Letters, Living, Lessons

For our trip to Mexico, our entire team read the book "Red Letters: Living a Faith that Bleeds".

The book talks about finding Jesus and being His hands and feet to the world and bringing social justice to the world around us.

I enjoyed many of the stories interspersed through the book. The book had more of an AIDS/HIV focus, which is totally fine, but I expected it to have a broader scope. Then again, it's the message behind it that can be applied.

Some quotes that left me thinking:

"We can't reach far enough to offer compassion because our arms are too busy holding all that we own. If, on the other hand, we recognize that what we have is a gift, then we can extend our reach."

"Yeah, everyone, Jesus came to die for the terrorist who wants to blow up the building where you work. He came to die for Osama bin Laden. He came to die for the pervert, the child molester, and the convicted rapist. Intellectually, this makes sense. Of course Jesus came to die for all sinners. However, sometimes it can be a difficult truth to wrap your heart around."

Wow.. that one gave me food for thought, because we often direct our hatred towards these types of people. And while their actions might be horrendous and horrific, God still loves them and died for them. That is really hard to reconcile in my mind and heart, yet the truth is truth.

"Look for Jesus every morning in the eyes of the people you meet. And then look for him in the mirror."

Anyway, I leave you with those thoughts-hope they stirred some thinking for you as they did for me.

Meeting, Memories, Moments

Recently I finished reading the book 'Strong Winds & Crashing Waves' by Terry Wardle. He had a lot of valuable things to say and it was definitely thought provoking. There were times when reading that I thought "Wow, finally, someone who understands what I am going through and gets it." I appreciate knowing that I'm not entirely crazy but that my experience is normative in some sense and resonates with other people. So it's good to find those that are like-minded in that way.

He discusses his move towards being more honest, open and vulnerable about his life and his journey. He says "I am consciously stepping away from the "know but not be known" paradigm of professional objectivity. I am instead embracing a "be known so that others might know and experience Jesus" approach to writing." How true. My life can be far more effective and inspirational to others in sharing it and letting myself be known. Scary territory because a lot of things can be done with information. But I am going to be faithful to share my experience and hope and pray that much fruit will come from it.

He discusses the need to invite Christ into the pain and darkness of our lives. To allow Him to come in and bring healing. He suggests that "transformation does not come by striving, performing, or working hard at self-improvement. It comes to wounded people who ask the Lord not to simply help them out of storms, but to change them int he very midst of them. And it comes to the wounded by the grace of God." How often we try to run from the storms, to sweep them under a carpet, or to busy ourselves in order to forget about them. Yet, it seems far better to enter into the storm with open arms. To embrace it for what it is and allow it to change us as we walk through it.

In the last few years, there are random events that trigger an overwhelming, uncontrollable emotional flood within me. I look at the trigger and wonder why in the world it evoked so much emotion, only to realize it is a flood of all the other emotions I have stuffed and not worked through. Terry mentions that "being capsized is about living constantly in such deep emotional waters that even the most non-threatening life-splash can turn a calm day into a life-altering storm." This makes sense to me. The awareness and understanding of it seems to bring a clearer perspective for when those times do come. I guess to know that I can expect it and when it comes, work with the emotions that come with it.

I love this: "God is not simply to be learned about in life. He is to be experienced. He waits in every moment to be encountered by those who seek him. He longs to fill people's hearts with indescribable love, overwhelm them with incomparable peace, and flood their minds with unspeakable joy. Yes, he desire to meet people in the memories of the painful past. But before that can happen, wounded people must discover God in the sacrament of the present moment. He is there, ready to be experienced by the people he unconditionally loves."

I could go on for a long time with many more thoughts and quotes and things I have learned through reading this book. I look forward to reading more of his books and to putting some of the activities into practice that he suggests. And to experience God in the fullness of every situation and moment.

Cajal, Canoe, Crazy

The beginnings of the weekend have not failed to disappoint! I love weekends. Most people are off work and there's just a lot of fun to be had. I enjoy simply being with people which is something I haven't always been able to do well. I am more activity oriented but i have learned to slow down and just enjoy. But, really, I still like doing stuff. :)

Like Friday, my friend Megan and I went canoeing!! First off, I was super impressed at our incredible canoe tying skills. I am getting WAY better at tying the canoe to my vehicle. Didn't even shake this time!

