March Archivez Import

March 30, 2009 Living in Calgary in the spring is a test of endurance. That's the story of our existence for the last two weeks. Last Sunday (March 22) we woke to over a foot of snow. Our Senior Pastor phoned me at 8:00 to see if we should cancel church because the roads were slightly impassible. We didn't cancel church, but we did do a lot of pushing out cars that were stuck! Then, throughout the week it turned very warm and a lot of the snow melted and it was puddles and mud and slush everywhere. But the weekend came and so did the rotation of weather. Sunday (March 29) we woke to another 10" of snow! (Check out the "news" page for photos and video.) At some point we just have to laugh and enjoy whatever we can about the snow and remind ourselves that "it's good for the farmers" since we live in such a dry area. I think the latest dump of snow I can remember was in 1982, when Linda was born. Her baptism was on May 9th and we had around 10" of heavy wet snow. Harry spends the better part of March and April trying to convince me that we should be living on the coast where it warms up much faster. I spend the better part of March and April reminding him that while it may be warmer, it's also a lot grayer because it rains all the time. I prefer Calgary's sunny, though schizophrenic, weather to grey and rainy for weeks on end. But the coast is a great place to visit! I hope your weather, wherever you are, is good. March 19, 2009 Blogging ... it's more work than I thought! Have you ever wondered how your life can be so busy, yet so uninteresting to anyone but yourself? I've found lately that I work from morning 'til night on all variety of things that are very interesting to me. Yet to tell someone about my day? Hmmm. I worked on some Council reports, updated some account records, checked emails, did a couple loads of laundry, worked on website lessons, took Fargo for a walk, etc., etc., etc.. Nothing too interesting. Well that is exactly what Justin does in his blog everyday. He chronicles the usual and unusual events of each day of his life. He occasionally inserts an opinion on something, but for the most part he simply accounts for his day. So simple, yet oddly addictive to read!! (I'm curious, Justin. How long have you been writing this blog?) And it actually requires a fair amount of discipline to keep it up. I don't know that I would have that kind of persistence. If you haven't had a look at his blog, go to the "pages" page and click on the link to his blog. (of note: he designed the header himself and I think it's very creative. I like it!) Oh yeah ... again ... lots of changes here at iowanorth.ca :-) March 15, 2009 Happy 24th Birthday, Sarah! Happy 2nd Birthday, Anthony! I want to say thank you to those who have sent suggestions and comments for the site. Every bit of encouragement, constructive advice and items for addition are helpful to my learning process. Rochelle sent in a new recipe and I love it. I wanted to call it "Rochelle's 3 Ingredient Super Easy Super Quick Cookies". She tells me they're called "Oh No! Company's Coming". It's one for the emergency section of your recipe box. And now, I'm wondering if you could send some pics of your families. Specifically, I have almost no pictures of Lucas (and Jessica), Marcus and Amy, Marshall and Sarah, Grace, Ryan and Genny & Noah, Justin and not ONE picture of Carrie. Help me out, please! .jpegs are the format of preference. March 12, 2008 - For Renee All of us face difficult times in the course of our lives -- some very publicly and others more privately. No matter what our trials may be, we can find comfort in being a part of this family. Most of us have this hanging in our homes and should re-read it from time to time to remind us what our family -- the extended Koles -- are all about: Our family is a circle of strength and love; With every birth and every union the circle grows. Every joy shared adds more love. Every crisis, faced together, makes the circle stronger. Today, the circle is strongly wrapped around Renee. We will not let it be broken. Instead, we have linked our arms around her so she can lean on us and find her own strength again. When we are facing trials and tribulations, we are always told about the virtues of patience, and how we are to endure. But one of the things that we don’t usually hear is that in the midst of our struggles, we should still be rejoicing and celebrating all of God’s goodness. As His servants, we must remember to give Him all the honor, the glory, and the praise! "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor .... (1 Peter 1:5-7) March 04, 2009 Happy 28th Birthday, John !! March 02, 2009 A whirlwind trip to Toronto then back to Calgary and a busy week. Toronto was a lot of fun. Dayna's show was a success and we were so impressed with it! Lots of people came out for the opening. Dayna and Elliott got to spend some time getting to know their nephews. Dayna did a painting session with Anthony which was highly entertaining for those of us watching! And Linda got to see where her sister lives. All in all, a good trip. The pictures tell it best …. A big THANK YOU goes out to Cary who sent some contributions for the website: some photos and a recipe for the Recipe Box. Also thank you for her helpful comments and encouragement for this website. I may not "blog" often, but there will continue to be additions and changes as I learn new things and as any of you contribute things. I'm really open to almost anything ... pictures, recipes, patterns, book reviews, a "blog" to the family, puzzles, jokes, .......... you get the idea!

