around the world. My uncle said that he uses Skype to call his brother in Tanzania(Africa) on his phone line and it is the same low price that I pay to call Haiti. Many "popular" countries are even cheaper to call (some as low as 2cents a minute!)

Being apart is hard - I've already had one breakdown and I am sure tonight and tomorrow will only be harder, but that is why technology like Skype and good close friends like the ones I have here in BC are so awesome!

So this will probably be the last post till Boxing Day as I am off to the Christmas Eve service at my church then to a friend's house for some Christmas celebrating and then Christmas Day here with family.

Merry Christmas to all

To everyone......

Merry Christmas !!!












I pray that this holiday season will be filled with family & friends, and that you all take time to remember and celebrate the reason for the season! - the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

May God bless you all,

(photo was taken my last day in Haiti - if you look closely and use your imagination, their heads could resemble the shape of a Christmas tree!)

FYI

I have updated more photos to my online photo albums. Check them out!

glad news mixed with sad news......

The glad news....
I got to call Ronel and talk to him tonight via Skype which is just a great invention! I get to call from my computer to his cell phone and it is fairly cheap (atleast for calling Haiti!) The last time I called Haiti with Telus Long Distance (landline phone) it was almost $3 a minute. Calling card from a payphone in Florida to Haiti got me 1 minute for $10 US. Skype is 0.288 cents Canadian a minute and that is roughly the equivalent of what Ronel pays to call me, except that the connection is WAY clearer! I paid $5.48 Cdn for 21 minutes of talk time.

The sad news...
While I was talking to Ronel, he told me that Jose, my maid of honour, lost her baby. When I left Haiti she had told me that she was 3 months pregnant (end of November) and now sometime in the last week or so from what I understood, she has miscarried the baby. I got to talk to her tonight as well cause she was visiting Ronel's family and so I was able to pass on my condolences. This was an unplanned pregnancy and her and her husband already have 2 children and they thought they were done but still, no one wants to lose a child. Please keep her and her family in your prayers, especially at this time of year when we celebrate a joyous birth and she is grieving the loss of her unborn child.

Merry Christmas!

always a good time for a little change!

Having lots of fun with all the new changes Blogspot has with their new features! Hope you enjoy the new look of the blog - it may not be around for long, change is fun! (atleast on my blog!)

Six Things to Do Every Day

This is a list my Mom gave to me today from a Martha Stewart book.

SIX THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY

1. Make the bed
2. Manage Clutter
3. Sort the mail (could include papers)
4. Clean up as you cook
5. Wipe up spills while they are fresh
6. Sweep Kitchen floor

I think that she thinks some are more applicable than others for me at least! ( Like number 4!)

New Photo Album on the Web

I have just uploaded photos onto my Picasa web albums and you can click below to go to them. I have currently uploaded 63 wedding photos and will upload more later (both wedding and others)

My Web Albums

(the address is http://picasaweb.google.com/the.cledomins - just in case the above link doesn't work for you!)

at home....

I am writing this post from my home computer in my very own bedroom! I now have internet at home and will be able to keep in touch much better with so many of you!! I am especially excited to be able to keep in better touch with Ronel!! Yeah!!

Keep a lookout for more frequent posts!

Good Morning.....

I am on my last full day here in Haiti - and know that tonight is not going to be an easy one! Even this morning was one full of sadness as Ronel & I both knew it was the last time for a while we would be getting ready and going off to work together.

I leave Borel tomorrow morning at about 5am and should be in Port au Prince before 8:30am which should give me plenty of time to check in for my noon flight. I should arrive in Ft Lauderdale at about 2pm and Eileen is coming to pick me up around 3:30pm so that I can get through customs with out her having to wait long. I will then pass the evening with Eileen & her roommate Pia and Saturday morning I will head for the airport at about 6:30am to be there by 7am for my 8:45am flight to Seattle. I am scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 3:20pm and Jason and Shealyn are picking me up and then we are heading up to the church's Christmas Dinner where I look forward to seeing everyone!

I have such mixed feelings as I want to get home and show everyone my photos and everything but I also want to be with my husband! I know that the day will come where he will be with me in Canada but today that day seems so far away!

Please pray that everything will go smoothly tomorrow on the way to Port. Pray for Ronel as he is not able to come to Port with me tomorrow but will have to come to work knowing for the first time in a month that I won't be waiting for him when he is finished. Pray that today and this evening will not be one totally filled with sadness but that we are also able to have fun together and remember all the fun we had during the past month.