We went to Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Park and it was BEAUTIFUL! What an incredibly day! (and no, I am not naked in the above photo...) We took the canoe on the water, enjoyed a picnic in the boat and paddled around. At one point the waves were a bit high and splashed into the canoe, but that only added to the random adventureness of it all.
We felt like avid, hardcore canoers. which we are of course.. But what incredible sights. I love mountains.

And we are indeed wild women as the picture below shows...

Megan accidentally dipped her shirt in the water.. and then went to hang it on the side of the canoe... but it was actually still dipping in the water. haha. I laughed quite hard (maybe you had to be there?? hehe)

MOUNTAINS!!

I perhaps got a bit too much sun, but it's turned into a tan already thankfully. Friday night, we had youth night at church which was really fun. All my life I always went to big youth groups, but this one is fairly small but I really love it. No, you can't do some stuff, but you can be a lot more flexible and you get to know each other more as well which is something I really enjoy. We were supposed to have an all nighter which got changed to ending at midnight, which I was thankful for since I've been battling runny nose/sore throat/earache/migraine for the last few days..


Lately I have been finding random piles of mail in my house. Found some in the garage, some in a random closet, some in a bag... so I compiled them all and opened them.. And remembered that it's not good to leave mail sitting around unopened for a month. Then I also remembered that I'm taking an online class.. and maybe I should do this week's work for it since the week is almost over. :) A quote that I absolutely love (might be one of my new favorites!) from my text on biological psychology. Just helps me come back to the wonder and awe of how incredible life is. It was said by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, one of the founders of neuroscience:

"How many interesting facts fail to be converted into fertile discoveries because their first observers regard them as natural and ordinary things1...It is strange to see how the populace, which nourishes its imagination with tales of witches or saints, mysterious events and extraordinary occurrences, disdains the world around it as commonplace, monotonous and prosaic, without suspecting that at bottom it is all secret, mystery, and marvel."

Enjoy your sunny Sunday and stay tuned to find out the fun that was had on Saturday and Sunday! :)

Japanese, Julie, Joy

One of my favorite things is to be inside my house with my front door and patio door open, feeling the breeze inside on a gloriously sunny day. That being said, I love being outside too, but when you need to be inside, it is delightful to be able to still enjoy the day from inside my home.

I am one who loves all seasons and all weather days: I love rainy, drizzly days when I can stay inside and curl up on the couch with a good book. I love gloriously sunny days when you can enjoy being outside. I love cloudy days, when the mix of clouds themselves display a unique beauty. I love days when it is pouring rain. I love it when it snows (just not driving in it). Although sometimes it is hard to see after numerous days of cold or rain, there is beauty in each of them and I do enjoy it.

My friend Brooke {who has a new love of taking self-portraits of herself with my camera} and I have decided that we are going to try out all the Japanese restaurants in Langley, in our quest to find the best one. Although we have gone to a few already, I figured I'd start documenting them here on this blog.

Yesterday, we went to Ushiyama, which is on 96th in the warehouse area of Langley, just off 200th. We were greeted in a friendly manner from the moment we walked in the door. The decor and tables were trendy and we got our own private booth which was nice. My favorite part was the little order/tea/receipt things on each table. What a GREAT idea!! We pushed the tea button, and a minute later, like magic, a man appeared with a tray with two steaming cups of tea. No more waiting in our booth!
I LOVE Japanese food. In fact, I could eat it for every single meal I think. the one thing though is that the service in Japanese restaurants is not always that great. Often they leave you sitting at your table for a very long time. Not so here. (partly due to this fancy button thing). I think we had 4 different people come to our table to make sure everything was all right.
AND to add to that, the chef (not sure if that's what you call them) came to our table with our bill afterwards and said with what we had ordered, it was actually cheaper if we did 'all you can eat'. So he had printed off 2 bills for us with a 15 dollar difference. WOW. That impressed me.
The rolls were all pretty good, except that they fell apart a bit easily as they weren't rolled super tight. We had miso soup, sunomono salad, prawn tempura and an assortment of rolls and they were thoroughly enjoyable.
I think my other favorite part of the experience was when one of the guys serving us came and told us that he wasn't actually working, but he was just there to pick up his cheque because he had his appendix taken out... yet he kept serving us. It gave us a good chuckle because we really didn't know what that meant. He probably just found us irresistibly attractive.

