Oh How the Years Go By

Who's pumped for 2007? Thats right its me baby! Ready to ring in the new year with two of my close friends and my darling parents. And a lot of food! New Year's is never really a super huge party anymore, but its still fun. Plus there's punch (eh Brynne?)!

Hmm...2006. What a big year for me! Went to Africa, held babies and orphans, tried to make a difference, swam with sharks, got attacked by b a b o o n s, swam in the ocean, hiked mountains, made new friends, g r e w in God, fell in love, chose a career, worked for 4 months, gained and lost a bunch of weight, got bangs, studied, cried, worshipped, d a n c e d, counselled, prayed, laughed a lot, and had a love/dislike relationship with life.

Overall a pretty good year, I'd say.

This past year has brought me so much and I am so thankful to have had it; I can only look forward to and feel ready to embrace what the coming year will bring. If its anything like this past year then I know at least one thing to be true - it is in God's hands, and I trust Him to continue to lead me along as He has thus far.

Change of Plans

After a frustrating and painful morning (liquid nitrogen, I hate you!) we cancelled our trip to see the movie. I can't believe its not playing yet! Ridic! Anyhoo, so because my foot hurt we decided to go tomorrow and have supper and go bowling instead of wasting money on a movie we don't want to see. So pumped! Bowling with Henk is always the funniest thing ever!

I went to Brandon today anyway, with my sister. She got her hair cut and I got some pictures printed ($10 worth, or 58 ha ha!) and I booked a hair appointment for myself for tomorrow. That is a necessity. I bought some pretty clothes from Giant Tiger as well. Brown ones.

After her hair cut we had supper at Joey's (yum!) and saw The Good Shepard with Scott. It was weird. And dark. And disturbing. And weird. And Matt Damon is a good actor, but yeah it was weird. But nice to see Scott! And then we talked about the movie practically the whole way home, and now here we are.

Home sweet home.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that yesterday afternoon KB and I pulled out our instruments from high school band - her trombone and my trumpet. I almost had an aneurysm. It was pretty hilarious! And fun, I played taps. Afterwards I has the sickest lip hickey ever, it was sweet!

Fun Times

So the past few days have been fun - Boxing Day with the Bryce clan and two crazy cousins. I was happy to have a tea party with Kiah, watch Cars with Elijah and that Tyler could come for a few days! I enjoy him, even though he kicks my butt at crokinole.

Went to Brynne's yesterday, saw her fam and her massive television. I want. LOL! It almost gave me a headache though! But we exchanged gifts and I got a sweet action shirt from her, I love it! It was fun, and she decided to spend the night and so we rented Stick It and Step Up after having supper at Choy's. Of course as soon as we got home I got a severe head ache, so I spent the night on the couch feeling nauseous and exhausted. But we watched both films, which were pretty good (Stick It was nothing like I thought it'd be - but still pretty good) even though I had a 15 minute nap between the two.

Today we woke up, ate, chilled, kept eating, talked for a few hours, watched Step Up again and then I took her home. It was really funny because I told a story and Brynne shot water out of her nose...ha ha! Oh Nargus!

Scary story!!! I was listening to my new Christina Aguilera CD, and the first song on the second disk has carnival music in it, and it scared me SO BAD. I hate clowns, and carnival-esque stuff, yikes I was like totally freaking out and shaking so Brynne made me change the song. Ug, I still feel all shook up *cue Elvis voice*.

Yup tomorrow I go to the doctor, hopefully get a wart removed (yahoo) and then off to Brandon with Henk, Brynne and Bakes. Life is good.

Glorious Impossible

so this song is basically defining my christmas this year. here it is being sung by the gaither vocal band - good stuff. hope you like it. i am not as in love with this version as i am of the one on our christmas in south africa video, but it is still great. how much do you love the dark-haired high tenor? i want to hug him!

Its Christmas Eve!

Today has been quite the day! First, there was church and it was a great service. It was a Christmas/Baptismal service. I definitly cried, Pastor baptised his son and they were both crying when he dunked him. Actually each of the three people that got baptised were crying, so that was nice because it showed that it meant so much to them. It was very happy and emotional. Plus a lot of people were home for Christmas so we got to see a whole bunch of people that I haven't seen in like a year.

Then we had lunch, read the Christmas story from Luke, sang "Joy to the World" and opened presents. I got some sweet stuff! I got Amanda Falk's CD, the movie Cars from Jordan, some sweet action socks, guitar strings, a Newsboys devotional book, Philip Yancy's new book about prayer, some scrapbooking stuff complete with some sweet action albums (so now I need to print pictures and get started on my OT albums) and last but not least, a knitted black toque from my sister - with a brim!! Oh baby!!!! What I have wanted for a long time and everyone says they will mock me for wearing it, but just you wait CMU, I will be wearing it when I get back! Ha ha! Putting it on ruined my hair though...

Anyhoo tonight is supper at Baba's (bring on the nylyshynky!) and fun family times ensuing after that. And tomorrow is Christmas day at Baba's, where more presents wait (which is absurd! I have already gotten so much). I am excited to see my aunt and uncle and eat too much!

Mostly though, people, I feel really excited about Jesus this Christmas, about the 'glorious impossible' that came to earth to die for all my sins and faults. Praise God, eh? I mean we are so undeserving, but He loves us all the same. Thats pretty sweet.

Merry Christmas!

roly poly annoying-oly!

i am really sick of feeling fat!

SO sick of it!

its gotten to the point where i feel uncomfortable in my own body; uncomfortable existing.

its not even an emotional feeling, its purely physical.

yuck! it makes me angry. and its not fully my fault.

i wish bran worked. grr.

--i am not always this negative. its just been a bad couple of days--

Shopped Out

So I spend a majority of my day in the mall. Ew.

I can't believe when I was 14 that was a hang out location of choice!

Christmas shopping was frustrating and hard, so needless to say I was in a bad mood.

Then I came home and had 4 e-mails: one each from Mike, Chaput, Dayna and Terrell respectively.

So now I am happy and full of homemade cookie. Yay!

BRYNNE COMES HOME TOMORROW! Thats happy!

Candlelight Service

Last night was the Candlelight Service at church.

I like candles.

And carols.

And Jesus.

So basically it was a good night.

Home Again, Home Again!

So I am now home! After a bio exam and the longest, frightening and most snow-filled drive home, I am back in the Strath Dot. Kristin and I ate and then headed to the church Christmas Concert, which was hilarious! Between Mike knocking down the nativity, Luke the shepard joining the angels and Mary and Joseph sprinting to Bethlehem, I laughed until I was sore. It was nice to sit back at watch the concert for once and not be in it.

I can honestly say that I was welcomed home with open arms. I think I got a hug from over half of the congregation and then some! So many people told me I looked good and my great aunt (Baba's sister) commented on how much weight I had lost, even encouraging me to eat more dainties and expressed concern that she could feel the bones in my fingers. LOL! It was funny and so nice to feel so loved.

After the concert I watched the Gaither Homecoming in South Africa video with my family - AMAZING. I loved it SO MUCH! SO many good songs and funny moments. I had chills like the whole time, so many moving songs (especially the Iaacs singing "Blessed Assurance"). PLUS!!!! They went to the school we went to and delivered shoe boxes! The one in Soweto that we painted and sang at! It was incredible to behold.

Today I slept in and hung out with the fam. I even ventured to SL to see Baba. I forgot how much I miss driving! Baba gave me a pretty bracelet and fed me too much. Tonight has been pretty chill - watched Montreal kill Pitsburg 6-3 (what a final 30 seconds!) and watched some AFV with the whole fam, including Jordan! I laughed too much and feel ill. Well soon I'll head off to bed so I can function at church tomorrow. Love to all!

