Life in Canada

Newest Updates

2009-10-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

Well a bunch of months have passed since Kaycee Hannah was born and as every first time mom know , time is no longer your own. As I am updating this Kaycee has fallen asleep and I thought it was time to do a little update and say hi from our family.

Kaycee Hannah Brenkman was born at 4:13 am on the 15th June. She was the most beautiful thing Giyan and I set our eyes on and we were very excited to see her. Rene spent a week in hopsital to recover from a c-section but we were soon home to not much sleep and figuring out how to adjust to this new addition to our lives.

About three weeks after she was born, Rene's mom came to stay and help for 7 weeks. It was such a blessing to have mom here as she helped me so much. I had no idea how I was going to handle everything once mom was gone, but it all worked out really well in the end. It is amazing how you adjust to no sleep and very little time to do anything.

Rene's dad came to visit too for 2 weeks and although it flew past so fast it was wonderful for Kaycee to meet at least one set of Grandparents already. He was able to dedicate Kaycee for us on the 3rd of August which was as super special time.
Kaycee's name means: Bold and Alert and from the moment she was born she was exactly that - VERY alert. It was amazing to see. She still is at 4 months and is growing super fast. She started to roll over in the middle of her second month and has begun to grab things a lot more now. She loves looking at everyone from her tummy and likes to be tickled on her tummy. She even enjoys her evening bath now. She doesn't much like sleep during the day recently which is no fun for mom but she is a good sleeper at night at this stage.

Kaycee has had her first immunizations and about to have her second ones already. We can hardly believe how fast she is growing. We are really thankful to the Lord for such a wonderful daughter who is a real joy to us.

On other news front, Giyan and I celebrated our 5th year anniversary this past weekend and it fell very close to the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and trust me we have so much to be thankful for.

Giyan got an early birthday present where he was sent on a 6 hour adventure cave tour. He went with a fellow South African friend and had a fantastic time - although quite a scary adventure and not at all for the faint hearted. I was so proud of my husband though cause even though I booked the tour there was no ways I would ever be doing that myself.

On the same weekend we had a bit of drama in our neighbourhood. In the middle of the night we heard fire engines and police cars in our area and upon looking our Kaycee's bedroom window saw to our shock and horror that a house was burning down very close to us. It was not fun to watch at all and very sad as in the end two houses burnt down to the ground and one was really badly damaged. Praise God no one was hurt. We are still not sure what the cause of the fire was.

Rene has finally written her Canadian Citizenship exam and is currently waiting for the date for her Swearing in. We are so excited that she will eventually have a Canadian Passport !

Finally although it is only October it is snowing here like crazy and has gone from plus 30 degrees in temperature to - 15 degrees and big snow.....

Well that is our current update, look forward to hearing from you all soon...... We will try and keep this updated more regularly.

God bless !

Baby Room

2009-06-04T19:07:00.001-07:00

As promised here are some pics of the completed and decorated baby room.

The past couple of months

2009-04-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Once again the time has just flown by and just when we wanted to do more regular updates on our blogger it is already May. Well at least we have some stories to tell and more pictures to share.

Over the Easter weekend, for my birthday, Giyan treated me to a road trip down to Montana. We had a lovely 4 days driving down to Kalispell and Missoula. It was still pretty chilly but the scenery as always was spectacular. I was able to still handle sitting for longer periods of time but the pit stops were many and I was amazed at how many washrooms we did find along the way :)

At one of our stops we saw the most spectaular birds and wished we had a bird book to be able to identify the electric blue birds we saw before us. The mountains were still covered in snow and spectacular. One of the cutest towns we stopped in was Big Fork. We could only imagine how exciting and pretty the town would be when it was all opened in the summer and there was more people around. The stores were mostly closed but there was one really cute store that was three stories big and full of wonderful treats, enough to keep you busy looking the whole day.

The whole round trip would be even more special in Summer because there are a lot of sights that were closed becuase they were out of season. So we did a lot of eating and a bit of shopping. Mostly just enjoyed each others company and spent time talking a lot. Packing in some dating time before Baby Brenkman comes along :) On our way back from Kalispell we need to drive through a small town called Browning.Well the wind was so strong here it nearly blew the car off the road. It was almost 100 kms a hour !! It was an awesome weekend - a lovely birthday gift and a fun trip for Giyan who just loves driving and the States.

The following weekend was my actual birthday

and I decided to have a birthday party. Specifically an English Tea Party for about 13 of my friends. It was awesome. A friend from Vancouver, Cheryl came out to spend the weekend. I was so thankful to have her as we had planned to do some major baking together for the tea party and due to unforseen circumstances I wasn't able to do the baking with her. So she totally blessed me out of my boots and socks and ended up doing everything !!

And it was so yummy. Everyone had lots of fun and we even had a few ladies dress up for the part :) I just love birthdays ......

The first weekend of May we had yet more visitors from BC, Wilma and Kellie Kellerman. With me being just a month and a half away from my due date, we decided to relax as much as possible, but of course that doesn't really happen right?? We ate out a lot and then took a drive out to Drumheller to see the Dinasour Museum. It was quite amazing. I didn't think I would like it but it really was something to see. Check is out at http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/

It was a lovely weekend with dear friends.

In between all this travel and visitors we have both been working hard. Giyan at his new position as CPAC Technical Coordinator at the City and at the time of writing this email I am already on maternity leave on my first week of vacation while waiting for baby to arrive. I am so proud of Giyan, he has had this wonderful opportunity to move into a new temporary position at the City for the next year and although he is challenged he is loving his new role.

Before I left work, the staff at Fairborne spoilt me with a baby shower. It was so awesome and such a blessing as all we had really bought for baby so far was the big furniture items. So after the party we had just about everything we needed to get our baby started :)

We will update again shortly with some baby room pics etc.... Only 2 more weeks to go before Baby Brenkman arrives : Yee Ha !!

2009-03-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

30 weeks and counting ! Yes, time is getting closer. Our little one is growing well and moving lots. We have been so thankful and blessed how wonderful the pregnancy has been going. We pray for baby Brenkman every day and are excited for his/her’s arrival around the 7th June 2009. Daddy Brenkman is as excited as pie to watch mom’s belly growing each week and to feel the little one kicking.

