no man is an island

No man is an island, entire of itself. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
- John Donne

Being involved in mankind is intimidating, because when you get involved (like John Donne points out) you realize that everyone is ultimately connected to each other and we are responsible for one another. For too long I have been using the cop out of fear to justify my lack of knowledge and involvement in the injustices and brokenness of this world. I am afraid to show mercy to the poor, spend time with hurting children, to witness the pain of dying people because I know that I will get my heart involved and it will break and be wrecked. This fear is what has stopped me from going on the many mission and outreach opportunities that have come my way. Selfish, I know.
This past week and a half has been a huge wake up call for me. Redeemer held a Social Justice week and as I sat there listening to the facts and seeing the images I couldn't help but feel so incredibly guilty. What I have done to show Christ's heart to those who need to see it the most?
So many times I felt helpless, hopeless, and my heart wrenched for the world. God was tugging at me, and I have realized that I am not satisfied and never will be just to sit back and do nothing. I want to touch people's lives with love, I want to make a difference in this world. I know that it won't be easy getting involved but I also know that God's powerful presence is with His people when they seek to do His will.
I forget who said it but this statement hit me pretty hard. "God breaks your heart so that your hands will be more willing to serve."

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear, then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I

- Isaiah 58

Bono said, "Stop asking God to bless what you are doing. Get involved in what God is doing, because it's already blessed."

More than ever it is evident what God is doing, His heart is with the hurting, His heart is with the poor, His heart is for the dying, and that is where mine should be also.

Jack Bauer my hero

Maybe I am a little enthralled by him, or maybe this is a completely normal reaction...

tetris - good for the brain

According to Richard Haier, et al. prolonged Tetris activity can also lead to more efficient brain activity. When first playing Tetris, brain function and activity increases, along with greater cerebral energy consumption, measured by glucose metabolic rate. As Tetris players become more proficient, their brains show a reduced consumption of glucose, indicating more efficient brain activity.

riddles

Try these out and see if you can answer them! I'll post the answers later.

What row of numbers comes next?
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221

A woman has 7 children, half of them are boys.
How can this be possible?

I cannot be felt, seen or touched;
Yet I can be found in everybody;
My existence is always in debate;
Yet I have my own style of music.
What Am I?

The word CANDY can be spelled using just 2 letters.
Can you figure out how?

There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?

I soar without wings, I see without eyes.
I've traveled the universe to and fro.
I've conquered the world, yet I've never been anywhere but home.
Who am I?

In a major league baseball game, a pitcher faced only 27 batters. Every batter he faced, he struck out. He allowed no hits and no runs, yet his team lost 4-0. How could this be?

welcome Ree!

My dear fellow dormie and friend now has a blog! :)

www.reejoys.blogspot.com

would you rather...

I know we have all had the 'would you rather' discussion at one time or another.

Would you rather be able to fly or be able to breathe underwater?
Would you rather be lost in the artic or the desert?
Would you rather need to sleep at least 12 hours a day or need no sleep at all?
Would you rather be unvincible or be able to feel no pain?
Would you rather drink skim milk or pond water?

Typically, it is fun to be able to think about which one we would choose, its not like it would ever happen anyways. However, a couple of weeks ago we had this convorsation and this question came up:

Would you rather to love and lose or not to love at all?

At first the answer seemed pretty straight forward, of course you would pick to be able to love. After all the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. But on second thought, would you still want to allow yourself to love even though you knew you were going to lose them? It is safe not to love. Sure you will miss out on a lot, but you would also save yourself emense heartache.
Tonight at our devos it was pointed out that fear is the opposite of love. I can definately see why. If I would know that I was going to lose a person I love, I would become afraid to love them.
Love is a choice, every day we make a conscience decision to love the people around us. We are given the choice not to love. This aspect of love makes it so dangerous. You hear of so many married couples getting a divorse or long-time friendships becoming hogwash. Can people fall out of love? Can true friendship just fall to pieces? In my opinion, No. Somewhere along the line there was the decision not to love. We can control how we love, who we love, and what we love. We have control over this aspect in our lives - kinda scarey to think about eh?
However, the fact that we can choose to love gives it aspects that are so much more special, strong, and admirable. This makes love the greatest thing on the face of the earth. Love is able to conquer all because it is not based on feelings like the other 'emotions' we experience.

