Corfe Castle & Swanage

July 14, 2008

Andy and I enjoyed a wonderful day out with Andy’s parents. We headed South towards Corfe Castle and the sea. I have been told that rain or shine, Brits take their children to the beach in the Summer. Luckily for us we had shine!

On the way to Swanage we stopped by Corfe Castle, castle ruins from 1,000 years ago. It was a truly memorable experience being eyewitnesses of a hot-headed battle between the Danes and the Saxons. The Saxons fought with venom but were defeated and their castle was taken by the golden haired Danes who swept in for the women and plunder!

Continuing our trek up to the ruins we spotted tents and civilized Saxons leisurely going about their daily duties.

Moving onwards and upwards we discovered the glorious sight of these magnificent and ancient ruins.

After a bite to eat at a local pub in Corfe Castle and devouring rather large chunks of cheeses we ventured even further South to Swanage. Swanage is a lovely coastal town buzzing with activity and vacationers. The tantalizing aromas of fish and chips lingered in the salty seaside breeze. Children plunked down on the sandy beach constructing various sand structures while their mums and dads recline in their beach chairs devouring ice-cream cones. Spades, buckets, mussels, and whippies are all part of the local lingo.

While I was there I discovered many photo opportunities, however, only one made itself this blatantly obvious! (Click on the photo for a larger view)

I truly savoured this trip to the sea. Having grown up on the prairies, my experiences at the sea are few and each excursion is relished!

Just Married!

May 28, 2008

On April 12, 2008 Andrew Palmowski and I celebrated our marriage in Canada. God provided us with a beautiful, sunny Saturday! The Saturday prior to our wedding was a snow blizzard as well as the Saturday following our wedding. God is good.

After our honeymoon, Andy went back to the UK while I stayed behind in Canada waiting for my visa for entry clearance into the UK. On May 5th I followed him and then…

On May 17th, 2008 Andy and I celebrated our second marriage in the UK! We had a blessing service here in the UK to celebrate with all those who were not able to make it to our wedding in Canada. That was a lovely day as well!

How about now?

Now Andy and I are settling into the UK and enjoying the sights around our town. We have a lovely flat, a cute car and a beautiful town to live in.

Psalm 121

September 16, 2007

Andy and I are working on reading through the Bible in a year. I have read some really amazing pieces of Scripture that I have read before but seen something new.  I just finished reading Psalm 121 and instead of sharing a story with you I would like to share a beautiful piece of Scripture:

 I lift up my eyes to the hills-
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip-
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you-
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your ife;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

England and France!

September 11, 2007

This Summer has flown by! In fact, in some senses it seems as though the hot Summer months were nonexistent.

I went to Britain to visit my boyfriend, Andy, this Summer from July 21 - August 25. I had a wonderful time scouting out the English countryside and Andy’s family took us on a family vacation to France, which was lovely! I recommend France as a holiday destination to anybody who loves baguettes and patisseries! It seems that the people are not permitted to be part of France unless they have a baguette under their arm. All the pastries were delicious! I also was able to sample what the famous moules frites. (Mussells with French Fries) Speaking of food, I was also privileged to taste the famous British fish and chips!

During my holiday I had many experiences but the most exciting and life changing experience I had occurred during my first week in the country. On Wednesday, July 25th, Andy had reserved a table for us at the Golden Fleece, a quaint little pub in the British countryside. The building itself is probably older than my country! The walls are crooked and the ceilings are low. Really, the place is adorable! During the course of the evening I was suspicious of something because Andy appeared to be preoccupied. He had other things in mind… After we finished our meal he got down on one knee and asked me those three short words: Will you marry me?

My holiday was spectacular! What kind of average Canadian girl gets a proposal in the British countryside? It was stunning and romantic!

In England!

July 24, 2007

I arrived on British soil on July 21, Sunday early morning in England and midnight in Alberta. By determination I was able to stay awake until about 8:45PM on Sunday. By this time I had gone 20 hours straight with no sleep.

