the blogspot of the travelling hobo

weighing importance

2008-11-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

sometimes i wonder what it is in my day to day life that i value. what has weighing importance? why do i do what i don't want to do and don't do what i do want to do? it is like that verse in romans really is my life. i am pretty sure that many people could say that, ultimately, but for real, what parts and moments of life really matter? i am all about making memories, having good times, laughing lots, loving much, experiencing new things, meeting new people, and embracing life and all it has to offer.
but what does life have to offer? what does the world encourage us to embrce? why do people live such empty lives? how is it that the world does such a good job of blinding people? love has lost meaning, christianity has lost credibility, laughter has lost vibrency, words have lost their depth. so many people strive to be unattainable versions of themselves; becoming fake, each life becoming a vacuum of emptiness, a void to be filled with meaningless things.
it is sad really. i watch so many people, week after week, get so drunk they can't stand, and are so smashed they make complete fools of themselves. i see people throw themselves at one person after the next, in an attempt to feel loved and valued, only to feel more and more empty and worthless. i look at magazines loudly proclaiming that we should look and be a certain way, offering ways to "be the real you", but successfully smothering individuality and personal appreciation, creating a plethora of fake, dyed, pinned, tucked, "beauitful" people.
i desire more. i want my life to resonate with truth and value. i long for a life of substance and depth. i want to be genuine and honest, following something worth following, searching and questioning, seeking and exploring, embracing and actually living. no more of this emptiness. no more jumping on the band wagon because it is easier than walking and i am lazy. having a life worth living may not be simple or straight forward, cut and paste or black and white, but at the end of the day i like to think it is worth the extra effort.

God vs. patti. fight!

2008-11-14T12:44:00.001-08:00

it has been a long while since i posted. i guess that's what happens when life gets busy and one is trying to get rooted and settled in a new place. all of that is going well for me at this point. i am very happily living in saskatoon, loving my job and the people i work with, deciding it is time to get hobbies and explore more.
in my hobby finding, world exploring state, i thought boys could be a good subject. apparently not. well, they might be. maybe they are one of those subjects best watched and studied at a safe distance, kind of like those animals at the zoo that you are supposed to look at and not touch or feed... boys, like those animals, tend to bite. in my experience anyways. i have learned once again, through the "test and fail" principle, that getting even remotely attached is painful like a band aid when ripped off.
now as i sit here somewhat bitter, confused, and over thinking the situation like a typical girl, i can see God in it. and as i see Him in it, i dislike Him. i am faced with the fact that once again He is right and i am not. i am tired of feeling like every situation in my life is a time for "growth" and "stretching", a chance for God to talk in circles around me or provide one more metaphor. even as i was trying to avoid and ignore the obvious facts and ultimate answers, i could not, and they were forced back into my reality by the one i was ignoring them for.
serves me right i guess. time to admit defeat and give in once again to God, who is ultimately better to follow anyways. i am stubborn and hate losing in this battle that only really exists in my head. God has my best in mind. His timing will always prove to be better. i am selfish, impatient, and blinded by my own desires, and in this figure it fair to blame God when things don't go my way. huh, maybe it is time to grow up.

big decision

2008-06-24T20:06:00.001-07:00

today i made a big decision. it was very hard. i do not easily admit defeat. i do not easily give up. i hate thinking that i have failed. today i retracted my application for the job as girl's dorm parent for the fall. it was received well, a sign of character i was told. i realized that i am tired, burnt out, overwhelmed, and mostly not ready to be a "mom" figure to 50 high school girls. i find myself feeling less than excited, even bitter at times, to perform the basic parts of my job. i find myself longing to be 22, living with friends, having fun, schooling, whatever. i feel that if i came back in the fall, i would do the year, and i would do it well. i would then, most likely, end up feeling bitter towards this type of ministry, and i would leave it. i am thinking that this way, i will take a year or 2 or 3 off, have fun, learn, grow, be myself, experience life. in God's time, i will return to full time ministry, maybe even here. i will be able to more fully embrace it and feel excited about it, ready to go all the way. i know that i will be in ministry every day, wherever i am, and i know that God will use me. i am excited to see what adventures God has in store, even though this freedom does feel somewhat like i am free falling into an abyss at this moment.

the end, the beginning, the in between

2008-06-20T11:49:00.001-07:00

today marks the end of the school year for some of the students. i have just signed off on a number of rooms, stating that they are clean and good to be left for the summer. i have said good bye to a few, and more good byes await. between now and wednesday the kids will slowly trickle away as they finish exams. the dorms will become empty, the school quiet, the court yard still. i don't think i have yet grasped that this year is over. i don't understand where the time has gone, when the jokes became memories, when the present became the past.
now i am entering a transition of sorts. i have known it to be coming for some time, but have been avoiding. i am going from the me i was to the me i will be. i will have a summer with some time to play, but also time to grow, to learn new responsibilities. this is the in between, the time when i am no longer a teen leader, but an adult, a decision maker, a go-to, a mediator. when did this all come to be? i don't know that i feel ready, but God has brought me to this place, and He will lead me through it. He will bring me through strong and new, ready to face whatever comes. this whole being an adult, making decisions for others, being a disciplinary figure, having real responsibilities with weight that effects others, as well as myself, is all somewhat uncomfortable and scary. i am not sure if i am too tired to care, or just feeling overwhelmed by the wholeness of it. this is the place where the burn out and the overwhelmed feelings collide. this is the time when i retreat, unsure of where to begin, with the procrastination only building more tension and stress. as i watch the list of things to be done get bigger, i realize that only by beginning will an end be found. only by starting will i find God's peace and rest, as well as the strength to keep on to the end.

