Jen and Lamont

Summer is here........well sort of

2009-06-10T21:20:00.008-04:00

Well Spring has sprung and on to Summer.....or so they say. Lamont experienced one of our coldest winters yet and now he is getting to experienced the chilliest Spring in a long time. I've given up on the positive upbeat talk and have turned in to one of many Winnipegers groaning about the weather. Apparently this week summer weather will be here.......like i said so they say.

Other than the weather life has been truly great for us. We are keeping very busy and having a great time. About a month ago Lamont got a job working for The Duffresne company as a truck driver. He is really enjoying this job and loves being back behind the wheel!! I am still working at the daycare with my little boy. Many changes have happened and are happening regarding that situation but to make a long story short my job is becoming more permanent and i love the people i work with! This is a picture of the gang at our Early Childhood Educator Appreciation week.

I am also happy to say that I got Lamont to do another first, horseback riding!! Yes he got on a horse and did very well. We went up to Birdshill Park for the day and went for a nice trail ride. He was very nervous to say the least but he confronted his fear and did it. It was quite a sight to see but I am very proud of him. Next first.......camping!! (so stay tuned!!)

My Birthday just passed as i am not a quarter of a century but it was nice to be in my home country with my family for a change and yes Lamont treated me very well and gave me a Build a Bear!! I didn't even think i'd get anything as we purchased a Wii a while back claiming that was my gift so I was quite happy!

No vacations for us this summer as we are both pretty new at our jobs so are unable to get a good amount of time off. Next summer we plan to do a road trip through the states to NY and back through Canada so we'll see if that works. Lamont is going to NY for a few day getaway in a week. My parents gave us some airmiles so we are glad that he gets to go even if it's for a very short time!! Needless to say I am quite jelous but I will live.

Life.......

2009-03-22T21:23:00.007-04:00

Well it has been a few months since we have updated our blog and i guess quite a lot has happened!! I am happy to say that the cold Winnipeg Winter is finally coming to a close. Lamont was not a fan of this Manitoba winter and of course he came on the coldest one that we have had in 30 years!! But he survived and even found a new love in it all.....Snowmobiling!!

In February we moved into our new place which we are thoroughly enjoying. It's larger than we are used to and is a great location especially for bus routes which has been great for me!

Lamont is still currently working at the dealership and is still looking for a local truck driving job. With the economy right now jobs have been less than usual so we are just greatfull right now that we both have jobs and all our needs have been taken care of! He does have a couple interviews lined up which he is excited for!!

2 weeks ago I started a new job as an integration worker with a 4 year old autistic boy at another daycare. It was hard leaving some of my kids but I was ready for a new challenge. So far this job has been just that...a challenge! But a good one. I am learning so much especially on patience!! The government has also payed for me to take some classes through Manitoba Childcare which I start this week. So my free evenings are getting less but a lot of new opportunities are coming my way!

Christmas!!

2008-12-30T22:29:00.004-05:00

This was the first Christmas that I got to spend with my family in Canada in over three years which was a huge treat. We had lots of fun and were blessed with great gifts. Here are a few pictures of the day!

Update

2008-12-30T22:24:00.002-05:00

Just a little update that Lamont has officially become a permanent resident of Canada! Wohoo!!We got it around a month ago and made a trip down to Grand Forks to make it official. While we were there we also got to visit our american stores and resteraunts that we miss!!
Now that's done we are finally on the apartment hunt hoping for a February move in date. Lamont also has a temporary job at a car dealership while he tries to become a city bus driver (which is a long process).
So life is slowely becoming normal and we are excited to get our own apartment. I am also hoping to go back to school in the near future but that may not happen till next year. We have a few other things we need to accomplish before that!!

Life is good!

2008-11-15T17:35:00.004-05:00

Ok i'm realizing i'm not too good at keeping this thing updated. I'm doing my best!

The biggest news really that has happened for us is that Lamont got accepted to be a permanent immigrant here in Canada! This is great news as it means he can start working soon! For now we are just waiting to receive his passport back in the mail and then we go to the border to make it official!!

The "transitioning" time has been a little longer than we had originally planned but it seems as that always happens with life. We are still living in my parents basement which at times can have its frustrations but overall has been good. We can't officially rent an apartment until Lamont's status is official (weird canadian rule) but now with the good news we have started looking at places and hope to be moving around Christmas!

I'm still loving my job working in the daycare and Lamont has been able to do a few jobs on the side and just spends time helping my dad out around home. This move has given us a chance to see each other in a different light and our marriage has gotten so much stronger because of it. We know we are where God wants us.

