My Week of Vacation

I just finished my week of vacation. It was so nice to
relax and catch up with some great friends. My week
started off by spending the weekend at my friends
Jeff and Christine. I had not seen them in so long so
it was so nice to spend this time with them and their
beautiful daughter Eva.


On the Saturday evening I organized a bbq. My sister
and her family and Alex and Carla with their children
came and we hung out. It was so good to have all my
girls together. The one picture above is the 3 girls.
Bella, Eva and Olivia. There are all basically the same
age so it was so cool to see the different stages they
are all at.


Then on Sunday, my best friend Steph and her mom
Ann and I went up to their trailer and spent some good
times trailering. (If that is even a word). It was so nice
to wake up and spend the majority of the day outside
with some fresh air. Much needed sunshine in my life.

Then on Thursday to Saturday, I had the privilege of
attending a Leadership Conference called the Summit.
It was one of the most challenging and life changing
experiences that I have ever encountered. God really
spoke to me and I learned so much about myself. As a
leader and as a Christian.

I had such a fantastic week off. Relaxing, exciting, and
challenging. We need those every once and a while!

ROWING!!

I started rowing in June and I absolutely love it. Not only is
it great exercise, but it is also a lot of fun. To be completely
honest, I did not like it at first. It was hard and it was really
difficult to catch on to. But once you get the hang of it, it is
so nice to be out on the water.

Below is the picture of me just having completed my first
race. BRUTAL! I was hurting. It was soooo much harder
than I ever imagined it to be. You are using all of your leg,
arm and stomach muscles, full force for like 5 minutes non
stop. It may not sound that long, but it definitely is so
intense.

Below, the picture is of us rowing out to the start line. I am
the third from the back. 3C, Starboard. That is my official
title!

For those of you thinking of ever getting into rowing, I
definitely recommend it. Such a great experience.

Why does God make us question?

Is it just me, or does others question why God lets us question
His existence? Lately, I have just been struggling with what God
has in store for my life. What path is He taking me down? Is He
even with me? Does anyone "really" hear God's calling for their
lives? Don't get me wrong. I know and I believe with all my heart
that there truly is a God, but I am having a hard time believing
that He is with me right now. As I sit in a church service, I listen
to the words of the songs that the congregation is singing, and do
people really focus on the words they are singing or are they just
singing for the sake of the music? For those of you who know me,
know that I love to sing. I love to worship and leading worship but
lately, I have just been sitting back and reflecting on the words
and the meaning behind them. People are always telling me that
every Christian questions why they believe and what this faith
thing is all about. I guess I never really took the time to question
it myself. I have been feeling God teasing me. Putting things in my
life and then snatching them away from me. Maybe for good reason
but why does He do that. Is it even God doing it or is it just easier
to blame Him? These are the things that I have been questioning.
Does anyone else questions these things?

"Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity
for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a
chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is
fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready
for anything."

James 1:2-4

Random Facts About Me

Since I was tagged by Shara, it's now my turn to
share 7 random facts.

Here are the rules… Each person tagged gives 7
random facts about themselves. Those tagged need
to write in their blogs the 7 facts, as well as the rules
of the game. You need to tag seven others and list
their names on your blog.

1. I can't stand the sound of people chewing gum. It
absolutely grosses me out.

2. I hate when people bite their nails in front of me.
Who wants to watch people eating their fingers. So
unattractive.

3. I love the smell of a clean house. The smell of Mr.
Clean and Vim. I know, I am wierd.

4. I still sleep with the blanket that was first wrapped
around me when I was born. 27 years old. It looks
pretty shaggy but I just can't give it up.

5. I can't stand painting. It totally sucks. It takes way
too long and I just don't enjoy it one bit.

6. I could go out for dinner every night. There is just
something about it. I think after a while you would get
tired of it but I just really enjoy the conversation and
the atmosphere.

7. I would give anything to be in the praries right now.

Now I get to tag 7 people...let's see....I tag: Bonnie,
Janelle L, Tania, Cyndy, Naomi, Cyrstal, and Karina!

Scott Normandy

Last night my friend Scott had his CD Release Party. It
was a great time! For those of you who like music, check
out his website. www.scottnormandy.com. Scott
Normandy is a mix between John Mayer and Dave
Matthews. It is a great album, and if you are interested,
you can buy it over his website.

Scott Normandy just got signed on with a really great
and down to earth manager that is based out of Montreal.
Scott Normandy is going on tour this summer and is
having a CD Release Party in both Montreal and Toronto.

Check out the website.

In memory of...

In memory of Aiden Douthwaite who
passed away this past week!
4 years old.

