HAPPY NEW YEAR

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

As 2014 comes to a close I once again pack up my belongings in three suitcases, prepare myself for many tearful goodbyes and head to Uganda. 2014 taught me a lot and I am so grateful for all the people I met this year. I look forward to what the New Year has in store for me and for everyone else in the world! Below are just a few of my New Years Resolutions :)

New Years Resolutions 2015

1. Don’t give in to my doubts. Have faith and take a leap of faith every once in a while

2. Nourish my body – Avoid sweets, processed food, and deep-fried

3. Love myself for who I am inside and outside

4. Do not give in to idleness – Keep active and work hard in ALL things

Wishing you ALL a very happy New Year!

*Make 2015 your year! Do whatever you need to do to make yourself the happiest version of yourself J

LEAP OF FAITH

And so it begins…once more I am packing my bags and heading to the land of Cockroaches and dirt roads. In 28 days I will embark on an adventure that will take me exactly 13,900 km away from my home in Canada. That’s right, I’m going back to Uganda!

I have come to realize that I am not fit for the first world life. At least not right now. I want to wake up and splash my face with cold water if there is any that day, search my room for any roaches to scream and throw things at, eat a giant mango and hear the Muslim prayers screaming from the speakers at 5am. I want to have my arms filled to the point of overflowing with little African children, their black faces and bright eyes looking back at me with uncontrollable joy! I want to feel sweaty and gross after a hard days work. I want to spend 20 minutes killing mosquitos in my room before I finally fall asleep to the sound of bats outside my window.

I never wanted to go to Uganda. I never wanted to live in an overpopulated city. But God did. God wanted and needed me there. And now, he needs me there once again. I have no idea what will come of this next step and maybe nothing very noticeable will. All I know is that it’s time to step out of my comfort zone once again and take that leap of faith into the unknown!

OUR HOME

Since being home I have gained a new appreciation for the beauty of the town I live in. The air constantly smells like flowers, roads are clean and empty, sidewalks are a beautiful thing, the ocean is magnificent, the grass a deep green, the colourful flowers everywhere, the majestic mountains, the lush forests, and of course the friends I am surrounded by constantly <3

So today please realize how beautiful your home is. Think twice before throwing that garbage out your window, think twice before ripping up the flower beds and of course think twice before taking such a beautiful place for granted...

I once took my home for granted. Never again will I be so silly as to not notice the beauty that I have been blessed to live in.

This is our home. Love it!

ULTIMATE LOVE

“Goodbye Emma, goodbye Emma, goodbye Emma may god bless you!”

 As these sweet words were sung to me by all of the children and teachers at Sanyu Babies Home tears flowed from my cheeks and my heart was full. During my time spent serving at Sanyu’s I have come to understand the meaning of Ultimate Love.

Ultimate love is seeing the little things.

The tiny hands that blow kisses and comfort others, the shy smile, the giggly smile and of course the smile that accompanies the little chuckle that escapes her small mouth.

Ultimate Love is seeing a room full of children and knowing her by the back of her head, the way she walks and the way she treats her friends.

Ultimate Love is noticing how her tiny feet walk when they are forced onto hard gravel, the way she reaches up when she is sad, and the way she yells when she decides she is the boss.

Ultimate love is having your heart ripped out when it comes time for goodbyes but having faith that everything will work out

Above all Ultimate Love is never forgetting, never letting go of the happiness you felt and never losing faith that it will all work out.

HEALTHY RECIPES OF THE WEEK: GF + VG

About three weeks ago I removed all wheat from my diet. Since doing this I have searched the Internet for yummy and wheat-free dishes! Below are my top two recipes that I have tried and loved! They are both gluten-free and healthy (for the most part)

1       “Bright Mango Goodness” – ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE 

I found this recipe on the Coconut Goddess website and boy oh boy is it delicious! I have eaten this at least two times a week since finding it and it has become one of my favourites, especially in the hot weather we have been having.

   

          

    If you want extra coconut flavour you can pour some coconut milk on the bottom of the bowl AND on the top!

s    "French vanilla cacao banana oat-bread bites” ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE

I came across this recipe through Instagram. It is very simple and if made like the original recipe is both vegan and gluten free! I prefer to double the ingredients since it doesn’t make very many. These are perfect to whip up in your spare time and put aside for a healthy snack J

1 mashed Banana

1 tsp cacao

1Tbsp French vanilla protein powder

1/3 cup rolled oats

Roll into balls and bake at 175 Celsius on greased sheet for 10-20min.

