who are you?

a person whose blog i read semi-regualerly recently posted asking her readers to identify themselves. i like this idea. i am asking you to post a comment if you are reading this. if you are shy or just enjoy being a creeper, then post annonymously. i would just like to know that i am posting for someone other than myself.. i have a journal for that. thanks people... whoever you are.

annoyee, real word or not?

I feel like I should post more often, about random events or thoughts or whatevers.

I don't like boys. They annoy me. They cause my thoughts to be an unending circle, round and round, with no "off" button within sight. This circular thought process ultimately ends up with me in a bad mood, being annoyed at boys. Then I get the brilliant idea to blog, and this is what the result is. It is pathetic and weak, and makes me even more annoyed at the previously established annoyee (if that is even a word).

In closing, I would like to say that I have now prayed, once again, about the annoyed-ness of me by stated annoyee (I like this word, whether it is real or not). God will locate the unseen by me "off" button, He will push it, and I will return to the content state in which I typically live my life.

november at lcbi

Hello once again. Somehow December is upon us and it is only a month until Christmas. This also means that my internship is nearly half over, and this is shocking. It has been quite a journey so far, but it has been amazing. I am loving my time here.
This month has brought the same basic responsibilities with a few additions. I decided to sit in on a couple discipline meetings last week, which I will do again in the coming months. I also had some more regular one-on-one time with a few girls. Those times were wonderful and I am excited to keep them going. Candace and I also had the chance to be on the late shift alone. It was nice to be the last ones on, to be around for the late night chats and even to enforce lights out and whatever else. I again had a couple days as “Captain Fun Pants” the new name for “Captain Chaos”, one day I also sat in for Nadine, our trusty secretary, although she really is irreplaceable.
This month has been pretty good overall here, but I am struggling with the distance between myself and Alberta. It is hard to be here and to see some friends struggling with life and where God is taking them. I want so much to be closer, to be able to be a stronger support for them. God has been making me give them up to Him, and I know he is stronger than I, but I still feel frustrated by it. I have also been realizing my fears for life and commitment. I am seeing that I don’t like the idea of deciding in advance to be in one place, in one ministry or whatever else. I am feeling inadequate at times still as I look at the grade 12’s planning their lives and the maturity they show. I am finding it hard to accept the positive feedback I receive, and find myself expecting to fail.
At the same time, I had some very amazing times this month as well. I had the opportunity to take a couple girls to church in Saskatoon one Sunday. I am repeating this next Sunday (Dec.2). It was amazing to have the chance to introduce these girls to a different kind of church. A new way to see God and experience Jesus. I took them to Journey’s, an emergent church that was started by my youth pastor. It opened doors for very cool conversations about faith and church and caused them to think outside of their current understanding of what church is. I also got to visit Camrose once again. I got to meet new people, see old friends, and had some time to just “be”.
This month God has not stopped working in me. He has shown me my love of the emergent church idea. I like being able to meet people in a variety of ways, right where they are. I have been reminded that we Christians are messy people too, and that it is ok to minister in that. He has also reminded me of my love of praising Him through song. God is constantly teaching me through the girls and through our one-on-one time. He is showing me that I can when I think I can’t.
Please pray for the relationships that I have with the girls. Pray that they would continue to grow and thrive even where they are right now, in life and with God. Pray that I would be able to give my fears and self doubts to God, that I would stop being so hard on myself and that I could accept the positive feedback that I am receiving. Pray also that I would survive my week at CLBI that is coming up. I have not been out of bed consistently for 8:00am in a long time. I am worried about my attention span as I sit in class, as it has never been a strong point of mine. Thank you all once again for your prayers and thoughts.

Love and blessings in Christ.

