Power

Kristen, a friend from school and I went for dinner at the Mongolie grill last night and then to the hockey game. It was a great night of hanging out and catching up! The canucks lost (which was Kristen's fault, because she really wanted it to go into overtime, because she wanted to see as much of the game as she possibly could!! haha) We even got on the big screen! Hooray!

This is Sonia and Candice, friends from work. Monday night Candice and I went to a killer cycling exercise class and then we went out for Japanese. We soon discovered that it is not easy to share sunumono salads!! haha!

Last weekend in church, something that was said set me to thinking. A story was shared about a Buddhist woman who worked in an AIDS home for babies with AIDS in Thailand. Some missionaries from our church are highly involved there. Anyway, this Buddhist woman decided that she would fast and pray for ten days and at the end of those ten days, if the two babies she was praying for were healed, then she would believe in God and give her life to Him. At the end of it, the babies went in for their checkups and they were completely healed! Amazing story and it gives me shivers to think of how powerful our God is!

So anyway, the thing that has me thinking is why we don't see God's power manifested that way in our society today. I want to see God move like that. Yet, I have not been willing to seek Him so diligently as this woman in Thailand. I kind of just go through my day and I talk to God throughout it, but it is rare that I fervently pray for something. Why not pray for people's healings and for people to be saved? I am beginning to think that I don't see God moving in His power because I don't ask Him for it. I want to see the radical and I want to see the impossible made possible. I just need to start asking for it fervently. Any thoughts?

More Thoughts

Brooke and I at the Canucks game on friday night. I never ever take pics at the game, so I figured I would this time and it was kind of fun! We even got on the big screen twice!!

Every time Robbie, Rob and i are working together it seems like the fountain in the fish pond always needs fixing. Because Rob has long arms and legs he always gets the job. This time I had my camera so I thought I would document the occasion. I am waiting for the day that he falls in!

Thanks for the thoughts on the last post. As to what I think about being a "deep person." Well, I definitely agree that there are varying levels and types. I think what we are lacking nowadays is stopping and actually thinking about what is going on around us. We kind of just take things as they come and do things even without thinking about the why or the what.

The other night at the hockey game there were two young girls sitting next to me. I wasn't sure how old they were, but they looked like they were about fifteen or so. They were late coming in and had skin tight pants on had safety pinned their shirts up a little higher and had written vancouver canucks on their waists. They had solid green makeup on that didn't look so great and they were just really not pleasant to be sitting beside (yelling "come on boys" every minute in not so sweet voices and getting out of the row every ten minutes). They had stuffed their bras a LOT and you could tell because it was all rumply (which i thought was pretty hilarious). Anyway, as I sat beside them, my heart broke for them. Here are these young girls that didn't really seem to find themselves that valuable (you could also tell this by their conversation) and they were looking for attention in the wrong ways. I really just wanted to turn to them and tell them that they were valuable and loved. Just set me to thinking about our society today and what we are telling girls in particular. The message that seems to go out is that your personal worth is found in your physical features, so be sure to flaunt it and display it for those around you to see. And this doesn't help the guys at all either who can be easily distracted by this and it all leads to other problems. Many young people are becoming products of our society today and it breaks my heart. The question to myself is, what am I doing about it? Sadly, nothing.

tuesday

Tuesday morning I woke up and just about went back to bed thinking that it was Friday and it was my day to sleep in! Luckily I came to my senses and realized that it was only Tuesday! After school, my sister-in-law Bobbi and I hung out for the day. We went for dinner at Milestone's. We were pretty excited about something we were talking about, and it was really funny, because the waitress kept being like "wow, I've never seen anyone so excited to be eating. When was the last time you guys ate?" Maybe she thought we were wolfing down our food.. haha.. I thought we were just enjoying dinner and each other's company!! Oh well! Then we were meeting Ben and Kari to go to a comedy show. Once we got there, we realized that they had got the wrong date and the show had actually been on Monday! So we went out for coffee instead! Then Bobbi and I hung out in the hot tub and then ate some frozen berries and hung out. Late night, but it really was quite a fun afternoon and evening. In the last while I haven't spent an incredible amount of time with my family just because it's been so busy, but I am starting to make it more of a priority and it is an incredible blessing to me!