Oh - also, pray for Ronel's mom - Roselene (rose - lean) as she is quite sick and has been for a number of days. We are hoping she is going to the hospital today to see a doctor but she needs to be well in order to be able to provide for her family. She is the sole provider for her family other than the small help Ronel is able to give them financially from his salary. While you are praying for healings, Ronel has been having pain in his chest on the left side for quite a while now and they have not found what is wrong. During the last week it has been giving him alot of pain and it is also hard to breathe. Whatever it is - I want it gone!! (and I am sure so does he)

So little time.....

So today is Wednesday - I leave Haiti Friday morning - very early! That means that I have less than 48 hours with my husband! There were many tears shed last night be the both of us as we realized that in such a short time we would be separated for such a unknown length of time. I know that God has His hand on us and He has a plan for our life and our marriage but preparing to leave my husband's side after not even 3 weeks of marriage is not easy! Because this is Haiti I am not even able to come home with our marriage certificate in hand - apparently it doesn't happen that fast in Haiti! Now I lived here for a long time and now that things don't happen quickly but just this once I wanted to believe it would happen! So I will have to wait for Ronel to mail it to me and pray that it doesn't get lost in the mail! I have to also go home and start filling in all the many pages of required paperwork to start the sponsorship process. Ronel will have to get a medical and a police report done after I am gone and send those to me as well along with all the pages he needs to fill out. I have to send him those in French so that he can understand and respond in French as well.

There was a small scare a week or so ago as I was reading through the paperwork for like the 10th time. There is a page that asks about your financial standing and somehow I misread it and thought that I needed to fill out a different form called a financial evaluation which gives a set amount of money you must make in a 12 month period in order to be able to sponsor someone and the amount increases for each person you are wanting to sponsor. Well the amount for 2 people - myself and one sponsored person is more than double what I currently make and so I thought that I was going to have to go home, find a job that pays me double what I currently make and then wait for a year before I could file the paperwork to sponsor Ronel. Well - when I got home that night from helping Jessica and told Ronel what I had learned - I burst into tears! Cause the 6-18 month wait was already bad enough but having to wait until I make enough money! Oy!!! So a couple of nights ago Ronel & I were going over all the pages he was going to have to fill in later and all the documents he needs and I reread the original sponsorship evaluation and PRAISE THE LORD! I had misread it! I only had to use the other form if I am sponsoring my spouse who has dependent children who have dependent children!! And neither Ronel or I have kids so I get to use the original form!! This form asks for work info and they also want to know how much I make but NOWHERE does it say that I have to make a set amount before I can apply! I cried tears of joy when I realized that it had all been a mistake and we weren't going to have to wait like 3 years before applying!

Ronel said to me last night as I was crying over the fact that I was leaving him in 2 short days that we survived being separated for over 8 months while we were engaged and he knows that while this separation is going to be hard, that we will survive it and that we will be all that much stronger because of it. Now - in my head I know this is true - but in my heart I don't want to AGAIN be separated from the man I love, the man who is now my husband, my family. But, because I know that God has placed us together and He has a plan for me, one that is good and not harmful and that He has hope and a future for us, I will step onto that plane on Friday knowing that one day Ronel will step off a plane in Canada and we will be together, living out God's plan for US!

Ok - enough of this babbling on... I am going to go and help Jessica with the financial report for the last time!
Man, time has flown by!! It seems like just yesterday I was meeting Jessica and now I am getting ready to say goodbye a month later!

Wedding details

Today is day 13 of my life as a married woman and so far so good!

The wedding was wonderful - it was set to start at 3pm and amazingly all of us women were ready - myself, Jose (my maid of honour) and all 11 other females in the bridal party as well as Moyiz who got ready with us. Jessica and Barb were both there to help me get ready and they were both a great help. Jessica helped me do my hair from start to finish and though she was quite nervous, she did wonderful. For most of the morning Jessica (who had spent the night) and I just hung out - she put my curlers in for me and we relaxed. It was wonderful not to be rushed. Then it was crunch time - getting my hair done, into my dress, make-up done and then oops - forgot to brush my teeth - SO in my wedding dress with a towel down my front, I brushed my teeth from a cup!! Life is never dull in Haiti!!

