Vancouver Love: Granville Island

 There are so many gems in Vancouver. My weekend was highlighted by a fantastic Saturday morning at Granville Island. On a sunny day, this is place in my Top 10 Vancouver Places.

Before European settlers arrived, Granville Island was simple a series of sandbars that Aboriginal communities used creatively for fishing. When the settlers arrived, and eventually the railway, False Creek was dredged, deepened for large boats, and the flats under the new Granville Street bridge were developed for industry: logging, sawmills and anything and everything to do with industrial machining. A thriving industry spot employing 1200 people took a huge hit with The Depression, factories and warehouses closed, and a shanty town emerged. After a Typhoid scare and a grisley murder, the City of Vancouver evicted all Granville Island residents and the island sat until the WW2 began and the industry market was well on the mend. After the war, the demand for industrial output declined, and industry began to fall on Granville Island for the last time. Factories sat empty, would burn to the ground and the Island became an urban industrial wasteland.

The city made the decision to transform the [prime location] wasteland into a public space of parkland, housing and public exhibition space. There's a huge public market, art and unique items everywhere and lots of public outdoor space along False Creek. The roads still display old cobblestone and original rail tracks. When the sky is blue and the sun is out, Granville Island buzzes of good food, unique people, creative art and serves as a model for development: how to transform empty industry wasteland into a  thriving urban community space.

With that said!
Saturday was sunny!
The breeze was stiff!

It was bright, crisp and PERFECT to be at Granville Island. Here is some photo evidence of this great place!

Entering the "Island" from under Granville Bridge

Fresh produce!

Paper-Ya: my favourite Vancouver stationary shop 

A very popular deli - taking a number is required!

Specialty chocolate

On the outside docks: Granville Bridge to downtown

Love our city. 

Visits with Bec

Fresh fish anyone?

A slice of tusk from a prehistoric wooly mammoth

Okay I have to share more about this. The above shot is a legit piece of wooly mammoth tusk. It was found, fossilized, in the Yukon. It looks like wood, but it so, so heavy. A local artist takes this stuff and makes the most amazing jewellery! I wasn't allowed to take photos, but my favourite piece was a necklace which displayed a polished rectangle of tusk that had the silhouette of a tree intricately cut out of the tusk chip. Very cool... 'only' $72! Yikes! But amazing. 

Bakery delights

Homemade pasta

If anyone ever wants to go, I am automatically in! Love this place. 

:)

Love our city!

New Apartment - PHOTOS!

As promised yesterday, here are some photos of our becoming-complete apartment! 

I must add that every single piece of our furniture was either given to us (thank you Jesse & Tena!), found on Craigslist or at a thrift store! We are big fans of used stuff! 

Enjoy! :)

Front entry

Kitchen

Our Bedroom

Bathroom

Dining + Living room (future dining table leaning against wall)

Very open concept!

Ok, I just really like our bookshelves so far!

LOVE my wallhanging from India :)

High up ceilings + big windows, hooray! 

The plaid wonder is a sofa bed folks. 

And we love guests. For real!

Come on over! 

A Good Place.

Content. 

I'm really finding myself at a good place these days.

Life has gone from travelling with a backpack,
... to camping out in someone else's home,
... while attempting to start up life just in time for an un-routined Christmas season,
... to adjusting back to being a part of Inner Hope community,
... to orienting myself to new job responsibilities
... to reintegrating into a new, but familiar church community,
... and remembering a city that I used to know like the back of my hand,
... to getting possession of our new apartment,
... but spending a few days split between the sublet and the new place,
... to living in the new place, but without things from a dresser to dish soap to a shoe rack...

ALAS! I am THRILLED to say, that after six months of on-the-go, I am finally feeling settled. And, for this once-vegabond, this is a really good thing.

Twice, in the last two days, I've said aloud to Andrew, "I really like life right now."
And I do.
Pour que?

1. I love Vancouver. I love the city, the culture, the mountains and ocean, the multiculturalism, the geography, the food, the coffee, the vibe, the variety, the wooden homes, the gritty eastside, comfortable westside and the glorious north shore.

2. I have a few solid friendships that are still flourishing here in Vancouver (more so now that I am here).
There are a few new friendships that I'm really excited about!