We have had another two scans since we last wrote and still baby is not letting on to their sex L

Giyan did a trip with a good friend of ours down to Idaho to pick up a crib and a few other things that we had ordered. So now we have the big odds and ends that we needed to get our baby room all ready.

Our den has officially now been converted into a bedroom, and Giyan has done a fantastic job of painting the room a creamy color. We ave just begun to move a few items into the room so that we can start decorating. We will update the blogger and send some pictures of the renos and when it is all all set up.

We had the opportunity to attend the Breakforth Conference (http//www.new-creation.net/breakforth.htm) in Edmonton with Doug and Susie Yuen. This was our very first time attending, but wow what a fantastic experience. Very well organized and fantastic speakers and worship leaders. Every day started with at least 30 minutes of dynamic worship and then we would break up into workshops that we had pre-chosen topics to listen to for that particular day. Every single one that each of us attended was a blessing and very spot of for where we at in our walk with God at the time. It was a refreshing time spiritually as well as spending quality time with good friends.

Then Rene had a visit from Christina Caleb for a weekend at the end of February. What a pleasure that was because the two girls chatted non stop about baby things and all sorts. Giyan spoilt drove us to a few baby shops so that I could gather as many tips as possible in preparation for babies arrival. I have to say, Christina was full of great ideas. We then took a drive out to Johnston Canyon/Banff for a day and had a lovely time walking in the snow and fellowshipping more.

Keep checking over the next while for more adventures and news - Love Giyan and Rene

Lake Louise December 2008

2008-12-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful suprise this past weekend. A good friend of mine, Bridget Stone came to visit all the way from Maryland, USA. This was a treat for both of us especially for Bridget who has three boys that she home schools at home. Her wonderful Husband, Nigel agreed to look after them over a long weekend so that she could come and visit me. Bridget and I have been friends since High School in South Africa. So we had TONS to talk about.

Bridget arrived on a interesting weekend. First of all it was totally freezing the whole weekend. Like - 32 degrees freezing and not at all fun to drive around in - let alone go for walks. However, we were blessed to have my company Christmas Party on this exact weekend. Many of you know this is a huge treat as we all get to go up to Lake Louise to the Fairmont for a
night at the hotel and dinner and breakfast. Bridget got to go with us to the hotel and stay and enjoy the breakfast with us on Sunday morning. She enjoyed reading and walking around the hotel the Saturday night.

We were blessed to use friends of ours 4 x 4 to get to Lake Louise which was very much needed. Our Jetta was just not happy in this cold weather. We have not had this type of weather for a very long time. So cold that everything just freezes including car doors and windows. Something else.

Anyway, all in all, lots of cups of tea and a fantastic weekend. Thanks Nigel and boys for sending Bridget over !!

Baby Brenkman

2008-12-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

We were teased just before we went to Hawaii by folks that we would have a Hawaii baby, well suprise suprise, we actually found out that we were expecting Baby Brenkman 5 days before we actually went on holiday !!

So here were are to share that we are expecting our first little one and ever so excited about his/her arrival. This scan was the first one taken on 9 weeks and 1 day. Baby is healthy and growing fast. At the time of writing this email I am 16 weeks along.

I have been doing really well. Was very nauseas from week 8 till about week 15 but that is heaps better and of course very tired. But I am now in my second trimester and doing well.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us ! God does answer prayers. This has been a journey for us but God promised He was faithful to his promises and He has so kept that promise. Giyan is very excited to become a daddy and gets more excited every day when he sees my tummy is growing !!

Baby Brenkman is due on the 7th June. We will continue to keep you posted !!

Hawaii October 2008

2008-11-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Our adventure began around 2:30 p.m. on the 10th October, on our trip to Oahu, Hawaii. We flew out with great excitement and had a few hours stop over in Vancouver and then straight on to Hawaii. Both of us were quite shocked how long 5 hours felt (seasoned travellers and all :) Anyway, we arrived in Honolulu around 9:p.m in the darkness. We were both quite impacted as to how open the airport was. We got through customs without a problem and immediately found the car hire company that we had rented our car from. All I can say is thank you Lord for GPS and am I ever glad that Giyan bought one, cause to tell you the truth without one you are totally lost in this place. We found our condo really easily and were pleasantly surprised at the location and as to how nice the place was. We had asked for a top unit and we got it. We were 4 blocks away from the main Waikiki's Beach and lots of great shops. So perfect location. Our condo was a one bedroom with full kitchen, but perfect for us and really cosy. Check out the website, we stayed in the Royal Moana. http://www.aliibeachrentals.com.

Within a day we saw that the flora, fauna and bird life on the island was spectacular. Oh my gosh, the colors of the birds and the sounds you could hear each morning were spectacular. And there are hundreds of real palm trees. It really does look like the TV Programme, Magnum :)

As we had hired a car we decided to try a different thing everyday. So we explored our local area first and discovered that there was lots of nice places to eat, even though we had decided to buy food at the local, Walmart, Costco and Safeway. One of the very first drives we took was to Nuuanu Pali State Park. This is an now a lookout area. Hawaiians would walk from one end of the island to the other side of the island and they would use this then very dangerous pathway to get there. At that time they did not have a proper roadway to get to the other end of the island. This is the view of the Pali Lookout from the top. Totally stunning - a whole lot cooler and windier.Waimea Bay - now listen here, we are from South Africa right and used to rough waves. Well, all I can say is this was something else. Note the picture above. Hardly anyone is in the water. When we arrived we heard the life guard warning parents and inexperienced swimmers that these waves were killers. Breaker of backs and legs and arms. Please be careful and rather not swim. At first we thought they were a bit dramatic but upon sitting a little longer and watching we noticed the waves were very hard and strong. Giyan did venture in, but came out with very big eyes and said, "Maybe not:)" One of our favorite beaches was near Kailua - a long stretch of beach and hardly anyone around.