Hello friends. I said I would post more, so I have decided to post my monthly prayer letters. This way you will have an idea as to what I have been up to and all of that jazz. Here is October's...
Somehow another month has flown by, and has left me wondering where it went. Thanks so much for your prayers last month, it means so much to me to have you behind me in prayer. This month has left a jumble of emotions in its wake, and I am trying to decipher where they all came from.
This moth started very well. I was continuing to learn new things, and was keeping busy with the daily hustle and bustle of life. I still share the same responsibilities as last month, although this month I got to experience some of the day-time life. I spent 2 days as “captain chaos”, if you will. I was in charge of taking kids to their doctor’s appointments, picking up prescriptions, making new appointments, making sure the kids were up and in class, all sorts of wonderful day-time drama. I also spent a week sitting in on classes. That was a neat week. It was fun to see the kids in a different element and to help the teachers some with test correcting or just watching their class as they attended to other needs.
That week started the crazy feeling of disconnection between myself and the dorm-life. I was not in the dorms at all that week, and October held 2 long weekends for myself, as well as Homecoming here. In conjunction with my regular days off, I end this month feeling very useless. I know that I probably did more than I can see right now, but in an un-measurable ministry, it is hard to deal with feeling so out of it. I look back and wonder what I really did this month. Where was I used here? I know that I was encouraging to people outside of my internship, but does that suffice? These are my frustrations of the month.
On the other hand, I did have some up-lifting and encouraging times. It was very nice to get away and re-connect with my CLBI family, who are mostly in Alberta and too far away to be seen regularly. I enjoyed Thanksgiving and Welcome-back weekends in Alberta (I got to spend the road trip part with LCBI students, which was very fun). I did much catching up and shared stories of the things God is doing and the things He is teaching me. I got to be renewed and refreshed by a visit to the mountains and a few long walks around Mirror Lake and Camrose.
I have also had some neat realizations, although they are hard to set into my heart knowledge. God has reminded me of my own walk with Him and the time and patience it took to be just right, and for me to accept the things He had for me. I see that God is working here, but it is a hard task to sit and wait for God’s timing. God is showing me that youth ministry is very patience based, and you have to nurture and love, one day at a time. Sometimes one step forward can be followed with 3 steps back, but ultimately we are headed forward the whole time.
Please pray that God would continue to show Himself here. Pray that the kids would desire to know more and to ask questions. Pray that their hearts would be open to the answers, and that God would provide opportunities to share. Pray for me that I would rest in God’s timing and that I would be patient. Pray that I would get back in the game and not feel so scattered, as I have been this month, and week especially. Ask for my positive attitude to return, it has taken a leave of absence and is missed very much.
Feel free to include me in your thoughts and prayers.

new music

i love music. honestly, i think i would die, or go clinically insane, without it. i have been introduced to some new artists as of late, and i like them a lot. they currently play on repeat on my lap top and in my car. one new love is andy shauf. he is from regina. i bought 2 cd's on thursday after i went to his concert in saskatoon. some good songs are; in time, eventually, sleep, and in the morning. another new love is sufjan stevens. he is amazing. some good songs are; chicago, say yes! to michigan, casimir pulaski day, for the windows in paradise, and to be alone with you. these guys are both indie/folk, creative kind of sounds, wonderful really. i think i am realizing i quite enjoy indie/folk stuff. you should check these guys out if you have never heard of them. let me know of other music i should check out.

3:24am

that is what time it is right now. i am supposed to be asleep because i have to unlock the school at 6:30am. it will happen... and then i will go back to sleep.

i am sad because there is snow outside right now, and that means summer really is over. winter in this province is much too long. maybe it will get tired early this year and go away sooner that usual...? that would be nice.

i went to a concert last night. i saw a couple girls that i graduated high school with. that was neat. the guy we went to see was really good. andy shauf is his name, he is from regina, but he is moving to edmonton. i bought 2 cd's.

i made muffins today. they are banana oatmeal chocolate chip. long name, amazing results.

i have not written on my blog in a long time. i told my friend i would try harder. this is me trying harder. we will see what happens.

it is now 3:31am on my alarm clock beside my bed. i think it is fast, so that i will stop being late for things, but i can't remember. maybe that is the point.

