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!