That is why I would choose to love and lose than not love at all.

why michael hates toby...

Tonight I went on youtube and watched numerous clips from the show 'The Office.' I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried...

another year is dawning

Wow, what a great year.
The year of 2006 was a lesson on change. This past year I left home for the first time and embarked on the experience of Univeristy. When I graduated from grade 12 I was a pretty confident person, I knew what I wanted in life, thought I knew who I was, and going to off to Redeemer was just the next step.
God threw me for a loop or two and this past year was nothing like I expected. These loops turned out to be big learning curves. I have grown so much in every area of my life and I have realised that I will never stop be amazed at what I have yet to learn. That being said, I look forward to what this coming year holds, it's sure to be interesting to say the least! Life is never dull around here.

Highlights of 2006
- surprise trip to Niagra Falls for my 19th birthday
- the Banquet
- Mike taking me to a Delirious? concert
- the many hours on the tractor this summer which allowed me to memorize the lyrics to all the country tunes
- painting the fence, not so much a highlight but it is what my summers days consisted of so it's kinda imprinted on my memory.
- our first family vaction in 6 years to Kingdom Bound
- defeating my fear of heights and rollercoaster by going on Superman
- being a camp counsellor at camp Adonai
- star gazing on the night when there was a meteor shower
- surviving the Senate Budget Meeting, 21 hours, longest meeting of my life!
- going to the Christian Farmers dinner with Liz
- the mouldy wrap fight with Ree and all that entailed, except for the huge goose egg on my noggen
- beating the guys (dorm 34) in the first snow battle of the season
- all the great late night discussions
- The Office marathons and laughing until I cried while watching them (I'm on withdrawl)
- the Christmas break that involved Dance Dance Revolution, endless chocolate, lots of snow, the Sound of Music, winning my fist game of Monopoly, many games of Wizard, 24 hour flu (not so nice), literally jumping into the new year and the almost detrimental face masks. It was great.

arise shine for your light has come!

This song was sung at our candle light service and I think it sums up Christmas quite well.

Behold the darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the people but the Lord shall arise uopn you and his glory shall be seen upon you.

The nations shall come to your light, and kings the the brightness of your rising. And they shall call you The City of the Lord, O Zion of the Holy One of Isreal.

Life up your eyes round about and see: All gather themselves together; and they shall come, your sons from afar and you daughter shall be carried at your side.

Then you shall see and be filled with joy and your heart shall thrill with rejoicing. The abundance of the sea will be brought unto you, and the weailth of the nations unto you.

The sun shall no more be you light by day nor moon by light by night for the Lord shall be your everlasting light and the days of your mourning shall be ended.

ARISE SHINE FOR YOUR LIGHT IS COME AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN.
O ARISE SHINE FOR LIGHT IS COME AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS UOPN YOU.

Merry Christmas!

I pray that God blesses you with happiness and joy during the Christmas season.

spending too much $ on food?

I was watching the National tonight and they had a special on Dumpster Diving. It is completely disgusting, but offers a great alternative to buying groceries. If you have a tight budget this post may significantly help you...

Dumpster diving, is a term to describe the practice of rummaging through commercial or residential trash to find useful free items that have been discarded.

In practice, dumpstering is more like fishing around than diving in. In most cases people dumpster dive to reclaim items that have been disposed of but can still be put to further use - e.g. food

Many people dumpster-dive not out of economic necessity, but for the thrill of the hunt, or as a creative outlet.

Food can often be acquired in this manner from bakeries or grocery stores, who sometimes throw out perfectly fine food.

ill be home for christmas

In approximately 24 hours I will be in a car beginning the long trip home back to Winchester! I will be heading back to my wonderful family, friends, and farm for two whole weeks. With that in mind how am I supposed to feel motivated to study for my last exam about Canadian Literature? Frankley, I can't. Although, I don't seem to really care.

Home is where the heart is and school is supposed to be where the mind is. Right now Im pretty sure they are both at Wichester waiting for my arrival.

math 101

Me + Math =

looking for a brain donor

Anyone interested in donating me a brain? I don't have that much of a preference unless you are knowledgable about the anatomy of a human being.
I will willingly trade mine for yours... although I fee like I should warn you mine is kinda mushy right now due to an intellectual melt down...

kidz club

This semester I was involved in the Thursday Kidz Club. I loved it so much... The kids are so special and they were such a blessing to me. It is wild how they can so easily capture your heart with their smiles and hugs.