hello again from outlook. life is turning out to be quite wonderful around here. i have relocated to a new home. i am now living in the basement of the white house, if you have ever been here, if not, well, i live in a basement, equipped with its own bathroom! We don't have a full kitchen, but we have some space, a little fridge, a sink and coffee pot and even a microwave. i am slowly unpacking and organizing. i am currently sitting in the girls' dorm office, attempting to write this, but being quite unsuccessful. girls are in and out and everywhere, and i am getting very distracted. anyways, overall, i am liking being here and loving meeting the kids and hanging out. i have had some great conversations and bonding time, and i have discovered out that "grumpy" pants are not the only pants people wear. i have recently acquired my "authority" pants, which are somewhat uncomfortable at this point, but hopefully will start feeling like a second skin soon enough. well, that is my update for now. tomorrow and friday are my days off, and i am looking forward to being free and going to s'toon.

lcbi

hello hello from outlook, saskatchewan. here i am ready to embark on this grand adventure commonly known as an internship. i began training yesterday and all seems fine and good. not gonna lie, videos are boring. especially when you have been playing with kids for the past 8 week. and are used to working from about 9-12. now i work from 8-4, at least for training, and i have to sit still and pay attention and listen to a guy on a video, who has good points, but really bad shirts. haha. the staff, the ones i have met anyways, seem nice. we have a retreat on the weekend to meet the others and bond a little. i will also meet my room mate, an intern from millar, on the weekend. i am hoping that she is nice and that we will get along. other than that, not too much going on here. i have made an extensive list of the things that maybe i should have actually thought about bringing on my first trip down here. i have had some much needed alone time, and some space to just breathe. tonight i think a run is in order.

rant

do you know how hard it is to say good-bye to your old life and try to get ready for your new one while not physically being in either place? very hard! it is frustrating to try and figure life out, to move out of a life you've been living in for 3 years in one weekend, to go back to a team of crazy girls and teach VBS once again on monday morning. p.s. the crazy girls are amazing and not the problem. it is frustrating to know that you are in one place for a week, and then another a week later, and then all of a sudden, the summer is gone. your new life is fast approaching and you realize that you have to move, once again, in just over a week. and this move is not just to another billet home, but to your new life that you know very little about. then, as you are trying to digest all of these thoughts, an email fills your screen and a new wave of frustration hits. not only are you reminded that in a week you will be starting life as an intern dean of girls, playing mommy to a bunch of high school students for a year, but now you get the joys of living right in there with them! woot! you were thinking that it would be hard enough living in a dorm apartment, somewhat sharing the living space of the dorms with the students, but having your own bathroom and some living space of your own. this email tells you that instead you will be living in a dorm room with the other intern (one room separated by a door, so like 2 little rooms). this means that you will share a bathroom and your whole year and life and probably alone time and supposed "days off" with the students. how does one remove themselves enough to be looked upon as one in an authoritative position when they are right in there with the students? how does one remove themselves enough to have a break and stay sane? how does one attempt to not burn out before christmas when there is no escaping the life and times on grade 10-12 girls? i guess this is where god comes in and shows yet another facet of his already amazing being. i guess this is where i will one day eat my words due to god's amazing provision and superior planning and ability to see the whole picture. i guess this is where god will bring me back and make me see that i have little faith and have need to trust him always. i suppose this is one of those times that i will learn something. i am not actually sure if this entry makes any sense, nor do I know if anyone still reads this blog with how often I actually post. I just had to rant about the frustrations of living out of a bag and attempting to wrap my mind around the transition back into dorm life in a week. later!

new post - stony plain

Hey everyone who actually reads this here blog of mine. I know that I do not post nearly often enough. I really have very little to say at this time. Summer teams is going well. I am currently staying at the Canada's Wonderland of host homes. It has everything you could want and more. A home theatre in the basement, decorated like a castle. They have an outdoor pool, a soccer feild and a baseball diamond. They also have a paintball course, some quads, big T.V's everywhere, including in the attic, whic has become our room for the week. Attached to said T.V. is a PS2, PS3, Nintendo Wii and a dvd player. Not only is the house amazing, and beautiful, it comes with wonderful children. They are fun, active, not spoiled, ready to share and laugh at us as we experience the joys of previously mentioned Nintendo Wii. Anyways, I guess I will just share this house with you all, it is quite a joy to get to stay somewhere so fun with such amazing kids.
Apart from this week of fun home-ness, VBS is going well. This is week 4, so I have 3 and a half to go before starting at LCBI. It is all coming quickly.
In other recent news, I attended Colin and Jen's wedding in BC this past weekend, it was very fun to see everyone and just have a chance to hang out, laugh, play some games and plan some crazy adventures... maybe a trip to the Yukon... Anyhoo, I am outta here for now. I will try to post more and give you some cool God stories soon!

summer teams... again... what the?!

