mixed feelings

Here I am, spending my last night at home for the next couple of months *sigh. Even though I am super stoked to come back to Redeemer and see everyone again, I do leave with mixed feelings.
You see, being back at home and living with my family has been incredible. I love it here. I’ve always heard that home is where the heart is and now I know it. My heart is here; this is where the people who love me and know me the most are.
Being away at school and then coming back has made me realise how important my family really is to me. My mom has become my number one confidant; I know that I can tell her anything and she definitely gives the best advice around. I have come to fully realise and appreciate how much my dad loves and cares about me… I love the feeling of not having to worry cause I know he will always take care of his little girl. Throughout this summer I have grown closer with my siblings. Though this might sound kinda lame, I just enjoyed hanging out with them this summer, talking, playing catch, cards, watching movies etc. It has been fun.
Coming back home has definitely grounded me and made me realise what is truly important to me in this stage of my life. So, I come back to Redeemer with a sad, happy face. I know I’m going to love my time back in Ancaster, I just wish that I didn’t have to leave so much behind.
I guess when it’s hard to let go you know it has been good. I’m thankful that I have a family and a home that is hard to leave…
God is good all the time, and all the time God is good – wherever we are, whomever we are with.

i made the paper!

Yes... my picture made it in the sport section of the Winchester Press. I think I'm famous; I will be available to give interviews and sign autographs when I come back to Redeemer on Thursday.
































You can check out the story through the link on the side that says "Winchester Press."

putting baseball on a pedestal

A common theme that I often experience in my home country of Canada and in my circle of friends is the lack of respect and appreciation for the sport of baseball. All my life I have been ridiculed for my sport of choice with phrases such as, “Baseball isn’t even a sport.” Or “Anyone could play baseball, all you have to do is hit a ball and run the bases.”
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
I have been playing baseball since I can remember; starting off in the back yard with my dad and brother with our big red plastic bat, tball, junior ball, and eventually to Winchester’s Big League Girls Fastball team.
Baseball is in no way a simple game, a pansy sport, or boring. I have the “battle scars” and the injuries to prove it. Nothing gives me the adrenaline rush like an intense game of baseball, nor do I enjoy nothing as much as watching than a Blue Jays game.
Although I cannot make you like baseball, I am going to try to explain to you why I love baseball and what makes it such a great sport.

- the fact that you have to think about every play before it happens, the strategy involved with baseball in amazing
- “turning two” (making a double play)
- catching a line drive
- tracking down a ball in the field, making the occasional diving catch
- making the sweeping tag to get a runner who is attempting to steal a bag out
- gunning out a person at first base
- the intensity of having two out bases loaded, tie game
- three up, three down
- hearing the crack of the bat
- having a full count
- out running the throw to first
- stealing bases
- feeling of a grand slam
- sliding home
- having no time limit
- your beautiful worn in glove that you wouldn’t trade for anything

Did anyone else notice that for the August Time Out, under the Blue Jays vs Boston game description, it says, “Come out and see baseball players in red socks.” I can’t believe it! It should be more along the lines of, “Come out and see the Blue Jays rock those red socks off of Boston!”

I would also like to give a shout out to my sister Erika, who drove in the winning run in our final game for our baseball finals. We won the series 3-2. I wasn’t able to be there for the last game because I was at camp, but my sister did me proud! :)

I leave you with this: appreciate baseball, respect baseball, and support the Jays. It will be worth it. Trust me.

"thank-you-ma'am"

Everyday I get a word of the day sent to me in my email from Merriam Webster. Today I got this one and I thought it was really interesting, so I am sharing the wealth of knowledge.
Now it is your responsibilty to taked it and to use this word in your everyday life. I would be impressed.

thank-you-ma'am \THANK-yoo-mam\

noun : a bump or depression in a road; especially : a ridge or hollow made across a road on a hillside to cause water to run off

Example sentence: "That night on the way home, thinking of his pleasant visit, he was suddenly shaken out of his tranquility ... when his touring car hit a 'thank-you-ma'am' in the unpaved road." (Hugh Manchester, Centre Daily Times [State College, PA], August 22, 2000)

Did you know? "Thank-you-ma'am" might seem like an odd name for a bump in the road, but the expression makes a little more sense if you imagine the motion your head would make as you drove over such an obstacle. Most likely, the jarring would make you nod involuntarily. Now think of the nodding gesture you make when you're thanking someone or acknowledging a favor. The "thank-you-ma'am" road bump is believed to have received its name when someone noted the similarity of those two head bobbing motions. It's a colloquialism particular to American English, and its earliest printed use is found in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1849 prose piece, Kavanagh: "We went like the wind over the hollows in the snow; — the driver called them 'thank-you-ma'ams,' because they make every body bow."

kingdom bound 2006

A week ago, my family and I embarked on our first family vacation in 5 years. Having a farm makes it difficult to get away. Our destination: Kingdom Bound 2006. Here are my highlights.

