You Ask, I Answer Take 22

I'm bring back You Ask, I Answer once a week for a little while.  Check this space on Tuesdays!

Today's question comes from Tea, who asked:

Where/what would be your dream vacation?

Oh dear.  That's a terribly hard question to answer!

There are so many places I'd love visit.

I think, just at the moment, I could narrow it down to two places.

The first would be to visit Machu Picchu in Peru.  I've dreamt of going there for ages, and can't wait for the day when I will finally visit.  I actually spent my first birthday in Peru while my parents were leading a short term mission team, and it's a country that has somehow burrowed in my heart.  I love the Spanish language, and I dream of going to Peru to visit someday, and spending some time in the ruins at Machu Picchu.

The second, at the moment would be to spend a month or so in New Zealand.  One of my closest friends is from there, and will be returning shortly after quite some time abroad.  New Zealand is a country I've heard so much about, and L. has promised to tour me all over the islands when I finally manage to visit her.  I'm looking forward to beautiful vistas, great food, fun accents and conversations, time with a fabulously dear friend, and wine tours among other things.

Thanks for the question, Tea.

And now, let me throw it back out to all of you.  Do you have a dream vacation?  Tell me in the comments.

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 97

Today's Daily 5:

1. Lots of encouragement and love on my blog and facebook as I shared my big news publicly
2. Reading over my lunch hour
3. a day at the office that, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't too bad
4. Subway for dinner
5. a restful evening at home

Big News

I sent out this update email yesterday to some dear friends who have been praying for me over the last couple years, and I wanted to share this exciting news here as well!

Hi All!

I thought I would send out an overdue update.

Let me start with some fabulous news!  I was accepted into the nursing program at the University of Calgary, with the program beginning this coming January!  That's right - after a year and a half of waiting and praying, and three application attempts, this dream is happening for me, and I'm thrilled.  Honestly, though the waiting has been terrifically hard, I feel like I am a stronger and more whole person because of the way that Jesus has worked in my life in the intervening time of waiting, and I can't wait to see where things go with this program.  I was accepted into the 28 month program, so, for the next 28 months, studying will be commanding the majority of my time.  I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I wanted to thank all of you for praying for me as I've waited and wondered what would come next, and ask you to pray about a few specific things for the coming year.

First, would you pray for my housing situation?  As most of you know, I've been living in my grandma's basement for almost two years now, and it is not an ideal situation.  Now that I know what my plans will be for the next couple years, I'm going to actively pursue the process of finding an alternate living arrangement.  This will likely look either like having roommates, or finding something that I will be able to afford on my own while in school.  If I'm honest, I'm really dreaming about having a little space that is all my own - after the challenges life has thrown my way in the last couple years, a little retreat all my own would be fabulous.  That said, I'm open to whatever Jesus drops in my lap (and if any of you know of possibilities, definitely let me know!)

Second, would you pray for employment?  I'm employed on a temp contract through December (exact end date is still uncertain).  After that, I will need to find some part time employment to supplement my income while I am a student.  I'm hoping to find something that will pay well, and be flexible around what I know is a fairly intense school schedule.  Please pray that I would find just the right thing to help cover my costs for this next season.

And finally, would you pray for me as I dive into studying again?  Pray that I will be diligent, that my mind will be clear, that I will absorb and understand the material quickly and easily.

I'd love to hear from all of you and get an update on your lives as well!  Let me know how I can be praying for each of you as well!

Much love and hugs to all of you!

Lisa

Daily 5 - Year 3, Day 96

Today's Daily 5:

1. Sleeping in this morning
2. Baking banana muffins
3. feeling a bit better
4. pausing to reflect through a couple of lectio divinas
5. resting at home

A Few Worth Reading

I spent the entirety of yesterday in bed.  Seems I managed to catch a bad cold that wiped out all semblance of energy, and left me with a sore throat.  Blah.  So, I drifted in and out of sleep, caught up on a few emails from a prone position, chatted with an overseas friend on skype, and ate applesauce and pancakes (not together).

In any case, I have very few original thoughts at this moment, but wanted to send you to a couple of blog posts I read and appreciated this week.  Both explore the challenges of other cultures.  One made me laugh,  and one left me very reflective.  Both are worth reading.  Check them out!

Tug of War Over My Underwear

Hold Me God

I should note that I consistently appreciate the content on both of these blogs - they're some of the ones I most look forward to seeing pop up with new posts in google reader.  If you're interested at all in cross-cultural challenges, if you love to laugh, or if you just care about the world, these are both blogs that are worth checking out on a regular basis.