An Open Letter to Our Apartment

Dear Apartment,

Well, we’re down to our final days with you.  Just two more sleeps and we have to hand over the keys.  I’m not sure how I feel about that.  I always knew we wouldn’t live with you forever, but I’ll be honest, it’s harder than I thought to leave you behind.

I mean, I know, you’re just a place. And Ben and I will probably have many places where we lay our heads over the years.  But you were the first place we did so together, and I think that means something to me.

 

 

 

 

 

I remember how jazzed I was that there was virtually no carpet throughout the entire place, because it meant we didn’t have to shell out our precious money on a vaccuum (we could just sweep!).  And then how not even months later I was cursing the fact that there was virtually no carpet, because it meant that every.single.piece.of.dust was visible ALL THE TIME. 

  

I remember how even 6 months into living here we were still arranging and re-arranging things and trying to find places to put our stuff. (I’ll admit apartment, you do come with a lack of storage, including a ridiculously small bedroom closet). 

I remember how Ben and I both wanted to create a home that was warm and always welcome to whoever, whenever, and you helped us to do that.  Whether it was homechurch every Thursday night our first year of living here and trying to cram 25 people into our living room, or games nights with friends and family around our dining room table, or Christmas dinner with our neighbours who lived upstairs and downstairs and our landlords.  We laughed a lot in these rooms.

Your kitchen was great and you came with a dishwasher – which we loved.  Even if half of the dishes still came out not-so-clean.  We shrugged, and ate/drank out of them anyway.  Your breakfast nook became the place where I would sit while Ben worked on dinner.  That way, it looked like I was helping, but really I was just in the same vicinity as all work. (I’m kidding…mostly)

We had our first (and second) Christmas here -and we decorated you with ALL of our 5 household decorations.  (Give us time, we’re still building up our collection).  We may not have made you look at festive as some of the other houses out there, but even you have to admit our little tree looked good in that corner by the TV.  It was just enough for Ben and I. And we did put up that one string of lights around that one window.  At first glance I know it may not look like much – but they weren’t ordinary lights -they flickered on and off. on and off. See apartment,  we tried. 

You never failed to give us mice each winter.  The first year, it was just Stanley – who died pretty quickly.  But this past year, I think you let your guard down a little too much.  Luckily, the mouse hunt and inevitable killing of said mice all took place while I was on a business trip out to BC.  Despite that – we still love you, and just like in the Fire Swamp in The Princess Bride – once you know what to expect, it’s really not a bad place to live.

 

I know they say “Home is where the Heart is”.  And apartment, I’ll admit, that  6 months from now, when our 5 Christmas decorations are hung on different walls in a different place, I probably won’t be missing you too much -  and I agree, that it’s where Ben and I are together that will make a home a home – but I’ll still think that you were special too.  You were a part of the past two years of our lives.  Two years that included the beginning of many friendships, the foundation of a marriage, fellowshipping over food, games, movie nights, fights, naps, leaving old jobs and starting new ones, laughing, sweeping (6 times a day), cleaning the bathroom (not enough times), walks through the neigbourhood, running across the road to the store(s), walking through the door and knowing that we’re home**.

 

Thanks for that.  For all of that. 

 

 

 

**pardon the hideous picture of me (and the garbage can)….it’s the only picture I had of the outside of our place. 

Catching You Up

I figure this blog’s been around long enough now, that people who may have just started to read it a little while ago, are going to be too lazy to go back through all our old posts to figure out who we are and where we’re at in life.  (Or maybe you actually just have a life and don’t spend hours perusing other people’s blogs…umm…does that statment make it blantatly obvious how I spend my time???).  (If you are new – say hi! and if you have a blog – let me know – I’d love to read you too!)

It’s also come to my attention that even those who do know me well aren’t 100% sure what the heck we’re doing in the next little while and how life is going for us.  So – here’s a handy dandy little summary post to catch everyone up to speed.  So here goes:

This is me and Ben:

We’re married. For two whole years now. 

I just recently (a month ago) started a job as a Youth Director at this church.  I have been asked a lot lately how it’s going. The short answer? Great.  I love it and have been so blessed already by the people I get to work with and the students I’m getting to know.  I am SO thankful for the great start I’ve gotten and still sometimes can’t believe God lead Ben and I here. 

