Birthday Blog

Halifax Edition

During my birthday yesterday,  I caught myself counting the number of cities that I have spent my birthday in: Calgary, AB; Mississauga, ON; Milton, ON; Orlando FL; Nassau, Bahamas; Winnipeg, MB; and Halifax, NS, where I currently am. Granted, none of these places are exceptionally exciting (except maybe the Bahamas), but each place means I celebrated with different people, and in different ways. It also means that I have spent a considerable number of my birthdays away from my family; because of this, each birthday comes with a twinge of pain. But God continues to fill my life with amazing people that I am honoured and thrilled to celebrate with. I have now come to look upon my birthdays as steps of adventures because I have no idea where I will celebrate my next birthday, or who I will celebrate it with. 


This year I decided to document my adventures with the help of the present my sister made for me (the grey bear, in case you couldn't guess, lol).
My challenge was to see what I could do in Halifax for $40. I didn't have any set plans, so here is the tale of my low-key adventures (and I write this more for my sister as a thank-you for the gift she sent me)

The day started off with a simple, but yummy breakfast - Hot Chocolate at MacDonald's and breakfast sandwich from Tim Horton's. P.S. if you haven't tried McD's hot chocolate yet, what are you waiting for? It was delicious

Then I met my friend Holly for a Toonie Matinee - Watched Happy Potter and the Deathly Hollow-Part 1. This was the second time we had seen it, and it should hold us over until Part 2 comes out in July 2011.

 Lunch was at the Rock Island Bistro - yummy

 Dessert was back to my place - Angel Food Cake with strawberries and whipped cream...mmmmm!

And dinner was at Sushi Nami, my favorite sushi place in  Halifax. It was an impromptu dinner that a friend of mine had planned without knowing it was my birthday; so there were many random people that I didn't know, but they were all great with helping me celebrate (and once again makes me realize I will never know where, or with whom I will celebrate my birthday)

 Then back to McDonald's for Caramel Sundae for dessert

 

Then I was dragged to the Seahorse Tavern to listen to the Mellotones - ended up having a blast and listening to some really great music. Check out their music and their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2263003066

I'm not a beer drinker, but since I'm Dutch I grabbed my friend's Heineken for the picture

Ponder-ation #2

Seeing the Ancient Sites

I have often dreamed of the time when I'll have the money to fly around the world and see the ancient sites from worlds long ago. But I've been struck lately on the significance of the sites that most tourist spend their savings accounts on: Manchu Picchu in Peru, the Parthenon in Greece, the Colosseum in Rome, the Pyramids in Egypt and the Aztec pyramids in Mexico. I would love to stand at these places and revel in the fact that these places have stood for millennia, but.....when I learned my history, and learned why these places were built and what occurred at these places, that little voice inside my head starts to voice its objection. As a follower of Jesus, I believe that this world, and its existence can be boiled right down to its core: the battle between good and evil (the God of Light and the Lord of Darkness). I know that none of these site were built for the glorification of God, which means there were built either for the glorification of men, or the glorification of other gods; in either case, they were not built for the glorification of God. If that is the case, how can I go and marvel at the creation of something that was built for the sole purpose of idolatry? To visit as a tourist knowing that I am standing on a site that was built for evil sets off that little voice in my head.

Here is a mini history synopsis: The Parthenon that stands on the Acropolis in Athens was built as a temple to Athena; the pyramids in Mexico were built by the Aztecs to worship their deities and provide human sacrifices; the Roman Colosseum was used for the slaughtering of humans and animals, all for the sake of entertainment; the Pyramids at Giza were built as tombs for the Pharaoh and his sons, as lasting monuments to their greatness, and where hundreds of men lost their lives during the building process.

So, I would still like to travel to the distant lands, and see the relics that remain standing from another era, but I have my apprehensions. Maybe I'll spend my money traveling to remote places that display God's handiwork rather than man's. A sunset that fills the horizon of a calm flat ocean appeals to me more than seeing a place where people worshiped idols and killed one another.

Far from the family, but technology brings us near.

My nephew's first birthday is today; and this day of great happiness is clouded with just a hint of regret. Although I treasure my life dearly, and would not change a single major event that has lead me to be sitting here, writing this blog, I find that there are times when I wish I did not have a wandering spirit that kept me away from my family. I have learned to contend myself with being away from those that I cherish, in order to become the person God wants me to be. And, although from the outside my life looks wonderfully adventurous, it does come with its own struggles. I have to miss the small events that shape the lives of my family (and they miss mine) as we travel through life. It is wonderful to be able to head home periodically and celebrate the big events, like Christmas, but I find that it is the small things that are often more fun, and more memorable. I very much would have liked to join in on the festivities, and celebrate the anniversary of my little nephew joining the family, but that is one of the disappointments I have to deal with in order to live the life I was called to live.

But, wonderful technology allowed me to share in the celebration at my parent's place, albeit for a brief moment. I am thankful for the people I will never meet who had the knowledge and imagination to design computers, internet and web-cams that made the 5,290 km from my home to my parents, seem only inches away.

Ponder-ation #1

If there is no God, why do people feel the need to take a stand on it?

If there is no God, why do people feel they need to define themselves as an Atheist? I don't believe there are aliens on any of the planets in our solar system, but I don't define my existence as a non-Alien believer. Its one of those things that makes me stop and think....hmmm. There must me some relevance, or significance, or importance to this "God-idea" if people feel they need to take a side on the matter. If there was no God, wouldn't people be more apathetic towards the subject? Why do they give it enough time and consideration to classify themselves against an idea that they don't believe exists?