One of the places of interest that we visited was Diamond Head State Monument. This is now a old volcano crater created 300,000 years ago. It was like walking in the desert. Very brown and super arred. This is a tourist attraction that has been turned into a hike. And what a hike it was. It was the most unbelievably hot day, so thankfully we took lots of water. Although not a long walk it was super steep and ended in a windy stairwell with about 272 stairs and a HUGE view at the top. When we were done at the top we decided to get down as soon as possible and have a Hawaiian Shaved Ice - see pic below :)

Although I have so much to tell you about Hawaii and what we did, I don't want to bore you with all the details, but before we end off we have to tell you about Hanama Bay. This was one of favourite days!! We left really early with our snorkels and flippers and TONS of sun tan lotion and our $ 5. We started off by just sitting at this gorgeous beach watching how everyone else did the snorkeling and eventually ventured in. Although I have done this once before, it was still something to get used to. Giyan got it immediately. At first we didn't see a single thing, however, soon enough the most spectatular fish swam past us. We could hardly count all the beautiful fish and the magnificent colors. Yet again we were awed at God's creation and his creativity !!!

The best part of the whole day was the two sea turtles that we swam with. Absolutely stunning. (We did not take any photos under water, so you will just have to believe us :) )

As I end this update, I will add just a few other general photos of places we visited and saw. One was Pearl Harbor and the other was the Dole Plantation. So if you were still thinking about going, I have to tell that you really should reconsider. It is a great vacation, for driving, swimming, sleeping, shopping and 101 other things.

July 2008

2008-07-13T15:56:00.001-07:00

Yes, we know it is almost the end of July 2008 and this is the first time we have updated our blogger. We have a few friends who have sent emails and even called to ask “When are you going to update the blogger” So here we are, better late then never, right?

2008 really started with a bang! Rene was promoted to Supervisor of Office Services within her company early on in the year and has not stopped learning new things since. However, she is not complaining as this is an answer to prayer for her and a huge blessing. Giyan has been very successful in gaining approval for at number of very big projects with the City of Calgary and has been a great success at all that he has been doing.

On the Ellel front we have both been quite involved with Calgary Ellel this year. Giyan completed the Prayer Ministry Training and is now able to be part of the Ministry team which is very exciting. Rene has taught at a few weekends and will be doing a teaching on Singleness at the upcoming school in July. (Yes, she was once single and does have some things to say about that J)

March was an exciting month for us as we drove down to Idaho and spend some time with Rene’s cousin, Jennifer and her Aunt and Uncle, Bill and Baby. It was wonderful to see where they lived and spend some time with them. We also had great fun shopping in Spokane as, Albertans do not have to pay sale’s tax on clothing items. So with the fact that it was a sales weekend, the Canadian Dollar is stronger than the American and that we do not have to pay sales tax we had a wonderful time shopping. The scenery going down to Spokane is gorgeous.

We attend a exciting and vibrant church called C3 Calgary(http://westhills.ccbchurch.com) and once a month they run a men’s breakfast. So in the month of April, Rene volunteered to cook breakfast for about 30 men (this was a first). It worked out very well – sausage, ham, eggs, yoghurt, muffins and toast. Needless to say that was a lot of fun and the guys loved it. Giyan attended a Leadership Course called Every Leader once a month at church and loved it. C3 is very motivated to invest in and encourage people to grow in the calling that God has in their lives. We live about 45 minutes from church at this point and find it challenging sometimes to get as involved as we would love to in the church community, but we have begun to make friends and be part of a growing church.

The other highlight of the year so far was having family over again from South Africa. We both took three weeks off work and took Ma and Pa Brenkman on a road trip to British Columbia. Having lived in Vancouver for two years we felt that we wanted to show them a little of our life as we began in Canada. It was a fun filled and rain free three weeks. We stopped in Panorama, Nelson, Osooyos, Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler and finally at a beautiful hotel near Revelstoke called Three Gap Valley Lake Chateau. We ate glorious food, saw bears, foxes and many deer and the men even dared to do the Zip Trek in Whistler. Of course us ladies shopped and chatted mostly, but that is exactly what we needed.

Arriving back from our trip we came right into a busy Stampede week. Mom and Dad had the opportunity to attend the Calgary Stampede, Chuck Wagon races and Grand Stand Show, which the totally loved. Giyan and I both had the opportunity to attend the Rodeo this year which is awesome and a must for anyone who wants to experience the Stampede. If you have no idea what I am talking about have a look at this website http://calgarystampede.com. This is a world class event and a must for anyone.

So it is now the middle of July and we are back to work and ready for the next half of the year. God has blessed us immensely with so many good things here in Canada. We are thankful to be alive and well and that we have been able to see family a lot this past year. We are thankful for friendships all over the world and for what God has done and what he continues to do.

Look forward to hearing from you all soon.

Lots of love

Giyan and Rene

Final Update on 2007

2008-01-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

It is 2008 already and we have not updated our blogger for a long time. Life has been rather full and adventurous. There may be some things we totally missed writing about last year, but will try our best to keep you updated this year.

2007 was a great year but we both have the sense that 2008 is going to be even better. Giyan had a fantastic opportunity to go to Miami for a work conference. Unfotunelty Rene had to stay behind due to a United Way commitment at work. Sadly, it seems she missed out on a great trip. Temperatures ranging from 35 – 38 degrees each day made for a shock to the system after a chilly farewell from Calgary. However, true Giyan style he had a wonderful time touring around and visiting Fort Lauderdale and Key West. The hotel room he stayed in was fit for a king and Rene was really jealous when she saw the pictures. A blessing and bonus for Rene was that she got to go to Vancouver to do a girlie week with old friends. This was fun and a great time of refreshing.

All the women in the Ellel Associate Team got together one night for a all Girl’s Christmas party with a difference. We exchanged cookies which was a first time for Rene and then everyone decided to bring a Christmas decoration for our new Christmas Tree. It was wonderful and as you can see from the pictures we had a stunning tree in the end. It was really a lovely evening and a real blessing to know we have such special friends.