We currently live in Hamilton (Ontario).  Because of this new job – we are moving to Oakville (where the church is).  For those of you who aren’t from around here- it’s about a 1/2 hour drive between the two places.  Ben will be keeping his job here in Hamilton.  Several people have asked us if we would move, and if so, would we split the difference between our two jobs and live in the middle, etc. Yes – we are moving and no we won’t live in the middle - we’re going to move to Oakville.  We both feel strongly about living in the community that we’re trying to care for and be a part of.  And Ben is a trooper (a handsome one at that) and is willing to drive the commute to work.  YAY for him. 

So – because of that – we are in the midst of packing.  This Saturday, we are going to take all of our stuff, put it in storage and then free load for the summer off of very generous people who have given us their houses while they go on vacation/study abroad/etc.  Some of the places we’ll stay are in Oakville, and our main “home base” is in Hamilton.  So basically, we’ll just be all over the place and good luck getting a hold of us. 

So there you have it: a tiny glimpse into the past and next few months for us.  As for today – I get to pack more.  Awesome. I spent my entire day off yesterday packing.  It kind of hit Ben and I last Thursday that “oh crap – we’re moving in a week….perhaps we should think about putting our stuff in some boxes or something”.   I don’t think I have been blessed with the gift of packing either – which is too bad considering I have been “blessed” with the gift of anal-retentiveness.  I’ll start packing a box, but then get overwhelmed by the thought that maybe I’m not putting the right things in this box – and perhaps I should leave that box, start a new box, and leave the first one 1/2 packed and opened, just in case I come across more logical things that should be in that box.  This is all well and good, except for when I have 8 boxes on the go and nothing in them, because I’m waiting for the right things to come along. 

So if you happen to be in the area and want to stop in and give me a reality check reminding me that ALL of our stuff does in fact end up at the same place and it really doesn’t matter what box our stuff ends up in – it would be much appreciated.

Tired of staring at pictures from my wedding yet?

Ok – I know it’s been a while. And I also know that I took advantage of your loyalty and showed you copius amounts of wedding pictures and I even re-used one for my father’s day post.  I know.  I can’t believe you’re still reading either. 

All that to say – a new post is coming.  Soon.  I promise . We are moving a week from tomorrow. Where to you ask? Well no where really.  We’ll be wandering around for the next few months living in other people’s houses for free.  (I currently have 4 different house keys on my key chain, if you count our apartment).  As stressful as it is to figure out what stuff we’ll need, what stuff can be stored, what stuff to chuck, and where we’ll be on any given week, all of that doesn’t trump the fact that it’s FREE yo.  We’re willing to put up with a little logistical stress for FREE RENT.

Ok- well I’ll be back soon.  Just wanted to give you some relief from our mugshots for a little while.

 

Happy Father’s Day

To these two….

To our Dads:

You posses a quiet strength which we admire. You are easy to tease.  You have taught us lots about practical things: like fixing stuff, making a budget, sticking to a budget, choosing how to buy the right car, how to do our taxes, and developing a good work ethic.  You have taught us lots about spiritual things: like how to lead with integrity, how its important to daily meet with God, how it’s ok to not get the last word, how to pray, how to explore and ask questions, and how to intertwine our faith with every element of our lives.  You are talented.  You are respected by MANY.  You disciplined us gently, but firmly, often talking to us to help us see why things needed to be the way they were.  You are an example of a godly husband.  You work hard at what you do.  You are daily in our thoughts and conversations.  You are our dads.  And boy are we lucky.

 

We love you.

Ben and Karmyn

Two

Two years ago today I woke up in a hotel in Niagara Falls with a knot in my stomach, and baggy eyes after too little sleep.  It didn’t matter though, because the adrenaline was already pumping and I knew it was going to be a perfect day.  The sun was shining, I was surrounded by 5 of my closest girlfriends, and I was going to get married.