** I made this with normal cocoa powder and since I didn’t have any protein powder I threw in a few extra oats and a tsp of vanilla for some flavour. Also, the recipe says to bake for 10min. but I found it took mine about 20min. **

Give these recipes a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

 *DISCLAIMER: These are not my original recipes. All credit goes to the coconut goddess and vanxfit :)

PUPPIES FIRST OUTING

On Saturday we decided to take our puppies, Rosie and Benjie for an outing, as they have grown stronger and bigger since the day we found them. As we pulled onto the main road and headed out of town we noticed an on-going, solid line of traffic going the opposite way…back towards our house. After 10 minutes of driving we turned back, worried we would get stuck on our way home and what would normally have taken another 10min. took 45minutes. 

Instead of heading out of town we just took the puppies to a field up the road from where we live. Uganda traffic is always unpredictable but most of the time you can assume it will be backed up! What should have been a small drive ended up taking as un entire hour and in the end we were five minutes from our house!

100 REASONS TO SMILE

Hello Everyone! I thought I would brighten your day by sharing with you my 100 reasons to smile.

1. Lavender
2. Flower Stands
3. 75% off signs
4. Fresh Lemonade
5. Summer Tan lines
6. Old family videos
7. Feather earrings
8. Quotes
9. Downton Abbey
10. Smiles
11. Laughter
12. Summer markets
13.Ferry rides
14. Service
15. Hotel samples
16. Chocolate
17. Horse-back rides
18. Music
19. Hot Chocolate
20. Christmas lights
21. Baggy Sweaters
22. Pajamas
23. Bike Rides
24. Warm Weather
25. Reading
26. Scriptures
27. Family
28. Sisters
29. Fairy tales
30. Happily ever after
31. Thrift store finds
32. Vanilla scent
33. Lavender cream
34. Saltspring Island
35. Canadian :)
36. Healthy food
37. Homemade Choc. chip cookies
38. LOVE
39. Latter Day Saint
40. Running
41. Long walks
42. Sandy beaches
43. Sound of the waves crashing
44. Sand in toes
45. Picnics
46. Breakfast at Grandmas
47. Travel
48. Airports
49. Photography
50. Gift Shops
51. Souvenirs
52. Mini toothpaste
53. Haircuts
54. Painted nails
55. Handmade gifts
56. Paris
57. Dreams
58. Pillows
59. Popcorn
60, Lullabies
61. Sunsets
62. Road trips
63. Gardens
64. Palm trees
65. Babies
66. Mothers
67. Bows
68. Braids
69. Accents
70. Herbal Tea
71. Strawberries
72. Blueberries
73. Smoothies
74. Lake days
75. Memories
76. Cherry blossoms
77. Old camera
78. Polaroid
79. Pride and Prejudice
80. Romance
81. Hand-written letters
82. Summer dresses
83. Birds singing
84. Full moon
85. Spring
86. Tulips
87. Ball gowns
88. Hikes
89. Fudge Brownies
90. Grandparents
91. Puppy's
92. Jane Austen
93. Rain on the window
94. Ideas
95. Book of Mormon
96. Ocean views
97. Oreos
98. Humanitarian trips
99. Rainbows
100. Happiness

BE HAPPY!

WE RESCUE PUPPIES

Sunday evening as we were preparing for bed Corey walks in and tells us that he saw some little puppies all alone on the side of the road...I immediately suggest we should go get them, and run to tell Savannah! After a little debate with our mom we finally won and headed out to collect the puppies.

Through the dark we could make out two little puppies huddled against a brick wall and found two more huddled in a bush close by. We timidly picked them up and headed home. We sure shocked my mom when we walked through the door with four puppies and Corey surprised her even more when he brought home one more making a total of five little puppies now in our home. After we fed them we noticed the runt of the litter had a flattened paw...something must have run it over so we got to play vet for the night.

After we got them all cozy and comfy in a box with blankets we finally headed to bed.

Sadly we lost Junior, the runt the following morning and his brother Benny followed the next day after being swarmed by maggots. We have worked hard to save the other three and now they are all thriving!

*Update: Sadly the morning after I posted this Charlie passed away. He took no interest in eating the night before and fell asleep next to his brother and sister warm and loved.