It was so precious to see those children so easily accept that God loves them even though they have such hard lives. There was one boy in particular, Shawn, who once after we prayed told me that he heard God talk to him. I will never forget the look in his eyes.

9 Crimes - Damien Rice

Gorgeous song *sigh*

in dedication to Robyn, because you introduced me.

sigmund the squirrel

My dorm dubbed him Sigmund the squirrel, better known as Siggy. He came into our lives suddenly on a Friday morning and just as quickly left us. Siggy got caught in Redeemer's transformer at approximately 11:30am and experienced a shocking death; this death effected us more than we ever imagined. Apparently he was a powerful squirrel, so powerful that he caused Redeemer to loose its power.

The first effects were felt when students realised that the Market was closed and they were unable to get their weekend shopping done. I broke the news to the girls and we already started to ration out the bread and butter, but we soon realised that this was going to be the least of our worries.
Our ice cream began to melt, fast. Since it is pretty much a sin to let ice cream just waste away, we began to eat it like never before (props go out to James for eating our whole tub of Orange Sherbert). And then our carbon monoxide alarm started to go off, and since it was really annoying we just unplugged it, apparently that isn't what your supposed to do. All the while rumours kept floating around that we might have to evacuate campus and go to hotels. No one believed them though, that was just crazy talk. But lo and behold 20 mins later there we were all crowded in 2nd parking lot hearing Dean Schat telling us to pack our bags to get ready to leave Redeemer to stay in hotels. We quickly ran to the dorm and chaos started to slowly break out. All the carbon monoxide alarms were sounding due to a gas leak caused by the power outage, some students were celebrating and others just couldn't believe what was happening.
So we stayed in a gorgeous hotel that night with a hot tub, leather furniture, and beautiful rooms; the bed was great for jumping on. It was a great night, no sleep though. Ree, Robyn, and I stayed up till 5am writing an incredible story involving the bod book, butter, popcorn, and love. We had way too much fun with that...
The next morning we left the hotel to return to Redeemer, home sweet home, kinda... It was good to be back though. It was a crazy experience, but also tons of fun. I got to stay in the nicest hotel I have ever been in for free and I am famous by association - Liz made it on CH News because they interviewed her. Steller eh?

What was Siggy's mission? Did he even have one, or was he just a victim of circumstance? I guess we will never know, although Im inclined to think that this was no accident. It was all just too convenient ... No one ever suspects the squirrel.

dixie chicks - shut up and sing

the wonders of punctuation

This example just goes to show the importance of correct grammar and puctuation.

Woman without her man is nothing.

Woman: without her, man is nothing.

i love life

I got this idea from Angie, it is an assignment that she has to do for her philosophy class. They have to list 50 things that they love. The reason that her professor gave it her class is to help them celebrate life and remind them what makes it so special.
I felt like I needed that reminder... so here is a list of things that I love about life in no particular order.

- being with the people I love
- having heart to heart talks
- meaningful relationships
- laughing
- eating chocolate chip cookies with milk
- when my favourite song comes on the radio
- getting mail
- taking a walk with no destination
- watching the sunset
- gardens and flowers
- the smell of baking bread
- being in the sunshine
- learning
- babies (human and animal)
- lying in bed in the morning
- listening to a choir
- my dog Chester
- peanut butter
- the piano
- hymns
- mowing the lawn
- reading a good book
- playing the guitar
- the smell of a country summer's evening
- hugs
- wearing my favourite hoody sweater
- suppers when everyone sits down together and talks about their day
- smiles
- naps in a hammock
- the feeling of accomplishment
- random acts of kindness

chantal kreviazuk

I almost love late nights if Im listening to her music...