The weather was nice on Sunday so Andy and I went out for a walk. Everything is so very beautiful in England! It is green everywhere - including the exterior of some houses where vines have coated the walls. It is wonderful to be reunited with Andy again. I am curious what sort of life adventures God will provide for us. Please pray as we seek HIS will in our relationship.

FOCUS - Blue Bronna

July 6, 2007

From June 22 - June 24 the FOCUS club packed up sleeping bags and camping gear and headed out to the middle of nowhere for Blue Bronna’s action packed wilderness camping experience. It was a great experience for everybody who attended. Masa, a student who had gone to Blue Bronna two years ago flew all they way out to Canada just to come back to camp! Yes, it’s that good!

Kenji, also a former student at FOCUS, was our speaker. He spoke about creation, the creation of man, the first time man sinned, and God’s forgiveness for sin. He did a wonderful job of tying everything into just 4 sessions. I pray and hope that every person who was in attendance was challenged.

We went rock climbing. Left to Right: Ha-Yeong, Shanon (me), Ji Young

Ji Young is rock climbing

The whole FOCUS group.

“…In regard to evil be like infants…”

July 3, 2007

1 Corinthians 14:20
“Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be like infants, but in your thinking be like adults.”

I found myself reading this piece of Scripture this morning and realizing how many ways I have failed to follow these instructions, but also I was left confused. Quoted from my journal:

“I like this passage because I tend to be very naive in the movies, music, etc. of this world. If I do listen to music, I listen to Christian music used for the glory of God. Sometimes I feel stupid or uneducated when I hear other people talking about music or the latest movie. This verse is actually encouraging me to be like an infant in regard to evil. Romans 16:19 actually commands me “to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Not to say that all pop music is evil, but why would I subject my ears and eyes to that when I can rather fill my mind with edifying and encouraging material? I have such little time in my life for leisure and life is short. I think I should use the little amount of time given to me for HIM.”

This is still a HUGE challenge for me to take this that I have said and apply it into action, as it will mean that I will continue to look stupid to the majority of society and uneducated. How can I maintain innocence yet be informed of what is going on in the world? Is it necessary for me to be informed of every happening in pop culture?

I don’t know. I do know this:

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”

I also know that the life I have here is a mere breath of what is to come and that I should be living my life here with the awareness of the impact it will have on my life to come.

Karaoke!

June 12, 2007

Last week I went with Matthew, Ryan, and Keiko to Nantas, a karaoke place downtown. It was great fun! We did a lot of dancing, singing, and eating Korean food.

Before we went to Nantas, we went to a coffee shop to drink coffee and chat until the karaoke place opened.

After having coffee, we went to Nantas!

We D A N C E D ! ! !

Neglect…

June 11, 2007

Yes, I realize I have been neglecting my blog. Oops!  I have been busy and distracted. I have started posting a ton of photos on my photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/shanonplett
If you would like to see more photos and less writing, this is the link to visit!

God’s Plan?

May 8, 07

This past week I had to say farewell to three dear people in my life. Andy, Sarah, and Kana. We all met last year at Blue Brona, the FOCUS camping trip. Sarah, Kana, and I have built a wonderful friendship and discovered sisters in each other in the family of God. Andy has grown very dear to me since the camping trip and has a special place in my life.

Saying “goodbye” is never easy, but I have learned something amazing through the experience. God has plans that are beyond what we can imagine. We can only see one corner of the photo:

We cannot understand how this fits into the whole scheme of life, but there is good news! The artist DOES understand and HE sees how it fits together to make a beautiful piece of artwork:

You see, I cannot be sad because God is creating artwork in my life, in Kana’s life, in Sarah’s life, and in Andy’s life. Farewell for now as we see the artwork unfold, God willing we will say, “hello,” again in the future.

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From left to right is Sarah, Shanon, Kana, and Andy. Please pray for us as we venture off into the canvas of God’s artwork all over the globe! Thank you!!