pictures of the finished product...minus curtains

but first, some cute/funny people that came to our open house/ paint job revealing last Sunday eve:





ok, now to the finished product. this is the room in our lovely house that belongs to Hillary and i. we love it. and we hope you do too. if you do, let us know. do keep in mind that there will be curtains over the windows in the very near future. it is only through a series of very unfortunate events that they are not up as of yet...anyway, here you go!

oh, life...

i can't even describe this thing called "my life" right now. there are no words -heck, thoughts to be put to words- at this point. now, before you think i've gone and got all emo with myself, let me explain. i feel like i haven't had time to think over the last...i don't even know how long. life has been just one big blur.
bbbbbbbbbbbllllllllllllllllllllllluuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. there you have it. one of those.
yikes, i hate when i get to this point of no return. well, i hope it's not that drastic. yes, yes there is hope. i know, this comment seems kind of out of place, but if you only knew how significant this revelation has been to me...yes, i DO have hope! amen.
on a seemingly random tangent (but aren't they all, this post?), i am reading 4 book thingys (plus other random devotional things) at one time, something i promised myself i would never do. i hope this feat stretches me as a person or something like that. and they are...[drumroll please]: effective prayer (R.C. Sproul), the hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien), the Banner, and breaking free (my 1/2 hour a day for 5 days of the week Bible study book that i am already behind in because of extenuating circumstances, by the one and only Beth Moore). yes, a huge feat. i wonder if/when i'll ever get them finished...
sorry (in my very Canadian way) for the randomness of this post. but, i think i am almost due for one of these crazy/deep/random writings. it's been awhile since i've leaked my straight up peculiar self onto the screen...
and i WILL get on to putting those pictures on here. they are on my camera, just itching to be put onto a computer and posted for your viewing pleasure. but right here, right now, i just can't be bothered to do it. that, and i kind of like keeping you -the few, as i have lovingly dubbed you-in suspense. but not for long, seeing as some of you just might jump onto a plane (assuming that you're my mom or another person that lives in NS) and hold my life ransom until your queries are subdued.
until then...
chow for now.

"the adventure of the crazy roommates"

this adventure, starring Rebecca and Hillary -2 seemingly silly girls-, started off with the decision by the 5 women of the house to finally paint the bedrooms of the house they'd been living in for the last 4 months. after priming one housemate's room and helping to paint the other 2 housemates' room and patiently waiting for the right day (ie. Monday), the roomies' time had finally come. they would embark on their goal: to paint their room (as shown below) in...

ONE DAY!

on Saturday, R&H had taken down their bunkbeds, moved much of their furniture and belongings out of the room into the already catastrophically messy living room and kitchen, and spackled the many holes in the walls, among other things. crazy times. the roommates proceeded to sleep in the livingroom that night, amid their said belongings and perhaps all of the material possessions of the people of the house, for too many nights.

after taking a Sabbath on Sunday, early Monday AM found the roommies cutting in, painting one coat of primer and 2 coats of their fabulous paint choices. yes, it sounds simple and even elementary, but anyone who has ever attempted such a feat knows that there is much much more involved in this process.

tensions DO arise and paint fights ARE had.

but really, besides learning how to backroll after painting a dark color onto a wall (since dark colors of paint are often thinner) to help it set and figuring out the best way to cut in or how to get paint out of the carpet, often, other more important lessons are learned. such as, being patient with your roommate when she needs to just take a break and how to be ok with life (and painting) not being perfect and how to love your roommate at the end of the day, no matter how frustrated you are that you didn't get it all finished in one day...


contrary to urban myth, Rebecca and Hillary did survive the ordeal and are quite happy to report that their room is finished! by Wednesday evening, the new beds and mattresses were placed in the freshly painted room, and both roommates were moving in in their own ways, Hillary by putting her pictures on the wall and Rebecca by moving everything in and putting it in its proper place. the roommates are very glad to be done with this adventure and don't hope to look at wet paint again for a while. they are enjoying their transformed room and making it their own once again. they look forward to unveiling it at a party in the near future! pictures of the finished room and its proud owners will follow at a later date.