So, on our Japanese restaurant rating scale, Brooke gave it 3.5 out of 5 and I gave it 4 out of 5 (I REALLY liked the buzzer thing). Then again, we haven't rated restaurants before, so who knows.

I just finished reading Julie & Julia and all in all it was a fairly good read. Different from the movie in a lot of ways. Perhaps a bit more crass at times as well, but when looking past that, I did enjoy her writing style. I enjoyed the overarching message in the book of doing something larger than life, of engaging in something that gives purpose and meaning. For those of you who haven't read the book, or seen the movie, it's the true story of Julie Powell, who decided to cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and through it she discovers a bit more of what it means to live life fully.

Here's a couple quotes:

"Sometimes you get a glimpse into a life that you never thought of before. There are hidden trap doors all over the place, and suddenly you see one, and the next thing you know you're chopping lobsters in half, and the world's just so much bigger than you thought it was."

"Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It's not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about -I don't know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there's something else, something that these things grow out of.
It's joy."

"I thought I was using the Book to learn to cook French food, but really I was learning to sniff out the secret doors of possibility."

I want to discover doors of possibility and open them and not be stopped by fear. To embrace life more and live more fully. And through it, to live a life of joy, being content in all things and making the most of every moment.

Decisions, Dinner, Dancing

I felt like writing a blog post so I am doing just that.

Lately I have been having impromptu dance parties in my kitchen. I have two doorways, so I can dance in and out of the kitchen in a circle with my music blaring. And it's delightful and so freeing to hop and dance around while singing at the top of my lungs.

Lately I have been having a lot of different friends over for dinner or lunch and it's wonderful. It's so nice to be able to host people in my home and cook them a meal and just enjoy their company. I am blessed with a home from which I can do this. :)

Continually I am reminded that I hate decisions. (as mentioned in a previous post). I wish I could figure out a way to somehow balance emotions and logic in my decision making.

And I leave you with a quote that speaks deeply to me right now:
"Not a heartbeat of agony is ever unnoticed or unused by God"

Bonding, Blossoms, Beautiful

I live on one of the most beautiful streets because of the way they've landscaped it. In the fall, the leaves were brilliant shades of yellow and red. And now the streets are lined with cherry blossom trees in full bloom and it is absolutely stunning!

Went for a jog this morning and snapped a few shots. Unfortunately i only had my point and shoot but I figured I wanted some nice pictures to post nonetheless.
I love all the trails around my house and am so thankful for the beauty and the natural "escape" it lends me.
I have been re-reading Donald Miller's book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" because I absolutely love it and it inspires me. Here's a quote that struck me last night from the beginning of the book:

"You get a feeling when you look back on life that that's all God really wants from us, to live inside a body he made and enjoy the story and bond with us through the experience."

I had to ask myself, do I allow my daily experiences to bring me closer to God? To bond with Him over, because we're experiencing it together? Or am I simply living life and letting moments pass me by?
Presently my house smells very strongly of paint fumes. Might have a headache by the end of the day, but I am thankful because that means my renovations will be DONE in just a few short hours!! There were a couple of red touchups needed in the kitchen as well as the new baseboards being painted and the ceiling in my room being painted (to cover up all my blue paint that I got on the ceiling when I painted... haha) So the end is indeed in sight!! and in scent! :)
Have a great day and enjoy the flowers blossoming everywhere!

Memoir, Meaningful, Miller

Good morning! So, I just finished my first noteworthy book that I wanted to share on my blog. Ad I'm on a blogging kick besides to make up for lost time. :) I just finished Donald Miller's newest book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." He's the author of several other books, including Blue Like Jazz and Through Painted Desserts. Although I have loved every one of his books, this one was probably my most favorite.

In the book, he goes through him editing his life in order to make a screenplay and the lessons he learns along the way about story and creating a meaningful story with your life. Very funny read but also very inspiring at the same time. Makes me reflect on my life and look at what parts of it are truly memorable and how I can move my life in a direction so as to create more meaning and memories in my life.

So, here are a few quotes from the book that I really enjoyed:

"Somehow we realize that great stories are told in conflict, but we are unwilling to embrace the potential greatness of the story we are actually in. We think God is unjust, rather than a master storyteller."

"We were designed to live through something rather than to attain something, and the thing we were meant to live through was designed to change us. The point of a story is the character arc, the change."