Then towards the end of the year, Rene’s company had a Christmas party which was held at Lake Louise. Not only was everything paid for but we got to stay in a lovely room at Chateau Lake Louise. Dinner and Breakfast was awesome and we just had a lovely time together knowing we did not need to pay a single sent.

Then around the 18th of December Pa and Ma Brenkman arrived from Sunny South Africa. We did warm them that it would be cold, but the Lord was gracious to them. Although chilly the temperatures we very mild in comparison to how they can be in January onwards. We had a fantastic three weeks holiday with them. Pa Brenkman (Rinus) had never been to Canada before so this was a wonderful wonderland for him. They had great fun walking on frozen lakes, drinking Tall White Chocolate Mocha’s. Eating Rene’s home made food that was rather different to what they were used to. We were able to spend a few days in Canmore which was a real blessing. And there they saw a lot more snow than they had seen in Calgary. They loved our tree and we have to confess that the tree was surrounded by gifts. We had GREAT fun opening them on Christmas day.

Our time with family is always precious and we are looking forward to seeing them again in June/July when we do a road trip to Vancouver.

So here we are updated and ready for 2008 – Both Giyan and I have a busy year ahead of us in our jobs and together as a couple, but we are looking forward to all that God has in store. We will keep you posted a little more as we go along this year.

If we have not heard from you yet, please drop us a line and remember you are always welcome to visit.

Summer in Alberta 2007

2007-08-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Summer in Alberta has been quite an adventure. The reason we have not updated our blogger for a while has been because there has been one fun thing after the other happening.

At the end of June Giyan and I spent a weekend with friends of ours at their cabin about an hour away from Sparwood. They have a lovely cabin at Edward Lake. We packed our early the Friday morning and drove directly down to the American Border. We had decided that we wanted to spend the day driving through on border point and looking at some of the gems in Montana and then drive through the other border point which was 10 minutes from were we would be staying.

We were blessed out of boots and socks at the beauty in Montana. There were so many lovely small places to see and the scenery is spectacular. We stopped and had a picnic and a yummy huckleberry ice cream (this is a type of berry in the States that we don’t have in Canada as far as I know)

We spent the whole weekend, chatting, walking and kayaking on the lake which was near the house. It was awesome. The cabin has not running water or electricity but it is lovely and new inside. Giyan and I came away feeling refreshed and ready for the next week ahead.

Directly after Edward Lake, Calgary had a major transformation. STAMPEDE week. If you have never been to Calgary for the Stampede I have to say… you have to do it at least once. Nothing but nothing had prepared us for this week of adventure. Everyone in my office knew that we had never been to a stampede before so whenever there was free tickets they came my way. The week started with a breakfast for Giyan’s department. Breakfast for stampede week is: eggs, sausage, pancakes with lots of syrup and hash browns, coffee and orange juice.

The week prior to stampede the city handed out about 18000 Steadson white hats. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Considering I honestly had no idea that everyone really looked the part for this week. If you did not dress up you were seriously out. The standard dress code from day one of that week was jeans, jeans, jeans, cowboy boots, a hat and you had to own a cowboy shirt of some sort. Even if you had a meeting that week, you would fit in perfectly if you wore your wrangler and your steadson hat !! It was something else to see.

The week of Stampede (6th July – 15th July) starts with a 2 hour parade. We were fortunate to get tickets for a wonderful big breakfast at a pub and grill and seats to watch the parade. We were also able to attend the Chuck Wagon races which was something to see. The other thing that happens in the city is that every day a company/building in the city puts on a free breakfast (bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, coffee and juice). There is something happening every single day so you really do not have to do eat too much the whole week. We loved it !!

Then the company that Rene works for won a Skylight box at Spruce Meadows which is an Equesterian Centre. This was fantastic as we were able to have a spectacular view and unlimited food and drink the whole day. The horse jumping was awesome and we even had an opportunity to walk on the grounds with a guy who jumps and he explained the whole route to us. It was a wonderful treat yet again !!

Next on the agenda was the Ellel 4 weeks school. Part A & Part B. I was blessed to be able to be part of the school in a small way this year by leading worship about twice a week in the first three weeks. It is always exciting to see what God does in each person’s life that comes to the school.

During the school we had a special visit from Aaron and Christina and Aliya !! Who were were so happy to see. I had the joy spending to days just talking and talking with Christina (in and amongst baby things) and Aaron and Giyan went on a very big hike to Johnston Canyon. This was a wonderful time of catch up for all of us.

Then at the beginning of August, Giyan’s mom and two of his sisters, Rene and Sune came to visit all the way from South Africa. It was Mom and Rene’s first time in the country. We had an amazing week of wonderful weather. Giyan was able to spend a lot of time with his family and take some time off. I unfortunelty had to work this time, but enjoyed time with everyone in the evenings and weekend. We were able to go to Banff and Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon and of course Tim Hortons and The Spaghetti Factory and just about anything that they were able to fit into the week.

Sadly everyone left yesterday and now we have an empty house and a very quite house. It is always wonderful to have family with us and we miss everyone.

The highlight of this week is that our grass and trees have eventually been planted near our house. So were are slowly beginning to feel like we are settling into our new home.

That is all our news this time, but we will keep you posted.

Our Newest Baby - June 2007

2007-07-05T09:32:00.001-07:00

As many of you know we have not had a car since we moved to Canada - we were breifly loaned a car in the first two months in Calgary which was a huge blessing. So we are very very excited to be the proud owners of a new 2007 Cobalt Blue Jetta.

Life in the Fast Lane

2007-05-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well it is three weeks since we moved into our new home in Chestermere, Alberta and what a busy three weeks it has been. If you have not heard much from us, we apologize, life has really been very very busy.

On the day of our move our lovely brand new front end loader washer and dryer arrived right on time to be moved to the new house and we were helped by a few wonderful friends to load the U-Haul van and unpack at our new house. Unpacking is always a whole lot easier then packing.

Our new home is lovely. Slowly but surely it is taking form and items are beginning to make sense in the various spaces that we have in the house. The house is very big in comparison to the last two places we have had so it is really exciting to begin to make it our home.