What is with God and curve balls? Does any body understand? I sure don't. I am starting to think that I don't ever actually want to get comfortable in life. It seems as soon as I get comfy, content with my life and all it seems to hold, relaxed into the every day routine of it, God comes along and decides to shake things up a little. I am not ranting, nor complaining, just noting what is seeminly becoming a pattern. Maybe it is that God doesn't yet want me forming roots to anything but him, maybe it is that God knows I will start getting self-sufficient if I follow routine too long. Maybe it is just that I stop looking to God when it seems things are regular, and then I start to get scared of change. Any of these options could be legit, as well as many others I am sure, but either way, my life feels crazy right now. I have become the newest member of the all girls' CLBI summer tour team. Now, let me say that training is already half over, and I have had no warning of such an event. As of this morning I had 3 other jobs, a nice room in a basement suite, an amazing roomie coming back form Mexico any day now, and a great summer planned. I have had no real adjustment time, but i am somewhat excited for this new adventure. I think I will be more excited once I catch up with all that is going on. I will keep you all posted, and if you would care yto pray for my team, for teh churches we will be visiting and for all of the kids that i will get to play with this summer, that'd be swell. I will note that I said I would never be part of CLBI summer teams again after last summer, I had my fill, 3 summers of living out a suitcase teaching kids about Jesus is more than enough for any normal human.. I am apparently not a normal human because this is summer #4. There's an update of God and his sense of humor in my life. I'll keep you posted.. when I figure all of this out.

equally yolked?

So you know that verse in the Bible where God talks about being equally yolked to one another? Yeah, it is a good verse. I have been thinking about it lately, and thinkning about what that means. I was reading Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell. (I also really enjoy his nooma videos for that matter...) Anyways, reading about yolks and Rabbis. Rob mentions that a yolk is a Rabbi's way of interpreting, teaching, living the Bible. In the nooma video "dust" he talks about disciples and all taht goes into becoming one. To learn under a Rabbi it takes a lot of proving that you are the best of the best of the best and that you are smart and have a passion and desire to learn under this Rabbi. Ok, I could go on abotu this and hit another tanget all together, but that is not what I am going for.. so... I was thinking about this yolk thing. It is somone's way of interpreting, living, experiencing the Bible. In the equally yolked verse, we always invision a yolk as an oxen's yolk, used to pull something. I do think that it is imortant to use that pictre, but also maybe this one. If our yolk is how we live, and Jesus calls us to take His yolk upon us, because His yolk is easy and His burden is light, then don't you think He is calling us to be just like Him. If I have a great desire then to do this, to lern and live a certain way, it is then important to be with someone equally passionate about this. If I have a learning style and really like Pastor Joe from this church over here, because I like his yolk, the way he teaches and the way he sees what God is saying to us. If I seem to click with Pstor Joe's teaching style, and am getting fed and growing closer to God though him, the it is probably important that I find somone who can also click with Pastor Joe. If I find someone who can click with Pastor Bob, who has a totally different teaching style, how then will we share our thoughts and lives and walks with God? If one is not equally yolked in this area, not just in the being "Christian" or not, then one or both people have potential to be hindered through this relationship. Basically what I am getting at, is that I see it important to be living an on fire life for Jesus, and if you find a relationship with someone who is a Christian but is happy at the basic level, then you won't truly be equally yolked. Think about it.

