1. You live in small town Saskatchewan. Tell us about some of the pros and cons to living in a small town. Do you enjoy living there?
We have lived in small town Saskatchewan for 4 years now. (Wow, has it been that long already?!?) I would have to say that it took a good 2 years to really get completely adjusted to this life but the last two years has been great. As a former "city girl" it was a big struggle at first. Small town life is VERY different from city life. It is quiet and relaxed here. When you are in line at the grocery store, post office, pharmacy, it doesn't matter where...people are visiting with each other. No one is in a big hurry, especially the drivers in town. (Seriously the speed limit is 40...please don't go 25!!!) The stress of life just doesn't take on the same appearance as it does with people in the city. I have come to greatly appreciate this aspect of small town life but at the beginning I didn't know anyone and there was nowhere to "escape" to. I still like to get to the city about once a month for several reasons: visiting family, running errands for things that either we can't find here or it's just MUCH cheaper in the city, doing something fun with the kids like swimming or the zoo etc.
Making friends is a challenge too. I was very fortunate to meet a dear friend at church almost right away. (Actually she was told that we were moving here from people at her parent's church in Saskatoon that knew John's family) I have since made a few more friendships that I greatly value, but for the most part small towns are very cliquey. Not very easy to break into the group.
Another challenge was church. We left at church of approx. 1200 to attend a church of 30. There were no other options for our evangelical upbringing. For a long time, we attended rather sporadically. We felt no connection to this church and would even sometimes still attend our church in Saskatoon. Yet over time we have both come to appreciate the close family that is our church. They aren't perfect (but who is?!?) and there are big struggles still, but it has improved greatly since we first started attending. Attendance is up and God is at work.
All this being said, I can't imagine ever living in the city again. We love small town life now. Whenever we do visit the city we tend to get claustrophobic after a long day of errands. It's so nice to live where we do.
Wow! That was a long answer. Hope you are still with me!
2. You have mentioned in your Story of Us, that you and John struggled with infertility. What would your advice be to someone who is going through that right now?
It's so easy to give those Sunday School answers to people who are struggling. I heard a lot of those and it drove me crazy so I will try my best not to inflict that on anyone else.
There are sooo many stories in the bible about infertility. I have heard countless examples from friends of how they were told they were "not able to have children", and yet amazingly have several of their own. A verse that I have found personal comfort in, and have shared with others is Psalm 113:9 "He gives childless couples a family, gives them joy as the parents of children".
I don't know why so many couples struggle with conceiving or carrying a healthy baby to term. It doesn't seem fair on so many different levels. However it is somewhat comforting to be able to relate to someone else who has gone through the same sort of situation before. It's very helpful to have someone (or a few people) that you can cry with, vent with, grieve with, and if possible laugh with, through this ordeal. Although I did share some of my struggles at the time, I tend to be a closed person and I wish that I could have been more open with people.
Another suggestion is to find a doctor that you love. It's very difficult to do but it's worth it in the end to find a doctor that understands you and your desires. You need to be aggressive in asking for the help as I was sometimes told "You are young...you have lots of time". Ask for testing or a referral to an Ob-Gyn, if it hasn't been done already. If you find out that there is some kind of diagnosis, seek as much information as you can. The internet is an excellent resource.
3. You have 2 beautiful girls, who both seem to be quite intelligent little beings. What are your dreams for them?
Lately we have been asking the girls what they would like to be when they grow up. Last week Brie said that she would like to be a police officer but she said, "Daddy you will have to show me what to do because I have NO idea!!"
We want our girls to feel the freedom that they can do anything, be anything. They both have such amazing talents already and we can see how God is shaping them into the women that they will become.
At this point the possibilities are endless. My big dream for them would be that they grow up to know that they are deeply loved, by us, and by God. I want them to sense God's presence in their lives and that they would each strive to maintain a close relationship with Him. I want them to each find a wonderful Christian man someday that would walk alongside them in their faith journey.
4. What has God been teaching you lately?
Patience. It's an on-going lesson. I don't like it.
I've also been sensing that God wants me to use my gift of leadership on a more regular basis. It's definitely out of my comfort zone but I'm working on it.
5. Do you see yourself as a stay at home mom for a while? Or will you return to work when Ella goes to school? What would you like to pursue if you do go back?
I am loving being a stay at home mom for now. When Ella is in school I would like to return to the "workforce", but hopefully just part time depending on where we will be living next. At this point I have no real career aspirations so most likely I would look for something in the banking field since I have lots of experience there. If not that then something administrative.
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