Exactly 5 days after we moved in we dashed off to the airport to collect Rene's Dad who flew in from the UK to spend two weeks with us for his 60th birthday (Still coming up - 11th June) It was wonderful to see dad and such a joy to have him see us in our new home. Rene had a few days off the first week to spend with Dad so we had a few Tim Horton' chats (for those who are coffee and donut fans that is the Canadian nearly equal to the American Starbucks) Dad was amazed that houses here are built with wood. He spent a whole day walking around the neigbourhood just looking at all the new houses being built. It was quite an education to see actually especially when you see the trucks arrive with already built parts for the house and doors and panel get transported through second story windows via a remote control crane. Very educational to say the least.

While dad was here they began to prepare the back of the house for cement and walkways. The weather was super while dad was here, but as soon as he left we had a massive dump of snow so all the work on the houses have come to a bit of a halt. Sometime by middle of June we are hoping that all grass will be laid and walk ways built. Very nice to watch.

We have a great next door neighbor on the one side of us but the other one has been a little too roudy - particularly 3:00 am in the morning. Hopefully that will settle soon :)

While dad was here we had an incredible opportunity to meet up with one of his brothers who lives in the Idaho. Dad last saw his brother, Bill 23 years ago. I (René) had never met him or my aunt or cousin, Jennifer before. I have been in contact with Jennifer over the phone for a few years now. Anyway were were able to meet in Cranbrook after a wonderful drive down to Waterton Park where we went on an awesome (a bit scary for Rene) hike up a mountain to a stunning lake. We spent the night at a really quaint lodge in Waterton and then drove to Cranbrook to meet Uncle Bill and Jennifer. It was the most special and precious time for Dad and his brother and very much for the rest of us. We spent a couple of hours just talking and sharing and then they had to return to the USA. God has a way of doing amazing things doesn't he.

We spent a day at Radium Springs and then headed home until the following weekend were we spend a wonderful weekend in Canmore. A friend of mine had lent me her Condo and we had the most amazing time hiking in the Rockies and watching TV, talking and eating and sleeping. Did I mention eating ??? We went to Johnston Canyon and walked up to the Lake Louise Tea House. All the while the weather was spectacular.

We also saw lots of animals. A real treat was the bear and the Elk. We also saw mountain sheep & deer.( a little like going through the Kruger National Park.)

Dad left last monday (21st May - the very day three years ago Giyan proposed to me !!). We were very very sad to see dad leave. It was such a special time to have him here. We wish our family was so much closer but we are thankful that God has made a way always for us to see our parents.

So although dad has gone, the adventure has not stopped. We are still very busy doing many housie things and recently had to make the decision to buy a car. We will keep you posted about that one on another day.

Giyan is doing really well in his job. He has a lot going on right now with many new projects on the go but he is very excited (we both are) as three of his family members are coming to visit us for a week in August. It is really a year of visiting :)

It is almost stampede time here in Calgary and if you don't know what that is, have a look at this website. http://calgarystampede.com. Neither of us have actually experienced it yet so we will report when we have. It is a lot of cowboy and drinking and parties and free breakfasts..

Well folks, that is our update, when our house is looking a little bit more organised we will post some more pics - the updated version.

2007-04-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

CHESTERMERE

233 Rainbow Falls Drive - Chestermere

Front of the house

Back of the house - double deck

Main bedroom and bathroom

Giyan is super excited about the Double Garage

The awesome kitchen - with stainless steel appliances and LOTS of space.

The sunny bay window lounge/living area

Snow, Birthdays and a BIG suprise

2007-04-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

To say that there is never a dull moment in the Brenkmans lives here in Canada is really an undestatement. We have been in Calgary for 2 1/2 months and "stuff" is happening.

Let us begin with this crazy weather. While the sun shines we may have four seasons in one day. We have woken up to a warm wind and a colorful sky, only to get half way to the bus stop and snow pours down from the heavens. By the time we get to the office, the snow has stopped, but the wind has picked up and it is freezing. BUT the sun is still shining :) By lunch time be sure to note that the snow has melted and if you are lucky you might just be able to not need to worry anymore about wearing that heavy jacket you put on first thing in the morning.

Yip, that really is life in Calgary! The Chinook winds are a warm wind that comes in at any given time and it is lovely and every so refreshing after a cold spell. But as fast as it comes it also dissapears. This past weekend we had our first rain which was really lovely because all the snow and dirt was washed away.

Giyan had been on a few adventures himself. Recently he went for a hike to Johnston Canyon. As you can see in the pictures the waterfalls have frozen over and people are actually ice picking up them. Quite a sight to see - we have both braved walking across a few frozen rivers, however I don't think I will be doing that soon after seeing a panicked man floating down the Bow river on a piece of ice that had broken away from a huge ice block (he was rescued by the fire department)
Giyan has a wonderful job and is really enjoying it. He has a lot of big projects on the go. One of the highlights of his job is that he has one friday off a month in and initially he had no idea what to do with all that time, however the idea has started to settle now and he is starting to have lots of fun. He recently drove to Waterton National Park which is about 600 kms from here. It was a stunning drive and there was a lot of beautiful open fields. He was so excited as he drove out that he jumped out the car at one point and walked through the fields. The picture on the left gives you and idea of the beauty of it.

It was Rene's birthday this month and so Giyan suprised her with a flight back to Vancouver. And what a wonderful suprise it was. Just one week before her dear friend Christina had her first baby girl, Aliya Renee Caleb. Perfect timing for us so that we could meet this wonderful bundle of joy. We had an opportuntiy to catch up with some friends and go to our old church (UTown)which was such a lovely suprise for everyone. It was a real treat to be back home in 'green' country and when we left Calgary it was -5 and snowing but by the time we arrived in Vancouver it was +15 !!! Awesome and really nice and green. We were both a little sad when we left but quite excited about the adventure that lay ahead.