3. I love our church community and how God is moving in East Van. Authentic, honest, humble, based on truth, simple regular people doing life for the glory of God, proclaiming Jesus in this city.

4. I really, really love my job. It is a beautiful combination of working with youth and just walking alongside life with them as a positive, healthy adult... and the other piece is instilling and sharing the passion with volunteers who are also working with and leading the youth. I love the organization I work with. I love my coworkers. I am excited about what the future holds for Inner Hope. I love these kids. They are fantastic, and I am honoured to be earning/have earned their trust and to be doing life with them.

5. I love our home! (photos to come soon!) It's like this little homemaker has made its place in my happy heart. There is lots of natural light. The ceilings are high (a major feat for East Van + our budget)! It is becoming cozy. There are picture frames out. I have a new tea kettle. I like our furniture - Craigslist for the win! It's comfy. We have room to host people. Andrew reassembled my spinning spice rack. I am cooking again.

6. Andrew. Sharing life and home with him is the most wonderful. On our recent days off, we've made our way to the north shore to get back on our favourite hiking trails. He is incredibly romantic, as shown by a beautiful Valentines evening. We've had fun setting up house and life here in Vancouver. We are continuing to learn grace and love and servanthood for each other. We are continuing to learn how to work through differences and conflict. We are continuing to enjoy each other and our marriage.

7. I've had a good number of Sarah-days that fuel on this introverted heart. This makes me energetic. I feel like my true, true self. I am refreshed. Refined. I journal, read, reflect... clean, shop, organize, make home. These are good days.

8. I've been regular with spending time with the Lord. Time reading my Bible in the morning over breakfast, breaths of prayer throughout the day, repentance and deep healing, discussion with fine people about life and truth. Practicing thankfulness; receiving joy. God is good.

I am breathing praise, folks.
And it is good.
I am happy.

Transit through Vancouver's Eastside

I love the view of the city I get when on the bus. Driving down Powell, an area many people avoid because of the nature of the neighbourhood; I am given hope by all the beautiful organizations that exist to help the people of the neighbourhood. 

The old Chinese couple that hold each others hands as they clench their umbrellas, staying dry in Chinatown. 

The old man who gets on the bus with the cane, who smiles at the young girl in her grandmother's arms, receiving so much joy from her innocence. 

The bus driver who shows compassion on that same old man who took 30 seconds to make his way to his seat; the bus sat still til he was seated. 

After only begin back in Vancouver for a month, I've already learned to appreciate the sunshine in a BIG way when it comes out. The city sparkles. Today is one of those days. After days of fog, sunshine is glorious. 

There is so much beauty in this world, in this East Vancouver. Thank you lord for these gifts today. I love this city.

In preparation for disappointment

My last post, paired with a recent reading in Matthew, have spurred this life lesson that I'm learning.

The jist of my last post was this: being thankful produces joy.

Well that's all and well and easy when life is breezy, but what about when people disappoint you, your efforts are not fruitful, when your hopes are dashed?

Jesus. Son of God. Savior of the world. I would think that his ministry was pretty effective; was he ever disappointed in people? In his efforts? Does it ever talk in the Bible about Jesus being disappointed?

In Matthew 11, Jesus talks about Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum - three communities that he had visited, done miracles in and proclaimed truth. He then laments about how these communities "hadn't repented of their sins and turned to God". These are places that Jesus made an intentional effort to visit, reveal himself, invest and pray over. And they still turned away. From Jesus himself. 
Failed attempt.
Disappointment.
Hope, not availed.

The next paragraph in Matthew 11 Jesus prays to his father, a prayer of thanksgiving. He gives thanks to God for the way things had played out in Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum because he know God is sovereign and knows best. He also judges them, which, as Jesus, he has the right to. But this: In the face of failed efforts, of disappointment, Jesus is thankful. He knows that God is in control.

The next paragraph in Matthew 11 is Jesus saying this: "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you, let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy to bear and my burden is light".

I can't ignore the irony here.
1. Jesus recognizes failure. People have let him down.
2. He chooses to be thankful and recognize God's sovereignty.
3. He identifies himself as the source of finding rest for souls. He calls the disappointed, the discouraged, the tired to himself - to his arms of rest and protection. He invites us to lay our burdens and disappointments at his feet, to let them go. 

This is am amazing lesson to learn from Christ - he practiced it so clearly here. To the tee!