We then crammed 15 of us into a minivan and headed off to the church or so I thought that was where we were going. Instead of turning right and going to the church we turned left - Well, I spoke up and said - "The church is that way" and everyone just smiled. We then drove towards Benson's house where all the men were getting ready and the entire car was cheering the whole way there - honking and yellling THERESA - CLAP CLAP CLAP - RONEL - CLAP CLAP CLAP over and over again. It was quite the interesting feeling being the very obvious center of attention. We then got to Benson's to find out that the guys were not quite ready! So I sat in the very hot car (as everyone else was allowed out but me!) jThen out of the corner of my eye I see the guys getting into the jeep and my heart skipped a beat - I wanted to see Ronel so badly but also didn't want him to see me yet. They then passed us so that they would arrive at the church first and I got a glimpse of my groom and tears came to my eyes. I was so unbelieveably happy that this day had finally arrived! I had to try my hardest not to cry as culturally the Haitians would not understand me crying with joy on my wedding day - they would think that I didn't want to get married - which was far from the truth so I kept telling myself over and over - remember walk slowly and don't cry - to the point that I had a very serious face and Karen decided that she needed to come and make me smile before I walked down the aisle. It worked but I still have a very serious look in all the photos. One of my favourite photos is me waiting to walk down the aisle and you can see out the church doors at the crowd of people watching. As the caption aptly says - I felt like a monkey in a zoo. It is an expression that Karen and I used alot when I lived here but I don't know if I ever felt it more than that moment. I am extremely thankful to both Barb and Jessica who took photos and videoed for me. It is not something either of them profess to be good at but it was a real blessing to me.

In our bridal party there was 4 flower girls, a "princess" (for the best of my ability I have NO idea what her role actually is but she is called the princess and she is the first to go down the aisle) 6 girls and 6 guys who are called the men and ladies of honour but are better known as "kituse" (spelling ?? - pronounced KITuse) who DANCE down the aisle in what I like to refer to as syncronized dancing. Then came Pharlie & Moyiz - our ring bearer couple, Moyiz was supposed to walk with me but they didn't think Pharlie would walk by herself (she's only 3 1/2) so they walked together and I walked right behind them with Jose behind me keeping track of my train. As we got almost to the end of the pews, Ronel and Benson started walking towards us, then as we passed them they turned around and then Ronel and I walked separately to our chairs where we sat facing each other with Jose and Benson beside us and Pharlie and Moyiz on a bench at the front of us between Ronel and I. This is where the wedding got fun. We then got to listen as just about everyone who has a singing group came and sang for us. It was beautiful but oh so long! There was alteast 8 different songs, a poem ready by someone, and some scripture and then it was time for us to get married!! It was a little different than the last Haitian wedding I attended because of the fact that I was a foreigner. Pastor Samuel first had us stand and basically give our name, age and name of our parents and whether they were alive or deceased. Then he asked Ronel's mom and dad to come to the front and because my parents weren't there he asked Jessica and Barb to come to the front to be my witnesses (this was unknown to any of us before hand so it was a bit of shock I think to the two ladies)

I had asked that we include lighting of the unity candle in the ceremony - having brought the necessary items with me as I knew they didn't normally do this but was a way to include my Canadian culture into the wedding. The pastor was very good about it and also good about explaining to congregation what was taking place and why. We had the two candles lit prior to our entry as we didn't know who to have light them during the ceremony as both of our mothers were not there. But due to the length of the ceremony, one was almost burnt right out and so as a sudden addition to the wedding we had to light two new taper candles and so Pastor Samuel lit my candle with a match and he had Ronel light his off of mine. Though it hadn't been planned it was a very nice part and also allowed Pastor Samuel to explain what it all meant.

During the exchanging of the rings I was quite nervous that I would mispronounce something and end up saying something completely different but it went very well and after the rings were exchanged we were supposed to kneel for the benediction but Moyiz had fallen asleep between us and so we couldn't so we sat on the bench together which was much easier and made for nice photos. We then stood together and Pastor Samuel was talking and I was so caught up in the moment that I missed hearing him say that Ronel could kiss his bride and Ronel had to look at me and whisper - He said we could kiss as Pastor Samuel repeated himself and as a result the kiss was quite quick and I don't know if anyone managed to capture it on film! (Much to their dismay!) (Somewhere in all this there was also two more songs and the signing of the marriage certificate) Then after he pronounced us husband and wife - Mr & Mrs Clédomin, at which point the entire church (which was PACKED to the roof - I have never seen so many people in that church!) came forward to greet us and kiss us both on the cheek - it was like getting mobbed by nice people! Many of the faces that I recognized I was so happy to see had come and it meant so much to me to have friends there. We then managed to get out of the church - stopping every row to greet more people and more kisses exchanged!

We then got into Benson's jeep and headed across to the compound where the reception was to be held.