The great big suprise is that we have bought our first Home in Canada !! Yes, we don't waste any time now do we? We found a lovely brand new townhome in just one week in the community of Chestermere which is about 20 minutes out from Downtown Calgary. (the link will follow this blog) One of the main attractions for us is the lake. We have just signed the mortgatge and everything is on a role. Our move in date is the 28th of April. If you are thinking of us please keep us in your prayers, we have quiet a lot going on to get to that day.

On the 3rd of May we have a special guest all the way from the UK to come and stay with us for three weeks. Rene's Dad !! We are very excited and can't wait to see him. Mom is holding the fort back in the UK this time and even though we are sad that she can't come we are excited that we get to see Dad this time round.

So for now that is our news..... we will keep you updated as we go along !!

A New Season

2007-02-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

Wow, we can hardly believe a whole month has gone past since we moved !! Time definitely does fly. Well, it is defiantly time for an update.

Giyan is settling in wonderfully in his new job at the City of Calgary. He is part of a team of planners who have very important projects in the City and so there is a lot of exciting new things to do and learn. His greatest challenge has been getting used to the hours after working longer hours at the previous company. He is blessed to have flexi time where he gets every third Friday off and this is a whole new experience for him but the idea is starting to settle nicely as the Rocky Mountains are really close by to Calgary. So whenever he gets a chance he is out and about exploring.

We have been loaned a car from good friends of ours which has been a God send as Calgary is not the easiest city to get around on the bus system. Our house is fantastic. We love all the big windows and open space that we have. Purchasing of a vacuum cleaner and dining set has given us a whole new outlook on life :) And for Rene to have a laundry in house has been the best present she could have got. Life suddenly got a whole lot simpler :)

The weather has been a bit crazy. We have had super cold days (-23--28 degrees) and lots of snow to very warm after a Chinook Wind came (warm winds) . Once it stop snowing the snow often freezes over so we really have to be careful not to slip and fall. The great thing about Calgary though is there is no rain and the sun shines almost every day. Which is really quite different to Vancouver.

We are living in an older established area and most of the houses in our area are duplexes like ours. We have got to know our neighbours a little. Calgarians are very friendly and helpful. We live very close to all major shops and it is wonderful to have lots of choices right near to us.

René has been involved with Ellel Canada West since she arrived and has already done a couple of Prayer Ministry appointments and a Healing Retreat. She recently taught on the Prayer Ministry Skills which she really enjoyed. We have been able to connect with a few people that she knew from Calgary before and we are slowly starting to make friends in the city.

This past week was very exciting as Rene got a job !! The job market in Calary is booming. (hint hint ..anyone want to move ???) There is 1000's of jobs going and it is the first time that Rene had the opportunity to chose exactly what she wanted. She started on Thursday at a Oil and Gas company downtown in Calgary called Fairborne Energy Trust. (www.fairbornetrust.com) She is the Administrative Coordinator to the Office Manager. There is about 80 staff and her job entails all aspects of the office with a lot of variety so she is in her element because she loves variety.

We have been visiting a number of churches and have found Calgary rich in terms of churches. We have not found one particular one yet that we will settle in. Part of that reason is that we are house hunting at the same time and will probably be moving somewhere in the next 5 months. So we will wait until we are 100% sure where we will settle.

So it is exciting times in the Brenkman household. God is good and we can't wait to share the rest of our journey with you as it happens. So please keep looking at our blogger so that you can keep up with all the fun :) We will send some pics or our house soon !!

We would love to hear from you ......

The Big Move

2007-02-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

The Big day arrived !! 20th of January we woke up to an incredibly dry day and lots of sunshine. 6 our our dear friends met us at a nearby breakfast cafe to carba load on some food to help us with packing the HUGE 26 ft van that we had hired from Uhaul. With all this muscle power we managed to load the van in exactly one hour and were on the road by 12:00 p.m that day. God had given me a Exodus 23: 20 which said " See I am sending and angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared"

And that is exactly what the Lord did. We had the most awesome drive up the Coquihalla mountain pass ( a rather scary pass when it snows). The truck was huge, but Giyan did an awesome job of driving us to Revelstoke where we slept over the night in a BestWestern Hotel. There was a huge amount of snow in the town but it was beautiful. We left in the morning and drove through to Calgary.

It was a weird feeling to drive through the huge Rocky Mountains and then see a large open area and lots and lots of houses. It gave us the feeling almost of being back in South Africa. It was very brown but there is a lot of big highways and roads and the houses are spread out all over.I (Rene) was so excited when I saw that the house we had rented was in an area that I knew from when I spend a month in Calgary It almost felt as though I had come home.

We are on the move

2006-12-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well who would have thought that we would have another update so soon :) To be honest about two days after I sent the last blogger update, we got some exciting news.
About six months ago, Giyan applied for a number of new jobs in and around Vancouver and in a specific one in Calgary. We heard nothing until two weeks ago. Giyan got and email from the City of Calgary asking him if he was still interested in the Planner 2 position that he had applied for. He was of course !!

Little did we know that within days he would be offered a fabulous position in Calgary and that we will be moving in January !! Yip, these wandering - adventurous folk are the move yet again.

So the drama has been that we had one and a bit week to begin packing up our basement suite before we leave on a three week overseas trip on the 23rd December. We return on the 13th January 2007 and Giyan starts his new job in Calgary on the 15th January.

Just for those who don't know, Calgary is as far as Cape Town is to Pretoria. So He will be flying out on the 14th and going to stay with Doug and Susie (friends of ours in Calgary) and I will be staying and packing up the last bits in our place.

We are on the lookout of a place to rent at the moment with a hope to move in either the 15th January or the 1st of February. Rentals are a bit few and far between in Calgary as there is a huge boom of work going on there at the moment and a lot of houses to buy but not too many rentals. However, we have a big God and know we will have one right on time.

So Lord willing, we will be in Calgary officially from about the 21st of January and settling down in our own place around about that time too or just after. We plan to buy a car and a house in the year to come so you all are very welcome to come and visit (one at a time please :)

God has been awesome with everything so far, Giyan was offered a wonderful salary and we have both left our jobs that we are in with good bonuses and a wonderful holiday to look forward to. I will also be looking for a new job in Calgary. We know God has great plans !!

