Ingersoll

I have been in Ingersoll with Matthew for a day now, and in some ways it feels entirely normal and in others it feels quite foreign. I love the fact that when he came home from work yesterday that I was here waiting for him. I wasn't waiting for a phone call or for us to skype, I was waiting for him :) Then we were able to eat dinner together at our very own kitchen table and talk about our day. You see for me it's all about the simple things, the little things, that for everyone else are just a part of their normal, everyday life. But for us, up until yesterday, our normal consisted of technology. Phone calls, skype conversations, we might even break out of our box and send a card or two but even those were very few and far between.

I am enjoying being able to make our apartment our home. Matthew has been living as a bachelor since he moved in here in March, and as he says, "It needs a woman's touch" :) That makes me happy. The thought that he needs me, that he wants me to come in and organize what I can and move things around and make it ours. I'm loving having my own kitchen, and trying to figure out what to have for dinner each night. It makes me feel important and useful, which is exactly what I need right now because until I am granted permanent residence status I am unable to work. Which some might think is nice, to have some time to yourself, to take a break and relax. But it's hard for me to think of Matthew going off to work everyday and here I am at home, not working. It makes me feel lazy and that I am not contributing to our life. And that is exactly the thought process that Satan tries to bring me down with, I must be strong and fight against such thoughts that are not true and not given from my Heavenly Father. I am choosing to think of my time of not being able to work as a gift. I am in a new place with lots to learn and many relationships to build, and I believe that this time can be a wonderful gift if I use my time wisely. To keep our home clean and welcoming to anyone who might pass through our door, to make an effort to build relationships and get involved here in Ingersoll. I am trusting my Jesus to guide me over these coming months without work, it will give us plenty of time to spend together and plenty of time for Him to mold me into the woman and the wife that He longs for me to be.

I am really looking forward to this weekend because my parents and my brother will arrive here on Friday and stay through the weekend for mine and Matthew's Canadian reception that is on Saturday. It will be great for them to be able to see where I am living and to be able to meet many of the people who will be involved in my life over the upcoming months and years. Elinor, Matthew's mom, is planning our Canadian reception and I am so grateful to her for planning a reception for friends and family who are here in Ingersoll and the surrounding areas. I am looking forward to meeting many new people and also seeing some familiar faces :)