And yes, even though she is not country she is my favourite artist.

holding hands

A Father asks his child to go on a walk with Him. He warns the child that the path in which they take will be rough, but as long as He is holding his hand He will not let the child fall. The child reaches out his hand and takes his Father's hand in his and then they begin their walk. The path that they take is the path less travelled.
The new surroundings intimidate the child and he tighty clings to his Father's hand for security. The child eventually becomes comfortable and realises the excitement that is all around, he lets go of his Father's hand in order to explore. The Father remains on the path waiting and watching as His child strays.
Soon, the child's excitement fades as he becomes lost and confused. He looks up and sees the figure of his Father waiting for him and hears Him gentley call his name. The child runs back to his Father, grabs ahold of His hand and then they continue on their journey. The path in which they walk is not straight and narrow, it has many turns and ruts. The child has difficulty with each rut and turn, as he would trip he would let go of his Father's hand in an attempt to balance himself. Everytime he would end up flat on his face, needing his Father to lift him from the ground and brush him off. The child soon became frustrated and questioned why he even chose to go on this walk. He looked up at his Father, "I don't think I can go on much further, I am tired and worn."
The Father looked at His child with compassion, "My child, allow me to be the one to hold your hand. I promise I will never let go and I will never let you fall."
The child's hand firmly within his Father's they continued their walk. There were still times when the child was tempted to leave and the path did not smooth out, but as long as his Father was holding onto his hand he never got lost and did not fall.
The child was able to enjoy the journey on the path less travelled.

stag and doe

What: STAG AND DOE for Sarah Vedder and Tom Smith
When: November 4th
Where: RCAF Assn 447 Wing - 9300 Airport Road, Mount Hope
Directions:
From Redeemer
1. Right on Garner
2. Left on Fiddlers Green
3. Left on Butte Rd.
4. Left on Centre Rd
5. Park in lot with mounted Jet.


I give my Katrina guarentee that it will be an amazing time! Come by dorm 37 to buy your ticket before they run out. They are selling fast... at least the ones me and Liz are selling. (we are winning by the way, Angie and Maria)

candy corn day!

Interesting fact of the week, on October 30th it is the official candy corn day!
I bet you had no idea.
You can thank me for informing you of this vital information by buying me lots of candy corn. kapeesh?

Mmmmmm so delcious! Probably one of my favourites in the world of candy.

creation calls

I have felt the wind blow

Whispering Your name

I have seen Your tears fall

When I watch the rain

How could I say there is no God

When all around creation calls

A singing bird, a mighty tree

The vast expanse of open sea

dove - campaign for real beauty

I normally don't advertise certain products, but Dove has won me on this one. Watch these two short clips... it gives you something to think about.

I wish I knew how to put clips on here but just bear with me and click on the links.
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/flat2.asp?id=6852
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/bblank.asp?id=6853

katrina needs

ya ya ya, I know this pretty a lame excuse for a blog and I've definitely having been slacking. Im going to blame it on being busy.
three cheers for school!

go to google and type in " [your name] needs" and then write the first 10 appropriate responses.

katrina needs to be more mysterious (apparently you can read me like an open book)
katrina needs a visit from 'What Not To Wear' (hmm I thought my style was pretty stellar)
katrina needs to get those eyebrows waxed (ouch that sounds like it would hurt)
katrina needs no introduction (I guess Im that good)
katrina needs a little space to manage her life (little space? no thanks I like wide open spaces)
katrina needs a new man (new... i think that requires me to have one now)
katrina needs her eyes examined if she thinks that Ereka looks like J-Lo (who's Ereka? and i have 20/20 vision thank you very much)
katrina needs to value people on their succes in life (hmm interesting)
katrina needs learn that there are consquences for bad choices (already learnt)
katrina needs to take Acting 101, because she obviously doesn't know what she is doing (what!Im a very good actor and Im witty! obviously.)
katrina needs your prayers and best wishes (thanks)

a true love song

I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain
Just to be with the one he loves
How many times has he broken that promise
It has never been done.
I've never climbed the highest mountain
But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:
Just to be with you, I'd do anything
There's no price I would not pay
Just to be with you, I'd give everything
I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean
Just to be with the one he loves
But all of those dreams are an empty emotion
It can never be done
I've never swam the deepest ocean
But I walked upon the raging sea

Repeat chorus
I promise, I would do it all again.
Just to be with you, I've done everything
There's no price I did not pay
Just to be with you, I gave everything
Yes, I gave my life away.

life aint always beautiful

Life ain't always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart
Life ain't always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' it sweet time

No,life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

reconciliation

This past Sunday, the pastor preached a message on reconciliation... it was pretty powerful. There was one particular statement that caught my attention and still has me thinking.