application process

2008-05-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

the key word here is process. process often implies that there is an amount of time involved. time often means waiting. waiting requires patience, prayer and seeking God. i am in process. i am waiting. i am at a crossroads with a decision to be made. i am seeking God for His leading in this decision.
the year here is coming to an end surprisingly quickly. grad weekend has come and gone with a whoosh. finals will be here in about 6 weeks. the weather is changing, people are getting restless and new beginnings, for summer and fall, are being decided upon.
the end of the year sometimes brings an end to a person's call to this particular ministry. this is the case with one of the girls' dorm parents here this year. with her feeling lead to leave, there is a position open for the fall. i have decided to apply for this position. i have been praying much in the last months about whether God wants me to continue here or not. it is my prayer at this time that His answer become apparent in the outcome of this application process. i ask that you would join me in praying that God would lead and that i would feel peace about the outcome either way, knowing that God's ways are higher than my ways, His plans better than my own.

employed

2008-05-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

i work at lcbi. as of may 1st, 2008, i am a hired, paid staff member of lcbi. i will be a dorm parent/big sister person, as i have been through my internship, until the end of june. then i will change roles and be the driver/chaperon person for their summer tour team. this is kinda of exciting. it was a big day when i got to sign a contract and know that i would actually get a pay check etc. i now have my first ever "real" job... even if it is only for 4 months.

trust

2008-04-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

i have been thinking this morning about trust. have you ever noticed how so many people are scared to trust? we don't want to trust others. they may hurt us, disappoint us, let us down. we don't trust ourselves for the same reasons. why is it so hard to trust God? he has never disappointed. he has never let us down. he has never left us high and dry to provide for ourselves. in fact, he promises that he will never leave or forsake us. he has told us that he knows the plans he has for us, to prosper us and not to harm us. plans to give us hope and a future. why is that so hard to believe? why do we not trust the one person who is most deserving of all of our trust? even in our fear, we give in. we give ourselves away to mere humans who, ultimately, will do all of the things that we fear. but this most loving and gracious God, who has done nothing but provide and care and love and bless us abundantly with grace, we do not trust. it makes no sense.
i know that i don't trust God as i should. i find myself thinking that my plans, my timing, my desires are better. i get this great idea to do my own thing, just to end up feeling lost and confused. maybe it is time to give up and give in. maybe it is time to trust God, who desires with all of his heart to lead and guide, plan and provide and bless abundantly. i've heard he can only do as much as we allow, so maybe it is time to surrender it all. maybe it's time to leap, fully trusting that i will be caught by outstretched arms.

"spirituality"

2008-04-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

today i was talking with a friend on msn. we were talking about church and life and praise and worship time and how i am really craving one of those experiences where you can just get lost in the worship music. at one point, he made a comment about how i am obviously a very spiritual person. this struck me in an odd sort of way. this man in a young adults pastor. he is a christ loving person, so i know that it wasn't one of those turned up nose, "oh, you're a 'spiritual' person" type comment, but it still didn't sit right. i think the word 'spiritual' has become perverted in my mind. there are so many people who claim to be 'spiritual' people. the people who say; "your god stuff is good for you, but i am spiritual in my own way". what does 'spiritual' even mean? it is like the word 'christian'. so many people these days are "christians", but they have no desire to live in a christ-like manor. they have no intention of living a life that is at all in accordance to how christ lived. i guess these words irk me with how they are over used and becoming meaningless adjectives, ill used to describe person's life. it sure would be nice if they could all just pick a different term and get on with it.
hello, my name is todd. i am a toddian, and i am a very light and airy type person. i embrace all things as right and pure, just as they are, and live in a very 'free to do what you want, when you want' sort of way.

california and post-thoughts

2008-04-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

california was intense. in a sentence it was: 100 high schoolers, 20 leaders, 6 bus drivers, 3 buses, 10 days of ridiculousness and a palm tree in a toilette! ok, so maybe there was no palm tree in a toilette, but that would be pretty rad. i had a great time, but also got sick and very exhausted. when i got home i felt quite overwhelmed and very lonely. i think i am torn lately by my desire to love and serve at lcbi, or wherever else God may call me to be, and my desire to have community with people my age, living the life of an average 20-something year old. maybe there is no such thing as a "normal" life for a 20-something year old, but it sure seems like a rad idea to have tight friends living closer than an hour away.

it's been a while

2008-03-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

the reasons for this are: a) i have been busy. b) i have just had nothing happen that sticks out as blog worthy.
oh, i am very excited to be going to california in about 11 days. i will be at disneyland 2 weeks from right now. to make this happen, i will be spending my easter break with high school kids, being a leader of a youth for christ trip. we get to do all sorts of cool things in california, and i am very stoked. yesterday night i wore shorts, a tank top and flip flops, just for the heck of it, knowing that i will be in the sun and sand in such a short time.
i have also been asked to be team leader of the lcbi summer ministry team. this will be summer # 5 of me moving around from place to place, living out of a suitcase and van. i do think that the team i will be leading is pretty awesome, and it also takes care of all living arrangements and job finding for the summer. i guess what it all boils down to is that no matter what i plan or envision for my summer, God finds a way to bring me back to kids and vbs songs. who am i to argue?

nb

2008-02-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

a note for the biscuits:
they are supposed to be baked on a buttered and floured pan. you can also brush the tops with butter when they come out of the oven. i opted for the healthier version of baking on a parchment paper lined sheet, and no butter on top.

cheese biscuits

2008-02-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

i have been on a baking kick as of late. it is kind of fun. i went to co-op the other day and got to charge a whole load of baking supplies to the school, just so i could enjoy baking with the girls. sweet deal! i have also been on the search for good, low fat recipes. i have found a few. today i stumbled upon a recipe for cheese biscuits. i just happened to have some grated cheese in my fridge that needed to be used, so this seemed like a good idea. i have never made cheese biscuits before, but they seem to have turned out well. here is the recipe, in case you too want to enjoy some yummy cheese biscuits.