February Archives Import

February 13, 2009: "CH-CH-CH-Changing" More changes. What can I say? I’ve finished the study on incorporating photographs, and finally learned how to post photo albums. I invite everyone to submit a family picture and I’ll create an album for them. The thing about family pictures – they need regular updates!! I’ve also added some family resources, thanks to Jay’s work. On the "exchange" page you’ll find a link to a comprehensive listing of birthdays and anniversaries. There’s also a link for a family address book, but it is not quite ready. That will come. What I would appreciate more than anything, is a quick email from everyone giving me the email address they want listed – the only one they prefer to get family mail on. I, for example, have 3 different email addresses; each one for a different purpose. One of the cool things about having my own domain is that I can attach an unlimited number of email addresses to it. So anyone wanting an email address of "@iowanorth.ca" need only ask! All of the "submission" links in the website, give you an email form that goes to karen@iowanorth.ca. Next week Linda and I will be in Toronto. After that, I hope to post a ramble about our trip instead of more stuff about this site! Won’t that be a refreshing change! February 10, 2009 Last night we held our annual congregational meeting at church. Being Clerk of Council I got to sit through the meeting recording all the questions asked, answers given, motions and vote results. After the meeting I found myself reflecting on the last 2 ½ years of my term as an Elder. There have been months, with incredibly long Council meetings, where I wished I wasn’t an Elder! Overall, it has been a good experience, though not what I expected. There have been tough issues to deal with. There have been lots of good discussions. There has been laughter. There has been sharing. I have only 4 months left in my term. In some ways I will miss meeting with my fellow council members each month. We have worked well together and formed some strong bonds. In actuality, my stint as an Elder may not be finished. Though my term as a Council Elder is ending, I may be staying on as a Shepherding Elder for another year. Last fall we started a new format for Elder Districts. I am just beginning to establish relationships with the people in my district and would welcome the opportunity to continue as their Elder for another year. I guess we’ll see what God has in store for me over the next few months. February 6, 2009 So, yet again the site has changed. As I work through the instruction, I try to do some practical application by incorporating my new-found knowledge into my website. If nothing else, you’ll have to keep checking back to see what I’ve done now! I admit this site may look a bit raw, but I’m really enjoying this course and learning all about building, publishing and maintaining a website. Most recent changes: 1. The photos are no longer in a slide show. Instead they are in a photo album. You can click on any picture to see it enlarged."Ramblings", which is my version of a blog, has a different look and you can access past Ramblings. I’ve added the blogs I like to follow on the "Pages" page. I started a blog a few months ago just to see if I liked blogging. I do and I don’t. It sure is a lot of work! But I love the connection it has given me to my nieces and nephews. I’m hoping everyone who follows my blog at "omamama" will re-direct to this site. I’d prefer to only maintain one site. And finally, PLEASE send me your comments and suggestions or even some content to include on the "exchange" page. February 4, 2009 Today is the 28th anniversary of my first child's birth. Her life to this day has taken many turns -- some expected; others unexpected yet wonderfully received. Expected: She is an artist. From the age of 2 we already saw her love to grasp a crayon and create. By age 6 she was making paintings that had the perspective of a much older artist. Pencil and paper are always within reach for a sketch, a doodle, an idea. Unexpected, yet loved: Her husband, Elliott. She always declared "I will never marry" -- we're glad she failed because we love Elliott. In fact, when they parted for a few months, it was hard for all of us to have to "break up with Elliott"! Expected: Pets. Her home is full of pets -- her own and occasionally pets of friends. Her companions growing up were Halley, Brandy and Topaz. Now she has Saul, Harvey and Gold Dust. Unexpected: Her move to Toronto. Okay, perhaps in the back, far reaches of my mind it was expected. It's the perfect place for Dayna and Elliott. We miss them every day, but visiting them in Toronto opens our eyes to the fact that this is where they should be. So ... Happy Birthday, Dayna! We toast your 28 years and send our love