"So as I was writing my novel, and as my characters did what he wanted, I became more and more ware that somebody was writing me. So I started listening to the Voice, or rather, I started calling it the Voice and admitting there was a Writer. I admitted something other than me was showing a better way. And when I did this, I realized the Voice, the Writer who was not e, was trying to make a better story, a more meaningful series of experiences I could live through."

"People fear change. Though their situations may be terrible, at least they have a sense of control; at least they know what to expect. Change presents a world of variables that are largely out of their control." There is a fear of choosing a better story, because although the current situation is not ideal, it is comfortable and familiar. So we stay.

"The most often repeated commandment in the Bible is "Do not fear." It's in there over two hundred times. That means a couple of things, if you think about it. It means we are going to be afraid, and it means we shouldn't let fear boss us around. Before I realized we were supposed to fight fear, I thought of fear as a subtle suggestion in our subconscious designed to keep us safe, or more important, keep us from getting huiliated. And I guess it serves that purpose. But fear isn't only a guide to keep us safe; it's also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life."

"Its true that while ambition creates fear, it also creates the story. But it's a good trade, because as soon as you point toward a horizon, life no longer feels meaningless."

"A good movie has memorable scenes, and so does a good life"

"We live in a world where bad stories are told, stories that teach us life doesn't mean anything and that humanity has no great purpose. It's a good calling, then to speak a better story. How brightly a better story shines. How easily the world looks to it in wonder. How grateful we are to hear these stories, and how happy it makes us to repeat them."

So, those are a few of the quotes I found especially inspiring. If it sounds interesting at all to you, I'd encourage you to grab the book and give it a read. And let me know what you think when you do. This book has got me thinking a ot about my own life and the memorable scenes that I have lived, but also looking forward as to how I can make more room in my life for God to create within it meaningful scenes. I'm in a time of change and there is a lot that is unknown and the thought often invokes fear of many different kinds. But excitement as well, knowing that this can be used and formed into something great. Not even just the end product, but the process in getting there, which is essentially even more important. As I've oft heard, "the goal is the process". How true.

Think about actions you can take that you may not have otherwise taken that can make your life more meaningful today and be sure to take time to remember the meaningful parts from the past and celebrate them!

Book, Bookshelves, Blue, Beauty, Beast

Well, been busy these last couple days. Saturday night Chrystal stayed for night and the next morning we went to Ikea, then out for lunch at the Cactus Club and then to the musical Beauty and the Beast. So, this is my third time at Ikea and the first two times were disastrous. I guess this time can be a redemptive time! They say third time's the charm! I bought two bookshelves (connected) that were 200 dollars off and some DVD holders/shelves too. I put up the bookshelves yesterday and it's so nice that all my books finally have a home! Beauty and the Beast was quite fantastic as well!!

Today I picked a friend up from the airport and then went to my mom's where we proceeded to make a dozen chicken cordon blue, 50 or so meatballs and muffins!! Whew! I'm tired now!! Then I came home and realized that the guy who plows our complex decided to plow the snow away from half of my driveway. Nice though except that he shoved so much snow against my garage door that it wouldn't open... and so I had to shovel it all away. Good times right there.

In Hawaii I started reading the book, "eat, pray, love". It's a woman's story about her yearlong travels in Italy, India and Indonesia. Being a person who loves traveling, her book intrigued me and she inspires me to write my own book! Anyway, it's quite spiritual and has a lot of good stuff in it. Thought I'd share a few quotes and thoughts here:

"To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be a serious business-not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but sometimes a means of holding on to the real when everything else is flaking away into... rhetoric and plot."

"And I will leave with the hope that the expansion of one person-the magnification of one life- is indeed an act of worth in this world."

"On the other hand-when is it a good time of day, or life, to sit in detached stillness? When isn't there something buzzing about, trying to distract you and get a rise out of you?"

"There's a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging, "dear saint-please, please, please... give me the grace to wint he lottery." This lament goes on for months. Finally the exasperated statue comes to life, looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust, "My son-please, please, please... buy a ticket"

"Half the benefit of prayer is in the asking itself, in the offering of a clearly posed and well-considered intention."

"God dwells within you as you yourself, exactly the way you are."

"Your treasure-your perfection-is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart."