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 C. margarine (hard)
3/4 C. grated cheddar cheese
3/4 C. milk

sift together flour, baking powder and salt. cut in margarine until it is crumbly. mix in cheese and milk. turn out of bowl and kneed a few times until smooth. roll out to about 3/4 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter (i used a floured glass). bake at 425 until lightly browned on top. i think about 17 minutes. makes 1 dozen biscuits (i got 14...). enjoy.

zoom! ... and open heart surgery

2008-01-30T21:18:00.001-08:00

the month of january deserves that title. in all honesty, it seemed to take forever while living it, but looking back i have no idea where it went. weird how that happens. this month had its ups and downs. i started this month in alberta with friends, always a good start. i got a boyfriend. 2 weeks later i no longer had said boyfriend. i learned a lot about myself through that experience. i also learned a lot about God. i had some fun times with the kids at school (see last post). i traveled to edmonton to experience break forth 2008. it was a good weekend overall. it seemed like God wasn't doing as much in my heart as usual, then sunday happened.

i had open heart surgery on sunday. this is the vision that was told to me by a friend. God was sewing up my heart with a needle and thread. he placed my heart back in my body and watched it beat for a little while. he shook his head, thinking no, this is not quite right. he removed my heart from me, removed his own heart, and proceeded to place his own heart in me. with that he smiled and thought it was how it should be, just right. i then asked about walls. you see, i like walls. they protect me. i am good at hiding behind them. apparently they were around my original heart, but when i received God's they were gone. i have some thoughts of what this all means, but i am open to interpretation if anyone has ideas.

reflections of an adventure

2008-01-20T22:32:00.000-08:00

today i took some students to journey's church in saskatoon. it was a fun and successful adventure. i had 10 students, a big van, and 2 moose that tried to play tag with us on our trip up to the city. i did a good job of avoiding them (i guess i wasn't in a particularly playful mood at the time). lunch also proved to be an adventure as no one wanted to decide where to eat and we ended up getting in and out of the van, and in and out of multiple places before deciding on the option of eating at a food court. crazy kids! (for the record, i never want to have that many children!)

i find it interesting to bring past and present parts of my life together at times and take a step back to see where i have come from and where i am going. today was one of those times. i was at the church that my youth pastor started, talking to his wife, remembering youth events and thinking that youth leaders seemed so old when i was in grades 8-12. i looked around, saw my kids and thought, hey, i am those youth leaders. i have become the people that i looked up to when i was in high school. it was an awe inspiring, God moment. watching my kids light candles and pray, reflect and experience their own God moments was so beautiful. it was very encouraging and exciting to see God's faithfulness and guidance through the past few years of my life, to see what i have been through and how it has brought me to the place that i am so blessed to be at right here, right now.

who are you?

2007-12-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-12-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-11-15T23:16:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-28T01:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-27T02:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-09-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-21T15:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-25T19:31:00.001-07:00

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?!

2007-06-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-06-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

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

2007-06-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

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

2007-04-30T22:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-03-23T23:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-03-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

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??

2007-03-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-17T23:25:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

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...?

2007-02-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-01-30T23:28:00.000-08:00

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...

2007-01-30T23:23:00.000-08:00

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

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

2007-01-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

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

Bald For Jesus

2007-01-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-01-06T14:01:00.000-08:00

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.

Untitled

2006-12-30T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hey friends. We saw God heal that Patti-Wagon, and now we are going to see Him heal Jen. For those of you reading my blog who don't already know, Jen has Lukemia. Sorry to put it like that, but I am not good at padding things. She is going to be alright. God is good and he does amazing things every day. This is the "best" Lukemia to have, and there is an uber high success rate for healing. I don't have a whole ton of info, but Colin will be updating his blog regularly. It is colin zimmerman dot blogspot dot com (all one word). Check it out. It is also linked from Jen's blog...the address I am unsure of. It is either jens top secret dot blogspot dot com or jen top secret dot blogspot dot com. There is no use worrying, but prayer has great power, so just do that. God knows this whole situation, and ultimately we want Him to be glorified through whatever happens.

How God Cured Patti-Wagon

2006-12-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

OK, bloger-ness...lemme think... I AM GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! That is news. I am actually leaving the "city" of Camrose and venturing to the city of Saskatoon... in my car... which is now fixed...By God. Ok, let me tell you this story.....
Once upon a time there was a little blue car named Patti-Wagon. He was sick for about 3 weeks, which is a long time. He was tired, too tired to even move. He sat, being covered by snow and ice on the side of the road for 3 long, cold weeks, until one day he was rescued. It was a wednesday morning, and a nice lady came along and took pity on Patti-Wagon. She scraped him off, called a tow truck and took him to a nice, warm place with lots of people. The people looked at Patti-Wagon and figured out why he was so sick and worked to make him better. Within a few days, Patti-Wagon was up and running again. The nice people phoned Patti-Wagon's owner to let her know that Patti-Wagon was better, all she had to do was pay and she could drive Patti-Wagon home again. Then Patti-Wagon's owner was blessed that day. Someone else paid for Patti-Wagon. Patti-Wagon was all better and his owner was blessed so much that she was beaming all day and just wanted to bless others.
Good story eh? God blessed people in all sorts of ways, through all sorts of people. So, because of that blessing, I am taking 4-5 days off work, and I am going home to visit my Saskatchewan friends and family. Have a wonderful Jesus'-birthday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

New BEST SPORT EVER!!