AH! HENK CAME HOME TONIGHT! I will probably see him...tomorrow...

Homesick

So I realise this song is about someone dying, but it kinda sums up how I feel right now. So many people have left, and I just want to go home, not study/write an exam! So here is a great song by MercyMe to express myself.

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times

And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you

But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry

Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways

The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know

But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same

Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbyes

And in Christ, there is no end

So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have

To see you again

To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face

If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

Canmates: The Pros and Cons

CON: They play loud, crappy music.

PRO: They never listen to country!

CON: Their sink is DISGUSTING!

PRO: Its their sink, and I have my own.

CON: They use toilet paper faster than anything.

PRO: hmm...I guess they buy more sometimes.

CON: They never unlock my door after they shower.

PRO: I get to hone in on my lock-picking skills.

CON: They don't empty the garbage.

PRO: They take out the recycling.

CON: Talking is sometimes awkward.

PRO: They are pretty nice.

CON: They do laundry by hand and leave the floor a wet mess.

PRO: They usually de-hair the shower.

wow making this list has made me realise how gross bathrooms are! ew! and that a two week break from them will be lovely and is much appreciated.

Pouting

Ok, so right now I am totally pouting.

I was listening to Barenaked Ladies and decided to look them up on Ticket Master b/c I knew they were coming to Winnipeg soon.

And they are!

On February 13! Great birthday gift!

Oh wait I have choir tour....

So now I pout.

I mean I'm really pumped for tour, but like, it does mean no reading week which sucks...sigh...

Divine Text Message

guys...God is so great....

i was just sitting here looking at my bib lit with dismay when my phone went off.

tyler had texted me!

it said, "janna we love you and are praying for you. you will do awesome.

you can do all things through Him who gives you strength."

and i never expressed any concern to him at all, and i was just feeling overwhelmed....

totally a God thing.

off to study now, i hope it goes well.

p.s. terrell's mom sent me a letter and my soul is very thrilled. :)

p.p.s. look guys, i have the cutest boyfriend alive! seriously!

too tired to function

so i've been up past three the last four nights in a row...

should probably sleep sooner tonight.

do you ever have a day where you think you'd find it totally satisfying to cry? that was me today. didn't cry though, shucks.

i burnt my tongue on hot chocolate tonight and it hurts. plus i have soy milk in my lungs!

inspiring song line of the day:

"I won't hate myself to be loved by you."
-Hedley

(whoooooooaaa, whooooooooaaaa) yeah its a good song.

i sound stupid. good night all!

Christmas Gala!

So last night was the CMU Christmas Gala. It was so fun! I wore my grad dress, which made me so happy. It didn't even feel too tight, which was sweet. Terrell dressed to match me and that was happy as well. I don't think we've ever had that many pictures taken together ever in my life! After food, a boring program, and many many pictures we headed to the Blaurock for the after-party that included a crazy awesome band and lots of Mennonite dancing!! Here are some pictures from last night.

who's hot? its me and t-rell!

dookhie and myself behind the trees.

kissing caryn!

pregnant with Jotham (mom he says hi and apologises by the way ha ha)

pooped from dancing.

Afterwards G, Terrell, Caryn and I hung out in G's apartment. It was fun! I felt weird after the night was over, however. Lately I've really sucked at dealing with fun things coming to an end. I get depressed and feel like crying. Maybe it happened as well because I had been looking forward to the gala for so long - I just want to go home now that its over. Unfortunately I have two exams coming up before then, ew. But tomorrow Bakes and I are going to house-sit for Alison's aunt while they are at Todd's funeral, so I should get some good study time in then.

Exploited

Has anyone heard the new Gwen Stefani song? I mean first she takes "If I Were A Rich Man" from Fiddler on the Roof and now she uses "The Lowly Goatherd" from the Sound of Music.

IS NOTHING SACRED?!?!?

I mean what will she sample next? "I'd Do Anything" from Oliver! ? "If I Only Had a Brain" from the Wizard of Oz? Perhaps she'll use something from Hello Dolly, or Jesus Christ Superstar. People, I will not be surprised. So watch out, your favorite musical may be exploited soon!

Random Fun Things

Last weekend at the mall I set off alarms everywhere I went because I didn't remove the 'Please remove after purchase" tag. Each store kept scanning my bag, but my pants kept setting it off. Finally in Shoppers, after setting off the alarm entering and leaving the store, the guy scanned my bag and I showed him that it was indeed my pants by going through the entrance again. He looked at me, tapped the counter and said, "hop up." So I sat on the scanner thing, wiggled my butt a few times and got off. No more setting off alarms for me! So funny! Everyone in the store was howling when I got up on that thing...maybe it was mostly Brynne...

You guys, God is awesome. I accomplished everything on my to do list today. That was exciting! Plus I even found time to watch curling with Baker! That was great, even though Ferbie lost...grr! Anyhoo, Bib Lt homework - check. Steal Baker and Terrell's cameras - check. See a movie with Brynne - check (Little Miss Sunshine...it was weird and good and sad and hilarious). Hang out with Terrell (?) - check! Even though it was only for like 15 minutes, those 15 minutes mean so much to me. I am happy for anytime spent with him. What can I say? Easy to please!

I should be sleeping so I can accomplish my to do list for tomorrow. I am going to fast and pray for all the students preparing for exams and for the Outtatown students that are preparing to return home for Christmas. It is a difficult time! I am looking forward to spending that time in prayer.

Goodnight my lovelies.

P.S. I quit hockey and feel great about it. This was the first Sunday in a month where I didn't feel stressed at all.

For Anyone Who Is:

don't you just love being in love?

We are so FRUSTRATING!

Oh no, the show that is currently on my TV just called Rebecca St. James a bonified rock star. Ew.

So the other night Caryn and I watched the Tyra Banks show, and it was about women with self esteem issues. It showed all these pretty, normal-sized, if anyhting skinny, women and there was tears and all just oblivious and seriously misguided about how they actually look. It was so SAD, I mean they think they are way fatter than they are and Tyra just kept telling them 'you are not fat, you're beautiful.'

Now what bugs me is that I, as a woman, also feels that way. Not always super fat and hideous, but not beautiful enough. Enough for what I'm not quite sure. The whole time I was thinking why can't we as women stop judging each other and stop hating ourselves and just realise that we are beautiful? Why shouldn't I be able to look in the mirror and think that I have value and am accepted the way I am instead of looking in the mirror and only seeing stomach fat, zits and a double chin? Why can't I look in the mirror and believe that I am a beautiful creation of God? And why is it so important to me to be beautiful by society's standards? To quote my favorite man Nathan Reiger, 'who the hell are they' to tell me what is beautiful, and that I am not?

I seriously think that we women are the whole reason that we feel pressured to look certain ways. Not just celebrities either, but women in general. We are the ones looking at each other and saying things like 'ooh, sausage in a casing' or 'hunny, don't try to fit 15 pounds into a 5 pound bag.' I myself am guilty of this...how to stop it all is probably impossible, and I don't know where to begin. I guess it begins with me and my attitude.

--happy eight months to me and terrell, whoo! ---

Kiwi

okay is it weird that this video totally made me cry?