faith

I was at church yesterday and the pastor talked about faith. Is faith a noun or a verb? Is it something that we can grasp or it is something that we must put into action? I pondered this and other points of the sermon throughout the day and as I lay in bed. I have come up with a few thoughts of my own on this topic. To have faith is to live. Everyone has faith in something. It may not be in a diety or higher power. It may not be in God. Faith gives us reason to do what we do. Without faith, say in God, we would not have the ability to trust, to surrender control or to walk blindly beside Him, knowing that He ultimately knows where He is taking us. So this comes back to the question of whether faith is a thing or an action. I don't know that faith is tangible on its own. I think that faith becomes tangible through the things that we do. People can see our faith in the way that we live, in the trust we have in God, in the ability we have to surrender control, and in our willingness to walk blindly. As I said before, without faith in something or someone, we would have no trust in that person. When we trust God, even a little bit, it is proving that we have faith, it is puitting our faith into action. This is the same with surrender. Most of us struggle with handing over control of our lives to anyone, including God. When we are in the passenger seat of a car, we are not in control, but we are making a statement that we have faith in the person driving. We trust that they know what they are doing and that they are going to get us where we are going safely. When we surrender control to God and take a "leap of faith", we are trusting that God has our best in mind and that He will not let us fall. To have faith gives us that freedom to live the life that God intended for us to live. The verse in Jeremiah, 29:11, states that God knows the plans He has for us. He wants for us to prosper and not to be harmed, to live a full and exciting life filled with hope and a future. This verse means nothing if we have no faith in God. We can not experience this life that He has for us if we do not trust that what He says is true. For us to believe that statement as true, we are demonstrating our faith. Therefore I have really come t the conclusion that faith is freedom. Freedom to live. Freedom to have a full and amazing life. It is giving God freedom to give us a full and amazing life. These are just my thoughts. Feel free to question, to discuss, or to completely disagree. This is just something that I have been thinking about lately, brought back to mind by a sermon, and now written out to try and grasp slightly what God is teaching me. Is fainth a noun or a verb?... I don't really know. Maybe it is both.

everything changes

Wow, it has been a while since I posted last. Life is a crazy gong show right now with everything. Life as I currently know it is changing before my eyes, and I am scared and very excited. God has a cool adventure for me this summer it seems. I will be staying in the same place for the whole summer. This is weird for those of you who know that I have been on travelling ministry teams for the past 3 summers. My current amazing roomie is leaving me this weekend to embark upon her own adventure in Mexico for 2 months. She will be "replaced" by 3 others. I will be joined in this fine basement by 1 other girl, and 2 guys. The guys will be our living room "squatters", Tasha and I will have our own rooms, which will be nice. It is weird to know that I was not at CLBI this year, but I was there. I made some pretty amazing friends who I will miss, and hopefully see around. God has blessed me much this year, and I know that this blessing shall continue into the summer, as crazy as it may get. I guess I don't have any cool stories at this point, but I will keep you updated on the shananigans that arise. I may even post some pictures at some point. My humble abode still holds its open-door policy, so if ever you need a place to crash in Camrose, call me up. We'd love to have you join the memories of this summer!

the magical "refresh" button

Yay!! I figured out that by simply clicking on the "refresh" button at the top of my screen I can finally see my real blog again!! I was stuck for soooo long on 1 post and nothing further... I even changed my blog completly to see if I could re-set it... and all I had to do was click the stupid "refresh" button!

here i am! pick me!

Alright all you friends of mine. I am home! Yes, you read right. I am in Saskatoon for a limited time only. Get me while you can, only 1 week remaining!!! Ok, so for real. I am here, in Saskatoon for the week. I am leaving on Sunday the 1st in time to get back to Camrose for the choir/ministry tour concert thingy at 7.. I think. I will be in Outlook for 3 days (mon-wed) but I am around for the remainder of the time between now and then. So, if we are friends and you live in saskatoon, I would love to see you and catch up an have some good times, maybe even make some memories to fuel this here blog thing of mine.
As for anythng new and exciting/interesing or profound... I got nothin'.

Patti-Wagon home again... and in one piece too!

So, funny story.. I have comments for the last post that I published.. the "somewhat bitter...maybe?" one.. but when I go on my own blog, I can't see it. Weird. Anyways, as of yesterday, March 14, 2007, I have a car again. The Patti-Wagon in all its glory is being driven by myself again. It is totally fine, and actually cleaner than it has ever been because it got cleaned at the auto body shop when it was inspected. I don't know what God wants me to know from this experience, but whatever. I also found out that I will not be working at the great place of Camp Luther this summer. I am a little bummed about it, but I know that God has something mighty fine for this summer for me, so I shall sit and wait patiently for what plans He has for me. I am still trying for LCBI in the fall, so we shall see. Life is all around just dandy these days. Nothing too new, hence the not frequent and somewhat boring blog entries. I will think of something cool soon and write about it.

somewhat bitter...maybe??