We have gotten involved in a great church and have made lots of new friends along the way. Life here has become more normal and doesn't feel so much like a vacation as it did in the beginning. The snow has just started falling and it's funny watching Lamont adjust to a "Canadian" winter. He's a bit cold to say the very least!

All in all as i'm sure you can tell life is good! We are excited for what lyes ahead of us in the next few months!

Getting our feet on the ground...

2008-08-16T21:07:00.006-04:00

Well we've been in Canada for over a month already and time flies. We have really been enjoying our time seeing family and old friends.

I have gotten a job working as a Childcare Assistant with a daycare in Lindenwoods. I was able to get the job quick and started days after my interview. I've now completed one full week and I have only one word to describe it all EXHAUSTION. I enjoy the job but am not used to being on my feet chasing around kids all day. It's a challenge but completely different from what I was doing and I like it. The great thing with the job is that they will pay for me to go to school to get my Childhood Educator degree with lots of future possibilities. The staff is great and it's nice to have evening and weekends free!

Lamont is enjoying Canda a lot. He has been enjoying his "extended" vacation. He has been able to get some side jobs to make a little extra cash and has been enjoying hanging out with my dad a lot. We are still waiting for his papers but that is expected. Hopefully in the next two months but we will see!! Here are a few more pics of our Canadian adventure.

We Made It!

2008-07-20T15:58:00.003-04:00

Well after months of preparing for this move it is finally behind us! Lamont made it into Canada with no problems!!

The first thing Lamont noticed about Winnipeg was the peace and quiet. It is quite different from Brooklyn! We noticed how tired our bodies are and have spent a lot of time catching up on sleep! It has also been nice to catch up with family and friends.

Already I have been able to get my health insurance and license back and have already started the dreadful job search. We have been able to house sit for a friend but next week will be moving back with my parents. As soon as I get a job we will be looking for an apartment of our own.

Lamont's papers have been going great and hopefully in a few months he will be able to start working. Please continue to pray for that process and also that I will find a job myself!

Little Update

2008-06-04T20:03:00.003-04:00

Just a little update in our whole process. We are now only one month away from our big move and we cannot believe it! We are excited and nervous and realizing how we need to get everything together!!! We only have a few more weeks of work left and are starting to pack up and selling lots of our things.

We still have not heard anything on Lamont's papers and are hoping that no news is good news!! It is not looking as the process will be completed by the time we go so now our hope is that they will let Lamont into Canada as a visitor until the process is completed. Unfortunately we will not know this until we go to the border the day we leave that puts a little bit of stress on us. We are now trying to prepare ourselves that we may have to be apart for a little while.

Please pray that Lamont's papers will come through and quickly. Please also pray for our finances as we are realizing how much of an exspense this process can be and are in need of a little financial miracle!

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Preparing for the move.......

2008-05-07T20:21:00.002-04:00

As days go by Lamont and I are realizing how fast the semester is going by. We cannot believe that in two months we will be making the move to Canada. As time gets closer we get more excited, more sad but most of all more nervous!!

We are starting to get things together, selling a few of our things and are managing to get everything done for Lamont's papers. We are waiting for his FBI check to come in so we can finally send in his application. The good news is it only takes a month or two to process the thing!! If the process is not done by the date of the move we are hoping that the border officer will let Lamont in the country as a visitor but we have no guarantees. So we are preparing ourself for the worst and also the best.

Please continue to keep us in prayer....here are a few things to keep in mind.

- For the application process to go quickly. The FBI check will come back soon and once we get the application out it will process quickly and most importantly GET APPROVED!!

- Finances for the move, the immigration process and starting out our life in Winnipeg (apartment and jobs!!)

- We will make the best of our last couple months here

We will be living with my parents for the first bit till we get ourselves established and are already looking into job and apartment ideas.

No matter what we know we have an eventful few months ahead of us!!

Our big news....

2008-04-27T11:44:00.000-04:00

Well a lot of people have been hearing the "rumor" that we are moving and a whole lot of reasons why so here we are to set the record straight. Yes we are moving. We will be moving to Jen's home town in Canada in July. This has not been an easy decision but Jen's health has not been the greatest and health care in the states is not too affordable. There are a few other reasons but all in all we think it's time. We are quite excited for the move but at the same time it is going to be real hard for us to leave. Please pray for us in this big move. Pray for finances and that Lamont can get his papers worked out, we will find jobs and an apartment when we get there. Thanks y'all!

2008-04-27T11:16:00.000-04:00

Well we have finally started one of these. Lets see how well we do with keeping it up!!
Lamont and I are doing well. We cannot believe we have been married for amost one year already. How time flies!! Our first year has been filled with many ups and downs but when it all comes down to it we love being married and have grown immensely individually and together. Here are a few pics of our wedding and us.