A few shots of my view this morning~
Ready for take off.
The Red Deer River to the east~
Early morning mist~
The Canadian Rocky Mountains~
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Snow Tide
Oh friends, if you only saw the prairies this morning from the air. They were gorgeous! All the fields are covered in snow and the wind was blowing across the surface making shadows of waves. It is similar in the summer time, one can see the grass and wheat blow and it looks like water as it ripples through the fields. LOVE it! Tomorrow I will bring my camera along to try to capture it for you all. Stay tuned for pictures:)
Sunday, January 16, 2011
*Enjoy the View*
You know how people figuratively and/or spiritually refer to being on the mountain tops and in the valleys?
Well, I want to encourage you all to take the time to CELEBRATE when you reach the top of the mountain. I know when I physically climb a mountain (I hear those giggles) - I take the time to cheer, have a snack, take some pictures, and sit a while. I know that eventually I'll have to walk the valley again, but for now, I'll enjoy the view:)
Well, I want to encourage you all to take the time to CELEBRATE when you reach the top of the mountain. I know when I physically climb a mountain (I hear those giggles) - I take the time to cheer, have a snack, take some pictures, and sit a while. I know that eventually I'll have to walk the valley again, but for now, I'll enjoy the view:)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Green Light!!
Hi friends:)
I just came out of the MAF meeting! The selection committee has met and I've been given the GREENLIGHT to proceed! Praise the Lord! I am SO excited!
So the next step in the process is to send in 6 references and complete another piece of the application. Once those are in, I move on to the psychological and medical assessments. In the meantime, I will be working on acquiring the multi engine instrument rating and Class 2 Instructor Rating. First on the list is the Class 2 Instructor Rating which allows me to supervise Class 4 Instructors. It requires a written exam and a flight test. I'm not sure if I've shared this yet, but I absolutely love instructing and building one-on-one relationships and so if there is an opportunity to be a part of national flight training, I want to be prepared for it.
After that is completed, I will focus my efforts on the multi instrument rating.
Oh friends, I am thrilled that the Lord is answering our prayers and things are moving positively forward!
Please thank Him for the way He is working!
I ask for continued discernment and that I would be sensitive to His leading.
Yay!!! I can't wait to see what He has in store for all of us:) Can you tell I'm excited???
~April
I just came out of the MAF meeting! The selection committee has met and I've been given the GREENLIGHT to proceed! Praise the Lord! I am SO excited!
So the next step in the process is to send in 6 references and complete another piece of the application. Once those are in, I move on to the psychological and medical assessments. In the meantime, I will be working on acquiring the multi engine instrument rating and Class 2 Instructor Rating. First on the list is the Class 2 Instructor Rating which allows me to supervise Class 4 Instructors. It requires a written exam and a flight test. I'm not sure if I've shared this yet, but I absolutely love instructing and building one-on-one relationships and so if there is an opportunity to be a part of national flight training, I want to be prepared for it.
After that is completed, I will focus my efforts on the multi instrument rating.
Oh friends, I am thrilled that the Lord is answering our prayers and things are moving positively forward!
Please thank Him for the way He is working!
I ask for continued discernment and that I would be sensitive to His leading.
Yay!!! I can't wait to see what He has in store for all of us:) Can you tell I'm excited???
~April
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Flight #7628
Happy New Year All!!
I am really excited to see what the Lord has planned for me this year - 2011. He's already reminded me that He is ever present and HEARS my prayers and is arranging and moving all around me. Several prayers have been answered already and it's only the 2nd week of January!
I want to share one particular story tonight and I hope my new friend won't mind. This past weekend I flew from Buffalo to Chicago to Seattle to Portland. We had left at 3am in the morning to catch the flight in Buffalo and so I ended up sleeping through the first 2 legs. When I arrived in Seattle, I was rested for my last leg. When I got on the plane I sat in my seat and realized it was an aisle seat - I much prefer the window. A kind woman with a warm smile came up to my row and I asked her if her seat was beside me and she said that actually it was the one I was in! I double checked my ticket and realized that I actually did have the window seat. So the two of us got talking and she asked what kind of work I was in and I shared that I was a flight instructor at a Bible School in Alberta. She wondered if mission aviation was like what MAF does and I enthusiastically replied YES and shared that that was the organization I was applying with. Well what unfolded next was absolutely beautiful. She shared with me about her missionary experience and how the Lord had directed her to acquire her current job and the lessons He was teaching her. Her story was SO encouraging to me and SO fitting for where I am now. She told me that she would commit to praying for me during this process. I felt so loved and was so amazed at what God was doing right before my eyes. We spent the next hour chatting till the baggage carousel. I feel so blessed that Sue was willing to share her story with me and so grateful that the Lord would send her to encourage me. I know without a doubt that the Lord placed Sue in the seat next to me for that flight. I was reminded that the Lord's plans for me are elaborate and good - much better than what I can imagine on my own.
I am so thankful for that sweet meeting on American Airlines #7628 and look forward to continuing this new friendship!
Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the MAF recruiter to go over next steps. Please pray that we can come up with reasonable time-lines for training. Often my eagerness leads me to create unrealistic expectations for myself. I'm praying that this meeting will be positive and we can continue to move forward in the process.
Thank you! Thank you - to those who are praying for me in this process. I am continually amazed to see how the Lord is moving and making a path for me. Thank you Jesus:)
I am really excited to see what the Lord has planned for me this year - 2011. He's already reminded me that He is ever present and HEARS my prayers and is arranging and moving all around me. Several prayers have been answered already and it's only the 2nd week of January!
I want to share one particular story tonight and I hope my new friend won't mind. This past weekend I flew from Buffalo to Chicago to Seattle to Portland. We had left at 3am in the morning to catch the flight in Buffalo and so I ended up sleeping through the first 2 legs. When I arrived in Seattle, I was rested for my last leg. When I got on the plane I sat in my seat and realized it was an aisle seat - I much prefer the window. A kind woman with a warm smile came up to my row and I asked her if her seat was beside me and she said that actually it was the one I was in! I double checked my ticket and realized that I actually did have the window seat. So the two of us got talking and she asked what kind of work I was in and I shared that I was a flight instructor at a Bible School in Alberta. She wondered if mission aviation was like what MAF does and I enthusiastically replied YES and shared that that was the organization I was applying with. Well what unfolded next was absolutely beautiful. She shared with me about her missionary experience and how the Lord had directed her to acquire her current job and the lessons He was teaching her. Her story was SO encouraging to me and SO fitting for where I am now. She told me that she would commit to praying for me during this process. I felt so loved and was so amazed at what God was doing right before my eyes. We spent the next hour chatting till the baggage carousel. I feel so blessed that Sue was willing to share her story with me and so grateful that the Lord would send her to encourage me. I know without a doubt that the Lord placed Sue in the seat next to me for that flight. I was reminded that the Lord's plans for me are elaborate and good - much better than what I can imagine on my own.
I am so thankful for that sweet meeting on American Airlines #7628 and look forward to continuing this new friendship!
Tomorrow morning I have a meeting with the MAF recruiter to go over next steps. Please pray that we can come up with reasonable time-lines for training. Often my eagerness leads me to create unrealistic expectations for myself. I'm praying that this meeting will be positive and we can continue to move forward in the process.
Thank you! Thank you - to those who are praying for me in this process. I am continually amazed to see how the Lord is moving and making a path for me. Thank you Jesus:)
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Mele Kalikimaka
Last year my family and I were reminiscing of earlier Christmas times and I recalled my mother waking us up by singing Mele Kalikimaka by Bing Crosby. Well, to my surprise, my siblings did not remember such a significant event, so I turned to my mother for verification, but unfortunately she too was struck by amnesia. Well after much carrying on, it turned out mom never sang that song to us....and so we now sing "Mele Kalikimaka the song Mom never sang on a bright Christmas morn". Now as a side note - she did sing "Pablo the Mexican Reindeer"...but that's another story.
So this is the first year I will be home in Three Hills for Christmas. I'm pretty excited about it. I've lived here for almost 7 years now. This week, I picked up my real Christmas tree at the only place in town...our local gas station. A friend and I sorted through the options. It was a bit of a guessing game as all their little arms were still in the up position. Eventually we found a winner, borrowed the saw from the nice lady and after we balanced it on the ice machine, cut off a few inches from the trunk. This isn't exactly how we do it in Ontario, but hey, there's no tree lot here.
There was one redeeming moment that reminded me of getting a Lanigan tree...the saw. You see, for whatever reason, come Christmas tree cutting time, any sharp saw would migrate to hidden caverns in the garage where no man could find them. A yearly exodus if you will. So the fallen saws, ones with cracked handles and dull teeth - too weary for the trip - would lay down relatively near to the garage door or hang upon nails in clear view. These were the ones that would be given to us by my father to cut down a tree for the family. Perhaps some of you have also experienced the result of this unfortunate tool strike.
So my sister, brother and I would set out with our Christmas tree toolkit consisting of a bedsheet, a bungee cord and ....the saw. When we would arrive to the tree lot, others would mock the saw and I must admit, there were several times we did opt for the man's saw over our own - but not this year. After perusing hundreds of christmas trees, faithfully marking the potentials with pieces of grass, sticks or mittens, the winner would be chosen. With a sigh, one of us would ask for "the saw". After laying down in the wet snow with branches poking in their eyes - they would initiate Phase 1. Phase 2 would start shortly after the shoulder cramping set in with the 2nd saw-er...then usually we ended with Phase 3 - equally similar to Phase 2. Each year cursing said saw. We would then carry the tree back to the car - my 5'3" sister on the tip and my 6'2" brother on the trunk and I would carry... "the saw". Once arriving at the vehicle, we would wrap our new addition with the bedsheet, squeeze it in the backseat and head for home. I tell you, every year I would return "the saw" back to the garage, placing it precariously close to the garbage can or even hiding it in a nook. However, every year it was back. Hmm.