When we are reconciled to God, we do not have to work inorder to restore His trust, because He has completely forgotten the sin we have committed.

I don't know about you, but I know that I have always struggled with forgiveness. I generally trust people very easily, but once the trust has been broken I find it very difficult not to hold that against a person. I have grown up with the mentality that you should forgive but you don't forget. I have always felt that it's the responsibilty of the person who has hurt you or betrayed to try and rebuild the relationship and trust.

True reconciliation, God's way, is when you completely forget what has happened and start with a clean slate. No matter what.

An extremely hard concept to grasp, but imagine how freeing it would be if we could actually do it...

in dedication to steve irwin

In the summer of 2002, I spent every Saturday night watching Animal Planet just to see Steve Irwin face incredible dangers. I loved his "crikey" saying and would just be memorized with his unflinching attitude towards animals that I would have nightmares about. Now the unsinkable ship has sunk, so without furthur adue, I dedicate this post to him.

At times nature can be cruel, but there is also a raw beauty, and even a certain justice manifested within that cruelty.
The alligator, one of the oldest and ultimate predators, normally considered the "apex predator" in its natural eco-system, can still fallvictim to implemented 'team work' strategy, made possible due to the tight knit social structure and "survival of the fittest pack mentality," bred into the canines over the last several hundreds of years by natural selection.
See the attached remarkable photograph courtesy of Nature Magazine ...
Note that the Alpha dog has a muzzle hold on the gator preventing it from breathing, while the remainder of the pack prevents the beast from rolling.

Maybe if he had a trusty side kick like these little guys, Steve would still be hunting those crocs.

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*

mr. darcy

All I have to say is that Pride and Prejudice is my favourite love story of all time! I watched the movie again... *sigh Mr. Darcy.With lines like these, any guy could melt any girls heart.
The first try:
Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain and can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings only to see you. I have fought against my better judgement, my family's expectation, the inferiority of your birth, my rank. I will put them aside and ask you to end my agony. I love you. Most ardently. Please do me the honour of accepting my hand.

The second try: (this one is the winner!)
Surely you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed. But one word from you will silence me for ever. lf, however, your feelings have changed... ...I would have to tell you, you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love... I love... I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

So, if you have never seen the movie Pride and Prejudice (the 1995 version) I highly recommend that you do. Better yet, read the book!

one red paperclip

Has anyone ever told you that blogging is useless and a waste of time? Well, they are wrong and I have evidence to prove it. One red paperclip.
I was reading the paper the other day when I came across this story.

A 26-year-old Montreal man appears to have succeeded in his quest to barter a single, red paper-clip all the way up to a house.
It took almost a year and 14 trades, but Kyle MacDonald has been offered a two-storey farmhouse in Kipling, Sask.
MacDonald began his quest last summer when he decided he wanted to live in a house. He didn't have a job, so instead of posting a resumé, he looked at a red paper-clip on his desk and decided to trade it on an BLOG.
He got a response almost immediately — from a pair of young women in Vancouver who offered to trade him a pen that looks like a fish. With every trade he looked for something bigger and better than the previous trade. He eventually scored a house! You can check out his blog at http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com

I thought this was a pretty neat idea. Hmmm.... I want to own a cottage one day and I am looking at a half eaten chocolate chip cookie on my desk. Anyone interested? Hey, why not, if it worked for him it can work for me.

falling through darkness

I don't ussually write poetry and I don't even know if you would even classify it as poetry.
I wrote this when I was writing a story for one of my high school classes over a year ago.

A glass bottle holds the emotions you are unable to see,
Transparent to my soul,
Yet invisible to the naked eye.
The fragile container hides within me,
Filled to capacity,
Unable to retain the heaviest of weights.
They are protected here,
Unable to burden the ones I love,
All the while destroying my heart.

This secret bottle is lacking room for this one last concern,
It slowly cracks,
Destined to burst,
Shattering within and tearing down the capacity to contain.
Ripping relationships with sharp edges,
Cutting so that it painfully bleeds.
My true emotions are finally able to show,
Devastating everything in its path.
Here I am falling through darkness
With nothing to break my fall,
Except for the shreds of glass remaining.