When we got there we were greeted by the sign of no electricity which meant everything was black! (As it was now close to 5:30pm and it is dark at that hour in Haiti) So, we had family and the group of students who had come from Montrouis from Canaan where I taught and lived my first year in Haiti come back to our house- It was so wonderful to see many of my old students and see how they've grown and they were all so happy to be there at my wedding. They wanted to take a photo with me. We got to the house and it was packed! We had all the bridal party, the 22 people from Canaan and then family. Plus as the evening went on, more stragglers arrived - much to our dismay as many of them were not friends or family and when everyone had left we found out that the majority of our dinner which had been waiting for us in the kitchen had been stolen along with a bottle of champagne that Benson had brought that was in the living room with all of us, and also part of the ribbon from my bouquet (still can't figure that one out!) Thankfully someone was able to bring us some soup so we didn't have to go hungry on our wedding night! We still aren't exactly sure what happened out at the reception but we do know that somehow they all managed to get food and drink and everyone went home fairly happy!

Once Ronel and I were alone in the house, it was overwhelming. All day long we had been surrounded by so many people and finally it was just the two of us! Sunday morning we didn't attend church but once church was over, we got visitors and they continued all week long. Each time someone new came, out came the wedding cake and this special Haiitan drink (which I tried and it is disgusting!!) And as people came to visit, gifts also arrived. Some of them are very "Haitian" and I say that very lovingly. Others were very practical and some were lovely Haitian handicraft which I love. Some of the gifts which came from large groups (like the rest of the teachers at Ronel's school and the various singing groups from the church) also included cash gifts along with the gift which was also much appreciated.

Ronel went back to school the Wednesday following the wedding and I enjoyed having those three days with him but have gotten used to him being gone for the morning. It means that I awake when he leaves at 6:30am to say goodbye, go back to bed to get some sleep with the fan on (electricity comes on at 7am) wake up around 9am, do some work around the house and Ronel is usually home about noon. He then does his prep work for the next day but atleast he is in the house.

I want to thank all of you who were and still are praying for Ronel & I - It means alot to both of us to know that so many of you care about us

Mr & Mrs.

Well, the wedding was beautiful and I will try and post photos as soon as possible but I have been a married woman for 6 whole days now!!!

only 2 more sleeps!

and I will be Mrs. Cledomin!
I arrived safely in Port au Prince on Saturday and was met by the most wonderful sight as I walked towards the door to go outside - Ronel's smiling face! I honestly don't know who was happier to see whom! But I do know that we were both estatic to be together again! We then had to wait about 45 mins for Benson to return to pick us up as he had had to make a quick drop off to his sister's. We then got on the road to Borel and the journey was quite smooth and quick! I was so tired from little sleep the night before and being up early in order to make my flight so I just sat there taking it all in! We arrived in Borel and they drove me to the house where I am staying and there was 6 or 7 people there waiting to see me! The house where I am staying in on the Project Help compound in Borel. It is a nice house - with electricity from 7am - 10pm each day, running water, a tiled shower, a toilet that flushes, a ceiling fan in my bedroom, a lovely living room area with a couch and two chairs. I am pretty happy with it. Ronel's "goddaughter" has been staying with me at the house this week as I didn't want to stay in the house by myself and she is a doll. She is 16 and is in the equivilant of Grade 10 with only 2 more years to go.
Friday night, Jessica (who is now working at HATS) will be staying with me and then will be there Saturday to help me get ready and take photos. I am looking forward to it - we just met but I really enjoy her and we get along really well. I have been up helping her figure out all the financial stuff I used to do as well as the website stuff she needs to know in order to add the updates.

Ronel and I went to St Marc yesterday on taptap to get our needed blood tests done so that we can get our marriage license. It is about an hour's drive each way and it was just after noon when we left so it was a lot of sun and I was exhausted when we got home but we now have the paperwork needed so it was all worth it!!

The wedding will be at 3pm ET Saturday (which makes it noon on the west coast!) I am excited that I don't have to be up too early on Saturday but think that the morning will seem very long!!

I will try and see if I can post photos after the wedding!

the crazy adventures of the klutzy!

So, I have done another crazy thing - I fell out of the driver's seat of the bus that I drive for work. I pulled the muscle on the outer side of my left ankle. I get to enjoy a lovely ankle air cast for the next 6 weeks which means I get to wear it for the entire time I am in Haiti - for my wedding and the honeymoon! Plus the latest results from my doctor in the search to find out what is wrong with me (no smart comments! I mean medically not mentally!) is that I have a thyroid problem (hyperthyroidism) and Celiac's disease (which means NO wheat or gluten) I have an appointment with a gastrointestinal specialist in January for a small bowel biopsy (I think that is what it is atleast!) Sounds like fun! Plus I am on a non-diary diet to allow my small intestine to heal from the many bouts of diahrea I dealt with in Haiti, especially the severe case I got in the summer of '04 before I get really sick and had to come home.

Life is never dull when Theresa is around!

