today, the Phoenix, risen from the ashes

Hunting the Phoenix
Denise Levertov

Leaf through discolored manuscripts,
make sure no words
lie thirsting, bleeding,
waiting for rescue. No:
old loves half-
articulated, moments forced
out of the stream of perception
to play “statue”,
and never released –
they had no blood to shed.
You must seek
the ashy nest itself
if you hope to find
charred feathers, smouldering flightbones,
and a twist of singing flame
rekindling.

Madeline and Noah copying each other.

Isobel, Noah and Joe doing some jumping!

Noah's first back pack... getting ready for the baby.

A visit with Uncle Jesse and the family!

Our little gymnast

Yeah for visitors!!!

Welcome spring... well maybe not quite!

Another Niece...

Congrats to Jon and Steph on their new little daughter Nevaeh Louise, born early this morning!!! Looks like the girls are catching up with the boys!!!

half baked

Only 20 more weeks to go...
ps. for you ontarioians... see the sunshine... we are finally reaping benifits of vancouver life

A family shot...

evening prayer

Lately, i've been praying the office on occasion with the help of the Northumbria Community online. I've been doing this mostly praying the compline before bed, but today i came across this evening prayer and felt it worth passing along. And on a side note, one of the amazing benefits of my time here at Regent is being exposed to and taking part in the prayers of the saints who have walked before us. It's moving to pray with the realization that the very prayer you are taking part in has been recited for the past 1000 years by various faith communities in places all over the world.

Evening Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

My soul waits for the Lord
more than those
who watch for the morning,
more than those
who watch for the morning.

Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You.
Response: O Lord, hear my voice.
Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You.
Response: O Lord, hear my voice.
Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities:
Response: Who could stand? who could stand?

I will wait for the Lord.
My soul waits,
and in His word
do I hope.

Expressions of faith

Lord, You have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept
me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken
when time was ripe;
and though you be silent now,
today I believe.

hello baby #2

This is our 18 week ultra sound of baby #2. Baby didn't co-operate too well so the best shot we got was a face shot! Aaron, some how thought he saw that the baby was a boy... but I'm not convinced :)
Guess only time will tell!

so lately....

Some random pix's since we haven't posted any lately. The first are some shots of vancouver this evening... it was stunning. The plane... thank goodness, is just a movie set along the beach by our house! The next is Aaron and Noah at the aquarium. Noah and Grandma eating breakfast during our last trip home on the next shot. Me and Noah checking out a stuffed seal at the new education area at the aquarium. Stanley park after a brutal set of storms! And last, Noah and cous. Jacob with Uncles Jordan and Aaron.

eternal

Clarence Lenting
April 7, 1975- January 25, 2007.

homecoming

after struggling with exactly what we should be doing in light of our friend's prognosis, we've finally settled (although we're anything but settled) with our plans to go back to Sarnia to be with our friends and stand alongside Jen and Clarence as they walk through this. we know this is a good thing, we know we will not regret it, yet we are not at all excited about the circumstances in which we are returning.

please pray that God's peace would be real in this situation for Jen and Clarence.
pray that God's mercy would be evident.
and, if you are so bold, pray that the God of hope would miraculously heal Clarence in his final days.

we will be in Sarnia on Wednesday evening until the following Wednesday.

Lord, have mercy on us all.

St. Jude, the Patron Saint of Hopeless Situations.
Our good friend has been given just a few weeks to live. Cancer is slowly taking his life and has completely taken control of his 31 year old body. For almost a year now we've prayed, cried, and wrestled over this. At this point I'm wondering, "What's the difference between living by faith and living in naivety?" and "What's the difference between living in hope and living in denial?" And after months of passionate and heartfelt prayers all I can pray now is, "Where did you go?"

God, have mercy.

soundtrack of life

i stole this from a friend's blog, did it out of curiousity, and was frightened at how fitting some of the songs were, and therefore decided to share it with y'all.

here's what you do:
- open itunes, put it on shuffle, answer the first question with the song that comes up, and fast forward to the next track for the answer to the next question, etc.

do it.
put it on your blog for all of us to enjoy.

