Selling our house

we need to sell our house. it was our dream house, custom designed with tonnes of functional space and room for everyone as they grow! The kitchen is spacious with a fabulous 6 burner gas stove and the ensuite was inspired by many of the spa bathrooms we have seen! And custom to the house- an oversized pantry and a walk in linen closet. The basement is completely finished too!
it has many many upgrades, and is located on a gorgeous lot with a spectacular view of our prairie sunsets !!!
if you or someone you know are looking to buy in saskatoon, please pass this on.

AND...there is an open house this weekend. Saturday from 1-4!

http://www.realtor.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyID=11860613&PidKey=-1944965427

Thanks for your help!
Blessings,
candra

Update

Hi everyone - Riley here.  Candra & I have decided to join forces on this blog (maybe so that we post more than every 2 months!).  My blog has pretty much come to a close and our story is turning to a new chapter.

The long & short version of why my blog is finished is this:
- the house we've been investing ourselves in for almost 2 years is basically finished
- we will never live in it & have to sell it

This summer we move to Camrose, Alberta where I will be working as the 'Dean of Students' at a Bible college.

It's been the toughest months of our married lives as we deal with being called elsewhere & saying goodbye to the church we love and invested our entire lives in over the last 7 years since we started it, grieving our dream home (we designed and built from the footings up & sacrificed to make it happen...), trying to transition our kids from an amazing situation into the unknown, deal with injuries & surgeries & diabetes diagnosis, asking Candra to resign from her dream job, moving away from most of our family, leading the call process for my successor, being 20 months into the adoption process, etc.  So if you need a reason why we've been quiet online, that's why.

Candra - you are an incredible wife, mother & friend.  Even in the midst of a lot of insanity over the last 5 months you have remained open, engaged, stable, loving and continued to be my best friend.  Thanks for being you - you are swempe!

R

another beautiful year

2 years ago we met our son. It was a beautiful day. We are so blessed by and through him.

2010

2012

Blessings,

Candra

forever changed

I have been pretty quiet lately - our lives have been full. Here is a glimpse. And by the way - my son is a rockstar. So proud of who he is and the young man he is becoming. 

March 2...our lives have been forever changed. Type 1 diabetes is no longer a medical condition to just support or to have head knowledge about - it is part of us...part of our family. And we will embrace it together as a family. I am proud to have four children that call me mom. I am blessed. I am particularly proud of my confident son today as he begins this journey with us standing beside him, in front of him and behind him.

every step of the way.

praying 

loving

laughing

experiencing

adventuring

Taste and see that the LORD is good; 

   blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 

 Fear the LORD, you his holy people, 

   for those who fear him lack nothing. 

 The lions may grow weak and hungry, 

   but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. 

Blessings,

Candra

the week

this week has been, at least it seems, a very long one. it started with my parents being in helping (which was amazing) with the kids...
I am working full time til the end of march, which seemed like a good idea until appendix surgery for my husband. So even though things were likely not as crazy as they seemed in my head- most of the household chores became mine for a while! then on Thursday, a child took a gun to my kids school and it discharged in the child's backpack - no one was hurt. thankfully. But for my big girl, the trauma of it has thrown her for a loop and she has stuck pretty close to our sides this weekend. And finally this morning, I woke up with the stomach flu. I am praying it is a less than 24 hour thing and that it is the ned of our family's run in with sickness- not the beginning of round 2. The joy in it has to watch my older son take care of his brother this morning...he is so caring and patient with him. We just didn't think taking all 4 kids to church with a husband who is still recovering and has to lead service and preach was a good idea!

If there is a bright side to all of this, it is that I am learning to continually to trust deeper in God's provision of my life & the life of our family. I cannot do it on my own. But here is hoping I can hold down some water and pretzels and get outside to watch my kids toboggan. they have been looking forward to it all weekend!

Hope you are reminded of the provision that God has given you....

Blessings,
Candra

Following

“Following God’s call isn’t easy. He expects us to trust Him explicitly, and yet He doesn’t ask our advice on decisions that may impact us dramatically. He doesn’t tell us His specific plans at any given point in our lives. He doesn’t always shelter us from adversity. He tests our faith to produce endurance and spiritual maturity – tests that are sometimes painful. He makes some promises that we’ll never see fulfilled in this life.”

Can't remember where I got this quote from but it has been waiting in my draft box to post. This quote exactly quantifies what I have experienced and felt over the last almost 6 months. 6 months ago we decided to take a complete step of faith and follow God's call to move provinces. My husband has accepted a position as a Dean of students at a Bible College and we are excited about the opportunities that are ahead of us!