20 days till I am Mrs. Cledomin

Wow - so much to do in what seems like so little time.

Only 20 days till the wedding which means only 15 days till my departure date!

My church bridal shower was on the 12th and I received many wonderful gifts - some which I will have more use of while I am in Haiti and others that Ronel and I will be able to enjoy in our home (once we are both in Canada)

I will be leaving for Florida on the 2nd of November and then onto Haiti on the 4th of November after spending a day and a half with Eileen who was my roommate the first year I lived in Haiti. I leave Haiti on the 1st of December and return to BC on the 2nd of Dec.

I am both excited and nervous but can't wait to see Ronel after all these phone calls and emails but no face to face time in over 8 months!

the summer has flown by

I can't believe that it is the 25th of August and it has been 2 months since I last posted!

Work has been crazy - fun but tiring. The first month or so of doing 4 ten hour shifts a week - I would go home and barely be able to stay up till 7pm! I have somewhat adjusted but way more tired than usual!

This past weekend was quite the experience and I wish I had photos. After a birthday party for a friend Stacey, Brian and I got into my car to drive home and we noticed a strong gas smell. I started my car up and noticed that the tank now registered just below a quarter of a tank when it had been above a half of a tank when we parked just hours before. We drove to the gas station and the needle dropped to empty. Brian got out and looked and he saw gas (or some fluid) leaking. After many calls and some prayers from my friend Dana (to keep me calm) we called BCAA to come tow us. They informed Brian that we would have to call the fire department to come and declare the car safe for towing. So at about 11pm the New West fire department (three guys and 1 fire engine) showed up at the gas station. They tried to patch the hole and that didn't work. So they had to drain my gas tank. My friend Dana came to drive Stacey and I home and Brian got to stay and wait for the tow truck (it was his BCAA)He didn't get home til 1:30 am!!
Then Jacques (my mom's boyfriend) got me a new fuel tank for only $131 through his son in law and my sister's boyfriend who is the service manager at Canadian Tire got me a deal with one of his mechanics to put it in for only $50. It was totally a gift from God that I got my fuel tank replaced for $200 - labour alone would have been $200 and the tank would have been like $250.

The wedding is now like 11 weeks away and I am starting to feel the pressure!

most everything I can do from this end has been done except get my ticket and I am trying to get the cash flow to be able to do that soon.

Please keep praying and hopefully once school is back in I will be able to post more frequently!

Love to all

this one is for you Renee!!

Ok, so Renee informs me that it has been too long since I posted about any conversations with Ronel.

Well, we do talk - usually every Saturday but June has been difficult. The first weekend I was at Ladies Retreat, and it is the start of rainy season there and the cyber cafe where he uses the phone (over the internet connection) and email has had difficulty getting connection. This is an all too familiar problem for me! I remember last summer very well, trying to connect with the satellite and losing signal when it rained (which it does a lot!!) But he has called a few times (and not on Saturdays!! - keeping things interesting!) and we have talked. But unfortunately for both of us, I have missed his last couple attempts at calling me. The first time he called I was in church and so didn't answer (that would not have gone over well) and then last Sunday he called while I was at the movies with Stacey - we had gone to an afternoon showing of "The Lake House" with these free admission tickets I had. It was a much better way to pass Father's Day than spending the day moping which is what I did the previous weekend on my dad's birthday. It has been three years since my dad passed away but this is the first year that I have been in BC for either of these days and it is harder to deal with here than it ever was in Haiti (not that I didn't have melt downs in Haiti - I did - trust me!!)

Oh - a prayer request - I went to my family doctor on Tuesday for a medical form for work and also asked her about some issues I have been having since I returned from Haiti (you really don't want me to tell you what they are!! ;-) ) but she ran a TON of blood tests - the whole gamut, everything from HIV to a glucose fasting test for diabetes, another Hep C test, and many many other tests which I don't even know the names of! I did the blood work on Wednesday and am waiting to hear about the result but would love for you guys to be praying that there is nothing wrong and that the issues I have been having will be resolved.

Summer is almost upon us at work and I am excited about field trips and fun days!! Plus excited about having an extra day off in the middle of the week - it will be a nice break. Renee, you are right, 10 hour days are long with kids but they go by quite quickly cause we are out on field trips for most of the day and the rest of the time passes quickly when you are having so much fun!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

sorry it's been so long...

Wow, it's been almost 3 weeks since my last post... Life has been busy, as usual!