A bottle holding the hidden pain no longer exists,
My falling has ceased to continue since landing.
Healing has started to begin,
The scars will remain,
Although no longer hurting.
They remain to remind me of what pictures cannot.
I have lost,
I have failed;
No longer into the darkness will I fall.

it gives me the shivers...

I first heard this song in April when my older brother Mike took me to see Delirious? live in concert. It is called Miracle Maker and there is only one word to describe it: powerful

Just close your eyes and let this song sink in...

You can listen to it here: http://www.rhapsody.com/delirious/themissionbell

katrina's kurrent krunch

So... I never usually do this, but I am going to give you all a nice little update on my life - cause I'm pretty sure you are all dying to know what I have been up to these past summer months. It has been good and the months are flying by. I have many different experiences and have learnt much through them.
Without further ado, here is an outline of what my life has entailed over the past couple of months:

- I have almost spent more time on a tractor than in a car this summer. It hasn't been so bad, I now have every country song on the radio memorized, I can back up wagons, I am and expert with the clutch, and harvesting and baling is pretty fun... except for the kink that you get in your neck from having to watch behind as you drive.
- I hate painting. It was ok at first but now that I am currently in the process of painting the fence that outlines our barnyard... death! I have worked on it for three days and I maybe have 1/6 of it done.
- I am bringing back the walkman - oh yes. Because of this painting I have to do I decided I need tunes to listen to. So I dusted off my walkman and I definately feel like the coolest kat.
- I will always get a sunburn... you would think that since I am constantly outside I would develop a nice tan to protect me from the sun. nope. during these summer months I have a perma red nose.
- I can't build muscle. You may say that this impossible, but Im pretty sure even though I have unloaded approximately 4000 hay bales and I am doing laboursome farm work, my arms are still the width of sticks.
- I soon learnt to stop caring about my appearence, because if I didn't I would give myself an early death. Yes, you will always smell like cow, hay, or dirt, your clothing consists of your dad's old tshirts from college, grubby shorts, and workboots, and you don't have to worry about doing your hair cause you just wear a cap anyways.
- As much as my dad has this philosophy of facing your fears and is putting me to the test, I will always be scared of heights. No, I refuse to climb the silo, hang the flag on the pole being ten feet in the air, drive the tractor over the overpass, and paint the roof.
- I am addicted to Word Jumble. See, I took this little daily puzzler up because everyone else I knew was getting addicted to Sudoku and I can't jump on that bandwagon because I definately do not have the patience and numbers just tend to frustrate me.
- Unloading hay bales is a great way to find out that you are not in shape an even better way to get back into shape. Side effects: sore muscles, sun headaches, ichy scratches on your arms, inhaling of millions of dust particles, and blisters on your hands.
- I love babysitting. During university I missed being around kids and now I can spend a whole day with them. Im enjoying having a little baby to hold and little girls to play princess and do crafts with. Also my new found cooking skills come in handy; I no longer I have to cook KD for breakfast, lunch, and supper.
- I am right back at my job at my mechanic shop and becoming a grease monkey. I actually really enjoy it. The guys I work with are great and I can get back into my routine of listening to Dr. Dobsin at 6pm - what a great man.
- Did you know that soybean oil is the next big thing? You better believe it and Im right in the middle of it - literally. I am working some afternoons at my dad's soybean plant coming home smelling enough like a bean that the cows want to eat me for supper.
- New favourite show is "So You Think You Can Dance." I love watching them dance and it inspires me to one day learn how... too bad I don't have a sense of rythm. Anyone know where I can pick one of those up?
- Knees are very useful. I discovered this as I twisted my knee over a week ago sliding into second base. You don't know how much you use your knees during the day until every time you do use it there is a shooting pain sent to your brain.
- I could never get sick of baseball. Good thing too, because I sometimes play four times a week. I am in my town league, a church league, and on most weekends I am in some kind of ball tournament. I love it.

There you have it, it turned out a little longer than I expected. What can I say, when I talk about myself I can't help but get carried away. ;) Hopefully you weren't bored to tears, cause then my life would be pretty pitiful eh? So, I am doing just fine and before you know it, I'll be back in good old Ancaster and you might just get sick of me... (impossible)

May God continue to bless you all in whatever you are doing and wherever you are.

in all deep places

This summer I have been catching up with reading for relaxation - I'm loving it. I just finished this book call "In All Deep Places" by Susan Meissner. It was definately a book that pulled my heart strings and I strongly recommend it. (In a way it reminded me of my favourite book, "Who Has Seen the Wind" by WO Mitchell.)
I found the following excerpt especially touching. Have you ever wondered why there are some people who constantly get the short stick in life? I know it has been something that I have always questioned and struggled with. This passage from the book shows Luke (the little boy in the story) dealing with this topic. I found it very enlightening as I have never seen it from this angle before.