-back to bio-

Wonderful

Wonderful, you ask? Yes, wonderful! I'll tell you whats wonderful in my life. My weekend was in every way wonderful. My parents came in for my sister's birthday and Terrell and I spent the night with them at her house. The instant I got in her house I started laughing and didn't stop until I got back to CMU. Firstly they picked us up at CMU and brought gifts - my grad dress (which I fit!) and food and a new laptop! With XP on it! So I was very excited about that. And then it was off to Kristin's, and she opened gifts. She got exciting things like towels and a Holy Candle...hee hee. Anyhoo, the night consisted of talking, eating, and laughing. And staying up too late. Then next day we got up and ate after nearly suffocating from the bacon smoke/grease in the air...Tyler ate all my chewy bacon, which I was a tad bitter about. Anyhoo, while we women did the dishes dad took Terrell to get his hair cut (yeah, he looks hot). It was fun to have some women chat in the kitchen - I love my mom. She is so full of wisdom, I feel really excited that I am at the age where I can learn so much from her. The boys came back and we went shopping. I got jeans (hallelujah!) and dad and Terrell bonded by talking hockey and buying bouncy balls.

After that we walked around the mall. Terrell and I had nothing pressing to buy so we walked around together and hung out in Chapters on the floor. That was so fun! Then we sat near Santa's display and people watched before we met up and had a beverage with the fam in the food court. Afterwards we met up with Tyler and went to the Old Spaghetti Factory, which was actually the funniest meal of my entire life. I had to run to the bathroom twice to keep from peeing my pants! The waiter smacking people on the head, the unusual bowls, mom dismissing the waiter when he offered us the bill, dad getting emotional about ice cream - so fun! Then we went back to Kristin's and Terrell read aloud the list of sexiest men alive, and we critiqued each one - I mean Nick Nolte? Patrick Swayzee? Ew! Terrell's head actually nearly exploded he laughed so hard. And then Tyler got too comfy with my mom...sigh. I could try to explain it all but it just won't be funny to you. All I know is that my head and stomach hurt like no other and I have never heard my dad laugh like that in my life. We watched Faulty Towers and could hardly laugh after all that.

Lunch at The Pancake House was quite fun as well - Terrell smoked a waitress and yeah, it was just funny. After my parents left I cried and went to Zach's for a Grey Cup party. It would've been more fun if I wasn't so tired/stressed about hockey...which was cancelled. Who knew? Later that evening I bawled like 4 times, I think the mixture of happiness, exhaustion, and sadness that the weekend of perfection was all over contributed. But I watched Untamed Heart with Caryn and we had a great talk and then I went to bed.

So yes, watching my boyfriend and my parents interact was wonderful; hanging out with them all one-on-one was wonderful; laughing so much was just wonderful. What a crazy awesome weekend!

my cats are dumb

so i was looking at pictures today, and i miss my two cats. they are so dumb! especially mo, well he poses for more pictures than mel who is camera-shy. so yeah, here are there in various stages of sleep and other things!

mozart on his favorite chair.
melody looking grumpy or sick...bad picture!how is this even comfortable? what a knob!

Poppies, Measles and Eyebrows

Today Aicha told me she liked my pin.
I said, "my poppy?"
And she said, "your what?"

And I then realised that not everyone knows what a poppy is. I guess it makes sense because she grew up in Africa and then moved to the States, but still. I never thought that someone wouldn't know what a poppy is. Wierd.

So I think Bakes has the measles - well I don't know what she's got but I like to call her Measles all the same.

Never pluck your eye brows when you first wake up - oh my word mine are now awful. Like awful - oh my word. Well I think so anyways.

Brynne just texted me and it scared me so bad I bit my tongue!

EDIT: GUESS WHO I JUST SAW? At choir practise? Ruth Wiwchar, my amazing conductor from WMYC and she remembered me, hugged me, and sang with me!!! I love her, it made my entire day!

Aggrivating Night

Okay, so last night I went to bed early, hoping to have a good, restful sleep so I could be ready for my 8:30 am class. That was until around 4:30 am when I thought I heard my phone. I didn't get out of bed, the person hung up. An hour later it rang again, and I couldn't find it in my dazed state. About five minutes later it rang AGAIN, and then I found it just as soon as the person hung up. So, I found my phone, absolutely SICK, I mean I thought someone had died, because who calls people at that hour? When I looked at it I did not recognise the number at all, and that was frustrating. I was up for two hours afterwards, waiting for it to ring again, worried that something terrible happened. Nothing. So by then it was 7:45, and I was exhausted so I went back to sleep and woke up at 9:00 - yeah definitely missed class. So Mr. 582-6159, whoever you are, I hope everything is okay and I hope that you had as restful of a morning as I had.

In other news, I stood in front of the entire choir today and named every single member of it, which was quite the feat - there is over 50 of us, and I didn't know a quarter of those names until Tuesday. Janet says I win a prize! I'm pumped.

Now enough procrastinating - back to my process journal for theatre.

An Awfully Big Adventure

So I was thinking about the movie Peter Pan (the 2003 version, if you haven't seen it go watch it immediately b/c it is beautiful and moving) and about the one line Peter says:

"To live would be an awfully big adventure."

I was dwelling on this while brushing my teeth. Living is an awfully big adventure! How many small risks do we take a day? Something as simple as sitting beside someone new in the caf or speaking up in class, to something as huge as changing career paths or telling someone how you really feel about them. I've just been thinking about my life, my adventure and where I am today compared to where I was even three months ago. People I am a university student - a difficult and sometimes overwhelming job, but also a satisfying and rewarding experience. I am a singer, a worship leader. I am a prayer warrior. I have friends, and we do fun things like have OC marathons or go bowling, and then pray for each other and have meaningful talks. I am in love, perhaps one of my greater adventures. What a funny thing, feeling as though you absolutely cannot live without another person in your life, and having them feel the same for you. And constantly looking towards the future together...it blows my mind. It rocks me somewhat that I am in my Britney Spears faze - "not a girl but not yet a woman." I cannot believe I just quoted that song, I am a loser. But yeah, I am in the point in my life where I'm not too old to do a whole lot and I'm not too young to do a whole lot. Where is this post going? What was the point of it again? Oh right, adventure. My life is crazy, and I can't believe its mine. Thank you for being a part of it.

Sorry for this random outburst of word-vomit.

So Thankful!

You guys, read this!

2000 PEOPLE! 2000!

Jaw-dropping.

i am delirious

So I think this week of soliderity is messing with my mind. I am SO TIRED right now, its ridic! I am thinking about the things I need to do this weekend and dreading it, due to sheer exhaustion. Which is silly, b/c on the weekend I'll be eating and functioning again, so I should have nothing to worry about, but I feel so tired...I plan on going to bed at like 10:00 tonight, that will be nice. In two hours I get to eat more lentils and rice, hoorah! It has been nice this week not eating any dairy or anything, my stomach feels nice and isn't bloated, plus I haven't taken any lactaid pills! Thats nice, but it also means unfortunately that I am lactose intolerant - dang. I won't give up sour cream, though, heck no! Never in my life, that and cream sauce, you will have to fight me to the death to keep me from that! I love being Ukranian. I am so hungry right now...but I won't eat, I am so close to finishing the week, I might as well just go all the way. Man I am tired, and this probably makes no sense...I'm out.

Much love, y'all.

Franklin Graham Festival

Man I have so much to say about it, but so little at the same time...hmm. I think I will wait until I can put pictures up on here. So yes, I will wait.