Last weekend was our Ladies Retreat at church and I enjoyed it so much! The last retreat I went to was in 2002 and boy have I missed it. It is a weekend of good food, great fellowship, great speakers and a lot of fun. Every year we go to Cedar Springs retreat center in Sumas Washington and they have a gorgeous place. We had Jerry & Barbara Cook as our speakers this year and I really enjoyed them. The van full of us gals that travelled down together also took some time on our way back home to go shopping - always a fun time! Especially with how well the Canadian dollar is doing right now.

I also purchased a digital camera at the end of May and am enjoying that as well.

The school year is coming to a close and the summer is almost upon us and I am looking forward to long days with the kids and lots of fun field trips. We work 10 hour days in the summer and get an extra day off a week so am looking forward to that as well.

A bunch of friends and I are going camping on the July long weekend and I think it is going to be fun. One of my friends and her husband just recently bought a fifth wheel trailer and we will be taking that along with some tents and having a fun old time!

Last Sunday was the one year anniversary of Ronel & I's engagement! Wow - time sure has gone by quickly. It also means that is is now only 5 months till I will be Mrs. Cledomin!!!!

November is how far away????

Saturday I had the best conversation with Ronel since I have been home - we talked for 20 mins and there was little to no "crackle"/feedback on the phone line. We could have a normal conversation and not have to repeat everything twice and wait while it reached the other person!

As much as I LOVE talking on the phone to Ronel, it makes me miss him so much more and makes November seem so far away. In five months and a week or so, I will be heading back to Haiti and I can't wait! The first weekend of June will be our year anniversary of our engagement and I can't believe that after all this time - we are only 5 months away from getting married! Yippee!

wedding dress!!!

A girlfriend of mine approached me a month or so ago and asked me if I would be at all interested in having her wedding dress (which is only like a year and a half old) as she wasn't keeping it and didn't want to just take it to a thrifty if I would be able to be blessed by it. I was shocked and told her I would get back to her and so last Sunday while her husband was at men's retreat, I went over and tried it on. Well, I now officially feel like a bride! She had to run and call our other friend who lives above her to come see too and so I modeled it for them. It is a beautiful gown and fits fairly well though I will have to get the bodice taken in a bit. It comes complete with the crinoline and she gave me the bustier thing that goes with the dress which also fit very well. I was close to tears cause this dress is way more than I ever thought I would have and it is gorgeous and just putting it on made my wedding day seem so much more real! I have the flowers purchased already and now I have the dress! This is progressing along rather well!

If only November would get here just a little faster!!

misc tidbits - Happy Mother's Day

Wow, time seems to fly by so quickly here!!

Tomorrow is the middle of May,which is also Mother's Day and my sister & her husband's first anniversary!

I got measured again on Monday at Curves (once a month) and lost only a pound and a half bringing my grand total to four pounds in two months and less than than an inch lost!

Last Saturday I went shopping in the US as my mom had a workshop down in Edmonds and so I tagged along and shopped while she was in class. I enjoyed myself - purchased some much needed new bras, got fitted for them and learned I have been buying my bras 3 sized too small!! (and I wasn't buying them very small at all!!!) Let's just say I won't be walking into just any store to buy bras from now on as most stores don't carry my new size! I also picked up some lovely outfits for my newphews at a steal of a deal!

It was a long day but one that was most enjoyable!

Wow - end of April already

I can't believe how time can fly by so quickly. Today is the end of April! This means that I have been home for over 2 months already! Unbelievable!! I attended my girlfriend's wedding yesterday - it was gorgeous, though in true BC fashion, it started raining, and it was a garden wedding! Her husband is of Haitian descent though he was born in Canada and raised in the US. I met his mom last week at the bridal shower and turns out she is from the Artibonite Valley - and a town I have actually visited! What a small world! I was so happy that I was able to be here to share in their special day and makes me long for mine so much more!

I am now the next in line for weddings in my group of friends... It is a little weird, but also exciting. November is still many months away but it is also not that long away! Last Saturday Stacey and I were at Michael's (the craft store) and just started looking at silk/fake flowers to get ideas and saw some I loved and they were all 50% off last weekend so I decided to buy them that day, so I have the flowers for the wedding. Flowers for my bouquet, flowers for my maid of honour, Ronel & his best man's boutonniere, and then flowers for the parent's and such. It was really quite exciting as it made the wedding seem so much more real and also closer!

I am also excited about being able to attend our church's ladies retreat this year! It was always a highlight of the year and a great time to relax, and fellowship with the women of the church. It will be in June and I handed in my cheques today! We have a great couple coming as our speakers this year and that is just an added bonus! Jerry & Barbara Cook are speaking - They are like family to our church and are good friends with my pastor. Jerry is often the speaker for the men's retreat and has spoken at our church a couple of times as well. They are both authors, and I have read one of Barbara's books while I was in Haiti and am looking forward to hearing and learning from them. They pastored a large Foursquare church in Oregon and Jerry is now an associate pastor at a Foursquare church in the Seattle area.

