Could I be any happier?

I am so thankful to the Lord these days… such amazing stuff is happening in my life, and there is much to smile about!

 

First of course is my engagement to Hillary, and all the joy that comes with that. We are having a good time planning for the wedding, and are very excited about getting married on July 10! It’s just before my 31^st birthday and also Taka and Aki’s 5^th anniversary – added bonuses! J

We’ve got a theme, and are having fun looking around trying to find various things that we can give as gifts and use to decorate, etc. And talk about smiles – we have been blessed with some super nice gifts that will help us get ready for the wedding and begin our life together afterwards! It’s really amazing.

I am falling more and more in love with Hillary every day. I praise God for bringing us together.

Meeting Hill’s family was so much fun, too. We got along well and I enjoyed beating them at cards every day I was there ;)

 

Some other things to smile about…

Knowing that I have friends on both sides of the globe, and getting to see all of my friends in Japan again… and sharing about the engagement with them.

Being met at the airport by a friend (after the 17 hours of flying plus layovers) and them saying, “You’ve forgotten all your Japanese!” And then the very next day them telling someone, “Yesterday he forgot how to speak Japanese, but now he remembers it all.” J

Oh yeah, and the day after I arrived in Japan, finding a fabric softener sheet in the sleeve of the hoodie I had worn all the way from America… I had no idea it was there!

Getting home, as always, and having a full refrigerator because my teammates had stocked it for me…

Our Friday Night singles outreach went so well last night. There were 3 new people there, and everyone had a great time… even the quiet ones were really getting into the games! It was so much fun.

 

Today I am going with the Reisters to Ube to help them build a fence for their dog Bosco since he will be staying with the Weinhofers while the Reisters are on furlough. Then next week is our Annual Retreat… so much to look forward to!

I'm getting married!

Yep, that’s right! I’m getting married!

Hillary Anne Timmons is the most wonderful woman I have ever met, and I am just beside myself that yesterday she said yes when I asked her to marry me. We’re getting married!

Yesterday started out rainy, but soon cleared off and turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day here in Winnipeg… and warm, too! Not the norm for up here at this time of year I understand J So we made a picnic lunch and went to the Forks, a historical park area here in Winnipeg by the river where her family goes ice skating in the winter (most of the ice has melted off the river now). We sat down on the bank of the river with the geese and enjoyed a quiet lunch… There were quite a few people around, but we were in our own world. I had written a picture storybook for Hillary about us (you’ll have to ask her to see that one!) and after I finished reading it to her, I got down on my knee and pulled out the ring, and with a few tears from her and from me, I asked her to marry me. She said yes! Ohhh, she said yes!!!

I couldn’t be any happier right now!

We are planning to get married this summer, so there is a lot to do between now and then. Pray for us! I return to Japan on April 13^th, alone… but before long I will be back in North America for our wedding!

God has been so good to me all my life, and now I just thank Him from the bottom of my heart for the great gift He has entrusted to me in Hillary. Wooo-hooo!!!

Loving Life

I have so many things to be thankful for… so many things making me smile. I’m long overdue, so I should have plenty of stuff to choose from J

First of all, my brother Randy had his bone marrow transplant and is now out of the hospital. I believe God has protected his life, and I am so thankful.

My mom’s purple crocuses are blooming out front. She said they remind her of her mother and the one lone crocus that escaped from the flower bed and continued to grow long after her mother’s death. It’s neat to see the comfort Mom gets from them. I planted crocuses, tulips, daffodils and some others before I left Japan… I wonder if they are coming up…

I can hardly wait to get back to Japan and go for a ride on my bike… I miss my Honda VTR! J I’m looking forward to visiting Hillary in Canada before I go back though… my first trip to Winnipeg.

Hillary came down here, too, for a visit. We had lots of fun – many many smiles. Hillary is so funny and just a joy to be around… Smiles at Hershey’s Chocolate World on the ride where they show you how they make chocolate, going up the Washington Monument (my first time, even though I grew up here); walking through the Smithsonian Museums. A trip to the zoo and a nice (cool) picnic lunch there… all full of smiles.

The excitement of what the future holds makes me smile, too.

Knowing that the Lord is working in Japan, even when it can be hard to see, brings my heart great joy.

Meeting with so many friends in such a short period of time…

Getting stuff done! J

I am simply loving life!

The Olympics are always great fun. (Man, it’s been a long time since I wrote)…

Memorizing Scripture…

Taking lots of pictures.

God’s beautiful creation! It doesn’t get any better than this!!