This is Chad and Bobbi's puppy, Teega-so cute!

And to end this post, here is a quote I read this morning in one of my textbooks. Nicholas Wolerstorff talks about it in his book:
"It is my conviction that the church, and humanity at large, neglects inwardness at its own peril. And when I speak of inwardness I do not just mean motivation for scoail action alogn with the beliefs that undergird it. I mean contemplation. I mean the cultivation of what in some traditions is called spirituality, and in others, piety. It seems to me that amidst its intense activism, the Western world is starved for contemplation. Likewise it seems to me that the unmistakable witness of the Scriptures is that where genuine piety or spirituality is missing, there life as a whole is deeply wounded. Contemplation, spirituality, piety-these in my judgment themselves belong to authentic shalom, with influence radiating throughout the whole of our existence."

And then Richard Foster says in his book 'Celebration of Discipline', "Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."
Interesting thoughts and reminders for me. What do you think?

Full Weekend

First off, Happy birthday to Carrie!! It was her birthday yesterday and after she got off work, her Sandy and I had a little shindig. This weekend has been full and I have been getting sick, which hasn't been too delightful, but I will survive!!!

My friend and I were having a discussion the other day about going out and serving in other countries. They said they wanted to, but then came to the realization that in a sense it would be running away from life here (in her case, not in every single one). Anyway, I have been pondering it a lot lately and thinking about how I often think that I need to go somewhere and serve, but why can I not be fully serving God right here today? I do in little ways, but why can't my whole life be a service and sacrifice to Him? If I went to a different country, I am sure my life would look completely different. But I wonder what changes I would have to make in my life here to have it look like that more. The question I think is, what comforts is God calling me to sacrifice? Something to think about..

I had to include this picture just because I think it's so much fun! It is from my trip with my cousin a few weeks ago and this was at our first stop along the way: Arby's! If only my hair were so curly.. haha.. mind you, people might start eating my head if my hair was all like that- and that would not be advisable!!

Changes

Lately I have had such a feeling of lightheartedness and it has been wonderful. And I definitely know that it's due to the changes happening in my life! I went away after New Year's for a few days and it was a wonderful time of reflection and evaluating what's going on in my life. I came to realize that I need to make some new priorities!



So to put all of it into action, my first step was stepping down from my management position at work. I was going to be working 32 hours a week and I could have done it with my seven classes at school, but those two things would have taken up all my life and I would have had to sacrifice so many other things just to do those two things. The moment I quit, I felt a huge burden lift and I felt like jumping around. Now I am workingn two days a week, about 15 hours and I am so excited for the change of pace. For the first time in my life, I actually have a fair amount of free time that I am planning on not filling up! Most of my evenings are free and some of my mornings as well!

The next thing on my list has been to get more sleep! I have been running on a state of exhaustion for far too long and it's nice to bring myself to a place of making sleep a priority and seeing how it is important to make my days more full of energy and not so much grumpiness! Along with sleep has been the plan to work out more frequently! I always make lofty goals for myself saying that I will go to the gym 5 days a week, etc and it lasts for about half a week. So this time around, I decided I would make it my goal to go once a week and that has been a wonderful starting place! Plus, then when I go more than once, it's even better!

Another thing that had taken the backburner was my relationship with God which was cause for my focus being completely off and me getting sucked into myself and into a bit of a depression back in December. How easy it is for me to take my eyes off of God and onto my own life, looking at everything through the narrow lens of how it affects me. But there's so much more! I have been thinking about a lot of my habits of late as well. Usually when I come home, I bring all my stuff upstairs and check my email right away, no matter what. Not for any particular reason, but simply because it is what I have done for so long. So I have been thinking that I need to change that habit, to perhaps spending time with God the moment I get home. As I have been changing this slowly and surely, it is amazing how much of a difference it will make in my day!

I have also been shifting my mindset in school. I put far too much emphasis on my marks,w hen thirty years down the road, it won't matter all that much (unless I fail I guess!). So, I have been trying to shift my focus to learning and getting as much out of my classes as I can, because that needs to be my ultimate goal.