 

 

 

The day started off great, with breakfast with my girls and all of my relatives.  After a relaxing time of catching up, it was time to get ready.  The morning flew by, and I did my best to soak in every minute of what was happening around me. Before I knew it however, we were back at the hotel, adding the finishing touches to our makeup, putting on our dresses and my trying my best not to cry just yet.

  

 

I remember Dad, Dallas and Dustin coming up to the hotel room, and the smile that came across my dad’s face.  I also remember everyone leaving to go get the cars pulled around, and mom and I having one last moment with just the two of us.

 

It was then off to pictures.  Ben and I chose to do our pictures before the ceremony, and we had picked out a spot where he could be waiting for me to come and so we could have that moment of seeing each other for the first time. 

 

Pictures came and went, and then it was finally time to get married.  I remember going up the back stairs all secret like.  I remember the growing excitement and knot that my stomach had created as each of my girls walked down the aisle, knowing my turn was coming.  And then, it was just me and dad, linked arm in arm and I turned to him and asked “are you ready?”  He just smiled and in a futile attempt, I choked back tears.

 

To me, our ceremony was perfect.  We had those we loved surrounding us and a part of the ceremony. We sang worship songs that held so much meaning. We heard scripture that our parents picked out, and read for us. We said vows we wrote ourselves and earnestly meant every word.  We washed each other’s feet in the example of Jesus, and we became husband and wife.

 

To Ben,

I love you.  Thanks for doing this marriage thing with me. I know when we got married, and I stood across from you holding your hands that when I said I love you, I meant it. But I think today, two years later, it means a lot more. I didn’t know that when I said I love you 2 years ago, it would include laying in bed with you at night, playing Phase 10 until I either win or get too tired to play anymore.  I didn’t know it would include acting so silly with each other that I’m certain our friends and family would find us crazy. 

 

I didn’t know it would include figuring out who would do what chores around our house, and the joys that would come in doing them for each other just to give the other person a break. Or that it would include figuring out how to fight fair, and that being mad at each other just isn’t very much fun, so we should talk it out and move on.  I didn’t know that it would mean that when you leave for work before me and I’m still sleeping, you make sure you lock the door, so no bad guys can get in, and I didn’t know it would mean that when you are a little bit late coming home from work, my imagination gets the better of me and I worry way too much about if you’re ok. 

 

I didn’t know that just when I thought I had a grasp on what loving you and being married to you means, you do something great and my heart grows a little bit bigger.  I also didn’t know that when I thought we finally had this marriage thing all figured out, life throws us a curveball, and we’re reminded that this relationship is  hard work.  I didn’t know that it would mean that I would fail you so often, and you would show me grace and forgiveness time after time after time, and I didn’t know that it would mean that I get to do the same for you.

 

I did know that when I said I love you, that it wasn’t a feeling, but a choice. A choice knowing that although the majority of the time it would be easy to be married to you, there would be days that would be really hard. And on those days, I would still choose this relationship.  Because it is worth too much to leave to chance.  And I will continue to choose this relationship each and every day.  Because this marriage is worth it.  You are worth it.

 

 

Happy Anniversary Benjy,

Love

Karmyn

 

 

 

The Willies

So last night, Ben and I come home from being out, and I notice that there’s a centipede just chillaxing on our wall.  umm ew.  Now, I’m not THAT easily creeped out by bugs, and as long as they don’t startle me, land on my shoulder, or try to lay eggs in my ears while I sleep, I’m cool with them.

But I do kill them when I see them.  So I grab a kleenex, make my way over the wall and stare at it for a second, marveling at how grotesque it really was.  Their legs are LONG yo.  I contemplated taking a picture of it, but didn’t really want to turn my back to it, just in case it decided to make a run for it, so I killed it, and that was the end of it.

But then, no sooner had I turned around that I noticed a spider near the ceiling.   I called Ben (sometimes it’s really handy having a 6′7″ guy around) and got him to kill it.  Again, no real big deal, we see an average of 1 spider a day in this place – they’re alright, and so far, no babies have crawled out of my face, so we’re cool

But THEN – oh man – Ben looked down at his feet and there was THE biggest, grossest….THING I’d ever seen. (keep in mind this has all been in a span of about 15 seconds…it’s like bug central)   I got him to kill it IMMEDIATELY.  And honestly-  it still gives me The Willies just thinking about it.  You know that feeling of being all itchy and you’re convinced something is on you just because you saw a bug? yeah, that was me for the rest of the night thanks to this thing.