“So why doesn’t God ease up on her, then?” Luke said. “He hasn’t let even half as much bad stuff happen to us as He has to Nell. Or Norah.”
“Well I don’t know all that God knows about individual people, Luke. I believe He works in each life in whatever way that will draw that person to Him.”
“Yeah, but Dad – this will just drive them all away from Him!”
Jack nodded. “Tough times will bring that out in people, Luke. It’s the worst of times that a person will either run to God or turn his back on Him. I think it’s always been that way.”
Luke was silent for a moment.
“Don’t you ever wonder why, Dad?” Don’t you ever wonder why it’s that way? Why he made us like that? I mean, why are we even here if life is going to be so hard that it turns some people away from God?”
“I’ve wondered those things too, Luke,” Jack said. “Sometimes I still do. I’m not sure why God has made us the way He did. I know we were made in His image, so there’s something about is that is uniquely like Him, but there’s probably much more to it than that. As to why we’re here, well I think maybe we’re here to learn to love Him. To learn to love God and want to be with Him. I think we’re here to cultivate our longing for heaven.”
Luke sighed. “Heaven,” he said. “Seems like a long, long way off, Dad.”
Jack nodded. “It does. But I think God gives us glimpses of heaven from time to time to help us nurture the desire to want to be there at the end of our lives.”
“What do you mean?” Luke asked, feeling at that moment that he greatly needed a glimpse of heaven.
“Well, I see glimpses every spring when the earth renews itself. And sometimes I see glimpses in a worship service when I’m singing about Jesus and all of the sudden I feel like I’m right there in His arms. And sometimes I see glimpses at dawn after a snowfall, before the ploughs come through, before the sunlight touches the new snow and only the dying moonlight is falling on it. I see it all the time.”
Luke leaned back against the wall of the tree house, considering his father’s words. He could understand that God would purposely place humans on a planet with limitations, that He would give those same humans the ability to make choices, and that He would also instil in every person a tiny longing for heaven, a longing designed to blossom. He even began to feel that tiny longing stir within his own heart and soul. It all made sense except for one thing. It did not explain why God had allowed such an abundance of tragedy into Norah’s life. She never saw glimpses of heaven. Never. How could she? He wouldn’t be surprised if all she saw were glimpses of hell.
“But Dad,” he said. “What about Norah? When does she ever get to see a glimpse of heaven? Dad, their life is a nightmare.”
Jack leaned forward and placed his hands on Luke’s shoulders.“Luke, listen to me. Every time you’ve showed kindness to Norah, they’ve seen the love of God in you. I know their lives are harder than yours, but Luke, God hasn’t forgotten about them. They have seen a glimpse of heaven every time you cared for them.”

you're everything to me

I grew up in sunday school
I memorized the Golden rule
And how Jesus came to set the sinner free
I know the story inside out
I can tell you all about
The path that led Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He loves me
And I don't know what to say
But I'll never be the same
Because He changed my life when He became...

Everything to me
He's more than a story
More than words on a page of history
He's the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
He's everything, everything to me

We're living in uncertain times
And more and more I find that I'm aware
Of just how fragile life can be
I want to tell the world I found
A love that turned my life around
They need to know that they can taste and see
Now everyday I'm praying
Just to give my heart away
I want live for Jesus
So that someone else might see that he is...

Everything to me.

You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're everything to me
You're more than a story
More than words on a page of history
You're the air that I breath
The water I thirst for
And the ground beneath my feet
Lord, you're everything to me

-- Avalon.

summertime

Today is the official start of summer, so here's why I love summer:

driving (fast) with the windows down
being barefoot
camping
being at the ballpark
Sundays
gardening
the many bonfires which equals s'mores (mmmmm)
bbq's
lemonade
picking wildflowers
star gazing
sleeping in a hammock (well if we had one, i almost got one for my dad for father's day, but i would have bought it for selfish reasons)
reading on the beach
pool parties
smell of freshly cut grass
fireflies and crickets

my dad

In my life my dad has been my main infulence. He has been one of my greatest supports and has encouraged me to chase after my dreams - however unrealistic they are - and has always been there standing at the end no matter what the result. Throughout my life I have strove to make my dad proud and it has been worth every effort; it has made me into the person I am today. Though we don't say the words often enough, I love my him with all my heart and I am proud to call him my dad.