Anyway, reading about her experiences encouraged me in my spiritual life and prayer life in seeking God in the silent moments and throughout all moments and reaching my full potential through His strength. Any thoughts on the quotes?

Countdown:
12 days until Disneyland!
35 days until Colorado!
44 days until Bahamas!

Funny, Fragrant, Fun

Greetings from Whistler!! Lindie came to visit from Calgary and we decided to do a quick last minute get away to Whistler! So fun! We called Sandy and she joined us for the first night. We're staying at the Sun Dial Hotel here and it's fantastic. We have our own full kitchen where we've been making some good food and enjoying some tasty desert wine and having tons and tons of laughs. Sandy was rolling on the floor last night laughing. One of the best features has been the rooftop hot tub!! So amazing!

I will post pictures when I get home and have my camera cord, but just wanted to leave you with my favorite quote of the day. Okay, a little embarrassing for me, but I almost peed my pants laughing in the middle of the woods...

We had just had nachos for lunch. I made guacamole and had put two things of garlic chopped up in it.. So Lindie and I went for a nice long walk up to a lake in the interpretive forest..

Lindie (walking behind Vanessa): Mmm.. Smells like sausages (thinking, that's weird in the middle of the woods...)

Vanessa: Um.. I just burped.

Lindie: Gross.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

hope you find that funny and don't find me too gross.. hahaha..

more to come later!!

Could, Cord, Cut

So, I have been wanting to post every night but i have no idea where I put my camera cord so I cannot upload all my amazing and exciting photographs. Sad day. I lost my camera charger too. Well, not really lost, but it's somewhere in my house and I have NO idea where. Dang. So this post would be a lot more exciting with that cord if I could upload the photos cuz then i'd have stuff to inspire me.

Instead I took a couple of photos of myself for your viewing pleasure. Okay, well I cut and dyed my hair, so I thought I'd show and tell. :) Let me know what you think of the new do. I love it.
Presently I am stressed. I thought I was taking it easy this semester but now I realize I'm taking five classes, being a T.A. for two profs, volunteering a bunch every week, working two days a week, involved in some stuff during the week and plus I am doing my thesis so i have a dumpload of research to do. bah. but today i changed the topic of my thesis and am way more excited and into it than before. But I will talk more about that some other time perhaps. or not, because it's research and might be confidential. Hmmm..

Anyway. I'm tired and sick. So I'm off to bed. But hope you all have a lovely day.

I leave you with a quote and a countdown:

"Familiarization, in a word, makes it unnecessary to attend, to think to feel, to live fully, to experience richly." -Abraham Maslow

Hmm.. wonder where in my life I'm a bit too familiar or comfortable...

Countdown:
5 days until October (I say that in a doomsday sort of way because I keep thinking it's a month away)
8 days until I go to Las Vegas!! YAY!

Paper, Progress, Productive, Prayer

Today was declared official productivity day! I read the reserve materials in the library for my class in August (60 pages) and got a bit done on my beast of a paper (which i really am enjoying.. haha).

Anyway, here is one thought from the seven books I had to read for the paper. (there are many thoughts, so just one for now).

Gerald May suggests that our communication and relationship with God are always occurring without our awareness. I have often heard the concept of people being "on" or "off" with God and I've never really agreed with it. God is always there. Yes, we're not always attentive or responsive, or looking for God, but that does not mean to say that the relationship ceases to be.

Brother Lawrence said "People would be very surprised if they knew what their souls said to God sometimes."

Interesting though. In reality, my life is prayer, whether I acknowledge it or not. So what has my heart been saying to God? What's your heart been saying to God?

Surrender, Safe, Sunday

I've been reading about Gerald May's theory on spirituality and he talks about surrender a lot. And one of the criteria he gives for it is: "It represents a willingness to engage the fullnes of life with the fullness of oneself. It cannot be an escape or an avoidance. It must be a yes rather than a no." I like that.

This weekend has been pretty full. Saturday I went golfing at The Falls in Chilliwack with some friends, Chad and Rob. It was a lot of fun despite a bit of rain, we still enjoyed ourselves a lot! Kassandra (Chad's daughter) came along and rode in the cart with me which was fun! She even drove me around to, so I had my own personal golf cart driver! hee hee

I met my friend Laura for lunch at Olive Garden and then headed back home where I once again left to go to Chilliwack to meet my cousins' new baby, Jasmine. She's five weeks old and so incredibly cute! Then Desiree and I came back to my place and we watched 'Dan in Real Life' which I had seen before and absolutely loved, so it was nice to watch it again!