So, Happy New Year to everyone and know that we love you. We will update you all with our new address and telephone details as soon as we have them.

Lots of love Giyan and René

A wrap up of 2006 - Merry Christmas

2006-12-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

Well, believe it or not, I decided it was time to write in our blogger again. Shocking seeing as the last time I think I put anything in here was in April. Oh dearie me, and lots and lots has happened since then.

So hi, from the Brenkmans. We have a crazy busy year but lots of fun. I will include a few good photos of some of the trips we have been on during this year.

It is not yet officially Winter in Vancouver however, we have a had a major snow storm and snow dump in the past week. Very very unusual for Vancouver first of all to have so much snow and secondly to have it in November. However, I just have to stay that it was both lovely and totally freezing at the same time. (- 8 being freezing for us this side of Canada - I know - no comment from anyone in Alberta or further east !!)

With the snow come a few extra challenges, one being transport. A total nightmare. Everyone who can drive will not drive as they cannot drive in the snow. Because of course it doesn't snow in Vancouver. So this means in effect that the buses are overloaded. SERIOUSLY and LATE !! A regular day I have 2 other people standing at the bus-stop with me and I immediately find a seat on the bus. However, day one of the snow I arrived, normal time, to find 10 other people before me. This is NOT cool. When... and please note , when... the bus arrived it was late (no schedule when there is snow) and it was totally packed and there was all these strangers and aliens on my bus. To put the cherry on the cake, I had to stand !! This is totally scandalous of course as that means I have to stand for 30 minutes. NOT fun.

And of course I have to add that actually waiting for the bus has it's hazards too. While waiting for a bus, another bus rode past and sprayed a waterfall in my direction. SO I got soaking wet even before I arrived at work that morning. Yip, this is the joys of snowy Vancouver.....

The plus side was I got to leave really early every day for a week as the buses were jam packed and it was declared unsafe to drive etc so people were adviced to go home before things got icy and dangerous. Also the snow is just spectacular. I loved waking up in the morning to see the snow falling. It was really pretty.

Now, just before this we had a water warning, we were only allowed to drink boiled water. Major rain caused mud slides to land in our reservoirs and cause out water to become contaminated. Well, again a major crisis. REALLY !! especially if you are a coffee lover. Starbucks almost closed down as they did not seem to have the Tim Hortons brainwave of using bottled water for their coffee. Of course it did not take that long for everyone to discover that a buck could be made. The companies who sold bottled water made a ton and the bottle collectors (we have those here - who collect empty bottles to get the money back for them) were making a lot of money too in those two weeks.

We are back to normal yet again :) Sunshine - a little bit of rain and not much freeze !! YAY !!

As far as our travels have been concerned, a very exciting thing happened in the Brenkman residence. First we obtained our American Visa's which means we can cross that "no - go area" called the border (which is 1 hour from our home) and our first trip was to Seattle on our Second year Anniversary. It was wonderful. We treated ourselves to a fantastic hotel for a night and walked around Seattle which is fabulous and then also took a drive up to Mt Rainer. We didn't see to much as it was foggy but it was still beautiful in the area around.

We discovered that America really does have LARGE food servings so our advice to anyone going, share a plate !!

The best news though, is that exactly two weeks after this weekend, Giyan was sworn in as a Canadian Citizen. My wonderful boss gave me the afternoon off to go and spend with Giyan and have the honour of watching him become a Canadian Citizen after 5 years. God has been good to him !! Exactly three weeks later he has received his Canadian Passport !! Yip, my darling husband now can fly anywhere he wants to and does not have to wait at customs any longer. Yay. Well done to Giyan !! I am so proud of him. This was something that began a long time ago and he has achieved it.
So of course for us the border is no longer a no go area. So as often as we are able to try and go and do a day visit or two.

We have been blessed with two lots of family visiting this year. My mom came for the month of March and Giyan's sister Sune and her one son JT came to visit for 2 weeks in July. Nothing like having family stay. It was so nice to have that time with them. We also have had some other surprise visits from Julia Isch from Portland and Robert and Valpre from South Africa and one or two other folk who popped in to say hi. We just want everyone to know that you are very welcome to come and visit at anytime okay :)

I have also become a Mystery Shopper this year. And really it is supposed to be a mystery but I guess I can let you in on the secret. Basically I am an independent Contractor for various companies. I will go in as a normal client and do a customer service evaluation and then write a report and get paid to do that. Payment either comes in form of a amount of money or a meal. movie or hire car or both. I have loved doing it and it has exposed us both to some fun things in and around the city.

Giyan and I also attended a wonderful Catch the Fire Soaking conference last month. We really enjoyed it a lot and had a really refreshing and uplifting time away. This year too God has been awesome in the area of cars. We have not yet bought a car as really public transport is easy and a whole lot cheaper but the whole year round we have been blessed with people loaning us a car for extended periods of time, which has been awesome.

We have also had the opportunity of starting a prayer team on Sundays at our church - Utown http://www.utownchurch.com/. We have a team of about 15 people who rotate on Sundays to pray for folk after church. This has been wonderfully exciting and God has been moving. Our church recently launched a CD too, which you can see on their website.

I guess there are so many exciting things to share and a lot has happened this year however we just wanted to touch base once again and let you all know that we are doing really well. We are believe that 2007 is going to be full of new things and we will keep you all posted - We will be leaving on the 23rd December for two weeks to the UK to see my parents at Pierrepont (YAY !!) Giyan will be visiting close friends in Germany too and then we will be meeting up in Barcelona for our final week and return back to Canada on the 13th January 2007.

May you know the Lord's peace and joy over this special Season. May you know His love and His forgiveness and acceptance too in all that you do. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you. Please drop us a line or please do come and visit !! We would love to see you.

Lots of love

Giyan and René

Some more pics from Tofino

2006-04-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Me at the beach front a little chilled - but isn't it just stunning? Boats and Canoes, Beach front, Best Western and views.