1. Opening Credits: To Hell With the Devil - Stryper

2. Waking Up: Meet Me in the Morning – Bob Dylan

3. First Day At School: Gone – Jack Johnson

4.Falling In Love: Happy Happy Oh – Devendra Banhart

5.Fight Song: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing – Jack Johnson

6.Breaking up: Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea

7. Prom: I.C.B. - New Order

8. Life: Love is Blindness – U2

9. Mental Breakdown: Viva – Jesse Cook

10. Driving: Undivided Self – Sufjan Stevens

11. Flashback: Its Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door- UnderOath

12. Getting back together: Packing Blankets - Eels

13. Losing your virginity: She’s Hearing Voices – Bloc Party

14. Wedding: Human – Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

15. Birth of Child : Giant Steps – John Coltrane

16. Final Battle: Baby, I’m in the Mood forYou – Bob Dylan

17. Funeral Song: Clocks - Coldplay

18. End Credits: The Late Greats - Wilco

no word of a lie, these are the songs that came up.
weird.

christmas fun and summer plans

We spent almost 2 weeks in sarnia with family and friends. It was a busy time, but it was great to catch up with everyone after 4 months in Vancouver. Here's a little highlight of all that we did:

Bruce hosted a great party for all of us to get together again over some Pad Thai and Nintendo Wii... good times were had by all!














Noah enjoyed singing "Glooooooooooooo-ria"... his favourite Christmas carol.














Noah went on his first plane ride!



















And we did our best to convince people from Sarnia to come and visit Vancouver in July 2007.
Why?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Blessings in the New Year!!!

Hope you all had a swell Christmas. We are certainly having a relaxing time at home... and so thankful to be here.

So from one handsome chap to the next...

hugs and love

from the Nicholsons

downtime

After making it through my first semester at Regent i've had some time to bask in the glories of great music and writing... i thought i'd pass some of it along...

[tunes]
David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
This cd has rocked my world. The title track (electric version) has been stuck in my head for days. once again, our good man David (former frontman of Pedro the Lion) has delivered the goods.

Damien Jurado - Now That I'm In Your Shadow
I'm never disappointed with a new Damien Jurado CD. I was listening to this in my headphones (which by the way, i've learned that you've never really listened to a CD until you've heard it through headphones... so much to find when you block out all other noise) and i had to put my pencil down on several occasions on account of being deeply moved by the lyrics. in typical jurado fashion he covers many darker themes (i.e. adultery, death/murder, etc...) but this album is one of the most beautifully tragic pieces of work i've heard in a long time.

Sufjan Stevens - Hark! Songs for Christmas (vol. 1-5)
This man has single-handedly redeemed Christmas music from the syrupy, Walmart branded stuff we are bombarded with at the mall. His rendition of Holy, Holy, Holy is one of the most worshipful songs i've come across... it's beautiful.

Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
simple and beautiful folky music.

Jose Gonzalez - Veneer
again, just simple, but beautiful folk music.

Honourable Mention goes to...
Sigur Ros - Takk; The Album Leaf - Into the Blue (although i liked them so much i got burnt out on them and have had to go on a brief sabbatical from them); and an occasional dose of Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself;

if you think my taste in music looks a lot like phil's, it's because i owe credit for my musical tastes to him... and i must say that we're both indebted to Todd for any good taste in music we both may have.

[reads]
Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland
This is a great novel by the Vancouver writer. It's a fictional account of a Columbine-esque shooting in a Vancouver highschool. It's a powerful commentary on family tension, love, loss judgment, and hope. I've never read any of his other works, but after this one i'm sold. I just picked up his Life After God novel to read next.

Holy the Firm - Annie Dillard
One of the great things about reading Annie Dillard while on the West Coast is that you not only encounter her work on the page, but all around you. She has a way of drawing with words, and impregnating her language with deep meaning. Only she could write a chapter about a moth flying into a candle and make it so deeply profound. I'm looking forward to finishing this one...

Other Books I'm hoping to get at soon...
Life after God - Douglas Coupland
Complete Stories - Flannery O'Connor

[sights]
I've been indulging on the First Season of Arrested Development. I'm hooked.
Let it also be known that i plan my week around The Office.

and finally, our plans for Christmas will come to fruition tomorrow as we board a plane and are Sarnia bound for 2 weeks.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Who needs toys when you have tape?

when i showed this picture to noah he couldn't stop laughing... what a fun age this is!