2006-11-29T18:57:00.000-08:00

Are you ready for this?! I have discovered the new BEST SPORT EVER! To play this game you wil need: 1- 2 litre pop bottle per person, 1- toilette paper roll per person, some duct tape and some ping pong balls. You will also need an open area of sorts to play in.

To create your "gun":
Empty your pop bottle in whatever fashion you so choose.
Make sure that your cap is not on your bottle.
Use duct tape to secure the toilette paper roll to the top of your bottle (make sure that there is no air leakage).

Find a few peopleto play with. This will ensure in much more fun than playing on your own, which would not be any fun at all.

Insert a ping pong ball into the opening of the toilette paper roll, aim and shoot (mash bottle together to release air, thus shooting the ball).

This "ping pong gun" can be used in many a game. We played in an old barn with obstacles and dim lights, similar to a paint ball arena, and played versions of capture the flag, civil war, each man for himself and team vs team.

Have fun, explore, and attack!

WARNING: This "gun" does not aim well, thus creating the possibility of hitting someone square in the eye (I may or may not have had an experience with this hapening).

Most importantly, play safe and have fun.

My blog of "blogworthy" events

2006-11-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

I figure it is about time to update my blog and this seems blog worthy.

Current events in my life:
-My car died.(something about the alternator.. i think)
-Jesus might be giving me a van.
-I have bruises on my arms from picking a fight with a boy that I couldn't win.
-I have a second job starting next week cooking at a restaurant.
-I attnded a cool "listening prayer" night class thing at CLBI with Brad Jersak, it was neat. Apparently Jesus wants to play SkipBo with me.
-All I can think about is snowboarding now that it is snowy... but that may not be feesable without a car...
-It is past midnight and I am going to bed.

I'm A Whosoever.

2006-10-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I guess I should write a little something now and then eh? So, Staples is still good. I am full-ish time, which is basically full time but they haven't gaurenteed full time hours always yet.
In other news, life is good on the roommate front. I have internet at home... kinda... so that's cool. I am thinking of making a t-shirt, so if anyone is interested, i'll be making them and selling them... sometime. They will say "I'm a who so ever"... of some sort. I think it should happen, so it's gonna. They are based on John 3:16. I get to meet cool people every day and sometimes even swap God stories, so that is a cool part of my job. I met a very cool guy on Tuesday, and I was beaming all day from his God story. God has been amazing in my life lately too. It is always so awesome to see how He reminds us of His existence and His provision and reminds us to trust Him cuz he knows what's what. Use this as a reminder to you of God's unfailing awesome-ness in our lives. Take a time out to revel in His good-ness sometime soon.

Hola Amigos

2006-10-03T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well folks. I honestly don't have a lot to say, nor is it very amusing. That is my warning, so if this entry is deathly boring and makes you "bored out of your tree" if you will, please don't hurt yourself in the fall. I know that it could be harmful to your health, potentially fatal, depending on the height of your tree.
So, I am liking work thus far. I have been there for a week and 2 days. I am fully trained in the cashier position and they decided to move me to a new area. I was told that I would probably become bored as a cashier, so that is why it was apparently time for a change...but after a week? what happens when I get bored there? So, anyways. I am now training to be a computer sales-person, and a sales-person of computer related items. it is kind of funny because I work with people who have been there much longer than myself, and they want to move to computers, and they are still cashiers...that must say something.... (I am currently trying to figure out what exactly, so if you figure it out, let me know... jk). Anyways, life is good on the job front. A little brain-hurting from time to time, but fun. I do enjoy the various people working there. Life at my home is still good. My roomies and I are still living it up and enjoying eachother. In conclusion, I have no complaints and I am done. I am rather tired, and have to go buy milk.

Correction

2006-09-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was reading my comments from my last post, and then re-reading my last post, and I realized my error. I meant to get Heather's attention. So, for the record, Attn: Heather aka HeMo, this is for you. The drummer from this band Traced Image, Josh, or Batman as he also introduced himself as, was wearing a batman shirt while playing. It was pretty sweet, so I thought you would think it was cool. There, are we all straight now? The drummer was not named Heather. Also for the record, I do suspect that seeing a bat-dino shirt on anyone other than my Heather friend would be weirded-out worthy.

Oh, and day 2 was pretty much just as amazing as day 1 at Staples, so I am just pretty much amazing. It wasn't a fluke. You can all applaud me at any time.

"That was easy" - Staples easy button

2006-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, I don't have much time and I am horrible at this coming to the library thing, but here I am. I do indeed have a job. Celebrate with me folks. I have a job! I started today, it was pretty dandy. I work at Staples. I get to wear a cool red shirt. Yup, pretty sweet eh? (don't answer that). I am actually pretty impressed with myself. The girl training me said I am the fastest learner she's had out of her like 15 trainees, so that was cool. And I got on till today, and usually that would be like shift #4, so I am pretty much amazing. Don't you forget it. I guess that is about it for news.

Oh, I did go to a sweet concert last night. I got to see Kutless, they're awesome! And then some other bands who were also pretty sweet. Heather, the drummer from a band called traced image was wearing a batman shirt, it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. Yeah, we're tight now, me and batman... Oh yeah...Then I got "lost" and by lost I mean drove in a huge circle around the entire city of Edmonton, trying to drive Tammy home, and I didn't actually get back to my lovely little home in Camrose till like 2:30am, sick monkey. Anyhoo, I guess that's really about it. Later ya'll.