I have been enjoying the freedom of having my own vehicle and have even started looking and thinking about the possibility of taking small/short road trips this summer. I have numerous friends in "close" proximity that could facilitate long weekend trips.

Easter & wheels.

Okay - so two very not related topics but whatever! My blog - I can post whatever I want!

So Monday afternoon I bought and insured my very own car! It is a 1984 Plymouth Horizon and it only has 62400 kilometers on it! The lady had owned it since it was new and she had taken very good care of it. It was a total find (which I have to thank my mom & Jacques for - they found it Saturday while going to garage sales and called me to tell me that they found this great little car. She is a silver/blue and is very cute! I am hoping to take a photo and post it soon.

Well - Easter is almost upon us! (only one more work day before my nice long weekend!) My mom, sister (Rhonda), brother-in-law (Johnny), 2 nephews (Calvin & Tristan)& I are all going up to my granny's for Easter. It will be nice. I will also get to see my sister (Tanya) and her family who live in Campbell River and who I haven't seen since Rhonda's wedding last May!!

At work we get both Friday & Monday off so we will head up island on Thursday night and come home Monday evening. The best way to go up island is to go on a long weekend - but that means that the ferries could be really full! Please pray we won't get stuck waiting in long, long lines!

Happy Easter everyone!

Remember - He is Risen!!

my new favourite day of the week!

Yep - my new favourite day is Saturday! Ronel has been calling every Saturday now for 3 weeks and he said he would try and continue to call every Saturday. The connection is not always that great but hearing Ronel's voice is worth it!!!

prayer please **updated 1/20/07**

I need prayer for my feet! I am having a lot of feet pain & problems and think that I need orthotics but my work health benefits (which would cover all this) don't come into effect until June 1st!

My girlfriend Stacey & I are planning on registering to do a walk for diabetes next August (07) - we would most likely do the 10Km (though I would love to do the half marathon but it is 22kms!!) and the coolest part (literally) is that the walk is in Reykjavik, Iceland.

We will each have to raise $6000 but we know we can do this in over a year and it is a cause very close to my heart since I lost both my dad and grandfather to complications of diabetes and it is in our family.

We are faithfully going to Curves three times a week and we both want to be walking to work by the end of the summer (that is an hour each way for me!!) but in order to do all this - my feet have to be pain-free! (or atleast have less pain!)

We are totally excited about the walk and also the travel part of it (find out more about it at teamdiabetes.ca

Please keep us in our prayers as we undertake this adventure and help be a part of the cure for diabetes!!

**updated 1/20/07**
So unfortunately Stacey and I never did get our butts in gear to sign up for the walk but I would like to do some sort of diabetes walk one of these days - I know there are some that are more local

wow - two weekends in a row!

Two Saturdays in a row and I got to talk to Ronel - God bless technology!!

The calls were short but just hearing his voice and hearing him say "I love you" were totally worth it!!

Now if only technology would allow me to get to touch or hug him!! - Hey a girl can dream!

a lovely phone call

the sound of a loved one's voice... I think this is one of the greatest sounds in the world! Saturday morning my cell phone rang and when I answered it, I was greeted by the sound of a voice that I very much miss - RONEL!!

It was a wonderful call though too short for my liking! The connection wasn't the greatest but I got to talk to Ronel and that was what mattered! Though I will say that I think it made me miss him even more and made it much more of a reality. I did manage to not cry while on the phone with him.

I was a bit surprised at first but only because it was still early enough on a Saturday morning that I had just woken up about 45 mins earlier. I love technology!! It is a wonderful thing - that we can talk and have it cost only pennies per minute is wonderful! For me to call Haiti would cost probably around $4 a minute on my cell phone (if not more!!!) and because of satellite/internet phones Ronel can call me from Haiti for like $0.17 a minute!

Emailing has been a good connection for us but man, talking is even better!! Though I was a bit emotional on that first call to really talk about anything important but I am sure that will improve with time.

It did get me in gear though. I have photos that I am supposed to be sending to Haiti for Ronel and his parents and I just kept putting it off - well, after talking to him on Saturday it got me more in the mood to "pretty up" the photos and so I spent a good chunk of time yesterday "scrapping" some of the photos for Ronel and journalling on them and such. I hope they enjoy the albums.

keep in touch

back at it..

Well, I thought I would update everyone and let you know that I am slowly on the mend! I am feeling much better than I was on Monday and even was back at work yesterday! One parent did say that I sound like a muppet though! My voice still has not totally returned but it hurts less to talk now than it did Tuesday.