A very special birthday

2006-04-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is me at 7:00 a.m waiting for the bus to take us to the ferries. Now you have to understand this was a holiday for some here in Vancouver so 7:00 am is REALLY early :)

However, this was a special treat - and - my birthday so early was good. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the ferry and another 1.5 hours on the ferry before we got to Nanaimo for the next leg of our journey.

So... here is me having a VERY yummy breakfast on the ferry (please exuse the face) Just brilliant for a birthday girl.

When we got to Nanaimo we hired a wonderful Honda Ballade. The very latest model - Giyan was in his element (see below) They even provided us with a freshly washed model.

Our journey began from Nanaimo and we slowly made our way up to some falls which you can see to the right. They were totally specacular. Then we went on to another area that had a whole bunch of trees that had been in this Grove for a long time. It was totally beautiful. All green and it felt like a real rain forest.

Our destination was a place called Tofino. Which is a really popular holiday destination for many Vancouverits and overseas visitors.

We had never been but we were so suprised at how beautiful the roads were leading up to Tofino. There was also a crazy change of weather all the down there. One minute the sun was shining an the next minute we were having a mad shower. Really amazing.

When we arrived at Tofino it was really well worth the 3 hour trip. There was a wonderful sound so crashing waves (even though they still don't quite match South Africa) they beat anything I have seen here. So there were these long beaches and loads of hotels on the beaches. A lot of lovely log cabins. There was a lovely holiday atmosphere. Giyan and I bought a sandwich and went for a walk along the pier and saw folk canoeing and some were going whale watching. The sun was shining so it was the ideal day to be out in the water.

Then very suddenly we noticed that the time was running away with us. We dashed back to the car and Giyan drove us back at a record speed to catch the Ferry by 9:00 pm as this was the very last ferry.

We made it just in time :)

What an awesome day !! Thanks to my darling hubby.

Thank you to everyone who called and emailed me. It was super to hear from all of you !!

The most incredible Vancouver Sunset

2006-04-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

Giyan took this yesterday down by Kits Beach.

2006-04-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

So, my second week of my new job has almost come to an end. Amzing how time flies :)

I am working for two companies; Merit Global Learning (www.meritlearning.com) and Premuim Exploration (www.premiumexploration.com).

Both very much different in what they focus on. One is mining and the other is Maths and Language Arts Circullum for schools.

Both are owned by the same person but have two different directors. I am working as the assistant to both of them.

The building you see on the right hand side is where I am currently working, on the 8th floor and hopefully in a few weeks time we will be moving into a bigger office space about 3 blocks down.

I love working Downtown. It is actually exciting for me to go to work because it is the centre of Downtown Vancouver. I have always worked in some sort of house or out of the city in any of my jobs. This is way more fun.

I am within walking distance of everything. I have a fabulous boss and the rest of my collegues (only 4 of us in total) are great to.

It has been a bit of shock to my system as I am not used to working a full day (8:30 - 5:00) At least it is beginning to get sunnier by the day so we get longer nights to do more things :)

It has been mostly sunny and warm the last few days but as we approach the Easter weekend it seems that we will be having lots of rain.

So Giyan and I would like to wish you all a lovely Easter break and may you be reminded once again of God's love for you as He rose from the dead for us.

2006-04-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is the house we live in 1765 Blenheim Street. However, we live in the basement. As you enter by the front gate in front of the tree our entrance is to the left.

Chiliwack Lake

2006-04-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

One of our hiking expeditions

First three months of 2006

2006-03-23T16:28:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up and spent some time reflecting on the first 12 weeks of this past year. Wow, and what a reflection it has been.

On January 1, 2006 René ran her first 5 km run ever in her life and we are proud to share that she made it in good time and did not pass out and faint with exhuastion. In fact she really enjoyed it. REALLY :) .

Giyan is still working at ekistics (www.ekistics.ca) and although working really hard and being challenged daily is finding the work very rewarding and different to any work he has ever had in South Africa.

Ekistics won the bid to design the athletes village for the Winter Olympics which will be held in 2010 here in Vancouver. So that is very exciting. Giyan himself travels monthly to the Okanagan where he has a number of exciting projects on the go. The Okanagan is a beautiful area that is rich in wines and fruit orchards and lakes and mountains and many golf courses.

On the 20th of January we had wonderful news that René was pregnant! Sadly a few weeks later she had a miscarriage. It was very sad for both of us and dissapointing but God has been so faithful in healing our loss and giving us hope and expection for another baby. God has used this experience to strengthen both of us as well as allow us to be a strength to others who have been through or going through the same thing.

A few weeks later René was asked if I would be willing to be present at the birth of a newborn baby. Many of you know Rosemary Piercy from Pierrepont? Well her daughter, Catherine and Darryl, had the most stunning little girl called Olivia. René had the priviledge and joy of being part of the whole birth from start to finished. This has totally changed René's life and both of us really excited about being pregnant again.

Soooo this is one perfect example of God turning something sad or bad into something wonderful.

We have also had the blessing of having René's mom stay with us the past three and half weeks. It has been awesome !!! Nothing like having a mom around again and although our home is very small it has been so great to do things together including cooking and baking and just generally chatting. She will be returning to the UK to be with Dad at Pierrepont where they will be taking on new team roles.

Giyan and mom had the opportunity to go and watch the Canuks Ice Hockey game on Saturday night. This was a real treat for mom because this is thee "Ice Hockey Team" of Canada and definetly much wanted tickets by everyone here. We have been able to do a number of lovely walks and enjoy the minumum days of sunshine that seem to come our way at this stage :) We hit the record for the most rainy days since 1953 which was really not funny.

At the time of writing this blog, René got some excellent news that she had got a job !! The Lord used a dear friend of ours to open a door as an office assistant in a company downtown. So as of the 3rd April René will once again be a working girl. (René here : I am happy and nervous all at once but hey, what an adventure. )

So what happens next ? Well, some more exciting visits hopefully - all welcome. Giyan's sister, Sune and JT her 10 year son are coming to stay in July.

Other than that we are taking one day at a time and trusting God that he will show us one step at a time.

We would love to hear from you so please please send us some emails.

Lots of love
Giyan and Rene