November Update

“Oh...Oh, Oh, Changing is hard, Oh..Oh,Oh, You know who you are. Oh...Oh Changing is hard, Oh..Oh, Oh, You know who you are”  (Fiest, 1234)

Its halfway through November and the leaves have changed from red and orange, to a dark brown as they fall and make a mess of our yard.  Since our last update, here is the scoop on the Buckingham family:

1. School is back in session: Emily and Sarah have made it to grade 4 & 6 this year and are rising to the challenge of their new grades and harder work loads (I can not believe how much homework Sarah already gets in grade 6...whatever happened to just being a kid).  It took them some time to catch up once we got back from Florida. The extra work each new grade brings means that we will not be taking a 2 week vacation during school time again.  Even with the extra make up work, they have been getting excellent grades and Sarah has even made the school Volleyball team this year.  

1a. 100 Years of Broadway.  The girls are once again in Musical Theater and are singing a duet this time. Can you guess what it is? Here is a hint: “Anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you!”. This song was made for them.  They perform their duet and other things Saturday December 1, 2007. If you would like tickets, drop us a note and we will try and get you some (Cost $12.00 each).

2. Work, work work:  Well with our holidays used up till next year, its back to the grind of work for Elaine and I.  My company has been doing very well this year and looks to have taken another step towards long term stability and growth.  This winter I will actually be able to sleep knowing that we will make it through the slow months and continuing developing once the season starts.  Elaine, as always, is on top of her game at Telus and has just received her 2nd “Best in Quest” award (top 10% employee) this year! If you ever need a coach for developing strong people skills and customer service skills, Elaine should be top on your list.

3. Fall in Vancouver: I have got to get this out, Vancouver has got to be the worst place to live during the wet and gray fall months.  The Sun has become a distant memory and the constant gray plays havoc on my body, soul and mind.  If not for the abundance of snow that our climate brings and our family’s return to the ski slopes of Vancouver, winter would be a 

right-off as well.  If my Company continues to do well, and the dollar stays at its lofty levels, I am going to buy us a property in California or Florida and relocate as soon as I can.  BRING BACK THE SUN!!!

4. Feist: I kind feel late to the party on this one, but I just recently developed a strong liking to her Music.  Not only does she have this strange yet fantastic voice, she’s from Canada too!  You probably recognize the song playing right now from the Gap commercial this year.  Give her new album a listen, especially, My Man Moon, and Sealion.  Actually do a Youtube search and and watch her live, she is even better!

5: Facebook: I don’t get it, I don’t want to get it, but Elaine is on it, so here is the link to her Facebook site: 

(If someone can actually post a rational reason for the thing, write it here and I’ll stop ragging on it and make sure Elaine adds you to her account)

Till next time...

=8-)

Back to Walt Disney World!

“Its a Beautiful Day, Don’t Let it get away, Its a Beautiful Day” (U2, Beautiful Day)

We are off, gone, out of here as they say. By the time you read this we will have left the country and be close to our hotel and a good nights sleep before getting on a 8am flight and finding ourselves back in the Florida Sun. 
 
We really do wish you were coming, but until the next time we see you, we will be updating our travels through a video podcast you can find HERE.

=8-)

July Update

“I know you stay true when my world is false, everything around’s breaking down to chaos, I always see you when my sight is lost, everything around’s breaking down to chaos” (Mute Math, Chaos)

“There is no better find than to find myself with you, In a fog you are all I see
I'm inviting you closer with each time I breathe, Surrender has somehow become so beautiful” 
(Mute Math, Control)

Updates, Updates, Updates....

1.  New Music: Mute Math.  Found them while browsing the other day. Love the combination of Coldplay/U2 sound with the infusion of synth, keyboards ala the 80’s. FYI check them out on iTunes and listen to the drummer!

2.  The Wizard of OZ. Sarah and Emily just completed a 2 week crash/rehearsal camp and performed in a production of The Wizard of Oz. Although a small production, it was well done and they had FUN.  It won’t be long before they replace Elaine and I on Sunday Mornings!

3.  White Rock Beach. It’s just not the summer without taking some time out and heading down to White Rock for some fish & chips and a stroll along the beach.  Relaxing and refreshing!  Always good for the soul. 

4.  Canada Day, Willoughby Style. It never fails that when you attend Jen and Jay’s house for Canada Day the Willoughby group will inevitably find their way into an all out water fight.  It always helps bring out the kid in me and reminds me that life should not be all serious and pretentious, FUN IS A NECESSITY. Grab your kid’s, nephew’s, kid down street’s water gun and have at it. You will thank me for it later!

5.  Sarah Turned 11.  When did my girls get so old, so quickly. Sarah is NOW 11. UHG. I am old and time flies by.  Happy Birthday Sarah!  Next time you see her you won’t be able to miss her, she’s the one with the sparkling new earrings in her ears! 

6.  Bring back the SUN!!!!!  As I write this the sun has once again disappeared behind a wall of clouds and rain, if this keeps up my jokes about Elaine and I moving to California are going to become a reality! If you have pictures of what the sun looks like please forward them our way.  I’m starting to forget.

