Canby House new(er) and new(est)!

The winter/spring/summer/fall of 2011 have seen a lot of changes at the Canby House.  Here is the EXTREMELY abridged version:

• Brandon proposed marriage to Candice. AND she said yes!
• Jake proposed marriage to Emily. AND she said yes!
• BEACH TRIP!
• Stephanie moves to CCACC for the summer to work as a kids camp coordinator.
• Dan and Mell FINALLY get married.
• Jessica Vinson moves to Canada for six weeks in the summer.
• Jake moves out of the Canby House
• Erin/Emily move in to the Canby House
• Emily/Jake get married! (Emily moves out of the Canby House)
• Candice/Brandon get married! (Candice moves out of the Canby House)
• Jessica Royer gets into grad school for nursing at NYU!!
• Lisby Rogers moves in to the Canby House
• 2012!!!

Here are several pictures to correlate with the above stories.  Mostly to prove that they really happened.

Brandice engaged!

Jake and Emily get engaged, too.

Dan and Mell get married!

aaand Emily and Jake get married!

aaaaaaaannnnnnddddd Candice and Brandon get married!

This isn't nursing school, but it is awesome.

THE NEW ROOMMATE LISBY!

As you can see it’s been a bit hectic around here so we apologize for the delayed blog postings.  Hopefully we’ll be more on top of it during 2012, until the world ends, that is.

Canby House Former: Where are they NOW?

You may have noticed that the Canby House Family tab lists former residents of the Canby House.  Just for fun, let’s do a VH-1 style Where Are They Now? segment. 

Canby House Former:

Where are they now? 

Part I 

John…
is hating his life in Los Angeles, and working on 3-D imaging (is that the right word) for movies such as Captain America and Thor.  However, in an effort to loathe his life less, John has been refusing to assimilate into the common Californian culture.  Recently, various members of the community got text messages or phone calls from John saying, “Hey, can you send me that recipe for granola?” and “How do you make that applesauce I had at your house?” and “Mom, I’m at Target. Which canning lids should I get?”  Way to bring some old fashioned, DIY, simple livin’ to the godforsaken land of L.A., John.  You are truly an inspiration.  We all await a glorious blog post about your new domestic adventures.

Rick (and Christine)…

are pregnant!  They’re having a baby boy!  With the above chemistry, who can blame ‘em?!

Randy…

is engaged!  He gave up his life in Portland to chase after the alluring and elusive Aubrie in Colorado.  He’s now the youth pastor at Christ Community Covenant Church.  Congratulations, you two!  Check out The Proposal here. 

Stay tuned next week for Canby House Former: Where Are They Now?  Part II.

CH + J^2 = AWESOME^n

Back  in September 2010, the Canby House (CH) indulged itself in a little equation.

What if we add (+) Jessica Royer (JLR) to our house? 

CH + JLR = x

She moved in, and quickly we realize that:

x = AWESOME!

JLR has taught us a TON about active listening and follow-up questions, hospitality from the perspective of a Namibian (pronounced NamBOOeyin), and the glories of SCUBA diving (including the lovableness of scallops!).  Not only that, but Jessica jumped right in as an amazingly active and thoughtful roommate and member of our community!  She rocks at the dishes, too.  Oh, and baking stuff.  Oh!  And inspiring us with her ravenous studying.  She’s awesome.   

A few months went by, and another opportunity for a NEW equation came up.  Jessica Vinson (JV), after months and months of being involved in our community while living at home, was offered a job at Vermont Hills Preschool, a mere 4 miles from the Canby House.  The Canby House (now CH + JLR = CH) asked itself:

if CH + JLR = AWESOME, what would  y equal if

CH + JV = y  ??

Without knowing what y would equal, we decided to put our equation to the test.   JV moved in.

After only a few days, we can tell that JV is a great addition to CH.  I mean,  first of all, she makes crafts all the time.  How great is that?!  And last night she made yellow curry for everyone.  Off.  The.  Hook.  And time will reveal even MORE greatness, we are convinced.

 We can honestly say that  y (also) = AWESOME. 

Therefore, if

x = AWESOME

and

y = AWESOME

And, if

x+y > x

x+y > y

THEN:

CH + J^2 = AWESOME^n

__________________________________________________________________________

Check out the Family tab for ALL new additions to the Canby House Clan.

We had a party…

We had a Halloween party. It was great.

There were some super costumes:

 

…and some were downright brilliant:

 

It was pretty casual:

…although quieter than some we’ve had:

You could say a couple people showed up:

And we all had a good time:

 

Well, most of us:

 

Hope you had a great Halloween!

Mountains

I’ve been fortunate to get into the mountains four times since the beginning of September.  More often than I usually go in the fall, but it still doesn’t seem like enough.  I love the mountains.  I’ve learned I can’t live very long without them; even if I never go in them, I need them on the horizon.  Though being in them can’t be beat.  Some examples.

 

My brothers and I went into the Buckhorn Wilderness up in the Olympics and saw this:

 

Emily and I climbed Mt. St. Helens and saw nothing but clouds:

 

Emily and I also went to Indian Heaven Wilderness and got stuck in the clouds, but they started disappearing as we left.  Then we saw this:

 

Then Dan, Bryce, and I hiked up Silver Star Mountain near Washougal and got another dose of clouds, but we did see this rock arch:

 

I love the views you get in the mountains.  I wrote about that perspective a couple of years ago after a hike in the Lake District of England:

I love being in the midst of things, but there’s something to be said about elevation. I find it easier to be bogged down by the drudgery of everyday life when it is all around me. By getting out of it, getting above it, I find peace, clarity, and perspective. Looking out from a mountain top lets you see the big picture; the entire forest becomes apparent and the individual trees disappear. Strolling along the rocky spine with the grazing sheep gave me a chance to reorganize, re-prioritize, re-energize, and simplify. By seeing the big picture unfolded before me, I could rest easy in the present moment, secure in the knowledge that life in the valleys went on, and could go on, without me.

Unfortunately, these “mountain-top moments” can’t last, nor should they. However, what is gained on the mountain should be brought to the valleys. The perspective gained from a bird’s-eye view will help you navigate on the ground; the law given on Sinai has no effect unless Moses brings it to the desert floor. Nevertheless, the mountain is important. Without it, we become blinded by our immediate surroundings, failing to see beyond our selves. Elevation broadens our horizons, balances our perspective, and makes our lives dynamic.

 

Hopefully I’ll continue to take the opportunity to get out of the everyday valleys of life.  I hope you do too, it’s worth it.