My dad has taught me the importance of:

• a strong faith
• dedication
• ambition
• hard work
• stubborness
• strength in character
• a passion for life
• determination
• never settling
• accomplishment
• risk
• having fun
• believing in yourself
• opinions
• trying new things
• never giving up
• intelligence
• learning
  

what is that scent?

Correct me if im wrong... but i smell a comeback. It smells like oil mixed with BO

Is the cup going to return to Canada where it belongs? According to me, yes. Oilers are a Cinderella team, and Cinderella hasn't disappointed me yet.

Scamp

Today my childhood friend and companion, Scamp, died of old age. I still remember the first day we got him...
Our previous dog had gotten killed on the road a month before, so my dad went searching for a new dog to call our own. I remember coming home from school and my mom telling my older brother Mike and I that my dad had a surprise waiting for us in the barn. Both of us raced to the barn where my dad and my little sister Erika were waiting with the biggest dog I had ever seen in my life. Seriously, he was the biggest dog in the county of North Dundas and was well known to all the milk truck drivers, vets, milk testers, and breeders who would come to our farm. My dad wanted to name our new dog King, but all of us refused and my dad gave into the name Scamp. At first he had to stay in the barn so that he would get used to the surroundings and not try to run back to his old home. So this meant that it was our job to walk him... though because of his size it took all three of us to hold onto the rope and yet he was still the one that ended up walking us, instead of the other way around.
The moment I laid my eyes on Scamp he won a place in my heart. Throughout my childhood he was my faithful friend: If I had a bad day at school he would be there with me when I would hide behind the machine shed and lick my tears, when we played house he was always willing to be the horse and let us ride on his back, when my brother would chase me he would take ahold of my sleeve and pull me faster than I could run (sometimes I would end up being dragged, but he meant well), when a groundhog was making holes in our fields he would kill them, and when my kittens would die I was comforted by thought that Scamp would not.
I am going to miss my Scampy, but I am thankful for the role that he played in my life. He was a dog full of loyalty and love. We were blessed to have a dog like him.
"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."--Sydney Jeanne Seward

diet confidential

Question: I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
Answer: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Question: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
Answer: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Question: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
Answer: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain.

Question: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
Answer: Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Question: Is chocolate bad for me?
Answer: Are you crazy? Cocoa beans another vegetable. It's the best feel-good food around.

Question: Is swimming good for your figure?
Answer: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets. Although I think that it is important to note that I do not suggest that you make this the new Jenny Craig and apply them to your daily lifestyle. I just use these points for an excuse in situations where they are needed...

If you do exercise and eat healthy I salute you!

the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Now, I don't know how many of you have ever watched a Spelling Bee on prime time television, but if you haven't you are missing out! For the past three years I have watched the "Scripps National Spelling Bee." The first time I saw it, it was shown on TSN when there was supposed to be a Blue Jays game on. I was not impressed and even laughed at the idea of showing a spelling bee on tv, who in their right mind would watch that?! But then they started to spell... the sweat dripping of their forheads, asking for the orgins of words, the monotone voice of the officials, the look in their eyes, the invisible strokes that they make on their number cards struggling to spell a ridicously hard word. Before I knew it an hour had passed; I was hooked. I'm not going to lie the Scripps National Spelling Bee is intense. Last year I witnessed one boy faint on stage because he was under so much pressure and had to spell from a chair for the rest of the time. This year it was a battle until the end but in the end Katherine won with the word URSPRACHE and out very own Canadian, Finola Hackette, got second.
Believe it or not, I am not the only one who watches Spelling Bees. ABC reported that an average of 8 million viewers watched it unfold, and as many as 14 million tuned in for the final 11 minuets.
So if you missed it this year, be sure not to next year!

*interesting fact: there is no origin for the word Spelling Bee; it is one of those language puzzles that has never been satisfactorily accounted for.