Subway

Today I had lunch at Subway, and since I started to write about Subway a few days ago, I thought I would go ahead and finish up and post what I was writing…

 

I have to admit that I just laughed the hardest I have in several weeks… at a new Subway commercial (New to me, at least)…

It’s got folks all over eating Subway sandwiches, and their pants are busting open, buttons flying everywhere! I know, not exactly a new idea, but just so funny. Guys are falling out of chairs onto the floor and everything. Oh, I just laughed so hard. J Maybe it’s only because Subway tastes so delicious that I am amused by it, but I find it both delicious and funny… wonderful!

 

Pizza Hut is my other favorite place to eat… actually, Pizza Hut beats out Subway, slightly. What about you?? What are some of your favorite places to eat?

 

Welome the New Year with a Smile!

It’s that time again! Did you have a good Christmas and New Year? Tell me what special plans you had…

 

I have had my share of good laughs and smiles recently… Most thanks to 3 wonderful coworkers being stuck in the car with me for 15 hours twice in the last week… Here goes nothing…

 

‘Happy Helga’ takes the cake… and all the beer, too. Nothing like ’99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall’ to pass the time… no, we were not drinking. You wouldn’t have known it if you were watching us though!

John reaching over to pat me on the shoulder and me jumping in fear because I didn’t trust him.

Me dropping my camera on the tile floor and making a fool of myself. This would not make me smile if it had been my nice camera. Thankfully, it was not.

Liz pretending like she wasn’t part of the ‘problem’ in the car.

Liz walking to the parking lot from the rest stop and thinking the car had been stolen. There was only one car in the parking lot, and it was ours.

Me going to the bathroom at another rest stop in the FREEZING cold and returning to find the car ‘missing’. Good friends don’t secretly hide the car from others, right John?

Many, many great spiritual conversations. I came home with my tank full!

Having food thrown at me. Peas and rice, no less. And no, it wasn’t like wedding rice, haha.

Talking to TONS of people who want to serve the Lord overseas… especially in Japan.

And finally, my nephew and niece laying with me on the couch. Too much fun!

 

There was other stuff, but once again, I failed to keep a list, so I can’t remember it all. I laughed so hard this past week though… a real blessing!

 

Winter Wonderland!

Words can hardly describe how much I love this snow! I am so thankful I came back to the States last week in time for this… Probably most of the world has heard on the news how the nation’s capital got it’s biggest December snow in history this weekend. We ended up with close to 20 inches – not too shabby! J I know those of you up north think we are wimps, though J But it is so beautiful, so I thought I would take some pictures of my parents’ house and my grandfather’s farm and post them for the whole world to see… So beautiful! I just love it.

 

And, of course, Merry Christmas to you all! The One who came as a babe to bring us salvation has also washed us that we would be whiter than snow. Enjoy it today!

Just like old times...

I have so much to be thankful for! Seriously, sometimes I just stop and wonder why God has blessed me so much… certainly I have done nothing to deserve it.

First, before leaving Japan…

We went bowling with some friends and it was so much fun! And, I won. J Hillary’s bragging made me smile, too. Then we got to see Masuyuki’s iphone… and the Star Wars application he had on it. You swing it around and it makes a light saber noise. Oh, and you can turn it into a piano or drum set… I was trying to have a serious conversation, and Masuyuki was just beating away on the drums… I couldn’t help but laugh.

Another great thing was having everyone send me off, and them all sharing some very nice things about me. It was really touching to have so many nice things said J

Christmas presents make me smile too – socks and truffles and a CD, and other stuff too. And little notes to let you know someone cares. Ahhh…

 

Coming back to America, there have been tons of unexpected things to make me smile… Many of them having to do with the familiarity of returning to my parents’ farm…

On that first morning, after only 3 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and got to see the sunrise light up the leafless trees in the forest behind the open field. There were a couple of bluebirds that were just so beautiful, and then some squirrels play fighting on the porch out back. I have missed the squirrels, and snow, in Japan.

But tomorrow we get SNOW! We are supposed to get a whole foot, and I am super thrilled… My first snow in 4 years… ah, I love it!

More smiling stuff… I came across some old picture albums and was reminded of many fun times with good friends from high school and college. Sometimes a bit sad too that I’ve lost contact with some of them too, though.

 

Today at the hospital my brother Randy decided that since he’s going to lose his hair anyway, he would go ahead and cut it off. But not all of it… J The result – his very first Mohawk. Amazing. The best part… his boss was visiting and joined in the fun, and got his own hair cut into a Mohawk. And his hair isn’t going to fall out in the next few weeks! What love…

 

Finally, a special verse from a special friend… Psalm 16:8 – I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

 

Please let me know what has made you smile this week J