Job Getting and Home Missing

2006-09-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

Job searching has to be the worst past-time ever! It makes you tired and grumpy, not to mention annoyed and really not wanting any of the jobs for which you have just applied. Then, once the resume handing out is over it is all a waiting game. Wait? I don't want to wait. I am not patient, nor do I want to wait to find out if I have a job. Just look at my resume, realize that I am freakin amazing and hire me! I mean how hard is that? Then there are the people who will hire you, but you're dumb and decide to wait to see if this other job comes up which pays better and has regular hours. Then they kinda screw you around and won't deicde if you're hired or not. I mean really, go back to my statement about looking at my resume, seeing how amazing I am, and hiring me! I shouldn't be this hard really. I expect to leave my little life behind for a week and come back to find a job waiting for me, is that too much to ask? Then, with the leaving said little life behind for a week, I come home to discover that I actually miss Saskatoon more than I think I do. I mean why am I living in Camrose again this year anyways? What does Camrose have that Saskatoon doesn't? Not a whole lot. It is close to Edmonton and the friends I have there, but I have friends in Saskatoon and family too, so shouldn't that win out? Apparently not. I choose to live in a 2 bedroom basement suite, with 2 other girls... do the math.. that means I have a roommate roommate. I guess it isn't so bad. I love my roomates, and I love Camrose. I just don't love how far away it is from my other life and the people in Saskatoon whom I love also. For the record, I will be back in Camrose within the next few days, hopefully startnig a job sometime soon, and getting back to the game of life I am now part of.

Let's play a game... it's called life

2006-09-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I will now take the time to write the rant that was lost and maybe add a few details about the past week.

Why does no one ever mention that moving out is so hard? I mean I suppose moving out is the easy part. Moving IN, now that is where it gets difficult. Try fitting 3 girls and all their stuff into a 2 bedroom basement suite. it isn't like this place is huge or anything either. I have decided the correct word may be "crampacted". Yes, we are "crampacted" into our house. Don't get me worng, I do like it. I don't so much like the part about sharing a shower with the people upstairs, due to the fact that there is a major leakage problem in theirs. But other than that, it is ok. Now, grocery shopping. That is the tough stuff right there. What the heck are you supposed to buy when you have nothing?! I mean, where do you start? I'll tell you. You start by going to Superstore for like an hour and a half, only to leave with $60 less in your bank and 3 bags in your hands. LAME!! Then I went home and realized that I barely had enough to make a full meal. Who ever thought that one day you'd have to go out and buy all of the things that are just there? Flour, sugar, bakingsoda.. and powder, vanilla, milk, eggs, and the list goes on. I tell you, enjoy the parental shopping as long as you can. I now have an understanding as to why people wait until the are married to move out. They never have to buy anything. All basics are provided by the people they invite to their wedding. They don't even have to think about cookie sheets or muffin tins. they get pots and pans and utensils of all varieties. Take this into consideration folks... these people, they've got it figured out. As for the rest of us, well it's too late now. It's time to enjoy the single, free life and take it all in stride.

Well, that is similar, but not exact of what I had before. I think my last one was better. I have to go because this public computer is kicking me off. Oh, public computers, another rant for another day.

my wee update of sorts

2006-09-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I need to post something about my new home and moving in and the wonders and stresses and all that is involved. I have a story for you. I wrote one. Yup, that's right. I did it already. I had an amazing rant about how this week has been, and do you know where it is? No? Cool, me neither. So, I am tired and lazy and I am not writing it again, at least not right now. I have no internet because apparently you need some credit rating or something, and I don't have one yet. I do have a cute little place to call home though. I will be spending a lot of time at the library potentially... and by potentially I mean, we'll see what happens. Maybe I will write said missing rant again someday. Until then, ciao.

not so homeless anymore

2006-08-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here I am sitting in Camrose at a computer, thinking about how weird it is to not be a travelling hobo anymore. I do indeed have a home. I moved in with Jen and Angela yesterday, though I am not unpacked yet. That will come with time. My summer was wonderful. I had many amazing experiences and met some very cool people along the way. I enjoyed Camp Luther very much, and hope to return there one day. I thought I should write a little entry to thank those of you who read along with my adventures and even posted comments. They were great to read and know that I was actually writing to people. Now that I am settled...ish, I will try to keep this blog thing going. I don't really understand internet companies though. I can't get internet for 6 months because I don't have credit. Lame. So, my roomies and I are long-distance phone-less and internet-less. I guess I am going to learn about the Camrose library pretty quick. I guess I don't have much else to say right now. I have been busy emailing and I dislike writing, so I have filled my quota for today. Peace out A-town.. I don't know where that came from... Bye!