I will say that it was astounding seeing so many people turn to Christ! Amazing! And Newsboys, and okay I will post later!!
EDIT:
Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

The huge sign in front of me...there was over 1000 people in the choir, it was sweet!
Me and my lovely friend Janelle managed to sit together - yay!
Franklin on the big screen. I don't think I really like his approach to get people to turn to Christ (ei decribing hell, condemnation, etc) but obviously he's doing some great work for the Lord and it is working - people are definitly coming to God by going to these events. I just hope that he remains sensitive to God's voice and that it is only God who gives him his words. I don't know how I would've felt if I wasn't a Christian. I thought it was great to have him in the city, hopefully touching many lives.
CASTING CROWNS! OH MY WORD! They were SO good!!
So was M. Dub, and Newsboys and Tree63. And Paul Brandt! So good live! I totally enjoyed him. And Terrell was so cute watching him, aww. Okay but the big story is that only ppl with wristbands could get into the pit for Newsboys and Tree63, and yet Janelle, Jessica, Terrell and I managed to get there. All we said was, "we're in the choir" and they let us go! Jesus wanted us to be there! It was sweet! I moshed like a tool, the Newsboys sang all these songs of theirs I knew, like Breakfast, Shine, He Reigns, and man it was SWEET! And he had so many great things to say, man! But yeah that was amazing. The worship this weekend ROCKED MY SOCKS. I have never worshiped God in that way before, I don't think. Thank you Tommy Walker!
All the people in the middle came down for alter call - so many souls were won for Jesus this weekend! Amazing! It was an astounding sight.
Terrell, Caryn and myself eating some canning curtesy of Baba - we missed a few meals at the festival and they sure hit the spot.

Of course I am fasting now for the week of solidarity - one cup of rice and a half a cup of lentils plus three slices of bread equals my daily quota of food. So I miss the canning...and I could go for a burger right now. Hmm...but yeah, the weekend was a little bit crazy and rushed but generally a success! Praise God for it all!

Unique or Unpopular?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Okay so I totally stole this from Allison Lennox's blog, but I was curious. Did you know that:

There are 14,998 people in the U.S. with the first name Janna.
Statistically its the 1,495th most popular first name. (tied with 85 other first names)
More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Janna are female.

There are 4,859 people in the U.S. with your last name.
Statistically the 7,052nd most popular last name. (tied with 59 other last names)

I find this whole thing hilarious. I very very unique right now, whoo!

Find yours out and tell me how many of you there are!

Cycles

So lately all my school work has been about cycles:

In Bib Lit, we disuss the sin cycle in one of our textbooks.

In Bio, cellular respiration.

In choir we sing the same 3 songs over and over again.

In Psych we discuss sleep cycles. Who knew that we have four stages of sleep, and the average person goes through them in 90 minutes? And how you feel when you wake up is based on which cycle of sleep you woke up in. So when you nap for an hour, you can still feel tired because you woke up in your third or fourth cycle (the heavier ones). But when you nap for 3 hours, you'll feel refreshed. So last night I tested it. I stayed up an hour later then I would've liked to in order to sleep for around six hours so I'd wake up in the beginning of a cycle so it'd be easier to get up. Totally works. I am a little tired, but generally my energy has been a lot better today. I feel good. So rock on with the sleep cycle! Whoo!

EDIT: Terrell just came and said that we have a ride to choir practise tonight, so we're gonna be in the choir at the Franklin Graham festival this weekend! I am so excited!

Uh, Yeah, Hair...

So this week has been good...rainy, grey and thus making me feel drained, but alright so far. Plus I dyed Caryn's hair, and that was exciting, and last night Chaput dyed my hair! Red and black, whoo! Plus, as you can see - I got bangs! Whoa! Scary and exciting. At least she can help me style it...ha ha. Well I should go eat supper so later gaters!

Soy Good!

nothing makes me happier than a surprise-
especially when that surprise is chocolate
soy milk given to me by my bestest friend.
good ole bakes!

It's Snowing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so many things that I'm thankful for and probably shouldn't try to list them, but here's an attempt:

that i can suck so often and God still loves me, that i am healthy in most ways, my amazing family and wonderful friends who stick by me through everything (even when i'm grumpy), last year's experience that i can carry with me forever, my awesome boyfriend who loves me unconditionally and always makes me feel beautiful, my eyes and ears that see and hear God speak in small and unusual ways, my hometown (I LOVE IT) and that i could spend the weekend here, that i have the opportunity to learn and to do so in a Christian environment, for the gift and power of prayer, for comfy beds, being able to sing, and for new mercies and joys that each day brings.

There are so many more, but I have to go set the table for supper.

Hope your weekend was blessed.

It's Skirt Day!

Happy Skirt Day, ladies!

-p.s. this was taken today is ash's room-

Tueday's End

ah, tuesday is almost over.

after 3 tests and an-almost doctor's appointment, i feel ready to fall down dead of exhaustion and stress.

i got an a- on my theatre perfromance! woot.
and bio was way easier than i thought.
and to the doctor on thursday.

but tonight, sleep.

ah, sweet rem cycle, how i missed thee.

EDIT: yay for curry for supper! and for two wonderful friend and my awesome boyfriend.

why is my room so cold?

MJ's the MAN

Michael Jackson makes studying for bio so much more fun.

Yay for my textbook! Its actually helping me understand somewhat.

The Craziness of Life

So life has been crazy lately - but good! This past weekend was so busy, but so amazing at the same time. Janice and Brynne came over on Friday night and a bunch of us watched Fierce Creatures (so good!) and that was grand. Then Saturday...

Well the funny thing I woke up and was just lying around, and Mae knocks on my door. She's like, are you going to breakfast? I'm like, no. She's like oh, well we should go together soon. And I'm like, well I'm going to do laundry. So I changed my sheets, did laundry, cleaned my room and my bathroom, vaccuumed, it was really quite productive. Then I put on a skirt and looked pretty and went with Caryn and Mae to lunch. Terrell showed up, and I mean it was our 6 month anniversary that day so I thought we'd probably do something but I didn't know what. After lunch he's like, lets go to the Forks. So we bussed there (it was fun) and spent the day together walking around and just hanging out, which was amazing. We had frozen yougurt, and that was good. People had gotten married that day and were getting their picture taken on the bridge. Brynne played chauffeur and picked us up and drove us back to CMU. When we got back my room was decorated with candles everywhere and romantic music was playing, and there was a sweet letter from Baker, Caryn and Mae. It was so cute! So we hung out for like 15 minutes until going to inhale supper. And then off to choir!

So we ran off, did the homecoming ceremony (which we sang amazingly at, by the by!), and after that all these OT people came over plus Brynne and we hung out and ate fruit trays. It was so fun, and I stayed up way to late, but it was all-around an incredible day and I was very glad to get to spend it with Terrell.

Sunday there was a worship thing that night, plus I got cookies from my mom which are almost gone b/c they are so popular and yummy! And now this week is school. Last night I represented CMU along with Bakes, Caryn, Mike and Glenn by scooping ice cream for 400+ students at a youth event at some church. It was fun! My wrist hurt, but w/e. It was funny and Caryn and I had a juice chugging contest...ew. And then last night I talked to 3 Outtatowners from this year (Site 3 baby) and that was so FUN! I was so excited to answer their questions and hear their stories, it was sweet. After that was an hour of girly fun with Chaput and Caryn, putting on mud masks. Funny photos ensued. It was such a fun night!

I should go do some psych. I have class in an hour...I love that class!

Life is Crazy

I am officially reading responsed out.

After 4 hours of homework I am going to watch Batman Begins off of a projector against the apartment buildings.

And I'm going to enjoy it!

Sorry guys, I'll try to post more often. Life just gets in the way.

Will You Be There?