How are you feeling disappointed these days?
Who are you worried about?
Who has let you down?
Where have you failed?

What gifts has God given you amidst these situations - what has his grace been?
What can you choose to be thankful for?
Find the freedom in the fact that no matter our failures, God is not held back. WE NEED TO TRUST THIS.

Have you gone to Jesus with these failures and disappointments?
Give Jesus your burdens.
Let him hold you up and guide you through this.

It is very interesting that I am learning this now - now, when life seems to be rolling steadily and honestly, very nicely. God is really rolling out the carpet for us in Vancouver right now, there hasn't been any stumbling blocks in this whole process of starting up life here. For this I am thankful... and also realistic - this will not last! HA!
Getting back into the work and life that we're in, with East Van youth and people in general, life in general, I know that great challenges and disappointments and failure are just around the corner. I am in the business of doing life with humans. This is inevitable. I AM going to sin, fail, screw up and effect people in this way. Others ARE going to sin, fail, screw up and this will effect me.
I want to keep this lesson at the forefront of my mind and heart. To be prepared and ready for, well, humanity and life... Which is full of brokeness and beauty, challenge, truth, love and growth.

Bring on life, in all its everythings. 

Learning Thankfulness: just the beginning.

I've begun reading 'One Thousand Gifts' by Ann Voskamp, a local hero in the church Andrew grew up in. This book is about learning how to live fully, right where you are. To be thankful for life as it is. And to flourish because of that.

Eucharisteo.

Is another word for thanksgiving.
The root word in it is 'charis' which means grace.
It also holds its derivative, the greek word 'chara' which means joy.

Joy - this deep need that we all have, to have a deep, rooted joy in life. Joy carries us through life. It sustains us when life is stormy. It motivates, directs, and gives purpose.

We all seek it - in our work, in our studies, in our organic eating and healthy living. In our family time, in our recreation. In our relationships, in music, in how we decorate, in our health, in our clothing style.

We are all pursuing joy.

"But where can I seize this holy grail of joy? Eucharisteo. I look back down at the word. Was this the clue to the quest of all most important? Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo - the table of thanksgiving... is it that simple? Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depth of my eucharisteo thanks?

"So as long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Whenever meaning now - wherever meaning here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountaintop experience. The joy wonder would be here! Here in the messy, piercing, ache of now, joy might be unbelievably possible!"

Charis. Grace - God is constantly giving us gifts. They're not always flashy.
Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving - We can choose to recognize these gifts and be thankful.
Chara. Joy - flows naturally from thankfulness.

A simple thought, right? Be thankful - have joy.
I'm looking forward to how this book plays out. I want to learn to be more thankful; to be thankful in the face of heartbreak, discouragement and disappointment. I think it's a habit that must be learned... must be practiced. I want to live life through a lens of grace, choosing to recognize and be thankful for God's gifts.

So here I go.
Today, I am thankful for:
- a body that functions perfectly without me having to consciously think of anything.
- a husband that prioritizes supporting his sister over being on time for something.
- God showing his faithfulness by providing perfectly for us as we transition to Vancouver.
- the prospect of a new friend.
- the fact that our culture values organization in terms of transportation and city layout.
- God speaking to my heart this morning of my sin, in a loving, convicting way.
- the ability to read.
- new life.
- warmth (currently in the form of slippers, after a very chilly dip in the ocean today!)
- God's faithfulness in transforming his children - a messy, up-and-down process, full of joy and challenges - I'm thankful that he is sovereign and knows the big picture. That I'm not responsible for saving people - HE is.
- pretty flowers on my kitchen table, a piece of art depicting God's character.
- honest, gritty life conversations over dinner with Andrew.
- memory foam mattress.
- home made biscuits.
- my body that starts to heal as soon as it is injured (sore knees from skiing last night!)
- a mind that thinks, a heart that feels, hands to work, senses to experience.

2012 in Ten Parts

 10.  Family time with the Hartungs in Ontario: the boys playing Thursday night hockey in Kurtzville, sister sleepovers in Kitchener, Florida road trip with Amelia, great visits with Grandma and Grandpa Meyer, summer camping and meals at the farm. Andrew hadn’t been in Ontario for 12 consecutive months in 8 years, and it was fantastic for me to get to know his family.

