Eric got a zombie novel published!

 

 

Here's the write-up at Fingerpress, the publisher.  It's also available at Amazon.

Not just your garden-variety zombie apocalypse...

"It was a week ago when it happened. Exactly a week when I heard the stomping on the front porch. I remember it sounded like someone was drunk. I opened the door and it was my neighbor. She lunged at me."

Oz, a former professor driven to the brink of madness by a tragedy he cannot face, begins to notice that the people around him are acting strangely. They're eating each other. And they're scraping at his door.

Fleeing south, Oz and a motley crew of survivors begin to notice that this isn't the zombie apocalypse they'd seen in countless movies and books. These creatures seem somehow 'closer' to the Earth, yet, perversely, somehow deader, less human, than even zombies are meant to be. The creatures are transfixed by the Sun, and they transform, their faces peeling back in short tentacles until they uncannily resemble flowers. And these zombies can't be stopped. Hack off a limb or a head and it re-joins or just grows back, like the toughest plants.

The Dead have a global leader, a purpose - beyond that of just eating any remaining humans. And the seven survivors, led reluctantly by Oz, discover that they have a central role to play in the macabre new order of 'life' on Earth.

Dead Petals is a different species of zombie tale. Apocalypse, Rapture and the transformation of reality, all sprouting from the same seed.

Canadian citizenship ceremony

 

Here are some photos from our citizenship ceremony, held at the RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina on March 12, 2013.  Before the ceremony, we had to verify our identity with the CIC workers, and turn in our permanent residency cards.

 

Kate waving a Canadian flag

 

Our family. Will came along for moral support, since he's been a Canadian citizen for 6 years already

 

Eric and Will

 

The citizenship judge said there were 60 new Canadian citizens, from 14 different countries.  We heard several speeches from dignitaries, including a member of Parliament, before all saying the citizenship oath together, once in English and again in French.  Finally, we were called up to receive our new certificates of Canadian citizenship.

 

Kate is congratulated with a high five!

 

 

We returned to our seats, heard some more speeches, and ended by singing "O Canada" together.  Many of the new citizens had to give up their previous citizenship. However, we remain American, and will now hold dual citizenship.

 

 

Kate with Julie Moser, our Australian friend from Caronport.  We loved having her there with us, and hope we can attend her citizenship ceremony in the future!

 

Kate playing around in the museum. As new Canadian citizens, we also received a Cultural Access Pass, giving us free admission for one year to Canadian national parks, and various museums and historic sites.  In addition, we can take a train journey for half price sometime this year.

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian citizenship test!

It's been almost a year since I've updated this blog, but I thought some of you might be interested in hearing about our citizenship test! After waiting 18 months, we were finally invited in mid-January to take our citizenship test on January 30. Kate did not have to take a test, she will just become a citizen when we do.


Discover Canada is the official guide, with sections on Canadian history, politics, symbols, economy and the regions of Canada. We also googled “online Canadian citizenship practice test” and bookmarked whatever we found. I can particularly recommend the tests at V-soul, Richmond Public Library, and APNA Toronto. I recommend doing as many different online tests as you can, as they do have different questions. Once we could reliably score 95-100% on all the practice tests, we felt quite confident. Without studying, we doubt we could have passed.


We had to go to the large government building in downtown Regina. For the first hour or so, CIC workers called each person in individually to review our documents and evaluate our language ability. Most of the other people there seemed to be from Africa or Asia. Finally, we were invited into the room for the test. We were instructed not to sit next to family members, and then given directions for the test in both French and English. We used paper and pencil, and had to circle the correct answer for each question out of four choices. In order to pass, we needed to get 15 out of 20 questions correct.  


Eric and I had different versions of the test. To give you an idea of what is asked, I recall answering questions about:

-Freedoms enjoyed by Canadians
-Citizenship responsibilities
-The Acadians
-How the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms begins
-The suffrage movement
-Canada's role in WWII
-Canadian athletes
-Responsibilities of provinces
-Content of a voter information card
-The role of opposition parties in Parliament
-The origins of the Canadian flag
-Quebec's main industries
-The Northern Territories
-The Canadian Rangers

I had seen most of the questions on the online practice tests, however, I had to guess on the flag question, and I only knew about the Canadian Rangers from the study guide.


We finished quickly, handed in our test papers and left. Today, Feb 26, we got the notice in the mail to appear for our citizenship oath, which means we passed!

Ortlund finds new life in the Old Testament

9 years ago, while living in Evanston, Illinois, Eric and I took a big step of faith. He started applying for PhD programs, not knowing how we would pay for it, how we would start our family in the midst of it, and with no guarantee at all that there would be a job at the end of it. If I recall correctly, he had already applied to 12 schools, when he told me, "I think I'll also apply to the University of Edinburgh." It was his last-minute 13th application, and in a city I'd never heard of somehow. He sent them all off, and we waited and trusted God to open the right door, with no real back-up plan of what we'd do if no doors opened! I still remember the letter we received from Edinburgh offering Eric a three year scholarship. We stared at in in disbelief and joy and gratitude. Our years in Scotland had many joys and challenges, but mostly joys. Eric's research went well, I landed a good part-time job in the city social work department, and Kate was born at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. We made many good friends, including Jeromey and Nicole Martini, and Dwight and Denise Friesen. Both families had lived and worked at Briercrest before leaving to pursue doctoral studies in Scotland. In our third year, Jeromey mentioned that Briercrest was looking for an Old Testament professor, and Eric applied. He made it through the interview process and much to our surprise and delight, got the job! And so here we are, in a place we never could have imagined 9 years ago when we started this process. Here's an article in the Briercrest Seminary magazine about Eric's ministry here.

10 Things I Like About Going to an Anglican Church

I did a guest post over at Cheese-Wearing Theology for Anglican week. If you're curious about Anglicanism, head on over there, to read my post and some others.

Immanuel!

Beautiful video set to Michael Card's "Immanuel." The Martyrs Cross (1928) inside Dalgarnock Churchyard commemorates 57 Nithsdale Covenanters. Between Carlisle and Glasgow, Scotland...

U.S. taxman to go easy on American residents in Canada

Fantastic news, reported in The Globe and Mail today.


Americans living in Canada who’ve neglected to pay their U.S. taxes are getting a big break from Uncle Sam.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is poised to waive potentially massive penalties for Americans who agree to come clean and don’t owe any taxes, The Globe and Mail has learned.

The new rules will be announced within weeks by the IRS, according to David Jacobson, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, who has been swamped with complaints from anxious Canadians.