As I fall to sleep will You comfort me?
When my heart is weak will You rescue me?
Will You be there as I grow cold?
Will You be there when I'm falling down?
Will You be there?
When I'm in retreat can I run to You?
Will my pain release at Your mercy seat?
Will You be there as I grow cold?
Will You be there when I'm f a l l i n g down?
Will You be there my heart grows cold?
Will You be there when I'm falling down?
Are You saying yes I gotta believe it?
Are You saying yeah?
When Your love comes down I can rest my eyes
Feel Your grace and power flood into my life
As my brokenness and Your strength collide
When Your love comes d o w n
Falling down
As I fall to sleep
As I grow cold
Will You be there?
My heart grows cold

Will You be there when I'm falling down?

I love this song. Skillet rocks you should download it.

Love and All That Jazz

1 John 4:7 - 12

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

I love the idea that by simply loving each other, God's love is made complete. These days I think love is the only thing getting me through life.

Too Pooped to Poop

Whoa, thats a lot of 'o's...

I am officially packed.

And officially exhausted.

And so excited and afraid to move to Winnipeg tomorrow!

And beyond excited to see Outtatown peeps!!

Now off to a coke and Remember the Titans with Caryn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A huge, ginormous and love-filled

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

going out to the one and only Nargus! Whoo!

Welcome the Wiebes!

So Terrell and his parents came, saw, and took...off to Brandon around 9:00 tonight. They got here early this afternoon for an exciting day of visiting, eating, playing frisbee and volleyball and a tour of the Strathclair museum! It was a great day, and inexpleciably amazing to see Terrell. I gave him his birthday gift and he liked it, which was exciting, and we watched a beautiful sunset from the top of the water plant. He got a ride back with my brother so he got to stay a bit longer than them, which was sweet. This visit made me realise how freaking excited I am to go to CMU and seriously, see him everyday...this is going to be great. Having him leave sucked, I mean I wish he could've stayed all week, but I get to see him either Friday(!) or next Monday...

My life is beautiful.

Here's a picture of me and Terrell just for you, Tina! Feel special!

Worn Out

So, VBS is done and life can continue as normal. Well, seeing as I only have 2 weeks exactly until I move into res, normal will be a little different than usual. My sister came home today, and my brother has two days off so he's here too. Its nice to have people home again.

VBS was great - I feel really blessed to have been a part of it. I love the kids, their eagerness and innocence. I mean there was this one kid, a boy from my class, and he was autistic. He was so great, to see him doing his interpretations to the actions to all the songs. It was something really beautiful to see, and I was totally moved and blessed by his presence at VBS.

Still recooperating from VBS. On the final day, which went really well by the way, Brynne and I went to Brandon to see the late show of Step Up with Sarah. SO FUN. And also very enjoyable the second time. Then we went to Sarah's house and spent the night. After hours of head banging, laughing, and girl talk we hit the sack. I was exhausted! Wow. I slept in until around 10:30, and we had breakfast and played with her dog. Next to Walmart, where fireman, pictures and Starbucks greeted us. That night when we got home we dug around in my play room and found all my Polly Pockets (!) and Barbies. It was excellent, we played with them with my mom.

Sunday night was equally fun and tiring, going to Bakes' and eating, socializing and staying up way to late with people I love to be around. The best part was talking around the camp fire, just sitting on the grass. I liked hearing Doug's stories and Joshua as always was entertaining. I got home around 2:00 am last night and am pooped today. But fun times!

And then today Caryn called me!! It made me so happy to talk to her! I am so excited to see her in like 2 weeks!

In closing, I would like to wish a huge happy birthday to my boy, Terrell! Have an excellent day! Do you feel any older? :) And I get to see you in one week today. Thats happy.

YES! I KNEW IT!

And the winner is...

BENJI SCHWIMMER!!

Yes, thats right, my boy Benji KILLED IT and totally WON, which is what I said he'd do from his first audition! I loved him even then, and just KNEW he was good enough, no AMAZING enough to earn the title "America's Favorite Dancer."

I am SO PROUD of him! And glad that he's used this experience for all its worth, from growing and stretching as a dancer to meeting Donyelle...

Donyelle's final words on stage broke me. She is amazing. I wish all of the final four the very best - and I know I'll see you again!!

10 Reasons to See Step Up

1. Great dancing! Seriously! Makes you wanna join in!
2. Its the first ballet-meets-hip hop movie I've seen without any grinding. Usually these movies have rap songs with tons of swearing and lots of 'raunchy' dancing, but this was good clean fun.
3. The actors did all their own dancing, which is sweet.
4. Jenna Dewan's clothes. They change often and are usually sweet.
5. The little sister and the orange juice. Too cute!
6. To see Nora dump that singing guy - seriously the first scene he was in set of my gaydar. Take a look at those eyebrows! Yikes!
7. Mario is in it, but he doesn't sing! I appreciate that.
8. Channing Tatum (he talks like he's not white and he cries, dawg!)
9. The special moments! So special, like when they're rehearsing and they stop and just hug, or when they're talking in the kitchen. Man, so feel good and special!
10. Channing Tatum - nuff said.

oh yeah by the way these are all girl reasons, basically. :)

"Uh, Your Food's Ready"

Yesterday was SO FUNNY. Brynne came over and we watched So You Think You Can Dance (yep, I taped it) and it was grand. Then we started watching this CD she burnt me of music videos/performances of two of my favorite males, Kalan Porter and Clay Aiken, plus Hanson and the BSB. That was like a total blast from the past and so much fun! Henk came over during this, and definitely made snyde remarks etc during.
My parents left. After the DVD was done, we watched footage of us in grade 10 at Festival de Voyageur. It was super embarassing and funny. Then we sat and talked until we decided we wanted ice cream.
On the way to get ice cream I realised that Henk's upper arm is ticklish. What is that? I mean who has ticklish shoulders? It was so funny, I definitely milked that knowledge for all its worth. When we got to Hamiota for ice cream, I could see the girl working at the drive inn was looking out the window for some people who've ordered. So I said to her, "Do you want me tell them their food is ready?" She's like, "yeah, the guy and girl in a truck." So I thought, you know, random act of kindness, easy enough to do. Sincerely, AS I walk over to them, the girl leans in and...making out ensues!

So, at this point, I'm standing outside the window, looking in at whats going on. So I turn around, and look at Henk and Brynne who mildly disturbed and mostly entertained. The pentecostal minister and his wife looked mildly horrified. I didn't know what to do, so I turned around and with my back to them tapped on the glass. The girl pulled away really fast and slapped her hand over her mouth. I was like, "uh, your food's ready." And then I walked away dying laughing. He got out of the car, avaoided eye contact with all of us and mumbled thanks. Then he and Sugar Lips peeled out of there, me howling with laughter on the side walk. Man that was great.

Then we walked around town a bit, but it was actually really cold. Leanna's boyfriend Doug drove by us and stopped to chat for a bit. Then we got back in Henk's truck and onward to Lagoonville, where we hung out at my Baba's and chatted with my Aunty Vimy. It was pretty much the awesomest day ever.

Mary Murphy

She's irritating, and I believe she's drunk most of the time, but BOY! do I love this woman. The show is not the same without her, she just cracks me up! This video is actually one of the funniest things I've ever seen, I was kicking my feet and crying laughing! I love Mary! They only missed when she snorted in Nigel's ear - that was a classic moment!



An check out this beautiful video about Allison and Ivan made by the lovely Taylor. She makes some great videos, I don't know how she find time to make them all. Check out her website all about the show where I get all my SYTYCD news.

Create your own video for free at http://www.onetruemedia.com/create?&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=embed

Yes, I know, more SYTYCD videos. What can I say? I'm obsessed! Plus there's only one more week left of it, so I'm allowed.

Road Trip!