Amanda's 21st birthday at Moosewinoski's

9. Family time with the Hills: family day weekend in Ottawa, uncountable dinners at Mom & Dad’s, Tuesday afternoon coffee with Mom, Labour Day camping with the whole family, visiting Shannon & Laura  on May long, and seeing Gavin regularly. I love my family immensely and I miss them the most out of anything in Ontario. It was fantastic to simply ‘do life’ alongside my parents for a year.

Camping with the Hills

8. Ontario friends! – camping with Chad and Danielle in Killarney over Easter, games nights with Tim and Danielle, the Cypress Lake hike, coffee dates with Krysten and Mal, and many other friends that have been in our lives for years, but this was this first year in many that we’ve been able to be local friends again!

Sap Fest with Tim & Danielle

7. Hope Manor & Waterloo School Board – Through working with teenage boys at a youth jail, Andrew was spurred onto pursue further education in Child & Youth Care Counselling, a program he is hoping to be accepted to at Douglas College out here in Vancouver. I learned a lot about kids and myself through working at the school board this year… like that to have any impact on children, consistency is required! No more substituting for me.

6. Celebrated our First Anniversary! – we camped out on the rocks 20m from beautiful Georgian Bay. I enjoy looking back over just the past year [and a half] and seeing how we grow in our marriage, in knowing, learning and enjoying each other. 

5. Summer of Weddings! We celebrated with seven couples on their wedding days this summer! I had the privilege of standing as a bridesmaid with Malori as she married her beloved Dave. It was a joy to see my friend of 13 years wed! 

4. Cross-country road trip! – After a year of wrestling and seeking, we committed to God’s leading back to Vancouver! Which meant… another cross country raod trip. We visited great friends and family along the way in Red Lake ON, Estevan SK, Calgary and Eagle Hill AB and Kelowna BC before arriving in our beloved Vancouver. It was a fabulous 2 weeks!

With Jon & Annette in SK

3. Nepal: our Everest Base Camp trek took us 60km into the Himalayas, climaxing at the base camp of the highest mountain in the world. Thirteen days in hiking boots with packs on our backs, seeing incredible landscapes and epic mountain peaks, pushing through blisters, exhaustion, altitude sickness and food poisoning. Standing at 5550m looking up at Mount Everest made it worth every step.

2. India: What a wild country. We spent 3 weeks with my cousin and her family in Varanasi, visited ancient forts and palaces, even sleeping a night in the Jasailmer fort wall, rode camels and slept under the Thar Desert stars, and relaxed for a week by the Arabian Sea in Goa. 

1.  Back in Vancouver for the last half of December, while celebrating Christmas, we found ourselves overwhelmingly anticipating “the next stage”. We had been in limbo for 4 months and are VERY READY to start our jobs this week, find a house to make home and see what God has for our life here in Vancouver. 

Christmas at Jesse & Tena's, our BC parents

A jet lagged shmorgasboard of thinking

Vancouver is beautiful.

Flying into a Canadian airport after the last 6 airports we've been in recently has been the smoothest most organized process ever. They brushed us past customs because we looked 'trustworthy'. Christmas trees are pretty. There are no burnt out light bulbs.

Tim Hortons has an incredible new gingerbread donut. 

Coffee (not from Tim's) is so comforting.

I'm thankful for friends who pick us up from the airport and welcome us back with hugs and groceries! - Mark & Hillary are the best!

Grocery stores are an amazing luxury! I bought soap AND bacon from the same place. 

Staying awake at 3pm when your body thinks it's 6am and you've been awake for [?] hours is impossible. 

It is splendid to talk to family. 

Coming back to Vancouver is like coming back to an old, familiar home. Even the cold dampness is lovely and familiar (ask me if it still is in a month).

Christmas music fits better in Canada than India.

I need to get some Christmas lights for our apartment that we're subletting!

200 mysterious bites/hives are incredibly annoying. Stupid restaurant couch. 

I'm thankful for:

- right side driving

- zero horn honking

- memory foam mattresses

- family phone calls

- pedestrian cross walks

- the possibility of cooking

- Christmas music in the grocery store

- trustworthy tap water

- unlimited hot water showers

- a husband who unpacks and organizes everything when I'm sleeping

- God providing a life and future for us in Vancouver!