Bahaha, stupid sluggards

2006-08-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was reading the bible one day and stumbled across some verse about sluggards and lazy people. Not gonna lie, I probably laughed a little, I mean who doesn't - stupid sluggards. So, today God chose to teach me, and my team, a little lesson - most likely so that he could laugh and say "stupid sluggards". I think God sits up there in Heaven and we are his form of cheap entertainment. How are we humans not funny, really? He says "hey, look at this, I'm gonna teach these little people a lesson, trust me it'll be great". Back to our little lesson. Now, it isn't like we were being all that sluggardish or lazy. All week we have been painting and doing some yard clean-up here in Bellingham. We moved on to our next task - a room that used to be a nursary. They had already removed the wallpaper, but there was all that paper backing still on the wall. This means that there is still one heck of a lot of old wallpaper paste on the wall. We start by wetting and removing all of the paper backing junk. We collectively decided on some wallpaper remover stuff. Upon returning to the church we partook in applying said stuff to the wall. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but still required a fair amount of scrubbing to remove said paste - ending in sore arms. We got tired and decided that scrubbing the wall was overrated. We wiped it down to remove the cleaner stuff.. kinda. We puttied the holes and let it dry. Seems like good work right? I mean yes, we maybe took a short-cut on the paste removal, but all in all, good work. NOT GOOD ENOUGH! BAH!! This is when God chuckled. We arrived here today and started painting this beautifully prepared room. Once finished, looking at the wonderful job we had done, there is a problem in plesentville. I see bubbles... there should be no bubbles on my wall. No, it took too long prepping and painting for this to happen. This must be a misunderstanding. No, I see bubbles, I see paint ready to come off the wall, easily and happily. I see thick, paste like paint coming off the wall when I touch it to investigate. Well, that's too bad (not exactly what I said upon realizing that our "short-cut" was ultimately the downfall of our painting experience). After all of that, we scraped said bubbles off the wall, sanded the rough areas, continued painting and are ready for coat #2. All we can hope is that it all works out and there are no major problems and that the Americans can still look kindly upon the Canadians who came to visit.

Remind me to never be an 81 year old German woman

2006-08-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have come to a conclusion. I never want to be an 81 year old German woman. Hear me out.
I spent my last week with an 81 year old German woman. She is sweet and wonderful, so much so that you can't say "no". It isn't a word that can really come out of your mouth. "No, I am full thank-you" really gets you nowhere. This wonderful lady fed us and fed us until we could be fed no more. In fact, she bought 2-4 litre containers of icecream for Jen and I to eat this week. (8 litres of ice cream may sound really awesome to some people... but let's think about this... THAT IS A LOT OF ICE CREAM!!) Ok, so here are the happenings of one of the days this week. (maybe not a total accurate depiction of the average day, but it hurt none the less).
7:22-Jen wakes Patti up. 7:45- Martha announces breakfast. 7:47- Patti and Jen sit to be filled to capacity with ham and egg, a bun, a cinnamon bun, tea, fruit, and offered to eat more because I am not eating enough. 8:02-We finish getting ready to go to VBS. 8:23- Jen tells Patti it is time to go. 8:29-11:46 VBS (mind you that doesn't mean high activity content. I was, for all intents and purposes, the "grace sayer" for snacktime this week.) 11:54- Home for lunch (buns or bread, meat, tomato, cucmber, butter (which can't be spread too thin now, we must be able to see it), home made grape juice (very good by the way) and again the "you're not eating enough talk". 12:26-1:04 read a book. 1:04-2:27 nap time. 2:27 Martha signaling"snack time" Ice cream like you wouldn't believe, like 2 and a half bowls before we are allowed to get up form the table, along with dough chips, and cookies. (remember I have still not done anything yet today). 2:43- sit down to watch Anne of Green Gables, the sequel, part 1. 5:54- Supper time. potato dumplings, moose roast, pork roast, green beans, tomato salad, cucumber salad and grape juice. (there might have been desert, I can't remember). 6:42- Watch Anne of Green Gables the sequel Part 2. 8:22- Martha brings out the icecream part 2. (2 and a half bowls later the serving dish is empty and we are allowed to stop eating). That is the end of the food for the day, although Martha did offer us some cherries, but we kindly refused... somehow.
All in all this week was good though. I may go for a week long fast due to the fact that I do not have a super speed matabolism, nor do I have an extra "ice cream stomach" like my dear friend Erika. I look back on this week as a discovery of how cute old women usually look innocent and harmless, but really are cruel and unusual in their feeding practices. Martha is a blessing from God, don't get me wrong, but her lovely caring ways, and that face that you just can't say "no" to, ultimately makes her mighty and powerful. Here ends my rant of not wanting to become a cute, wonderful, 81 year old German woman.

Oh yeah, the VBS was good too. Cute kids, lots of singing and laughing and fun-ness. Oh, and I got to bake feet cookies one afternoon with Reide's host lady, and went on a trip to Vancouver for an afternoon/evening with her, her daughter and Reide. That was fun.

long time, no post

2006-08-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hello all, long time, no post. I know I know, this day has been greatly awaited and the tension is building to hear all of the amazing stories that I, the travelling hobo, have to share with you.

OK, here goes.
I spent a week in Mission, which was very cool. I got to wear an african dress, and a big black afro wig, and fake tanner and dark foundation, and attempt to look african. It didn't work so well.. I more just looked like an old woman with a fake tan from like Miami or something. Then I started to look like a leper, because I was peeling where I was sweating cuz it was so hot here, and the fake tanner didn't like the sweat so much, so yeah, definately had an awkward week of leprosy-ness. The church had so many amazing decorations, and it was definately cool. I even got to sit in a shamba, african hut, and tell bible stories all week, very cool.

Now I am at Camp Luther. It was cool to come out here and see all of the CLBI people. So many working out here this summer. We(team possible) came out here after the VBS and have been here for the past almost 2 weeks. The staff are very neat people and the kids are so cute and fun. We had junior youth the first week and this week was family camp. I really enjoy camp I have decided. I will be here for 3 weeks in total, so I get to paint my name in the craft shack, so that is cool. I have no idea of what to do, my name is Iceberg, that's all I have so far.
1 funny story I have involves a camp staff night out on the weekend. It was quite a fun time. We eventually ended up at red robin, and 8 of us decided to have an "appitizer potluck" if you will. So, after decided what to order, somehow we came up with actions. So, humor me. Imagine in your minds, 8 camp staff, 18-20 ish years of age, sitting at a table, laughing really hard, and making actions to order our food. The night continued with oh so much laughing and food sharing, and really no rules as to how to consume said food. Then our waiter, Andrew, decided to get on on the acton. He made an action for when he brought our bill, that started a whole new bought of laughter. Good times had by all, or our table at least.
I guess that's all for now folks.