Till next time...enjoy the sun if you can find it!

=8-)

August Update

“Pain throws your heart to the ground, Love turns the whole thing around, No it won’t all go the way it should, But I know the heart of life is good” (John Mayer, The Heart of Life)

“Beautiful dawn, Lights up the shore for me, There is nothing else in the world, I’d rather wake up and see with you.” (James Blunt, High)

Summer Update...Take 2...

1. Disney Vacations: Check out the Disney Vacations area. We have updated the movies area and finally added some of our experiences riding a few of the attractions throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

2.  Happy Birthday Emily!  9 years old...I still remember countless days with just Emily and I walking through the park and hangout while everyone else worked or went to school.  When you next see her, give her a hug and remind her that she’s a beautiful ‘little’ girl, she’ll love it! =8-)

3.  Playland. You know...we have no Disney, no Universal Studios, not even a Canada’s wonderland, so the next best thing is Playland. This year the famous wooden roller coaster and the pirate ship were down. So, as the girls are another year older this was the year to conquer new rides.  The Corkscrew roller coaster countless times, the mouse trap and the big wammy...the Crazy Beach Party twice. Great day, lots of sun and all of us having fun together. You couldn’t ask for more on a summer’s day. (incidentally, they conquered their fear of the wooden roller coaster last year.)

4.  Happy birthday Elaine! 37 and you still look 25. Its amazing how the years go by and she seems to never age. Here is a piece of trivia for you, can you believe we met and started dating when she was only 18! 

5.  PNE: August can never officially end without a visit to the PNE and some good old fashion mini doughnuts. Oh, and a visit to the super dogs show is a must (this year they had well over 8000 people at the show we were at.)

Summer is coming to a close, so make sure to go out and enjoy the last of it while you can. And a big thanks to whoever it was that finally brought back the sun, it was much needed!

=8-)

The Little Things In Life

“Stop this train I wanna get off and go home again, I can't take the speed it's moving in, I know I can't, but honestly won’t someone stop this train” (John Mayer, Stop this Train)

“...our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate, time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain” (Rob Thomas, Little Wonders)

Its May 11 already. Where did the last 3 1/2 months go? In fact, where did the last year go?

A while back I picked up the new John Mayer album, and instantly resonated with a song on the album, “Stop This Train”.  I have been experiencing these little anxiety attacks as life races past at a pace that I can’t seem to get a handle on.  It all comes to a head for me every-time I look at my girls, and feel the weight of work, commitments, duty, service, the desire for personal rest.  They are rapidly changing, transforming before my eyes and I have been wanting off the high speed train of life, to stop the wheels from turning and slow down time so that they stay just as they are now.  They are smart, funny, beautiful, silly, moody, athletic, dramatic, loving, caring, creative, a gift that only God could have given.  But what am I missing? What moments have I lost forever never to gain back? What momentous occasions have been lost to work and schedule, or what little moments that seem trivial but resonate in our memories long after the moment has past by, have I missed by the pace and rush of life? These question have been needling me, at times haunting me as I see their transformation unfold.

I’ve also been listening to this new Rob thomas song. “Little Wonders” this past week. The song resonates with me at a number of different levels, but for this discussion its the chorus and my take on it that has captured my attention. Time is moving, its unstoppable, but its those little moments, those seemingly insignificant moments that turn into “little wonders” that last a lifetime.  And its those “small hours” that I have let slip by and that have determined to get back. Its time to stop and be present for those little moments that can mean a huge difference in our relationship as the girls get older and home seems less attractive then it once was. 

So, if your reading this and your one of our friends, family, co-workers etc. and I don’t race to the phone, door, appointment, commitment, I say ‘no’ more than ‘yes’, be patience. Life is made up of little moments, small hours, that I don’t want to miss anymore.  Moments that I want to experience with my daughters and my wife. They truly are the wonders that make up the small hours of my life, that remain long after the train of life rolls along and passes by.

=8-)

16 Years!

“Marriage is like a song, where the Lord's sweet melody of love comes from two hearts joined as one, husband and wife.” (Author unknown)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Corinthians 13:4-8

This year Elaine and I celebrate our 16th anniversary.  Many years have gone by since we first met, many good times and many hard times, laughter and sorrow, and yet here we still stand. Together. Interconnected. One. 

The first quote states the reason, the glue, that has kept us together all these years. The Lord’s sweet melody of love.  If you know us, then you know our love of music, the sweetest of which comes from God.  Its Jesus love for us and our love for Him that unites us, gives us the foundation that has helped us to weather storms and find joy in our moments together.  The music that we make together finds its sound, its soul from our united faith in God. 

The second quote is the commitment that we have tried to keep, since that day we vowed to always be one. We might not always have been able live up to it, life has a way of pushing you to its edges, yet it’s words have been what has brought us back together again and again and kept us going on, moving forward, growing deeper in love and friendship together.