The SDI Test

Has anyone ever done this SDI test before?? It is such a great
test that helps you realize your personality and how you deal
with conflict. They are categorized in 3 colours. Blue, Red and
Green. There is also a fourth category called Hub. In personality,
the blue is the feeler, the worrier, the one is always concerned
about the other person. The caregiver. Red is the assertive and
aggressive one. The "Let's just get in done", or the "Let's just
make a decision and move on". Green is the thinker. The over
analyzer. The person who think EVERYTHING through and
does not just make harsh decisions.

Lexi was Blue-Red. My higher number was in the blue category
but I have some red in me. That didnt really surprise me.

In conflict, the blue is the person who doesnt like to deal with it.
Would just rather get rid of the problem by agreeing. The one who
is always concerned that the other person is feeling okay and
putting their feelings aside. Red is the one who likes to deal with
the conflict right then and there. Lets talk it all out and fix this.
Green is the one who needs to withdraw from the conflict and
really think about it and try to come up with the best answer.

Lexi was hard core blue. Totally didnt surprise me.

If anyone ever has a chance to do something like this, it is so worth
it. It is neat to see how you deal with situations and just to learn
your friends personalities and how they deal with conflict. You
really start to learn about each other and how to approach them
in the way your friends need to be approached!

Anyways, just wanted to share that.

Bella Joyce Jehan

Okay, so seriously. Is she not the cutest kid ever!
She just turned one on the 9th and Mike and
Julie had a birthday party for her and their place
was packed with people. I guess it is a good thing
that they are
moving into a more
larger home. Bella
does the cutest
things. Everyone
time she sees you,
she says "Baby". And
then she points her
little finger at
everything. She loves
seeing pictures of
babies and especially
of herself. I was over
at Mike and Julie's last
night and we were
looking out of their
bedroom window and
Bella was getting so
excited to look outside
and see birds. There is this little piece of bird poop on
the window and Julie was telling me that she gets so
excited everytime she sees it. She also loves my
earrings. At her birthday party, Julie gave her her first
piece of cake. First Bella was just staring at it but then
Julie put a bit of icing in her mouth and then she realized
that she actually enjoyed that so then she started eating
it. Usually, the child has chocolate and icing all over their
mouth but Bella was very clean and polite. There was also
like 40 people watching her and I think she liked the
attention it gave her. It is scary to think sometimes how
much I love
her. I can't
imagine how
much more
I could love
someone else.
Like my own
kids. She has
such a great
personality
and I think she
is going to have
a good sense of
humour. She is so funny at times with all of her little things and
her face expressions. When she goes in for a kiss she pouts
those lips so big and just leans in forward. She is the squeshiest
little girl ever. She has the best legs that get squeezed for often
by my crazy family. As you can tell, she is a very loved child!
Keep them coming Mike and Julie. I am waiting patiently....

Toronto Blue Jays

Have I told you how excited I am that the Blue Jays are back!
I was just at the opener in Toronto and what an interesting
game it was. The Jays, of course, won the game 9 to 1 against
the Royals. A fan got kicked out of the game in the second
inning for grabbing the ball off the field during a live play. What
a dumb ass. And then in the 8th inning, a huge fight breaks out
just a few rows behind and over from us. They had to have
around 8 or 9 cops to break it up. I have no idea how and why
it broke out but whatever, it was entertaining.

The pictures above is a picture of Reed Johnson. He is by far
my favourite Jays player. So I was very excited when I found out
that he was playing in the game I attended. And of course, he
did a great job in left field!
LET'S GO BLUE JAYS, LET'S GO!!

What is with the weather??

I woke up this morning to snow on the ground. WHAT IS UP WITH
THAT?? I refuse to believe that this snow is going to stay because
I am totally ready for spring. They shouldn't tease us like this.

I totally love the smell of spring. The smell of the snow melting and
the trees starting to bud. I can not wait.

Guess what I get to do on Easter Monday? BLUE JAYS GAME. It is
their first game in Toronto so I am very excited for it. My best
friends dad got 4 tickets so it is a date night with the dads. It is going
to be great.

Hope everyone has a great Easter. Eat lots of chocolate because I
know I will. Oh, and of course, for those of you who know what it
is, eat LOTS of paska!! So good. . . .

Girls Night!

Saturday night, Carla and I decided to have a girls night. Alex and
Jackson were in Port Rowan helping out with his dad so I drove up
to Kitchener to spend some time with the girls. Olivia is just the
most adorable girl. She is only 9 months old and she is walking
around and climbing stairs and getting into stuff. She, of course,
went through my purse and was very interested in my sunglasses
and lip gloss. It was very cute.