"community of clothelines"

the sound of rope against reel lingers in the late afternoon, early evening air
as neighbors put damp, freshly cleaned, fabric-softened clothes out
and pull sundried, starchy crisp, wind-smelling sheets in

laundry on the line tells one so much
how daring, how conservative
how simple, how superlative

what do you share?
what do you want to hide?

laundry brings what's hidden in the mysterious, dark house
to the bright, revealing green backyard outside

the sound of rope against reel lingers in the late afternoon, early evening air
in this community of clotheslines

coming and going.

so, i'm leaving tomorrow at 6:30 AM for a 12ish hour drive to Montanna for a conference with YWAM, but i really wanted to make sure that i wrote a blog before i left. thus, here i am on the computer at 1:18 AM doing it. call me silly, i just hope that somebody actually views this...

i finally went to the ocean (Spanish Banks) on this side of the country for the first time. i know, hard to believe but true. thanks, Joel and Carla, for introducing me to the Pacific. we liked each other. later on that week, i went to Whistler for the first time. it was fun to hike down the mountain from our hotel to go eat. good times had by all.

then, my awe-inspiring ten days of MA hosting was upon me. what an amazing time of God revelation and learning and making mistakes and growing. i loved doing it, especially because i knew that this is where God specifically had me for this short period of time. on Thursday, we did this thing called "Temple Tour," where we visited a Buddist temple and a Muslim mosque (as well as the local temple-ish mall in Burnaby). i LOVE learning about different religions, so this was a wonderful experience for me. the Buddist temple brought back my heart, along with a flood of memories, for China. it was really good to remember...

my team from The Dalles, OR was pretty amazing. whether we were riding the bus to and from amazing daily outreaches, drinking some fresh bubble tea from the local store, or just taking some photos on the last night, it was a blast. i miss these guys and hope they come back next year. i really learned alot from being with them while they were in the city that i love.

4 words: my roommates are amazing. on the morning of my 20th birthday, they decorated the house with balloons that described me in one word (well, the nice ones at least...). it was real' sweet. then i talked on the phone with my Mom and Rachel and Sara as i opened up my big box of presents from them. they made it ok for me to not be there with them for the first time ever. after that, i headed to the MA venue, where we had a staff meeting for the first time in a long while, and then we proceeded to have cake in celebration of my birth. it was great. i felt so loved from all the angles that day.

ok, so this is it for now. i'm off to bed and then Montanna. please pray for safety and fun times and times of growth for us all. also, for patience as 13 people from ages 8-40 something will be sharing a 15 passenger van for the trip. thank you.

until i post again...

collide.

that is what my life and anything to do with it did today. collide. all of my insecurities, fears, frustrations, thoughts, and questions converged into one sloppy mess of tears and angst, with perhaps a dash of bitterness, and it came crashing through the self-constructed walls of my heart, tumbling out of my mouth to my parents on the phone today. oh parents. i thank God for you and your timely beingthereforme in my hour of need.
"so, what does this collision look like?" you ask. well, this week (actually, the next 10 days) i will be taking on the role of hosting in the Mission Adventure program that YWAM runs in the summer. and this involves me facing many of the said issues straight on. and that scares me. alot. but i know that this is where i need to be in my relationship with God right now. trusting fully in Him because i can't in myself. it should be interesting.
so, pray for me. if you think of me during your day. right now, as you read this blog. please, pray for me. it means so much to me.
and i trust that i will be better for this. i anticipate discomfort and pain, but also newfound growth and strength as these weak, unused muscles are torn and healed, torn and healed, again and again. God will provide. and i'm excited to see Him do so in my empty self in this upcoming 10 days.

promised pictures...

i always find it difficult to pick the 5 magic pictures to post, that will accurately represent my life, or at least how i perceive it. i have so many that i wish to share with the world, and i guess that i could post more -all of them if i'd like- but i don't wish that upon anyone, unless they are my family, who i force at spoon point to view my cds upon cds of photographs. it's true. just ask them.

that said, i hope you enjoy the ones i have chosen to share. may they be a well-rounded representation of it all...

the legendary Shubenacadie Canada Day Parade with copius amount of rescue vehicles...where do they all come from?!?!

a much-needed break in the hotel pool from our long traveling day produced this fine photo op...

and then i had 4 beautiful sisters...