Ok time to go to bed. Mmmmm. Home sweet. 

Glorious Goa

I am now a firm believer in Beach Therapy.

After 2 months of trekking all over the place, from our Everest trek to living in Varanasi for 3 weeks, to touring temples, forts and palaces, to sleeping on the Thar desert sands and constantly battling off haggling people trying to sell you stuff and watching out for cow pies on the street... a week at the beach was perfect. It softened and removed my stubborn blister remains from our trek, smoothed away cracked heels, restored the concept of sleeping in and Western tourism was a familiar shift in culture!

It was fun, restful, rejuvenating and lovely - it may have just redeemed all the chaos of India we've experienced!

La Beach. Perfect, warm Arabian Sea.

Our future dinner, fresh catch of the day

Les poisons, les poisons how I love the poisons...

Our upgraded beach hut for our final couple days!

Perfect view. Perfect place. 

We rented a motorcycle for a day

Early morning kayaking

Staying cool over lunch in the shade of cacti

Happy!

Our last dinner at the beach. 

Two and a half months is almost up! We are now camping out in Delhi for 3 more days and arrive back in Vancouver on Dec. 16th. Glory glory!

What a journey it has been! 

Our Rajastani Rumble & some life thoughts

So, as I've mentioned before, the state of Rajastan is chock full of ancient history of kings and royalty, dynasties and battles, all marked nowadays by ancient forts and palaces and temples. We've had our fair share of them!

In Jaisalmer, "the golden city" (the whole city is built out of golden sandstone from the desert) we did an overnight camel safari where we rode a few hours into the desert, explored some sand dunes then slept under the desert stars and an almost-full moon! It was amazing to get out of the city into the still wilderness for these two campers. The moon was so bright we could see the dunes all around all night from our sleeping bag bundles on the sand. Camels are wide backed which makes for some royally sore bums! They are bumpy, grumbly and strange creatures! But we had a great time.

Let the sore bums begin!

At the dunes for sunset

Andrew was up for sunrise with the camels

Where we slept!

Heading back

Our last night in Jaisalmer we had THEE sweetest hotel room - it was built into the fort walls and we had a mini-balcony cushioned in pillows where we could watch the city from. We spent the evening watching the city and listening/singing to Christmas carols on our ipod, imagining the growing Christmas spirit back home. It was neat to sing songs about a 2000 year old story in an environment that has some resemblance to life 2000 years ago. The Christmas lyrics rang more clear to my heart in a culture that doesn't acknowledge the significance of Jesus Christ.

Our room - that window opens up to the outdoor window seat :)

Relaxing :)

The Golden City

Next stop: Johdpur. We were pretty forted/palaced out at this point so were kinda grumpy about being in another city of the sort. But it turned out awesome. The city is traditionally "the blue city", and literally 80% of the buildings are painted in varying shades of blue. The fort was incredible - built on a natural plateau in the middle of the city, still run by the royal family, but open to tourists. It was all lit up at night, so the view from our rooftop dinner was epic! We had theeeee most amazing Indian food that night - butter chicken and garlic chicken with butter naan bread from heaven.

At the top of the fort in Jodhpur

The fort ontop of the natural plateau

Sunset over Jodhpur

Now we are in Delhi, India's capital - only 20 million people. And I have not been impressed! (Except by The Life of Pi, which we saw today in English. An incredible movie and story, we highly recommend it!) Crappy hotels, bad-even-for-India-service, overwhelming haggling from people selling stuff... plus we are just plain old ready to come home.

A fantastic film to watch in India!

This trip has surprised up - both of us used to get our biggest thrills from travelling and adventuring around the world. And don't get me wrong, it is cool. But our hearts are so strongly being drawn homeward. Vancouver. Rooting down. Investing in people and our community. Dreaming about our future family. We have been so surprised at this! Three months is too long to travel. It's become aimless and pointless unless there is a purpose to it. Seeing sights and experiencing things doesn't cut it anymore in the same way. Travelling (for this long) for the sake of self is pointless, and selfish. We want purpose. And people. And tasks to work on. To live to serve Jesus and be others-oriented. To build a home. To invest in people. To build a life. To settle in a way that isn't settling, but in a way that is rich in life and full of love.

We're excited to come home. Vancouver: 14 days!