This morning I went to my old church and it was so good. It was so great to be back and I felt like I was at home and in my community. I haven't felt that in a really long time at church. So it was refreshing to be there.

This afternoon I managed to clean out and organize a closet! And now I'm working on doing some more reading for my directed study. Amazing how motivated I am to clean when I have so much schoolwork to do!! haha..

Well I'm back to the book that I must finish before slumbering. Hopefully sleep will come soon! Have a good week my friends!

Dying, Decision, Daily

Here are some quotes I recently came across:

"He that knows how to die to all things will have life in all things." -John of the Cross

"To die but not to perish is to be eternally present." -Tao Te Ching

I have been thinking about the whole spiritual concept of death and dying to self of late.

I see my life and I realize how materialistic and how much a product of this culture I am. I see how incredibly individualistic and autonomous I am and I hate it. Yet I am not willing to give it up. Yet I know what needs to be done. It is a daily decision that needs to be made, yet I always seem to choose in the wrong direction.

In Deuteronomy, God spoke to his people saying that He presented to them life or death and they should choose life that they may live. In choosing life though, death to self is necessary. Then life can be fully lived.

One must give up the notion that they can do it themselves and surrender in humility. Sounds so simple, but when I look at my daily life, it's so much harder to actually do.

Unemployed, Umbrellas

To commemorate my last day at Starbucks, I thought I would snap some photos!! It was a great last shift. It was Sunday morning so there were extra staff there putting away the order which made it more fun. i got to work drive-thru as well, which is my favorite! So here are a few pics of me an my co-workers on my last day ever working at Starbucks!! (hopefully.. hehe)

Louis and I

Laura and Kylie working the drive-thru

Louis making my last partner beverage!

Sarah and I

Kylie and I

Laura and I

After my shift, it felt so good to be done!! Nice to have a chapter close on my life. it was good while I was there and I had a lot of great times, but I am definitely glad to be done. After work, I went home and got changed and headed out to Walnut Grove for Guatemala meeting. We got to hear a bit more about what we are going to be doing on our trip and it sounds like it will be amazing! We're actually going to be going to Belize for a bit as well! i went there about ten years ago and I'm excited to go back, because it was an amazing and breathtaking country! Beautiful-especially the beaches!!

I left my Guatemala meeting early to go to church for a worship team practice. I got to be part of a band that led worship for MBMSI's Missions Celebration Night. It was so much fun! Lots of people came out as well as a variety of people from different generations. it was encouraging to see everyone worshiping together! Afterwards my friend Heidi came over for night. We watched 'Take the Lead' and then enjoyed a nice lazy morning this morning. And now I must get cracking on some schoolwork.. gulp.

This afternoon, Desiree and I are off to Seattle. We're staying there for a couple of nights for her birthday! We're going to the zoo tomorrow! Oh how I love the Seattle zoo-i have an annual membership and love to go! So I'm sure I will have some fun pictures when I get back. Hopefully it doesn't rain, but we will bring umbrellas just in case!

Here's an updated countdown:
A few more hours until I go to Seattle!
8 more days until my last exam
9 more days until Leslie visits
13 more days until I leave for Guatemala!!

And here's the quote of the day:

The way to gain a good reputation, is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear. - Socrates

Lists, Laziness and Labyrinths

Yesterday I was feeling unmotivated to do much and so I made a list of all the things I need to do in the next two weeks so I can stop worrying about it and know that it's down on the paper. That way I don't have to think about it anymore and it's on the paper where it needs to be. Oh how I love lists!
Last night Chrystal and I went to see Mamma Mia at the Q.E. We went for dinner first which was pretty fun. The musical was great- so much fun! It was better than I remember it being the last time I saw it. Chrystal then stayed for night which was pretty fun. Always funny how you can be exhausted up until the point you get into bed and then suddenly you're wired and can't stop talking.. Okay, maybe that's just me. I was a little sad this morning to go and see that my car had been keyed down both sides of it. Huge white streaks and gouges in my doors are not nice sites. Argh.. makes me angry at the people who somehow think it's a funny thing to do.
Last night we got home to this sight.. haha.. The DVD playing was super loud that I could barely walk into the room.. yet all three of them were fast asleep!! So I thought I'd snap a picture for fun. :)

This morning and early afternoon Chrystal and I were feeling pretty lazy. Didn't really feel like doing anything so we kind of just hung around.. but that was nice and relaxing. My body was feeling pretty sore after riding bike yesterday for the first time in a while!! So after Chrystal left I decided to try and make my body a little bit more sore...