...but i have been aching especially for this one

yet, this is what i come back to. Vancouver. Commercial Drive. this picture is from the Commercial Drive Car Free festival that happened about a month ago. they blocked off a whole bunch of streets so that eating, dancing, and general laughter and community building events would ensue. and they are doing it again this weekend. days like these make it ok to be in Vancouver away from the safe comfort of friends and family. thank you, God for calling me here...

Nova Scotia, Ontario, and back...

wow...it's been awhile. well, i guess all of my posts could start with this familiar phrase, but still. i meant to do one of these this past weekend, but instead, i decided to have a rather social 2 days (consisting of an all afternoon BBQ at my friend Mark's and funtimes at the beach on Sunday w/Joel and Carla) thus it didn't get done. until now.
so, as many of you know and saw, from June 29-July 9, i was in the air/on the road, pretty much all across this fair country. i made a brief 2 day and 2 hour stop at my NS home and managed to have it pretty chock-full of crazy events, including seeing many friends and family from church.
then, we left at 4 AM on Tuesday with Listowel, Ontario, as our eventual goal. this was where my brand new sister-in-law, Sarah (ie. Sarah Dawn, Sezzy, crazyladywhowasonceinfatutatedwithmyworkuniform, etc. ...these nicknames come into existence when 3 Sara(h) Bokmas are had) is from. during the next 6 days, we, as a G&L Bokma family, were hugely blessed by the Slotegraaf family, who juggled hosting us, preparing for the wedding, and being super cool, all at the same time. and they did it quite well, i might add. indeed, it was fun.
yeah, basically it was an awesome vacation. too short, but so much fun. i was SO blessed by seeing many loved ones and spending quality time with them. God is good.
and now i'm back in Vancouver, no longer being able to look forward to such a time. yet, sometimes i find myself still anticipating a trip home to NS. until i realize that that time has already come and gone in a flash. but it was good. and totally worth it.
and that leaves me in Vancouver. once again facing the music. and what beautiful music it is. but there will be more on that later. for now, i will leave this reminiscent post with a promise of many pictures to come soon.
until then...

I HAVE A BIKE!!!

where do i even start? God has been so generous in His providence in my life. yes, i was thinking about how He has blessed me so much over the last few weeks, if not my whole life. He knows what i need and gives it to me when i need it. not before, not after. when i need it. and sometimes He just gives me little surprises, answers to prayers that i haven't even yet prayed.

i have a job at YWAM that i love and am passionate about (passion is something that i prayed for awhile back...notice the picture of my desk on a clean day!) and a bike (see the picture of it outside of our new YWAM base), among other things. i live in a house that i love, with people that i love (on most days) in a fantastic neighborhood, in a beautiful city. God has placed me in a group of people from church and YWAM that has allowed me to grow and learn. He blessed me with a camping trip the weekend after the May long one, that really rejuvenated me by just being in nature with God.

yes, GOD IS SO GOOD! i have nothing to complain about. life is good...i am SO blessed!

"bike for sale?"

this is not just the title of this post, but seems to be the heading of a good portion of the emails i have been sending out these days. to explain, let me tell you a story...
on Wednesday, i found the perfect bicycle: shiny new-ish, more than one speed for all of these hills in Vancouver, VINTAGE (i refer to this type -the U handle barred cruiser kind- as the "Dutch bike," seeing as this is the kind that i rode in Holland this past summer), and having other very likeable characteristics. i called the guy, he said that i was the first one to call, and we arranged a time and place when/where i could buy and pick it up. i thought i had it made in the shade. now, fast forward to Friday afternoon. just before i left the office to go pick up my new treasure, i called the gentleman to remind him of my coming, and he kindly told me that he had sold it. yes friends, HE had sold MY bike. "not fair," i told myself. "how dare he do this to me?"
now, i wish that i had some nice ending or lesson that i have learned from this, but i don't. yeah, i guess i realize that i don't "deserve" anything, and that any and every blessing is a gift from God. it's true. but, i still find myself bitter at this stranger for selling this bike. it just seems so unfair...and it is. but, who am i to argue for justice when limitless grace/mercy has been sent my way? yet, i still feel gutted when life doesn't go my way. kind of like how i wish people would extend all kinds of grace my way, but i can't find it inside myself to do likewise...
in other news, i feel like my life is kind of a gong show. weekends are meant for sleeping in. yet, here i sit at 2:18 AM, hoping to be awake at 8:45 AM, so that i can make my way to church. not on a bike. [get over it, Rebecca] and all i did today was eat and go to 2 parties. nothing too productive was done, except getting ready for these 2 parties. and tomorrow should be crazy too. eight people will be sleeping in our 3 bedroom house. a big "YAY!" for guests, and small *groan* for nothing getting done. oh well, i guess that's what Monday is for.
so, that's my life, right here, right now. i haven't even read my Bible lately, and i want to. maybe i should be doing that instead of writing blogs, complaining about the lack of two wheels in my life...
ok, well please still enjoy the picture of the girls (i live with all of them besides Krista and Laura) at our party tonight in celebration of the birth of Hillary.
(l to r: me, Hannah, Jacqui, Hillary, Krista, Laura, Jana)