Alrighty...For all of you who have realized that my car was stolen, it has now been found. Yes, it has been recovered in the city of Edmonton AB. I have yet to decide if this is a good or bad thing. Tomorrow I will go to the city to drop off my car keys to a mechanic who now has my car. He will then do a full inspection of Patti-Wagon and decide if it will be fixable, if anything needs fixing, or if it is forever gone. This has been a very frustrating 6 weeks of car-ness, let me assure you. I am currently in a bitter and annoyed mood and could proabably rant for a while about this and a matter of other subjects, but I will just end here and hope for a brighter day tomorrow.

Christ-like

I have recently been reading the book Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. It is really an amazing book, and it makes me think. I have been thinking about Christianity, love, life, and oh so much more. There is a part in the book about how he and some friends set up a confession booth one day. It wasn't so that people could confess to the Christians and be forgiven, it was so that as Christians they could confess and be forgiven. They confessed to not being perfect. They apologized for having done wrong things and for having been imperfect examples of Christ and giving Him a bad name. they apologized for the crusades and the judgement that so many Christians hold on others. I thought it was amazing really. We as Christians can get so caught up in ourselves and in how we are doing the right thing, and how we are saved, and forgiven and going to heaven, and how the rest of the world sucks because they are sinners and won't ask to be forgiven because they don't think they have done anything wrong. We judge when God clearly tells us that He is the only judge. We hold grudges just like the next guy. And, contrary to popular belief, we sin, yes, we sin, and no, not only on tuesdays. We gossip, we covet, we compare ourselves to others. We may not have sex with our boyfriend, we may not be having an affair, we may not have a crush on someone of the same sex as ourselves, but we are just as wrong. We are forgiven. Don't forget that. We are not perfect, just forgiven, because God, being full of His out-of-this-world type love and grace, grabbed our hearts and allowed us see where we had done wrong and where He desires for us to be mended, and then He went on to forgive us. We are called to love, not judge. We are called to love for the sake of loving, not for the sake of getting anything out of it. If we love everyone we meet, we are not losing anything. They may not come to know God, they may not ever step foot in a church, they might even commit suicide in 2 days, but we know that we loved them. If only for the moment that we knew them, we loved them as Christ loves us. So, from me to you, I ask your forgiveness for failing as an example of Christ. I have not been who I am called to be. I have not loved as I am called to love. I have judged when it is not my place to judge. But, with God's help and gentle, and sometimes not so gentle nudges and reminders along the way, I will hopefully, one day, be an example of the Christ-like person that I am called to be.

Goodbye My Love

It was a sad day on January 28, 2007 for Patti and her beloved Patti-Wagon. Patti-Wagon was taken away from Patti by some evil doers in the city of Edmonton Alberta. Patti, like any other lover, searched high and low, not wanting to miss any hints of where Patti-Wagon might have gone. Patti even journeyed to the local Law Enforcment agency to report her missing love. After a sleepless night, Patti called her insurance people, to see what needed to be done in the event that Patti-Wagon did not reunite with Patti in the nearest of futures. After 2 painful weeks of mourning, Patti must say a heartfelt farewell to Patti-Wagon, as it seems they shall never see eachother again. The insurance people will let Patti know in the next week of how much they will give her for the unfortunate loss of her first true love. Patti knows that no amount of money will fill the hole that is left in her heart, but it may help make it possible for Patti to find a new love one day. Patti-Wagon will be remembered forever with cherished memories of road trips and good times had by all who got to experience Patti-Wagon in all her glory.

Author's note: The 1986 Toyota camry seen above, is not the Patti-Wagon, but Patti sadly has no pictures of her beloved one.

tag, you're it

I guess I messed up and one of my tagees has already played and doesn't wanna do it again.. so I tag you! And by you, I mean Ang Allen, my dear Saskabertan friend....or maybe she is an Albertewanian.. either way, tag, your turn.

Toilette Tag...?

