Happy Sunday

Hello friends and fam, 
     Well, our first official full week in Hamilton has come to a close and we are headed right into the crazy and busy-ness that comes with Matt starting a new semester of school. In some ways it feels like we have been gone from Lethbridge for months already and in other ways it feels like we just left yesterday... But mostly, with all that we have done and accomplished in the past week and half it feels like we've been in Hamilton for much longer than we actually have. We are continuing to finish settling in and just about have the apartment at a state where I would feel okay about taking and posting some pictures. :P I promise, they're coming soon! 
      We had a busy end to our week and an equally busy weekend.  Friday we were out and about together pretty much all day. (Matt doesn't have classes on Fridays which is kind of nice!) We went and got a lot of things done and it felt great. We were able to get a really good deal on a bike for Matt so he will now be biking to school as often as the weather allows. Whenever he can't bike, he will try catch the bus. Hopefully it works out okay!  We were home by 4:30 in time for me to get ready for some company. My cousin D.J. and his girlfriend Rose came over for a B.B.Q. which was great. It's really nice to have some people here in Hamilton that we know already! We haven't felt too lonely having family and friends close by. D.J. and Rose drove us "up the mountain" (a.k.a., fairly average size hill that everyone in Hamilton calls the mountain) and we went to a look out over the city. It was a really cool view of the city and lake and there's a nice park and walk way there as well. 

View from the Hamilton lookout

       Saturday we got up on time and were headed out by around 10:30 to drive to a church in Burlington for Matthew's school kick-off retreat. Spouses were invited so off we went, not really knowing what to expect. What we experienced was a really enjoyable day filled with 2 worship services, 2 meal times, some free time and game time and a couple activities as well as time to meet other people in the program. It was really cool because it  wasn't only first year students there, but rather all the students in any program from MacDiv were invited. We met lots of cool people and we actually met a couple from Alberta who have been in Hamilton now for two years. The wife, Caryn, was actually raised in Coaldale and knows all about Lethbridge. Her and her husband moved here from Calgary 2 years ago and he is entering the third year of the MDiv program. They are super nice and we exchanged phone numbers and I am going out with Caryn sometime this week. It was really great to be able to start making some connections. Matt also met and talked with a couple guys in the program he is starting which was really good and encouraging for him.  We were also introduced to a guy whose wife is a hairstylist in the city and he gave me her card to contact her about any connections she might have with salons in the city so that was helpful on the job front! We really enjoyed the day but were ready to come home at 8 last night. 
       This morning we slept in a bit and then we headed out at noon to drive to a city north of Toronto called Bowmanville. Matt's brother Jason got engaged this summer to his wonderful girlfriend Breanne and her parents were throwing an engagement party at their house today. We made the 1.5 hour drive and spent some time there getting to know Breanne's family and also meeting other people from the area. Everyone was super friendly which was really great! Now we are back home again and ready to take on a new week. 
      Matthew's busiest days of the week are Mondays when he is at school from about 10-5:30 so I will be on my own for a while tomorrow. We are going to dinner at the house of one of the families in the MDiv program. They are actually from Lethbridge as well and the husband played a role in convincing Matt to come out to Hamilton. I'm looking forward to meeting some more people and making some more connections in the city. 
       Well, that's all folks. I hope you all had a blessed and enjoyable weekend. Talk soon!


Much Love!