Last summer I went on a retreat course about Psychology and Spirituality. This is where I first introduced to the labyrinth. Most people don't really know the significance of it as I did not, and it's kind of hard to explain, but I will try a little farther down. Anyway, while taking the course, we had the chance to go walk a labyrinth up in the woods. I found it to be a really neat way of connecting with myself and with God and wanted to do it more. So, I decided I wanted to build one at home in the woods next to my house. I put it on my list of 100 things to do before I die (which I will call my Bucket List) and have not yet done it.

Today because it was so sunny, I decided to go brave the outdoors and start building it! I decided to build it with whatever I could find, which ended up being large rocks, pieces of wood, trees and pipes. So my day consisted of cutting down trees, digging up and carrying big rocks and big chunks of trees. I was out there for about five hours and it was fantastic. I was full of dirt and bugs but that added to the fun! Needless to say, after five hours, when I stopped, my body suddenly realized what I had done to it and suddenly everything hurt and I was exhausted!! A nice dip in the pool felt good but my body is still pretty sore-can't wait til I wake up tomorrow!Above is a picture of your classical labyrinth. They come in all different designs and can be found in a lot of cathedrals in Europe and in some gardens. A labyrinth is like a maze, except for the fact that there is only one path. The path ends at the center and then you must turn around and go back out. It is something that has a ton of history and has been used for hundreds of years (history that i'm not too familiar with, because i have only recently been looking into it). Anyway, it's a practice of spirituality, and it's really neat. Here's a couple of quotes from a book called "Labyrinths" (go figure on the title).

"The labyrinth is an archetypal image of life, a mirror of the soul. In the labyrinth I rediscover myself on my path through life. At birth I'm invited to enter upon this path. I'm led to turnings and challenges in order to persevere through them, equipped with an unquenchable longing for the center. I'm led to the center yet forced to turn away from it again and again in order to move ahead. I experience desolate frontiers and doubts and the recurrent feeling that this path will never get me anywhere. Nevertheless the center holds me fast; it won't let me fall out of its orbit."

"The labyrinth is a sacred tool for knowing; an image that connects us to God, the world, and ourselves. There is something of mystery in it, and at the same time a fascinating clarity and perfection. It reveals something of our mysterious being to ourselves and offers us a glimpse of the beauty and harmony of the universe in which we are cradled." -Gernot Candolini

And so continues my journey of life and my journey with the labyrinth. If anyone ever wants to come check it out, let me know!! :)

Updated Countdown:
14 days until I leave for Guatemala
10 days until Leslie visits!
9 days until exams are done!
1 more day until I'm done with Starbucks forever! (YAY!)
Be sure to swing by from 5:45am -12:15 at Mt Lehman if you want to say hello! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful evening! I'm off to make my list a little longer and to journal and then sleep before work tomorrow!! Adios!

Mexico, Mint, Movie, Mamma Mia

To answer the question in your mind, NO i am not going to mexico.. hehe.. My mom is there right now and so I have the house to myself which is kind of nice. I can have different friends over and pretend that I'm an independent responsible individual (it's nice to be able to fool myself for at least a week).

Wednesday I had my second exam. My prof originally said that if we wrote it in under an hour, we would probably fail. In my own pride, I decided I would make it my personal goal to write it as fast as possible.. and I wrote it in half an hour.. pretty sure i didn't fail, but then i thought it would be kind of funny/ironic if I really did fail.. hehe.. okay, i'm sure i wouldn't be okay with it, but whatever! :)

Yesterday was the last day of classes, so in the evening, Jocelyn came over for a hot tub and we ate a lot of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Generally I don't like ice cream, but last night I really wanted it and mint chocolate chip is the one kind I really like. It was a nice little celebration.

My cousin Desiree and I went for a bike ride today after a long break with no biking. It was great to be outside again! Then we made a video for your enjoyment of what a typical phone message is between us (except far more rowdy and creative than what's on the video..hope you enjoy it though!! we think we're pretty funny...) Then we watched The Lady and the Tramp which was fantastic! Hadn't seen it in a while, so it was good to watch again!