Kamloops and a t-shirt

2006-07-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, this s a quick little update of my week in Kamloops. It started off pretty good. We got here on Friday, had saturday off to be free and have fun. On sunday we shared a little of our CLBI experiences etc. at church and then also had a pretty free day. (oh yeah, the pastor lent us his car for the week, so we've had wheels). Monday was my birthday! Woot woot! I am 20 for real now. Weird, but yet not really. This week was also pretty cool because we got to work at a mission/soup kitchen place. Kamloops decided to have us come too late, so instead of a VBS we are helping in the kitchen of a mission downtown, making lunch every day. it is very fun, and a nice change from VBS and camp like the rest of the summer will be. We head down to MIssion tomorrow hopefully, Jen is very excited to be heading home. Next week should be good. VBS safari style, and I get to be "african" for the week. I will let you all know how that works out.

I have also been reading a book lately called "authentic beauty". My team bought it for my birthday last summer because I wanted it from a bookstore at a camp we were at. It is really good, and talks a lot about being set apart for God, and about how so many things get in the way of that. We long so much to be loved and accepted and noticed by the opposite sex, and we get caught up in the TV and movies and books and what the world has to say about all of it. I have a shirt that says "I can see clearly now the boyfriend's gone", and I only bought it cuz it was $5 and a really cute color. But as I was wearing it today, God showed me that it is true. "The boyfriend" is whatever we are blocking God with. Whatever we are finding our love and acceptance in, whatever we fill our time and thought with. Whatever we do instead of seeking God. I guess God wants me to see clearly and say goodbye to "the boyfriend".

Oh the children

2006-07-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, I think that I have figured out kidlettes. They are great. If you make anything into a game or a "secret mission" they love it. Reide and I had to teach each class of kids something to do for the parents in the program tonight. We decided that it would be their "secret mission" that none of the other classes would know about. It worked out really well. These kids are so bright. they learned songs and words and actions and everything. And they are so darn cute! How could you not just love them? I am sad that tomorrow is the end of this amazing week, but I couldn't have asked for a better week to start off the summer.

Thanks for coming out

2006-07-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

I have recently been informed that I have passed the "thanks for coming out" stage of life. This has got to be one of the most exciting things I have been told in the recent past. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I was in that stage for a long while, and as much fun as it is...
I accept this award with a great sense of accomplishment. I would first like to thank my parents, they were a great support through this time. Thank you also to my friends who stuck by my side through all of the most amazing and embarrassing times of my teen-age years. ( not to worry, I am sure there are many more of those times to come). Thanks to the people who encouraged "growth" and "stretching" over the past years. And thanks mostly to God, who proudly looks down upon me each and every day and laughs a good, hearty, belly laugh at the wonder he made, known to the world as Patti Daniels. (me).

Prince George

2006-07-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here I am in Prince George. The drive was long-ish, but I wouldn't know... I happened to sleep for the overwhelming majority of the trip. I'd say I may have even gotten a good 8 hours, maybe more. That may or may not be due to the fact that I got an amazing 3 hours of sleep prior to leaving Camrose, and that may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I was in Edmonton until about 1am on friday night/saturday morning. It is good though, life is ok. My host lady is really nice, and I am staying with Jen. All I can say is that you know it is going to be a beautiful day when you get out of the shower at 8am, and the guy on the radio is saying, "it is 18 degrees and we are going for a high of 30 today". That has been typical thus far this week. Jen and I have also been, how do you say, well, we have gotten a sudden urge to go running. So, we have actually gone running both nights that we have been here so far. Who knows, maybe we'll even do it all week. (I think our host lady thinks we are a little crazy... I on the other hand, I know we are). VBS started today, it went well, we do have a few things to fix up to make it smoother for tomorrow, but that is to be expected. I officially have 1 week left of being a teenager, so that is weird. Well, I think the heat may be affecting my brain, hence WHY (just for you Alex) I have nothing overly profound or funny to say. I miss you muchly, and if I don't, you know who you are. (just kidding, I do miss you all). Feel free to email me my friends! It'd be grand!~

Jesus loves me

2006-07-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Are you all familiar with the skit of 'Jesus Loves Me'? Well, for those of you who aren't, it has a choir, and the kids are singing, and one kid sucks horribly, and then it goes through again and it has what the kids are thinking while singing. Some kids are thinking about the hot kid beside them, some are thinking about how much the sucky kid sucks, and so on and so forth. The sucky kid is actually thinking about the song, and about Jesus loving them. So the moral is that Jesus hears what we think and to Him, the sucky kid doesn't suck.. so it is like the Holy Spirit is a purification filter. Take that skit, and make it into a real live version in your head. The kids are me, Reide, and Cheryl Chetney. The senerio is Sunday morning worship in front of the congregation here in Prince George. The results are... me praying the the Holy Spirtit is going to be one heck of an amazing filteration system. ( I am sick, and apparently "leading" and my mic didn't work. Reide is slowly learning how to play guitar, and Cheryl is "following" me because she doesn't really know the songs...) So, that is my real life version of the skit 'Jesus Loves Me'. Hope you had a little chuckle of sorts at my pain. Love you too.