We ordered in some pizza and then put Olivia to bed and then
the boys came home. Jackson was playing shy with me until I
let him take about50 pictures and then I was his new best friend.

It was a great time to spend with my friends. I am so glad that
they are living closer to me. It will be so great to have them
near by and see them more often than I have.
Thanks for the fun night Carla! I hope you have a good and
safe week!

Happy Birthday Cyndy!

Happy Birthday Cyndy! I can not believe that we have known each
other for only 8 years. It feels so much longer than that. For those of
you who don't know Cyndy, she was my roommate at Bethany Bible
Institute in Saskatchewan. We have had some crazy memories. Ups
and downs, laughs and tears. When I think back on all of our
memories Cyn, I cherish them dearly. I am so excited to see how God
has directed you in your life. You seem so happy and content.

Thank you for being my friend. I hope that you have a wonderful
day filled with everything you love to do. Being with your family
(some of them), probably shopping, eating chocolate, eating apple
crumble, and we definitely can not forget your diet coke.
Love you Cyn and happy birthday!

M E X I C O ! ! ! !

As promised, here are a few photos from Mexico. We were there for
1 week. It was so nice and relaxing. We layed on the beach for most of
the week. We did 1 day trip to Xel-Ha (it was a snorkeling park) and
for the rest of the time, just stayed at our resort. Both Val (other girl
in the pictures) and I had to keep telling ourselves to relax. We both
work full time and our schedules are quite packed so we weren't used
to just sitting or lying there without having our days planned out.

Below, the building is the hut we stayed in. There were 4 rooms in
one building and our room was on the second floor facing the woods.
It was a very nice view and we spent alittle time out there. The
beaches were great. White sand and beautiful clear water. The water
was more clear away from the resort so we walked along the beach
one day and just enjoyed the scenery.

In the evenings they would have these dancers who did a mix of
swing and ballet. It was so neat. They would of course, include the
audience. Thank goodness I was not picked to go up in front of a
hundred people to show them that I have no dance moves at all.
It was quite entertaining at times.

So, do I recommend a week away in Mexico?? I certainly do. It
was such a great time and the weather was perfect and the food
was great. I totally felt safe the whole time and our particular
resort was so wonderful!

There it is. If you want to know more, please ask!

Happy Birthday to me!

It is official. I am now 27 years of age. I can not believe how
fast life has flown by. Yesterday, my family cooked my 2
favourite meals and we got to hang out for the evening.
It was so nice.

Yesterday was such a great day. I got to work (after a week

away in Mexico), and there was a present sitting on my desk

from my dear friend Annelise. Of course the day started off

with a long meeting (which wasnt so bad) and then when I got

back to my desk, a beautiful bouquet of Mexican Flowers were

sitting on my desk (thanks Jeff). And then my sister Julie and

my niece Bella got Gerber Daisies sent to me as well. It was so

nice. I wish it was my birthday everyday.

So tonight, a bunch of my close friends are going out for dinner

and then to see a local band (New World Son) at a Martini Bar

downtown.

Thanks to all my friends for being so great and encouraging

this past year!

(I will post Mexico pictures soon!!)

How can someone be so cute??

I just wanted to share some great pictures of my newest
niece. She is just the best little girl ever. Yesterday I went
over to hang with Mike and Julie (my sister, also in the
pictures) and I had Bella laughing so hard. It sounded like
one of those dolls where you press a button and the doll
giggles.Anyways, just wanted to tell you all how much I
love my Bella. Also in the picture on the top right is my
other niece Lauren. Also the most cutest little girl. She has
been starting to talk so it is so fun to hang out with her. The
things that girl comes up with is so hilarious!


We actually had snow in Ontario so Julie took Bella for her
first toboggan ride. As you can see from Bellas expression,
she wasnt exactly excited about it.

Love you Julie, Lauren and Bella!

One year ago . . . .

I can not believe that it has been one year since my Take Flight team left for Uruguay. What an experience that was? For those of you who don't know what this was, let me explain it to you. The highschool that I attended all those years ago has this program called "Take Flight". It is a discipleship training program for graduated students. It is basically a chance for these students to grow as leaders in the church and in the community. This past year, the programming team asked me if I would like to help lead the trip and I just couldn't turn down such a great chance to help these students grow and mature in their relationship with God.

Not only did I grow as a leader, but seeing the change in the students was such an encouragement to me. Remembering back in November when I first met the team, to remembering back when we said our final prayer in March, I can not believe the transformations I saw. Not only in the team but in myself. Myself, along with my good friend Jon Nauta led the team. Suzanne Klassen helped co-lead the team and then we had 9 students. Rory Schafer, Steve Postma, Jeff Komadoski, Craig Falk, Ben Ellens, Ben Janzen, Kara Gossen and Kate Riediger. They have all been such a blessing in my life.