And after all these years her smile is still inviting, her voice and its laughter still intoxicating.  Her patience, compassion and support still overwhelms me.  She has always and will always make me a better man because of her commitment to our love and life together.

Happy Anniversary Elaine, my wife, my love, my song.  Our love makes beautiful music and I could never be without its sound.   

=8-)

The Peace of God

There is a friend at our church who is dying. What started as esophagus cancer has spread throughout his body and his battle is coming to end. This past week I had the privilege of leading worship at our Church's congregation in Burnaby where he and his family have attended for 14 years.  It very well maybe the last time I get to see him, and it will be a memory that I will keep for the rest of my life. On this Sunday God used Mark to spread His wisdom, His grace, His PEACE to our church, and left a legacy that will last for years to come.  He has a wife, he has three children, he has family and friends that will be left to live life without him when he goes to be with our God.  Yet, he was at peace with this, actually he and Carol-Ann have a peace that they have been sharing throughout this disease and continued sharing that morning. A peace that could only come from God.  During a time when our church was praying for him, he turned it around on us and gave back.  His prayer spoke wisdom and truth. He was thankful for all that God have provided, not just the big things but the little things, grateful for the grace and love lavished upon him from God. At peace that God would care for, love, strengthen, encourage and provide for his family when he is gone, just like He has done while alive on this earth.  

You see many of us live life in a constant state movement, of action and reaction filling every minute, hour, day, month and year with as much as possible. We live believing that we need to GET everything out life now, that we have to DO everything possible now or else we have failed.  We end up moving at speeds that rushes us past so much of the moments that God deeply desires for us. True peace has become a foreign concept to us, yet this is what God, through Mark wanted us to know and experience.  He reminded us of what life can be like when God’s peace is allowed to work in us and through us.  What the Spirit of God can bring to a life who is centered on Jesus and not the frenetic pace of the this world. Later in the day, in another location, during another service, a member of our church lamented as to why death needs to be our catalyst that draws us to accepting the gifts that God wants to lavish on each of us.  This was Mark’s point and God’s words for us that morning. 

Mark was reminding those of us in the room, and those who hear his story, that God’s peace can be found here and now, in our prime and not at the end of our life. We only need to do as Mark has done, to turn and trust in God, accepting his forgiveness, grace, strength, passion and desires. This is how Mark has lived throughout his life and what God desires for us right now. Mark’s death however is not to be lamented, though rightfully morned. God extended his time beyond what was first diagnosed. We have been able to laugh and cry together a little longer, to see God’s work in and through him some more. To see Mark reveling God's glory to those around him to the very end. And those of us who know God live with the knowledge that we will see him again, soon, whole and full of joy in God’s presence.

Mark, you will be missed, yet never forgotten. Thanks for the gift of that morning. Thanks for the way you encouraged me each Sunday when I led, the way you entered into worship when I wonder if I was to getting in God’s way more than helping.  The smile and the warm greeting each time we met.  How you made sure we had our yearly “handshake” and catch up. 

Your faithfulness to God.  

See you soon!

=8-i

Free Disney Dining Returns!

We were asked many times last year how our trip to Walt Disney World  costs us as little as it did, especially since we enjoyed the Florida Sun for 2 full weeks. Well read on and find out. The FREE Dinning Discount is back and really makes going to Disney World possible because of how expensive food is there. Check it out! You never know, you may find that a trip to Disney World is possible.

FREE DISNEY DINNING PLAN: This vacation package includes:

Disney Value Resort Stay – Standard room at a select Disney Value Resort most nights Aug 26 – Sept 22, 2007. 

Theme Park Tickets – Visit one of four Theme Parks each day of your ticket.

FREE Disney Dining Plan* – The FREE Disney Dining Plan includes one quick-service meal, one select snack and one meal at a select table-service restaurant per person, per night of your package.

This Package Also Includes These Disney Resort Guest Benefits: 

1. Complimentary Airport Transfer and Luggage Service – Your vacation starts the moment you land at Orlando International Airport as Disney's Magical Express transportation delivers you to your select Disney Value Resort. You'll bypass baggage claim and your luggage is delivered right to your room! 

 2. Extra Time in the Theme Park – Each day, one of the Theme Parks opens early or stays open late so you have more time to enjoy select attractions with the Extra Magic Hours benefit. Valid Theme Park ticket and Resort ID required.

 3. Guest Transportation – Complimentary and convenient transportation among Disney Theme Parks and Resorts.

Click Here to go to the Disney Website and find out more:

Waly Disney World Vacation w/ Free Dinning

=8-)

New Site Design

Welcome to our new online home.  Its been some time since we last updated the site. Once the initial fun of setting up the site and running it wore off, life took over and we let things laps around here.  However, we are back, with a new look and some new treats, so make sure to look around and drop us a note telling us what you think.  Quick note: some links do not work yet and some of the picture galleries have not been converted over yet, but we hope to have the site fully functional this weekend.  We also hope to keep the blog going more regularly so keep coming back throughout the week. Until next time, stay a awhile and enjoy.

 =8-)