more pictures...

so, these are some more somewhat random pictures of my life, etc.
i truly hope to blog about something that is actually current in my life someday soon...
1. luscious green grass in one of the many parks in Vancouver. this is one of the reasons why i can stay sane in a city. that, and it was like 20 degrees out today. in MAY!!!
2. crazy blue walls for Jessa and Jana's room. i have yellow along with my 2 roomies, and another girl has Pepto pink. you really have to see it to believe it.
3. crazy moving day
4. beautiful streets. i'll never get sick of those flowers. and i have pictures upon pictures to prove this.
5. my pastor Julia's 30th birthday

April/May in pictures...

i'm sorry it has taken me so long to get something new up on here. who knew that my life would be so busy? but when i really think of it, i was just on a fantastic promo tour, i did have a much-needed family visit, i did just make a hectic/emotional move into a new home, and all that goes into all of this during this time, so i do deserve a little grace. that and i have had limited internet access. i know, excuses, excuses. but, i hope you take my apology and these pictures as good enough for now...
(these are of the promotional trip to Oregon from April 12-26:
1. girl pic
2. close up at Multnomah Falls
3. Jessa's 21st birthday and the appropiate party hats to celebrate such a function
4. much-needed quiet time at YWAM Salem
5. downtown Portland)

back in "Raincouver..."

i arrived back from our promotional tour to Oregon on Thursday night, and this fair city of mine welcomed me with rain. a day and a half of it. thanks, Vancouver.
but, alas, there is sun on the horizon. yes, today was very nice, but also, yesterday was a delightful one, amidst the precipitation. i was very blessed to spend the afternoon/evening with some of my very lovely family members, Benjamin and Karmyn Bokma.

please enjoy the story of

"Ben and Karmyn's Day out (in Vancouver with Rebecca)"

with the following pictures:

First up was spicy Ethiopian food @ Adis Cafe for lunch.

Then, we headed to Contintental for a rousing game of Phase 10 (Karmyn won), as we enjoyed our caramel lattes and a mocha (made by friend Ryan) and let our copious amount of food digest.

After a little break at my house/the office, we headed out to the Skytrain station, but made a quick stop at Belgian Fries for a little snack. I'm pretty sure that this made brother Ben's night.

Brother Ben and Sister (in law) Karmyn were very excited about the Skytrain trip to the waterfront and surrounding areas.

After wandering around on and near Granville St. and spending ALOT of time at SportsCheck (they took advantage of the amazing BOGO sale on running shoes...), we headed to Trees cafe to enjoy some live music and another favorite card game, Euchre.

We soon headed home, Ben and i had a bit of a TimTam slam, i opened some very appreciated gifts from loved ones far away, and then we said our "good-byes" for the evening.

It was a very fun day. Thanks, Ben and Karmyn, for making it so special!

[keep in mind, that if any of you farawayfriends ever want to come for a visit, you too will probably receive a full-paged blog post such as this. yeah, pretty exciting, i know.]

ok, i'm off for now. PS: the tour was pretty amazing. i hope to post a bit about it and some pictures in the near future, but it just may not happen as soon as i'd like, what with the busyness of my life right now, as i just got back, i'm moving to my new home on Tuesday, etc...

but we'll see.