Tonight Chrystal and I are going for dinner in Vancouver and then to Mamma Mia! I'm pretty excited-it should be a lot of fun!!

And here's the quote for the day to give some food for thought:

"I sense that there is something very special about the transformed qualities of faith, love, and hope. This is very hard to describe, and my attempts always feel shabby; but I must try. In their truly contemplative and transformed state faith, hope, and love are tied to no particular ends; they have no object. Contemplative faith is not faith that God exists, that life is essentially good, or that this or that is true. All such things are beliefs, not faith. Faith is, instead, a way of being, completely open, empty, as John would say, of all specifics. Contemplative faith is more like a continual fire of goodness, warming and illuminating every breath. Contemplative love is completey beyond comprehension. It is not love of some things to the exclusion of others, for that would be attachment. True love is like some infinite way of being that we become part of: a flowing energy of willingness, an eternal yes resounding with every heartbeat. And contemplative hope, the transformed hope, is also completely open and free. It is not hope for peace or justice or healing; that also would be attachment. It is just hope, naked hope, a bare energy of open expectancy." -Gerald May from "The Dark Night of the Soul"

And my updated countdown:
NO more days of classes!!!
1 more shift at Starbucks!!
2 more exams!
4 more days until a getaway to Seattle!
11 days until Leslie comes (and Earth Day-woohoo)
15 days until Guatemala!! (ahhh.. crazy!)

Hope you all have a great day!! If the video doesn't show up, just click the big black empty space.. flick your mouse to the bottom left of it and the play sign should show up.. don't know why it doesn't show up on mine.. and it'll come hopefully-be sure to have your volume up to hear our lovely voices!

Facebook, Flickr, Food, Finals

I didn't have any pictures and was trying to delay studying a little longer, so I took some nice pics with my point and shoot out my bedroom window. always a lovely view of my beautiful oak tree.

This was me after having studied for a couple hours.. I was hungry and awaiting my dinner delivery.

And then it came!! Hoorah!

This is a lovely picture of some of my notes. When taking microscopic notes, I forget that they're hard to read later on.. Oh well, perhaps one day I'll learn!!

A couple weeks ago after much thought and deliberation, I decided to delete my facebook account. It was really hard to do, because it is nice to keep in touch with people and to share my photos with others... But then I realized that a) I want to have more face to face contact with people rather than online on facebook b) if people want to know about my life they can call me or email rather than stalk me anonymously on facebook c) i wasted far too much time on it and it made me take five times longer to do school assignments d) i had way too many messages to reply to and felt at times socially overwhelmed.

Since deleting it, I feel fairly free! It's amazing how much more time I seem to have and I don't spend hours waiting for people to write on my wall.. (just waiting now for them to comment on my blog.. hehe)

Anyway, since I'm unable to share my pictures on facebook anymore, I started a Flickr site. I have not had a chance to post all my photos yet, but have posted 1000 of them (and that's only from three trips! hahaha)... Anyway, the address is http://www.flickr.com/photos/24070991@N03/ Feel free to go take a look at them. I have tried to categorize them. If you see any that you really like, comment and let me know-cuz i love getting comments and feedback on my shots!! at least comment on one of them so i know you've checked them out! ;)

Today over lunch I was sitting with one of my profs and got some good tips and thoughts for grad school. More and more the idea of applying for my masters/phd does not seem so looming and scary! I have been checking out some of my research options at different universities and it looks like it should be interesting!

I have my second final tomorrow afternoon. I just started studying (and am currently further procrastinating!) but I'm not too worried. If I get 50% (which is definitely do-able), I will get 85% in the class. So it's all good! :)

Here's a quote I ran across while studying: "to know and not to do is not to know"
Makes me think of all the things that I know about but do not actually apply to my life and exhibit in my daily actions.. Do I really know those truths if I am not acting upon them? Interesting food for thought...

Updated Countdown:
18 days until Guatemala
14 days until Leslie visits
6 more days until Desiree and I go to Seattle
3 more finals
2 more days of school
1 more shift at Starbucks! (it's Sunday from 5:45am until 12:15pm so you should all come visit me at Mt. Lehman!!)

Have a great evening friends, I'm going to get back to my diligent studying...