- Having a 5 hour trip become 8 hours due to the border, travelling in a non-airconditioned van with six people.
- Going back 10 years and playing the game MASH with my sister and her best friend. I ended up marrying Owen Wilson, but only making 14,000 a year.
- Hearing Mercy Me sing "I Can Only Imagine" live. Wow, definately brought tears to my eyes.
- Randomly seeing Steve Pyker in the Great Big Wheel line and hanging out with him and his friends for the day.
- Almost having the chance to over come my fear of rollercoasters, but then just when I was about to go on it broke down. Very comforting.
- Coming to the Thousand Foot Krutch concert with an open mind and leaving with a closed one. Screaming music and I do not get along.
- Seeing Ryan Geleynse reading his U2 book on the grass and therefore meeting Jesse Dostal too! I was pretty stoked and we ended up spending the rest of KB together.
- Having the priviledge of hearing Casting Crowns live!! I got to hear the "God doesn't need you, He wants you" speech live.
- Playing miniput with Ryan and Jesse, I got the award for most improved, Ryan for biggest choke, and Jesse for champ.
- Spending countless times and money at the batting cages
- Ryan's endless attempts of convincing me to go on the biggest steel roller coaster made, with a straight drop of 200 feet, and me finally agreeing. IT WAS AWESOME. So props go out to Ryan for being able to get me on it and face my fear of plunging to an early death. We went on it again and ended up waiting 2 hours just so that we could get the very front of the rollercoaster. It was worth the wait.
- Hearing Third Day in concert, the lead singer has the most awesome voice I have ever heard.
- Jesse convincing Ryan and I to go on a water ride at 8 o'clock at night. We went on it and got soaked. We didn't dry all night. Though it was stupid, it gave us a really good laugh at ourselves.
- The guys trying to convince me that this one water ride wasn't going to get me wet... they were wrong, I was right.
- Ryan and Jesse's terrifying dance parties at 180 feet in the air on the Fairis Wheel, while I was freaking out praying for our safety.
- Busting out the dance moves with Ryan and Jesse to Newsboys - they sang the Breakfast song and Take Me To Your Leader. whoohoo!

It was such an AMAZING time.

you give me joy that's unspeakable

I would just like to take a moment to thank God for the gift of loving life, the ability to find joy in life. I thank Him that even though there are always going to be seasons of sorrow, the joy that found in the daily walk with Him far outweighs them all.
These past couple of weeks God has been reminding me of His love and the happiness of dwelling in it.
He gives me joy that's unspeakable through the small blessings - and I like it.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy - 1 Peter 1:8

apparently diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend

The other day, while happily cutting hay and listening to my favourite country radio station, I heard something interesting - to say the least...
Recently there was a study done by Oxygen Network, which asked 1400 women whether they would prefer a new plasma television or a diamond necklace. Get this, the study found 77 percent of women surveyed chose the plasma television - more than 3 out of every 4 women!

My reaction, "Gasp! tisk, tisk, tisk."
What's yours?


Priceless Diamond Necklace







OR

New Plasma TV

my poor healthy heart.

Today was probably the grossest day ever. Has anyone else noticed that it feels like 50 degrees outside? Well, like everyone else I'm detesting this muggy, swampy, sticky, sauna weather. Although, unlike most of you I have a bone to pick with air conditioners.
So, today I was working in the soy bean plant office where they had the air conditioner cranked and I was freezing cold; I had goosbumps all over my arms and was constantly shivering. And then BAM! I stepped outside and I seriously had a heart murmer. My body had to go from trying to produce enough heat to keep my oragans pumping to extreme overload of heat. And then I realised I left my truck keys in the office so I had to go back into the freezer. BAM! - once again. Needless to say, those temperature changes made me feel ill for the rest of the day. BLAHG.
This is my opinion: I think air conditioners are ridiculous. They just make the heat seem even more unbearable, plus I can't imagine them being good for you. I heard stories from the girls on my baseball team of how they had to wear sweaters to work today - that is the true defination of ridiculous. I much rather a power fan, driving with the windows down, drinking lots of lemonade, or better yet, going for a swim after a hot day (if your like me and don't have a pool, the garden hose is a very good option). It's summer and its going to be hot, so if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen!
(ps. Im still hoping that this heat doesn't "stick" around for long, Im human)

Ill make an exception for the elderly who require air conditioning to stay healthy, oh and those who have asthma, and i guess for those who work in green houses *cough liz*