So this weekend I went to Winnipeg with Brynne. So fun! And not scary. We drove through the city and everything and never got lost. It was sweet! Plus on the way home we stopped in Plumas (!) to see the church where we used to practise for The Show. That was so awesome, we took pictures with the sign. Here there are for your viewing pleasure, along with pictures of me pumping my own gas (!) and see how I got it on $20.00 exactly? I am amazing.

EDIT: Okay so my comp is being dumb, I will attach the pix when I can.

Feel the Love

Free video hosting, video codes at www.vidiLife.com

The Best of Benji & Donyelle

So Benjelle, as they are so affectionately called, pretty much rock my socks, they are so in love. Watch this beautiful, special, pecial movie about them and you'll agree!

*thanks Taylor for the video*

Birthday Silly-ness

Pick the month you were born:
January - I kicked
February - I loved
March - I smoked
April - I bought
May - I choked on
June - I murdered
July - I did the Macarena with
August - I had lunch with
September - I danced with
October - I sang to
November - I yelled at
December - I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1 - a birdbath
2 - a monster
3 - a phone
4 - a fork
5 - a thong
6 - a gangster
7 - my cell phone
8 - my dog
9 - my best friends' brother
10 - my neighbor
11 - my science teacher
12 - a banana
13 - a fireman
14 - a stuffed animal
15 - a goat
16 - a pickle
17 - your mom
18 - a spoon
19 - myself
20 - a baseball bat
21 - a ninja
22 - Chuck Norris
23 - a noodle
24 - a squirrel
25 - a football player
26 - my sister
27 - my brother
28 - an I-pod
29 - a permanent marker
30 - a llama
31 - my retainer

Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:
White - because I'm cool like that.
Black - because that's how I roll.
Pink - because I want to be popular.
Red - because the voices told me to.
Blue - because I'm sexy and I do what I want.
Green - because you smell.
Purple - because I'm cool.
Gray - because I was drunk.
Yellow - because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars.
Orange - because I love a challenge.
Brown - because I was high.
Other - because I'm a ninja.
None - because I can’t control myself.

Now type out the sentence you made as a comment for me!

Fun Weekend

So I was in the 'Peg this weekend. It was fun, I drove there myself all by myself! So that was exciting and really easy. I got to my sister's on Friday around 3:30, and we had supper and went mini golfing with her boyfriend Tyler's family. I definitely won if thats what a high score meant - ha ha ha. Anyhoo, then we hung out at his parent's house and I met his brother who is super funny. The next day I hung out with Tyler all day, it was sweet! We went to The Flag Store, where I bought a nice sized SA flag and a pin and some stickers. We were in there for like half an hour or more, we're such nerds but it was fun. Then we got some 7-11 slurpees and watched Clue at KB's house. After that we cruised the Outtatown website and I showed Tyler the pictures from out site. Then I made us supper (grilled cheese) and we watched Sleepover. I love that movie! The brother makes that film, its awesome. Tyler totally enjoyed it, I could tell. We picked my sister up from work and went to the St. Vital Mall and watched "Lady in the Water". I know, many people will say that it sucks, and they have reason, I'm sure. But I totally liked it! It is nothing like the previews or the trailer. It was such a feel good movie. It had good characters, who all bonded together while figuring out their purpose in life and you rooted for them. The ending was good, I love Paul Giamatti, and thats that. Anyhoo, on Sunday we went to church with Jono, who's swell, to this place called Soul Sanctuary. I liked it, I'd go again. Lunch afterwards was hilarious - BEV! And I almost spewed many things out of my nose, it was great.

Then on to Open Mic, the OT reunion bbq thing. So fun! So cool to see so many people who I love and missed. Everyone looked great! And we all hung out and talked and ate and it was so fun. And Blayne Griener remembered me! He called me Sparkplug! It was excellent, I found out that Jared and Janice are going out, and that was good. We went out for ice cream at Sargent Sundae and then hung out at Zach's house. That was sweet, hanging with Allison and singing with Janice. I also got to talk to Terrell on the phone which was sweet b/c it was our 4 month anniversary yesterday. I felt almost like he was there, being on the phone with him around everyone else. That was great. Allison drove me home and I came home this afternoon. It was sweet, and I only have 9 more days of work! Whoo! Have a great week everyone.

So You Think You Can Dance?

I love So You Think You Can Dance. I'm addicted. It is my favorite show, ever. I love the contestants, oh my word. Like Ivan and Allison? I can't wait for them to get married, they are obviously in love. That contempory dance they did to Annie Lennox was astounding, I was moved. And Donyelle and Benji, so cute, they just adore each other. I must say I also love to watch Travis dance - its very natural for him to move the way he does. And his hair is stellar. I am really rooting for these guys, I feel like I truely care for them. I laugh with them, cheer with them, cry with them, and feel genuinely like a proud mother when they succeed.

I need to get a life.

Au Revoir, Kevin

It is with great sadness that I report the latest BSB news - Kevin Richardson has quit the band. I think its best to hear it in his own words:

"After 13 years of what can only be described as a dream come true, I have decided that it is time to leave the Backstreet Boys. It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life. Howard, Brian, Alex and Nick will always be my little brothers and have my utmost love and support. I would like to thank the Backstreet fans for all the beautiful memories we have shared together and look forward to including you in the next phase of my life. I wish my brothers continued success and look forward to their new album.”

Well I think that stinks. Why are they even continuing? I can totally see why he quit though, I mean the man is 34 and probably doesn't want to be called a 'boy' anymore, but still. Oh well, Brian was always my favorite one anyway. Apparently lots of fans are angry about it - I must say I'm glad I got the BSB obsession out of the way in grade 8. Otherwise I would be traumatized.

I So Hate Consequences

And I'm good, good, good to go - and I'm good, good, good to go! I got to get away, get away from all of my mistakes. So here I sit looking at the traffic lights. The red extinguishes the hope that the green ignites. I want to run away, I want to ditch my life cause all of my mistakes keep me awake at night. And after all of my alibis desert me I just want to get by I don’t want nothing to hurt me. I had no idea where my head was at but if my heart says I’m sorry can we leave it at that? Because I just want for all of this to end. And I so hate consequences - running from You is what my best defense is. Consequences...God, don’t make me face up to this. And I so hate consequences - running from You is what my best defense is cause I know that I let you down, and I don’t want to deal with that. It just now hit me this is more than just a set back and when You spelled it out, well, I guess I didn’t get that. And every trace of momentum is gone and this isn’t turning out the way I want. And after all of my alibis desert me, I just want to get by I don’t want nothing to hurt me. I had no idea where my head was at but if my heart says I’m sorry can we leave it at that? Because I just want for all of this to end. And I spent all last night tearing down every stoplight and stop sign in this town. Now I think there might be no way to stop me now, I'll get away despite the fact I’m so weighed down. All of my escapes have been exhausted. I thought I had a way but then I lost it, and my resistance was once much stronger. I know I can't go on like this much longer. When I got tired of running from You I stopped right there to catch my breath. There Your words they caught my ears You said, “I miss you son. Come home.” And my sins, they watched me leave and in my heart I so believed the love You felt for me was mine - the love I’d wished for all this time. And when the doors were closed I heard no 'I told you so’s'. I said the words I knew You knew; Oh God, Oh God I needed You. God all this time I needed You, I needed You. And I so hate consequences, running from you is what my best defense is. I hate these consequences cause I know that I let You down, and I don't wanna deal with that. Relient K.

The Gummy Hotdog

Behold.

Is this even food? I mean what does this do to a person's body? Thats so wrong! I'm only a little concerned that children all over North America are consuming these as we speak. But really which is worse for them? These or actual hotdogs?