Clearly, I had to take a picture of it, or else this blog just wouldn’t have the same effect.  And I realize that there are MUCH bigger bugs in this world, some of which I’ve seen on my own travels – so don’t go thinking “Karmyn is SUCH a wussie pants”.  (because I know you’re all on the verge)  But keep in mind we’re in Canada. IN the city. INdoors. 

And now take a look at this (I apologize for the guts…I wasn’t about to risk this one getting away just so I could get a picture of it alive)

Can I please point out that it’s tentacle/antennae/leg things are SO long they don’t even fit in this picture?

Now see it again next to my finger, just to put it in perspective (feel free to click on the picture to get the up close and personal view):

So, please don’t judge me if the next time you see me I have kleenex stuffed in my ears and my nostrils before I go to bed at night.  With guys like these crawling around, you can never be too careful.

 

Last weekend these two got married…

And it was great.  The wedding was beautiful, Lisa looked stunning and Chris is clearly in love with her.  For those of you that don’t know these two – Lisa and I went to the same youth group. She then ended up at Redeemer for a year where she met Chris, and then they stayed in Hamilton to go to Mac.  It allowed Ben and I the chance to get to know them well as a couple, and probably our favourite thing to do with them is have games nights, where I frequently beat Chris at every game we play.

Because the wedding was an “Old school youth group wedding”, I had such a great time re-connecting with friends who I don’t get to see as often anymore. We always manage to have fun as a crew – especially when it comes time to “cut a rug”.

Lisa, Sheena and I: I’m pretty sure we’re all looking at different cameras, but this was the best we could do…it was either this:

or this:

And the obligatory picture of Ben and I.  I know. I am constantly putting up pictures of just me and Ben from every wedding we go to (on facebook anyway).  Deal with it.  Although I agree- I look kind of weird (or pregnant – which I am not)  in this one. (could my chin BE any pointier??)  You can deal with that as well.  (Speaking of facebook, you’ll find more pictures there. If you’re not my friend yet, you probably should be.)

Also? Can I just say that these centrepieces were KILLER?  I love.love.love them.

 

To Chris and Lisa:  I hope your day was all you wanted it to be.  You both exuded love for each other and for Christ.  We were honoured to be a part of that.

 

 

57-58

Well it’s Monday -and here I am posting like I said I would. But you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about the great weekend we had.  All I’ll say is: the wedding was wonderful, seeing old friends was SO incredible, and I read The Shack, which proceeded to take everything I’ve ever known about my relationship with God and rock me with it. In a good way.  You should read it -and then tell me what you learned.

So, as I said – all that will wait until tomorrow when I can upload pics to my computer.  Because really-  what’s a post about a wedding without wedding pictures?  I know – a crappy one.

 

So, what’s with the 57-58 you ask? Well tonight, Ben and I thought we’d take advantage of the glorious weather and go mini-golfing. Now if you know me/us at all, you’ll know that there may or may not be a competitive streak that runs through us both.  So, naturally we just had to bet something on this game.  It’s always hard to know what to bet with your spouse.  I mean any bets that involve money don’t really do us any good.  His money’s mine, my money’s his – somehow it just loses the excitement to know that if I win 20 bucks off of Ben, it’s coming out of my spending money.

BUT – the one tried and true item to bet on – at least in our house – is massages.  Oh sweet massages.  So, that’s what was up for grabs – a 30 minute, guilt-free back massage.  Ben was fairly confident he could take me in this one (since he actually does golf, and I have so little skill, that when I go to the driving range and take a shot, I can physically walk off my tee, take a few steps and retrieve the ball I just hit). So he eagerly accepted. 

BUT – tonight was a different story.  I was pretty much awesome and he…well, let’s just say he capped off at the maximum amount of strokes a couple of times.  And in the end, after a long, well fought battle, I came out on top beating him by 1 stroke.  57 to 58. 

I think I’m going to start tensing all my back muscles now, just because I can.