So that's a bit of what I have been thinking of lately and working through. More thoughts and pictures to come!

impulsive

My mom was doing my hair this morning and we were talking about all the places we'd like to go. So afterwards we decided to check it out online. After looking, getting excited, we were incredibly impulsive and booked a 10 day cruise to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific!! So in August I will be in Bora Bora and Tahiti!! Yippee!!

In other contrasting news, still lots of snow here and school is going well! I am really looking forward to all my classes this semester-looks like a good mix that I have! Speaking of school I should head out. More later!

Fun Pictures

My Oma and Opa ont he 50th wedding anniversary.

I was looking through some older family pics and ran across these ones! Yesterday would have been my Opa's birthday and on the 10th my Oma's birthday. They were full of life and I laugh at the memory of the times we had with them! (and i laugh at the pants i was wearing with the vest!)

Opa would always load all his grandkids into his tractor shovel! Lots of fun!!

For My Dad

It's crazy to think that tomorrow it will have been four years since my dad died. I have been thinking about him a lot lately with Christmas, the anniversarry of his death and his upcoming birthday and just thought I'd write a few thoughts and memories down.

At my grad in 2002


Whenever it snows, I think of when we were little. My dad would always tie a rope to the back of his truck and pull us on the tobaggan. Probably wasn't the safest thing downhill, but it was always our favorite thing to do when it snowed!

Bedtime Stories

Two or three times a year we used to drive down to Palm Springs. In the pool there and at home, we would always see how many of us could pile on top of my dad to make a tower. I think one time there were three of us total! We would always beg him to throw us in the air off of his shoulders as well.

My dad left a legacy in many different ways. In starting numerous building projects all around Abbotsford and Vancouver, in his generous lifestyle as he freely gave to those. I am thankful for the times that he and I had together, especially in the year and a half before he died. There were long and meaningful talks as well as sharing and I am so thankful I got that before he died. Some days I miss him like crazy and there are still times when I want to call him and tell him some exciting news. I am excited for the day I get to see him and Leon again and until then, they will live on in my heart!

Thank you Lord for my dad and that I was blessed to have him as a father for the time that I did. Although life was not always perfect, I am thankful for the good and bad times, because they brought me closer to you and helped me to understand life more.

Barbados!!

I didn't take these pictures but I will be taking some just as nice when I go to Barbados at the end of February!!! I am so excited! My friend Lindie is down there for three months and I decided I would go and visit her during my reading break! So end of February off to Barbados I go for a week!! EEEEEE!!! so excited!

In other just as exciting news, school starts tomorrow!! Yippee! Actually I'm kind of excited to get back into the swing of things and be able to organize my time and such. Work's a bit crazy of late, but I'm hoping to hire someone else to take some of the stress off! Happy back to school!!

Home Again

Well, I arrived home today after my four day getaway which was fantastic! We went to a little town called Union to a place called Alderbrook Inn Resort. I went with my cousin/friend/"sister" Desiree and from the moment we arrived, we were blown away at how incredible nice and beautiful everything was! Our first night we drove to town, bought some pizza, some groceries and then returned to our hotel room to watch a movie and then we went swimming and for a walk outside around the dock! The whole resort was still decked out with all their Christmas decorations and it was beautiful!

During the days, we relaxed, read, watched movies, ate (spooning the cheese and drinking wine was quite fun!) All in all it was a great time of relaxation, fellowship and fun. Last night we went to a fancy little restaurant down the road called Robin Hood Restaurant and Pub. It was really cute and we ended up staying there for three hours! We made friends with the people sitting at two different tables around us! haha! Great to be able to just join into other people's conversations! :)

Now I am back home and exhausted which is weird because I have had more sleep in the last few days than before! if you want to see more pictures, you will have to go look at my photo blog (link on the right hand side) and i will perhaps write more in depth when i'm not wanting to go to bed!

Family Gatherings and Christmas Parties

It's been a long time coming but here are some pictures from some of my family gatherings at Christmas as well as the Christmas party with some friends who were all in the same small group. Oh and Happy New Year by the way! had a games night/party at my house last night and it was a lot of fun. Now I have to go pack as I am going away for four days to Washington. I'm staying at a place on the ocean and am looking forward to it! So enjoy these pics and I will have more when I return!!