Summer Saturdays

I love Saturdays in Strathclair in the summer. You can hear the buzzing of a lawn mower steadily from about 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. The air smells like freshly cut grass and BBQ. The temperature is so warm, but there is a nice breeze so it is bearable to sit outside. People are watering their gardens, their grass, their flowers. Wearing fun woven sun hats. Kids are everywhere on their bikes, all over the road, on the side walk, racing down to Hal's (or J & P's) to buy popsicles or buy a coke. Main Street is busy with people taking advantage of the day and buying the week's groceries, filling the car with gas and getting their mail. Old ladies are getting their hair done. People everywhere are stopped on the side walk, catching up and seeing how everyone's week went. They start in twos, but soon end up in clusters of four or five. People are walking everywhere, just enjoying the day. And there are always two trucks parked in the middle of the road, the drivers lost in conversation about how their fields are doing, gas prices, and whether we need more rain or not. There are puddles on the road from sprinklers, and birds and squirrels sassing each other in the trees. Children haul eachother around in red wagons, and there is a general sense of relaxation and peace in the air. And whether you are heading out to the lake for a swim, or driving home on the ride on lawn mower, you will be sure to get a huge smile and a wave from all you meet, because this is summer in Strathclair.

Will I? by Ill Harmonics

Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Will I ever truly be set apart from the world that controls all the sounds of my heart? Will I ever really make it without going pop? Am I truly sold out to God or hip-hop? Will I ever find the balance of the two in between? Am I whack cause I dig Rage Against the Machine? Will I make it to the point where I can be me? Will heads like me if I'm dissed by a dope emcee? Will I love, will I fly, will I rapture, will I die? Am I dumb, am I numb, cause the apple of my eye is the sound of the found, do I search for a pound? Am I down if dat ain't found when turned around? Will I grow, learning to do better in my sessions? Am I whack if I break down and take guitar lessons? If I don't use metaphors, will rhymes be silly? Will they really? Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Here I am askin' all the questions of life. Do I love her enough to really make her my wife? Will I ever fall just one too many times that I lose all my skill, thus affecting my rhymes? Will my actions ever match up to my rap? Will I make one hit and then fall off the map? Am I not a good enough emcee for my God? Cause my rhymes ain't the best but I still try hard. Will I be looked on as the opposite of good? Cause a middle class white-kid don't come from the hood. And the ghetto, I ain't really that familiar with. Should I throw in my mic and towel just to quit? If I changed one decision with one human being would I still be practicing this art of emcee'n'? Am I a musician if I play the MPC? Not really. Will I truly make for myself a name? Will I ever excel in this game? Will I ever really be who I be? A person, a Christian, musician, emcee? Will I reach the full potential of my plan? If I turn around is there two prints in the sand? If I lost a battle rap would I still have fans left? To sing and play guitar, do I gotta be Clef? Am I doubtin' His word if I stop to think? Will my pen one day just stop producin' ink? Will I think of rhymes just to one day stop? Is a head a head if he likes more than hip-hop? Will I?

This song is by Ill Harmonics, this white rapper I saw at Sunshine Fest in 2001. He was awesome! Download this song, its sweet and funny.

My Feet

My feet are so nasty. Calloused, hard, blistered and gross. Dry and peeling. Tired, sore, sometimes ticklish. Deformed by a horse’s hoof. My toes are so messed up, some of them turn in, some of them turn out. They are too long, like fingers that got misplaced and ended up on my feet. And my feet are so stinkin’ huge I trip on them all the time! They are constantly cold and sometimes blue-ish as a result.

But my feet have danced. In jazz shoes, in socks, sneakers. Barefoot in the rain. Onstage. In my kitchen. They’ve walked on beaches, on gravel, on broken glass. On and off airplanes. Hiked mountains in hardcore hiking boots. My feet have saved lives. Seriously, whether they were running for help or being grabbed while the rest of me swam towards rocks at Mdumbi, they’ve assisted. They’ve supported me when I really needed them to. They’ve walked through Kliptown, being stepped on by little children. Been coated in paint. They’ve been washed by loving hands. They’ve been penetrated with sand and kissed by the ocean. They’ve run, free and swift. They were trampled during small group challenge; they’ve climbed trees. Jumped the leap of faith and rappelled down a waterfall. They’ve taken me to seven different countries in one year.

I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Disgusted

Ok, so yesterday I went to Brandon with Brynne and Henk. We saw "Over the Hedge" which was somehow funnier the second time. Man I love that movie! It was a fun day, hanging out and not being scared by Henk driving. Then we went to Wal-Mart and I got the new Billy Talent CD (totally good!). It was only $12 too, so that was sweet. And I got this killer t-shirt - this part is the part that offends me.

Definitely picked it out of the plus-size section. Now I'm not really upset that I bought something 'plus' sized, I'm mostly irritated that a shirt that size would be considered 'extra' large. Its not even large at all! What is up with society? No wonder girls feel fat and hideous most of the time, if a normal sized shirt is considered extra large!

And on ET they were counting down the favorite 'all-American' in celebrities, and number one was definitely Jennifer Aniston. I am SICK of her! Sick of reading about her, hearing about her, seeing her stupid face in magazines, just SICK of HER. What has she done, with all her money and fame? Complained, played a victim. What about helping real victims, Jen? What about all those kids dying of AIDS and starving b/c they have no parents? Those kids without shoes, living on gang-ridden streets? What about those kids in Kliptown, the ones who have nothing yet possess everything? Look around you, North America, there is more to life than what Jennifer Aniston said about Angelina Jolie or what she wore yesterday. That sickens me more than anything.

Past, Present, Future?

Past

Present

Future?

The Good Life

I have an awesome life. Why is my life so freaking awesome? Seriously? What did I do to deserve it more than other people?
Today Brynne came to visit me at lunch after a crazy and excitingly busy morning at work. We played Frisbee in the park across the street, it was hilarious and embarrassing. I haven’t played since Africa, and it was windy, and the Frisbee was super crappy and cheap…but enough excuses. We sucked. I think the most we got in a row was maybe 5? It was hilarious and cruddy, I actually could hardly breathe the whole time cause I was laughing so hard. And Brynne was leaping everywhere, and there were people walking by watching us…man. That was hilarious!
Then we went for ice cream, what a gorgeous day. We drove there in the GREMLIN! That’s right, people, the Gremlin LIVES! I almost wept, and I remembered the trick to opening the passenger door. I missed a car with such personality. Know where the Gremlin would not fit in at all? In Leamington, the land of beautiful cars. Road trip, Brynne? Ha ha!
I also had a fun and productive afternoon at work, too. Just what I needed!
Now I am off to the grad supper and then to the grad ceremonies. Can you believe I graduated a year ago today? I can’t at all. I can’t believe I looked like that a year ago today either. My, how things change! I’m pretty much happy with the past year of my life, how things went and how I turned out. I wonder where I’ll be a year from now?

Dani California

Firstly, I love this song!



All I can say is, how much fun would this video be to film? And how many different people do they imitate in it? So funny! Its pretty much the sweetest idea ever.
Oh, Chili Peppers.

Stratford!!!