I am confused

2006-06-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

Uhhh.. yeah... So, I see that you cannot post comments on my last entry, hopefully you can on this one. Heck if I know what is happening. What do you think I am ... a genius?? You should all know me better than that by now, especially if you know me well enough to know about this here blog of mine. Geepers. But, you could also help me out by posting comments as to how the heck I can make links. I want to make links to other people's blogs, like Heather and Erika, so yeah. Lemme know how to do such things... I am, somewhat, what you might call 'computer stupid'... but only to some degree.. I can do what I need to do... most of the time. Remember... this is the blog of the travelling hobo... not of the computer genius... If I do ever become a computer genius, I will let you all know, and maybe even change my blog name accordingly.

Huzzah!

2006-06-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Just a quick Huzzah to Erika. Happy Birthday buddy! Hope all is well in Japan Land.

All is well in Camrose Land. Tonight we had a "planned night out", which consequently was planned, and we went out, and participated in some hillbilly olympics. Good times had by all. We had a beebee gun shoot-out, to see who has the best aim, Karen took it, who knew? We also had a dance off, well, mostly trying to pop the balloons tied around our ankles while listening to country music. It was awesome! Then we had an extremely funny game of "cousin if you love me won't you please please smile". That was very amusing, I mean really, living life hillbilly style...who doesn't want their cousin to love them... Umm, that is about it. My audition went ok, some good parts, some bad, but we'll see what happens. It'd be sweet to get in, but if not, that is ok, there is always next year if I am still hanging out in Alberta.
Anyways, that is my random update, and I have decided that sleep is maybe a better thing than once thought. It is an enjoyable way to spend any amount of time, large amounts are appreciated, and a very good time-passer-by. I will now leave to participate is said 'sleep', for an extended period, known to many as 'night'.

training... and other unrelated topics

2006-06-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I am here in Camrose, fine and well, enjoying... well.. errr.. maybe not so much enjoying training. It is rather redundant if you have ever done VBS or summer teams before, and I have. But I guess it is all good, and it will make me even more prepared for this summer. I am getting more and more excited (when I am not thinking about quitting... I mean, no, I never do that...) for this summer in BC with my sweet team!! Woot!
The Oilers did in fact win game 6, and as you probably all know, had a dissapointing loss for game 7. Well, that's too bad. Anne and I did go show our faces around Whyte Ave after game 6 though... uhhh.. lets go oilers...? It was quite a funny sight, all those Edmontonians, screaming and hollering about how they're bringing home the cup and all... But we did get to see some cool CLBI friends in our endeavors, so that was cool. I guess my super powers failed me when I needed them most... stupid super powers... maybe I need to re-charge the battery or something... (note to self, check battery life on super powers).
I guess that is all that is new and exciting in my life... If you can even call that exciting.. and I don't know that you can... I don't know my schedual yet as to where I will be, but I do know that I get to spend 3 weeks at this pretty cool camp called Camp Luther, so that is pretty darn spectacular. I also know that I will be in Chillawack for a week, and Mission for a week, and... Oh yeah, Prince George for the 1st week, yeah, go Prince George!
So, I will keep you all posted. My life is not usually unlike a gong show, so these blog entries will most likely be sparatic (if that is even how you spell that word) and random. Thanks for you comments, they are fun to read. Keep me in your prayers for patience during training, and that I would learn what I need to learn. I also hopefully have an audition for a cool choir in Edmonton called Oran on Friday, June 23, so pray for my nerves, and voice and all that. I would love to get in. Thanks guys!
Tchau
P.S. I forgot to say happy birthday to Allison on sunday, so happy birthday in the belated style. I hope it was great. I miss you and love you, and I hope that you are wonderful.

Shout Out

2006-06-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

So, I would first like to give a "shout out" to my good friend HeMo. She is my inspiration for this here blog. One day, we were talking on MSN and HeMo said to me, "Hey, you should start a blog." And I tought, oh yeah, great idea, because who doesn't want to know where this hobo (and by hobo, I mean my wonderful self) is? So, due to the mastermind of said HeMo, all you people can keep track or your travelling hobo. Hence, my blog! Ta Da!
I am currently in Edmonton, AB, waiting until Monday when I will go to Camrose, AB, to start my uber, hardcore, intensive training for this summer. I will be working with children, teaching VBS with a team of 2 other people in BC. This seems like it should be fun, but DON'T be fooled by appearences...(I mean, yes, it should be quite fun). I am getting pretty excited about it actually, I have a pretty stellar team (Jen Tuokko, and Reide Norman, for those of you who know them).
So, here I stand, looking out at the wild blue yonder... wait, no, that is the computer screen, ready to embark upon year 3 of my travelling hobo summers (#2 with CLBI).
I shall do my best to keep you all informed of my life, the oh so wonderful and exciting events that keep me quite occupied, and sometimes wishing I were dead... I mean alive and well...
Anyhoo, here ends the 1st ever post on this new and amazing blog of the travelling hobo.

P.S. I am supposed to also give a "shout out" to Chris Vandermeer, the most Dutch, insanely fanatic Oiler's fan ever! OK, maybe not so much, but he is very Dutch, and he does love the Oiler's, and tonight the Oiler's are playing game 6 of 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals, and they WILL win... right Chris? So, if... err.. when they do, they need also to win game 7 of 7, and they will have won the Cup for the first time since, I dunno, 1990 or something, so it is pretty big news around here. Also, I have heard that the Dutch "Football" (soccer) team is doing quite well in the World Cup. Check it out if you're bored... err.. ummm.. I mean, you all best check it out, crazy good soccer playing action. Ole!