To get to this point hasn't been easy and many moments of each day are still not easy. in amidst this decision lies a lot of uncertainty and sadness -

Leaving the most amazing church we have had the privilege of being a part of!
Never getting to live in our dream house that we built for our ever expanding family(which you can pray will sell soon!)
Having to uproot our kids from their new school
Not being close to my parents and sister who now would live in the same area of the city as us
For me, I have the most amazing job as a pediatric physical therapist.
And a great group of friends that we have made over the last 13 years

So we have been asked over and over again if we should just stay. It seems to make more sense. And as much as we have had moments of questioning, when God calls you, you just know that you have to follow. And it isn't always supposed to make sense. The part of the quote that says that He doesn't shelter us from adversity has been especially true since we have made this decision...

My husband had emergency appendix surgery
My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
Two rounds of sickness
our van died and needed to be fixed
Our other van was stolen and totaled
Our house hasn't sold
Our adoption is still on hold
We don't have a house yet in our new city.
there is not a new pastor for our church yet

So what has God been teaching me through this season? These experiences and moments have tested me and my faith. I have been angry, sad, confused, and have asked many times why. But i have grown in my understanding of my faith and my relationship with Jesus. So here is what i have learned and am continuing to learn(with some that I will probably forget!)

1. That I need to give up control - this happens over and over again in a day and I need to be reminded that God is in control and will provide and lead me
2. that amidst the adversity and craziness of the season, there is and will continue to be joy and hope! we have had so many good times as a family complete with a family holiday ( more to come on that- it was a blast!)
3. to be thankful for the blessings in my life - I have the most incredible husband, four great kids who are happy ( mostly!) , great friends and we are all healthy and provided for
4. that He provides- not always how I think it should happen ( in fact almost never!)

For the last few weeks at my job, I have begun to tell the families that I will soon be done. Although I rarely talk about it, my job has been a wonderful ministry for me. I pray for these kids and their families that I work with, bring hope and joy to many of them (hopefully) and develop relationships! How cool is that? Anyways, after I told one of the families that I would soon be gone, the next appointment they brought me a gift - with the verse Jeremiah 29:11 on it. Because I had told them my husband was a pastor. Again, how cool is that? It has been on my desk ever since and had been running through my head before then.

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God's call isn't easy. At least ours hasn't been. But he promises hope and a future. And I will keep holding onto that. Everyday.

Blessings,

Candra

provision

Lately, it has been difficult to write. Not that there isn't alot going on but it is almost a question of where should I start? Crazy way to start a blog post hey? Anyways, thanks for checking in....

January has brought with it some things that have affected me to the core. I have learned that (again) ultimately, I cannot control my own life and what I think I need. I have learned a far deeper trust in God than I have sensed in a long time, and am continually being reminded of HIS provision. sounds a little vague and to be honest, I am not yet ready to put it all out there. However, here is a glimpse...

We are hoping to get the house done by April 1st at the latest. We have plans ( I always have a plan!) to paint the house over feb break. Enter my husband's appendix. Yep. Emergency surgery on Thursday and no lifting anything over 10 pounds for over 4-6 weeks. it capped off an already crazy week of me being back at work full time, followed by the flu for my little princess, and some other discussions and happenings in our life. My questions was really? Why now? but I am learning to recognize that those moments are what make life truly worth living, where we see God at work....

**my sister, parents and another good friend helped me out BIG TIME with the kids for the last 5 days.

**my dad and another amazing friend have offered to get a good start on the drywall in the basement NEXT WEEK. (= tears of gratitude for me)

** a couple that have become great friends over the last few years brought supper tonite for us- an incredible gesture.

** my husband is healing well and has had a couple people stop in to visit.

** I have recognized the need to smile and be thankful for these moments because we never get them back.

joy in the craziness. at church this week, the questions was asked "when did you last feel at peace?" oddly enough ( or maybe not), it was when my husband went in for surgery. In that moment, I knew that the only way I was gonna get though this was to lean on God and trust Him to work out all the details. A glimpse of His daily provision in my life...

this week also marks 3 months since the last update from Canadian immigration regarding our adoption. basically they will issue a statement as to whether or not the process will be open again. We are hoping to hear something positive and praying for resolution. Will keep you posted!

Thanks for reading til the end. It is a bit all over the place but I am learning....and learning is almost always a little messy!

Blessings,
Candra