Reflections on May.

Oh hello there, JUNE! It is SO good to see you again. :)

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it again, time just FLIES! And I'm just so glad that we are now in the month of when summer officially begins. Summer has always been my favourite season, and I think it always will be. (I have this obsession with being warm...I love to be warm...all.the.time)!

Other than the season changing as it naturally does, I don't know what the month of June will hold for Jarryd and I. I'm not one to expect that it's going to be a bed of roses. We live in a fallen and sinful world, and as a result I KNOW that everyday will have challenges and struggles of its own. I'm not a pessimist, I'm just being real. And being real is absolutely one of my favourite things about myself! I never want to be that girl who pretends to have her life totally figured out.

ANYWAY, June could be an awesome month, it could be a tragic month, it could be a totally uneventful month, OR it could be all of the above. Whatever the case may be, I'm not worried about it because I have Jesus, and He used a great man named Paul to inspire me.

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul writes "...not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me". (NASB)

I'd just like to take the time to reflect on some of my favourite things that happened in May, events and moments that happened which I am nothing but thankful to God for!

1. The Apples of Gold celebration dinner:

As my 6-week ladies group came to an end, it was a hard realization that I won't be spending my Saturday evenings with those wonderful women again, but it was such a good feeling hearing "if you ever need anything, anything at all, we are always here for you! We are just a phone call away!" Those mentors are like my "moms" and "grandmas" away from home, you could say. :)


2. Visiting an Amish greenhouse in Pennsylvania, for the first time with a group of great ladies.

One thing I learned is that you can plant a flower in literally anything. This is where I ended up buying a little Bonsai Basil tree and sort of fell in love with gardening. Scratch that, I'm not in love with it, but it's definitely on my list of things to aspire to love one day.

3. Starting my job at Sandy Cove.

I can't believe I've been working there for exactly a month now. I have come so far, and tomorrow is my first day being the ONLY cook in the kitchen. Apparently they have alot of faith in me? Something I love about my job there is sitting out by the water on my breaks. The days can get really hot, but you don't even notice it with the cool wind coming up from the water. It's a great place to just pray and reflect on life.

4. Going for a hike at the Fair Hill Nature Reserve with Jarryd, on a beautiful sunny day.

It was soooo nice to get out of our apartment after being cooped up in there all winter. We have been to Fair Hill many times together (it's where he proposed to me), but still there are trails we haven't explored. So this time around, we ended up getting lost and were in a little bit of a panic because Jarryd still had to work that day. Thankfully we found out way out, exchanged high-fives with gratitude, and even had enough time to buy some ice-cold cokes before he had to take off for work. Phew! ;)

5. Playing Halo on XBOX Live with my sister, on her birthday, for 8 hours straight (bed-head all day).

It was awesome, (mostly because I am way better at it than she is, don't tell her I said so). ;) But personally, I'm thinkin' that Xbox Live really is the new "Skype". It's so entertaining. Now, a few weeks later, my sissy and I have now moved on to bigger and better things: Destiny!!!

6. Almost adopting a cat...almost.

Randomly, the cutest gray kitten showed up at our doorstep. She was totally tame, you could pick her up and pet her and everything. So we decided to buy all the supplies for her, food, litter box, ect., but by the way she paced every single door and window in our apartment, you could tell her real home was not with us but the great outdoors. And, we ended up letting her go. So yeah, we almost adopted a cat! Haha!

7. Having a cookout with family and friends almost every weekend! 
Those are the best ways to spend summer evenings for sure! The latest cookout we had just this past Sunday was probably my favourite. We went over to a friends place, (it is so nice having friends who are also husband and wife whom you can double date with!) and they live on a farm out in the country. They had us over for a BBQ with burgers, grilled veggies, fresh fruit, and cold beers. We talked for hours with them, and it was awesome!! I also got some sun which is always a plus. ;) But I'm telling you, I miss the farm life so much. There is no place like the country.

As I look back on the month of May, every single one of my favourite moments has involved people and growing in relationship with others (with the exception of the whole cat thing...). Material things are great and lovely and all, but the record clearly shows that the PEOPLE God puts in our lives are what make it so great!

So here's to friends, family, and making new friends! I'm ready for you, June! :)