So, I'm at Terrell's, which is too exciting to even explain. I arrived around 1:30 and when I got here it was POURING rain, like super hardcore and it rained all night, with thunder and lightening to boot. We went out for lunch at Jack Aster's and then drove home. His house is so nice, and pretty, and I feel very welcome here, which is sweet. Then I got the tour, then I got to meet Ben and he's totally awesome, I enjoyed him very much. We went to Walmart (they have a Walmart! And a Shoppers! Brynne we'd be so set!) and got soaked running back to the car. Then we went to Ryan's, and his house is AMAZING and huge and gorgeous and his family is so unbelieveably nice and his mom hugged me! Anyhoo, Ryan is also awesome, although I may have lost points when he found out I don't play baseball (don't worry, I think I gained them back by playing pool and got some extra ones for a joke during a Subway ad...). Then we watched So You Think You Can Dance with his sister, Kelly, and that was fun, and then came home at a late hour. The rai was INSANE! And there were frogs all over the road! Then this morning we went to Stratford, had a beautiful picnic lunch by the river(? lake?), and walked around for a bit. Terrell and I mostly went to like, toy and game stores, book stores, and chocolate stores. We bought nothing. Then we went to the theatre to see "London Assurance" which was very funny, and well acted. The costume and sets were AMAZING. I was quite blown away by them, man! That was fun, excpet I fell up the stairs and hurt my toe...but all is well. Then we walked around a bit more, had chinese and came home. Now I'm going to go tear Terrell away from whatever sports he's watching. Man is it ever good to see him again! Tomorrow is very open, I don't know what we'll do but I guarentee it will be fun! :)

Hope you're all having fun at work, suckers! Ha ha!

I Dyed Again!

So I was bored with my natural color and decided to dye my hair again. It was called "chocolate cherry" and is pretty...I think this pic captures it pretty well. Its a nice emo pic, eh? Ha ha! Well enjoy. :)

Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Hear No Evil

Ok, so on the way home from Ashley's there was absolutely nothing on the radio. Nothing! All crappy weird songs, so I was flipping through different stations trying to find something worth-while to listen to. All of a sudden the dial stops.
And it stops on 101.1 THE FARM.
At first, I gasp. I hold in a scream. Since Hot 101 became "Slop 1o1", a country station, I have refused to listen to it. And there it was, playing in my car.
Thank God no song was on, but what I heard was almost worse. The DJ, taking a call from a listener. A young girl complaining that her dad still thinks of her as a baby, even though she's in grade six. The DJ responds.
With a forced southern accent.
I am not fibbing, this is complete truth. She says, "Well you have a good night there, li'l darlin'" and continues to introduce the song with one of the worst accents I've ever heard.
This is why I hate country music. See what it does to people's minds? This poor woman thought she was from a southern state, not Western Manitoba! Its sick what it does to people, really. In my opinion that is just another reason for it to be outlawed.
Goodness, now I sound like a cowgirl. Its already poisening my mind...

Beautiful

So Caryn made me this lovely CD, all with songs about being beautiful, and I really like this one. Its by Bethany Dillon, and I love the words. Its totally just the cry of her heart, and I share it. Enjoy!

I was so unique, now I feel skin deep
I count on the make-up to cover it all
Crying myself to sleep cause I cannot keep their attention
I thought I could be strong
But it's killing me

Does someone hear my cry?
I'm dying for new life

[Chorus]
I want to be beautiful
Make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart, and be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
Just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful

Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me
Fighting to make the mirror happy
Trying to find whatever is missing
Won't you help me back to glory

[Chorus]

You make me beautiful
You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart, and I am amazed
I love to hear You say
Who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love and beautiful

8 days until I fly to London, ON, and then onward to Leamington!!!!

I HATE My Boobs!

Sometimes I hate being a girl.
Okay, so today I had the most irritable and frustrating experience, also known as bra shopping. Seriously, complete annoyment! I must seriously have the oddest breasts in the whole world, because not a single one will fit me properly. Its like I'm between sizes - C is too small, and cuts into me, and D is definitely too big. I mean I can't be a D, if I am there really isn't much to show from it. And the numbers...those are band sizes, correct? Well I'm not big around up there I don't think, but a 36 is most assuredly too small...I must've tried on 12 bras without any success. And I am officially retarded (for lack of a better word) when it comes to how exactly they should fit. I seriously need to go see a bra specialist fitting person. I know they exist, I saw them on What Not to Wear once. They will probably tell me that I have abnormal breasteses and need to buy a $200 bra from them.
Or maybe I'll just give up and live in sports bras for the rest of my life.

Funny Video

Turn up the volume and press play...its just not funny without the sound and believe me, you don't wanna miss it!!!

The Dixie Chicks

Okay, so I just watched the video for "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks, and I just had to comment that Natalie Maines is definitly, to me, one of the most beautiful women on this earth. She's so unique, and incredibly stunning. She really knocks me out. Man I love the DC! They are amazing and seriously, one of the best looking bands out there. I think I want their new CD...

Love, Actually.

Did you ever think about being in love? Or even just love for that matter? I mean, what it really means and what its like? I'm sure everyone has, but today after watching a video my friend Al made me, I was thinking about what love actually means to me.

1. As someone quite self-critical, especially about looks, its quite the thing to look at yourself and be like, 'I don't love this, but someone else does." And then you have to think, 'well why don't I love me if someone else does?' and it just gets quite silly and you basically have to just get over yourself.

2. I love people VERY easily. Its just my nature, to love people. So when I love someone, I'm hardcore about it. I want to be with people I love all the time, I want to tell them how much and why I love them (I think everyone deserves that, no?). I love things like their smile, or their laugh. Their forearms. Their little quirks. I love just being surrounded by people I love. Now turn all that around. What? Someone out there also feels the same way about me? All those feelings and emotions that are so real and deeply rooted within me are felt by someone else, towards me? Whatever! It blows my mind. I can hardly believe that.

3. Now this is the real kicker. Take how you feel about the one you love and times it by 10 billion. Thats how God feels about you. No matter what you do, or don't do, how you look, or how much or how little you love Him, He loves you more than you could ever imagine - and thats the real mind blowing thing about love.

Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. "
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Tremble

So I've been thinking about Heaven lately. A girl I know who's my age died this week in a car accident, and I've been thinking about her alot, and death, and bad timing, and life, and basically evaluating so many things. I mean if I were to die right now, I'd almost feel satisfied because I just had an amazing year - but still jipped because I have so many amazing things to do. I know that God is going to use me in so many ways still has so many plans in store for me. I feel like my life is falling into place, and really can see God's hand in so much of it. I mean I had a scary incident with a semi the other week and His hand protected me then. Where was it when Sam was driving? I'm just trying to sort it all out. Anyhoo, back to the main topic. I was listening to the song "Tremble" by Audio A and thought about how every person, whether saved or not, will face God on their judgement day. How Sam did it, how I have yet to do it. How sad I will look, on my knees begging God to forgive everything I've ever done...Here are the words. They paint a vivid picture.

Shaking like a leaf
Afraid to life my eyes
Afraid of all your glory
Ashamed of all my pride
Then you call me in
To your holy place
I fall down
Down on my face
And I beckon you for mercy
And I beckon you to forgive everything that I've ever done
And I tremble
And I tremble
I am just a man
Showered in your grace
You're the holy god
Your glory fills this place
And I beckon you for mercy
And I beckon you to forgive everything I've ever done
And I tremble
I tremble

Church Bulletin Bloopers

These absolutely slay me - my favorite number 18, the one about B.S.!

These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services:

1. Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.

2. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
3.Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

4. Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands.

5. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.

6. Remember in prayer the many that are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you.

7. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

8. Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.

9. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

10. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

11. During the absence of our Pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.

12. The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing "Break Forth into Joy."

13. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.

14. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

15. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 pm - prayer and medication to follow.

16. The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

17. This evening at 7 pm there will be a hymn sing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

18. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

19. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

20. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours."

21. Our next song is "Angels We Have Heard Get High."