On the MAF application front, this past week I handed in the first set of papers and completed the formal interview. Things appear to be coming along quite quickly. After the selection committee reviews this first chunk of information, then I'll be asked for references. So please keep me in your prayers as I continue in this direction. Thanks friends:)
I hope you enjoyed the stories today and are creating some of your own this Christmas season:)
Mele Kalikimaka!!
~April:)
A video featuring Lisa & April Lanigan cutting down the Christmas tree of 2006 with "the saw". Note: We had been working on the tree for a while and laughing quite hard and thus were out of breath.
So this is the first year I will be home in Three Hills for Christmas. I'm pretty excited about it. I've lived here for almost 7 years now. This week, I picked up my real Christmas tree at the only place in town...our local gas station. A friend and I sorted through the options. It was a bit of a guessing game as all their little arms were still in the up position. Eventually we found a winner, borrowed the saw from the nice lady and after we balanced it on the ice machine, cut off a few inches from the trunk. This isn't exactly how we do it in Ontario, but hey, there's no tree lot here.
There was one redeeming moment that reminded me of getting a Lanigan tree...the saw. You see, for whatever reason, come Christmas tree cutting time, any sharp saw would migrate to hidden caverns in the garage where no man could find them. A yearly exodus if you will. So the fallen saws, ones with cracked handles and dull teeth - too weary for the trip - would lay down relatively near to the garage door or hang upon nails in clear view. These were the ones that would be given to us by my father to cut down a tree for the family. Perhaps some of you have also experienced the result of this unfortunate tool strike.
So my sister, brother and I would set out with our Christmas tree toolkit consisting of a bedsheet, a bungee cord and ....the saw. When we would arrive to the tree lot, others would mock the saw and I must admit, there were several times we did opt for the man's saw over our own - but not this year. After perusing hundreds of christmas trees, faithfully marking the potentials with pieces of grass, sticks or mittens, the winner would be chosen. With a sigh, one of us would ask for "the saw". After laying down in the wet snow with branches poking in their eyes - they would initiate Phase 1. Phase 2 would start shortly after the shoulder cramping set in with the 2nd saw-er...then usually we ended with Phase 3 - equally similar to Phase 2. Each year cursing said saw. We would then carry the tree back to the car - my 5'3" sister on the tip and my 6'2" brother on the trunk and I would carry... "the saw". Once arriving at the vehicle, we would wrap our new addition with the bedsheet, squeeze it in the backseat and head for home. I tell you, every year I would return "the saw" back to the garage, placing it precariously close to the garbage can or even hiding it in a nook. However, every year it was back. Hmm.
On the MAF application front, this past week I handed in the first set of papers and completed the formal interview. Things appear to be coming along quite quickly. After the selection committee reviews this first chunk of information, then I'll be asked for references. So please keep me in your prayers as I continue in this direction. Thanks friends:)
I hope you enjoyed the stories today and are creating some of your own this Christmas season:)
Mele Kalikimaka!!
~April:)
A video featuring Lisa & April Lanigan cutting down the Christmas tree of 2006 with "the saw". Note: We had been working on the tree for a while and laughing quite hard and thus were out of breath.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Give peas a chance.
Peas for 30?
Tonight was our Staff Christmas party. It was an entertaining evening of turkey, fixin's, Christmas carols and games. A highlight each year is the traditional stealing of the white elephant gift exchange. This year was no different. The hottest items for 2010 were a pink foldable pig hamper, a "must have" mini camping ax, a headlamp, a large jar of candy, and a flask. It was wonderful to be with everyone tonight - there were many tears of joy and laughter:) I LOVE working with these people!! They are family to me:)
This morning marked the 11th day of freezing fog in the last 2 weeks. So in honor of being grounded, we took the opportunity to deck out the airport for Christmas! There were a few scrooges hiding in the study carols, but once Christmas Spirit arrived the crowd seemed to liven up. In fact, to my surprise, I witnessed an out-of-character chest bump between two serious instructors. I laughed until I cried. I guess that's what a little tinsel and lights will do to people~
T-27 days to Christmas. (I know...I can count.. but for the Lanigan family we celebrate when we can all get home...so the 30th it is! )
I hope your preparations are coming along nicely:)
Merry Christmas!!
Tonight was our Staff Christmas party. It was an entertaining evening of turkey, fixin's, Christmas carols and games. A highlight each year is the traditional stealing of the white elephant gift exchange. This year was no different. The hottest items for 2010 were a pink foldable pig hamper, a "must have" mini camping ax, a headlamp, a large jar of candy, and a flask. It was wonderful to be with everyone tonight - there were many tears of joy and laughter:) I LOVE working with these people!! They are family to me:)
This morning marked the 11th day of freezing fog in the last 2 weeks. So in honor of being grounded, we took the opportunity to deck out the airport for Christmas! There were a few scrooges hiding in the study carols, but once Christmas Spirit arrived the crowd seemed to liven up. In fact, to my surprise, I witnessed an out-of-character chest bump between two serious instructors. I laughed until I cried. I guess that's what a little tinsel and lights will do to people~
T-27 days to Christmas. (I know...I can count.. but for the Lanigan family we celebrate when we can all get home...so the 30th it is! )
I hope your preparations are coming along nicely:)
Merry Christmas!!