Oh remembering the times. All the kissing (it is the culture to always greet one another with a kiss on the cheek). The interesing food we got to try and enjoy for the most part. The "crazy" kids who liked to attack some of the members of the team. Rory getting chased with grass and yelling in spanish "No more". The door to door experiences were so challenging yet so very
rewarding. The culture is so giving and welcoming.

The second week we got a chance to do more hands on work at a local church. We helped clean up the yard and do some painting and cementing. We did some more door to door evangelism. In the evenings, the kids in the area would come and sing some songs and play some games. That week was my birthday and the church we worked with made us some cakes to celebrate. I was so blessed by their generosity. They sang Happy Birthday to me like 3 times.

The last week before debrief, we got to work in a church with Alejandro. What an amazing man. The youth group was so great there. They have such a great ministry going on there. Again, we got to do more door to door. One of our translators got bit by a dog so that was pretty scary. She was very good about it. I would of completely freaked out.

I just wanted to thank the Take Flight team for being such a joy in my life. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you. I have such amazing memories from our times together.

Please pray for the new Take Flight team leaving for Uruguay tomorrow. I pray for their safe travels and pray that they really touch the lives over there. I pray for the leaders, Brian Garden and Annelise Buma. Good luck guys!

My Vacation Spot

After numerous weeks surfing the internet to find a good deal on resorts, we finally decided on one. On February 25th, we will be flying down south to the Sandos Caracol Beach Resort & Spa in the Mayan Riveria/Cancun MEXICO! I am very excited to go to a nice and relaxing place and not worry about work and life! I have never been on a vacation like this before so it will be a new and exciting experience for me!

BUSTED!

The day had finally arrived. The day that I had been dreading for the past 10 years. I got my first speeding ticket. I was just cruising along anticipating a visit with my dear friends Alex and Carla and I see a white car in the distance. Well, by the time I look down to see how fast I am going, it was too late. I see the bright red lights of the brakes and the car turns around to chase after me. By this time, of course, I go down to the speed that I should of been driving in the first place. Do you know how hard it is to actually drive 80km on a highway? Seriously. No one actually drives that speed. So he busted me for driving 110km. Yeah, I probably deserved it because I do have a heavy foot but I was looking forward to seeing friends I hadn't seen in like 2 years. I tried to use that excuse and I really thought it worked until I saw him walking towards me with papers in his hands. He had me sitting there for like 25 minutes. How horribly mean is that? So because of my obvious charm, I got away with a $40 ticket and 1 point against me. I should be grateful to him because he said it would of been a $340 ticket with 4 points against me because I was driving in a school zone. Oh well, I can laugh about it now.

Leadership

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." - Phillippians 4:13

This verse has been going through my head for the last 8 months or so. My family has been going through kind of a tough time trying to understand the direction God has been taking us within life and within the church. I find it so hard not to put the blame on others mistakes and decisions and to really sit back and look at why God would of made this decision or put my family on this path. Is He trying to teach us something? Is He testing our faith? For me personally, I find it so difficult to just sit back and see where the pieces fall. I am a go-getter. When someone has hurt or disappointed people I love, I want to fix the situation right away. I don't have the patience to just sit back while they are hurting so bad. How do you get through a time like this?

Secondly, church. That word sometimes really freaks me out. How do you even choose the leaders in a church? I realize that no one is perfect and they are allowed to make mistakes, but at who's cost? Who do they think they are? What makes them think that they know better than others? One thing I don't get is how they can sit in a church service knowing full well that they have hurt or disappointed someone, and really ignore the situation and do NOTHING about it. This is something that I have been struggling with for months now. Around July, I made the decision to leave the church that I had been attending for the past 10 or so years. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I ever made because the congregation at the church was so amazingly supportive and encouraging, but I just couldn't sit in those services anymore.

Since then, I have been attending a great church. Yes, the church makes mistakes and it is far from perfect, but the difference is the leadership takes charge of an issue and deals with it right away instead of trying to hide it in a corner hoping that one day it will just be forgotten. They admit their faults and mistakes and as a congregation, they work on it and encourage one another.

I don't want you to read this entry and think that I am a bitter and unappreciative person when it comes to leadership in the church. I respect the role of a leader and I can't imagine how difficult it must be to have that kind of responsibility. I am simply saying that if you are a leader, it is your responsibility to deal with the issues in your particular church and not to hide and run away from them. That is the only way you will gain the respect you should have from your congregation.