to spite mike...

just because he thinks i never would...

25 things

1. i don't do country music. twang hurts my ears.
2. i once lost 70 pounds.
3. every plant i have ever owned has died except for the bamboo i currently have.
4. i once crashed a friend's car, although i still believe it was the other guy's fault. he's even still my friend.
5. i love onions. they hate me. passionately.
6. when i was seven i punched my brother so hard i knocked his tooth out.
7. i've had 4 surgeries, 2 iron transfusions (3 if you count the one i stopped breathing with), and countless hospital stays and tests. free healthcare is goooood.
8. i grew up thinking that they coated the power lines so birds wouldn't get shocked. thanks dad.
9. cottage cheese + mayo = goodness
10. i once had dinner with Haley Wickenheiser and Angie and i got to wear her medal.
11. i played the clarinet for 6 years and the piano for 11, now i play itunes.
12. my favorite book is Exodus by Leon Uris.
13. i used to do endurance swimming in high school and once did 3000m in one shot.
14. i broke a vertebra in my back last year. on a trampoline. and yes, i know i was 30.
15. i always hesitate to put things up on my walls because every time i do, we end up moving shortly after.
16. i don't drink coffee or caffeine in any form.
17. when Mike and Becca are gone it's a peanut butter frenzy over here.
18. i love people and i love hearing their stories.
19. i love hearing people's stories while at Starbucks...with a caramel apple spice.
20. i know sports, i watch sports, it never bothers me when sports are always on our tv.
21. i am a more energetic, happy person when the sun is out.
22. i once ran over a dead deer. with a white car...you could see the chunks and blood...shudder.
23. i love to travel and want to one day visit Europe, Israel, Africa, and paradise-like islands.
24. i once had the lead as a blue songbook in a Psalty musical at church. blue tights, people.
25. i convinced Mike that i was a carnie. that's still good for a laugh!

and as an added bonus, this video is just plain awesome.

randomocity

some of the things going on in life right now:

• Aidan and I are on 3 medications to hopefully stop the continuous hacking up of lungs
• it's supposed to snow...lots...is it wrong to want it to snow so much school is closed?
• Mike went to a meeting in my place due to the aforementioned lung hacking up of and he is great; secretly I think he just wanted to go!
• I can't seem to use the word blessing or blessed without being very sarcastic
• I got to talk to one of my closest friends last weekend and I am thankful for people who really know you and still love you anyways
• if I could afford a Starbucks caramel apple cider everyday I would do it
• wouldn't it be nice if you could be your perfect weight and still eat whatever you want?
• I love that my munchkins still snuggle into me every morning...and I love their squishy puffy cheeks
• I finished my math course and I did well. really well. I'm not meaning to brag, it's just that I'm proud of myself. My last math mark was a 67% in grade 12.
• we introduced my parents to Wii last Sunday and that. was. funny. especially boxing.
• I may sleep/read a lot today to be healthy enough to help baptize one of our youth tomorrow; I love that our church and Mike let me be a part of it
• we'd love to go to Maui for our 10th anniversary in August...alright at this point, anywhere but camping in the backyard would be nice, but I dream of Maui

identity

I found this little quiz and I was curious...

What's your theological worldview?
You scored as an Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan

Emergent/Postmodern 79%
Charismatic/Pentecostal 79%
Neo-orthodox 50%
Classical Liberal 43%
Fundamentalist 25%
Modern Liberal 25%
Reformed Evangelical 18%
Roman Catholic 14%

Apparently I have a hidden bit of fundamental in me...as long as I don't go all Jesus Camp I think I'll be alright.

transformation

Something I've been wrestling with lately is transformation...what God changing our lives actually looks like. In real life, what does transformation show up as? I know that I have changed because God has made me more like him...I have a really long way to go, but I can see small changes in my thinking and speaking and acting. Some people have incredible changes in them when they meet God. Maybe it's because I'm cynical, but I often wonder if the majority of us sitting in the pews really experience change and true sanctification or if we become so good at Christian image management that we look and think as though we don't need change. Do we actually let God in and let him do amazing uncomfortable, new, dramatic things? I hope that I allow God to reach in and grab hold of my heart, mind, life and that I am transformed. I hope that when people see me they see Jesus...my question to all of you is, what does transformation look like in your life? Do you see God changing you?

late copycat

Alright, since everyone has already done this a bajillion times and I am behind...here are my goals for '08. Not resolutions...those are clearly just meant to be broken.

1. Restrain my mouth more...as in the things coming out of it. Less complaining, frustration over the little things, and sometimes a little less wordiness period. Mike is laughing now. I want to be more joyful and listen a lot better.

2. Tighten the wallet...I'm working towards doing full time school, it's our 10th anniversary, and we need a car all in the somewhat near future and those things are not currently possible. So, wherever I can say no and sacrifice I'm gonna do my best.

3. Meet my 2004 goal...like I said above, I'm behind...and speaking of behind, I lost 70 pounds in '03 and while I have enjoyed not being the large (ok, very large...trust me the pictures are not so pretty) woman that I was, I would really like to make that last little bit and be healthy for a long time.

4. Balance everything...well, at least my life as much as I can. I seem to go like crazy until I drop and then I usually end up sick or exhausted and I should probably grow up and take better care of myself. After all, I am..umm...yeah, 30. And maybe if I figure it out I can have more fun time! woohoo!

5. Beat Mike...in book reading at least. He seems to think lately that he owns the book reading volume in our house and that just can't continue. He wants to read 26, so I shall say 28. Ha!

God is good

So this is one of those weeks where everything that seems like it can go wrong does, the normal tasks of life feel overwhelming, the big picture stuff doesn't seem to fit what you think it should be, and all you want to do is run away to Maui. permanently. Then God shows up in a friend's loving gesture and while it doesn't change things, it reminds you that he is there. And sometimes that's enough to keep on going. At least it was for me today...

mini-rant

Ok, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize? Seriously?!?!?! Setting aside the many issues I have with his movie and the way his lifestyle does not seem to match points made in said movie, what on earth has he done to promote or foster peace? Being famous for talking about climate change, and that being a hobby horse since losing the election in 2000, does not in my mind a peace prize winner make! Are we now going to give the peace prize to whoever makes the best documentary? Or to someone who talks a lot but isn't really causing any changes? Isn't there someone who is truly working with people to bring about peace in war-torn countries? Or someone who has their hands and life invested in both people and peacemaking in the world? I just wonder...

And if he ends up using this to propel him into the 2008 presidency...oooooh...!