I have been tagged, and I don't exactly know what this means, but I think I am supposed to write 5 random facts about myself and then tag 2 people... so here goes.

1. I don't like cheese whiz. I honestly think the stuff is gross. I have never liked it. I mean, it is one of those things that every kid should like or something, but it is gross and when it is in a recepie, no matter how amazing this recepie has proven to be, I will think twice before embarking on a journey to remake said dish. (for the record I did have to use it this week to make an amazazing hashbrowns dish...)

2. I once broke my brother's finger. I don't mean like, whoops, I guess your finger is fractured, maybe we shouldn't play that again, kind of broken. I mean whoa, your finger is like demolished, and you're 11 and have to get plastic surgery type broken. In my defence, it was a total accident, and I had nightmares for a month.

3. I like to tell people that I knit when they ask what sort of hobbies I have because I think it sounds cool, but in all honesty, I have only ever successfully finished knittting 3 things... the last of which was finished before last Christmas.

4. I secretly.. or not so secretly enjoy making people do things they never thought they would do. Example, getting sunshine Jenny all dressed up for the CLBI Christmas choir concert. Another example, having Patrik, the Swiss kid, who hates being known as the Swiss kid, come over and watch stupid movies that Angela and I convince him are amazing, like the Mighty Ducks...all 3 of them...(we have watched 1 and 2, so the end is near...until I can think of another oh so amazing movie to watch)

5. My secret ambition in life is to travel all over the world, teaching everyone I meet how to play toilette tag, until it is so popular and loved that it becomes the newest Olympic event!


I guess it has come time for me to tag 2 people. I choo choo choose you! (and by you I mean Heather Manamana Morey, and Ashley Nooksack (last name unknown)

Bald for Jesus, The Journey

Hey all, I realize now that these pics are all backwards and that the explanation is down at the bottom, but read and enjoy.
My little tuft...all gone...

me and amy, my wonderful stylist...
me and vemmy, my support... along with many others...

well, no going back now...
half way there...

my one and only mohawk... almost there...

the beginning of the journey...
a bob cut...
getting my mullett...
my one and only mullett...
a cute short do...

Bald For Jesus

Hello friends. I have set out on an adventure. This adventure is to seek and discover my true inner beauty and self worth. As you know, my good friend Jen got diagnosed with Lukemia in december. I told her that I would shave my head for her if it would help her to handle her own baldness. She is doing just fine with her lack of hair, and I was very happy to hear this. I had begun to doubt whether I would be able to go through with shaving my head for her or not. God used this to convict me in a strong way. He asked me what I was scared of and why it was such a big deal. I realized that I was getting a lot of my self worth and sense of beauty from my hair, as many girls do in our culture. If we have a bad hair day, we feel gross, a good hair day, we feel pretty. God told me that he saw my beauty deeper than my hair. He saw it from my heart and told me that I was beautiful because he loved me. He wanted me to see that too, to know that my beauty comes from Him, from deep within my heart. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -1 Peter 3:3-4 So, He told me that I had to shave my head, Jen being fine and all. I was terrified and argued with God all weekend. But, I am the winner of a game called "I lose", and basically I lose. So, God won and I lost... all of my hair. I am feeling really good though. I am excited for this journey and for what God has in store for me. I don't feel ugly like I thought I would. I was very scared that I would look like a boy and not be pretty anymore, but God has shown me otherwise. I am excited for this to be a testimony of my faith and that this adventure can speak to many people in many ways. I am excited to see God use this experience to show himself to me and for our love to grow deeper and truer than ever before. I knew that God loved me but I didn't know in my heart God's love for me, and this is what I am getting to experience now.

Alrighty, I have decided that working like a crazy mad woman is really not all that fun. This week I worked 5:30-12:30(give or take)Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat. I also worked 9-5 Wed, Thurs, Fri. This is nutty... and it could have been worse. But, I am thankful that it was not. I have come to a decision. I am leaving Staples and the eays button and moving on to new things, higher grounds, better places... etc, you get the point. I am becoming a cook/server at O'Shea's, full time. I am excited for this adventure and we shall see how it all works out. Tis the new year, and i am stolked for all of the adventures that this year holds.