I even was back at Curves yesterday and though I did do much on the mats between my stations - I got my two circuits done and I felt great!

Be thankful that you get to read this and don't have to listen to my raspy muppet voice!

off to work now!

North American Germs

Well, once again I have been hit by a virus - the doctor tells me that it will take a while for my body to adjust to the germs here and until then I will probably be susceptible to much more. So I have been sick since late Friday night and was unable to work yesterday or today. I am doing about 5% better today - not as much pain in my bones & joints as there was yesterday and feeling less weak than I did yesterday.

Stacey & I have been consistent about going to Curves 3 times a week and yesterday was the first time we missed a day - we were both sick! I won't be able to go today either but hopefully tomorrow I will be better, back at work and able to go work out.

Please pray that this virus goes away as quickly as it came!

well, am going back to bed to rest up - this has used up all my energy!

exercise

I have gone and done it now! Yesterday Stacey & I signed up for Curves - a ladies' only workout place. It is a 30 minute circuit workout and you go a minimum of 3x a week. We have our first workout tomorrow night (with a trainer) and then we will be on our own. You just follow the curcuit so it should be fairly simple!

We did this together so that it will be harder for either of us to back out! I am excited - I was enjoying all the walking I was doing in Haiti but it is still too cold to do much walking here. I am constantly on the move at work but it isn't the same.

I wasn't overly happy with my measurements and such last night but can't wait to see improvements!

off I go to work!

my mom

Yeah,

Tonight, for the first time since Dec 9th, I get to see my mom!!! She left on holidays on the 15th of February and I was supposed to see her before she left but because of all the problems I had with getting out of Haiti I missed seeing her. I have been home 2 1/2 weeks and have yet to see or talk to my mom - I think that this is the longest I have not talked to her since my first year in Haiti. I am very excited to see her and I get to see my grandma too, but just for a little bit as she is staying at the airport before her flight back to Campbell River.

back into "life"

It is now very clear to me that I am home in BC to "stay" at least for a while - I started working on Monday! It was a wierd feeling - Made it much clearer that me being in BC is a long term thing at this point in time.

I started working at Hilltop Christian Childcare Center - this is where I worked before I went to Haiti and the whole job situation is a testament to God's amazing grace! The job basically fell into my lap and was an answer to prayer - both on my end and on the end of my employers. They had been looking for someone since the beginning of January and had not had a single reply to the ad they had placed in the paper even after almost 4 weeks of it running! I got an email from a friend who also is the director of the daycare mentioning what was happening in her life and how they were short staffed at the center. Well - I emailed her back saying that I had just made the decision to come home and would she be interested in having me back and she replied saying she would LOVE to have me come back to work! So, I started on Monday and I will be working with the KinderOnes (Kindergarten & Grade 1's) I have been enjoying myself this week though it has been interesting to relearn names and such as many of the kids are new and many things about the way they run the center has also changed.

I have found that I have been quite tired since starting work but I think it is just the fact that I am on the go for most of the day and I just have to adjust.

Will try to post more frequently!

safely in BC

Well, I left the HATS compound Monday afternoon, the 13th of February and got home to BC on Friday, the 17th! After numerous cancellations of my flight from Port au Prince to Miami, I ended up taking a bus from Port au Prince to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (on Thursday) and then spent the night there in the airport and took a flight out Friday morning which took me to Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte, North Carolina and then Seattle where my youngest sister, Leslie picked me up and drove me home. We arrived just before midnight and I had been up since 4am (local time in the Dominican Republic!!) I was happy to finally be at my destination and not stuck in Port because of the election problems.

Thank you to everyone who was praying for my travels!

His Image

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment.

Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

7 days...

Check here for my post on my upcoming last week in Haiti (posted to my Haiti blog)
yep - only 7 days till I fly out!
Wow - where does the time go?

(you can click on either link to take you directly to the post!)

before this

If you are interested in knowing more about what happened while I was in Haiti I blogged about life in Haiti at http://theresalynninhaiti.blogspot.com

There are lots of photos, cute stories and just tidbits about my life there on that blog.

If you have haven't already - check it out.

a new journey

I am embarking on a new journey - one which is taking me back to BC. I will be leaving Haiti on the 14th of February on a one way ticket. I know I will be back cause Ronel, my fiance is here and we are still planning on getting married this coming fall. But, the logistics of that are a bit unclear at the moment. We are going to be separated by more than 5000 miles and be in two very different countries. Things are going to be hard but I know that this is God's plan and He will reveal what our next steps are to be.

I will try and keep you updated.