My greatest weakness is landscaping!

Sunday Youtube video for everyone. This is Tim Hawkins, Christian Comedian.



Funny story: when we were in RA/HA training for this year, we took a night and did a Hamilton service trip with Houston Street, and we wrapped up the night with a prayer for all the RAs and HAs. The pastor prayed for a 'hedge of protection' over Redeemer, and I definitely started laughing in the middle of the prayer. Thank you, Tim Hawkins.

Word of the Day: Tudor

Quote of the Day: "Use your road rage if you have to!" Tim Hawkins

Decade Dance, First Years and A Bucket List

"Seventy-Seven Things is a yearlong bucket-list. For those who play along, I promise no cosmic kick-backs or special blessings... but you might become a happier person with a little less stress. It's about being silly, accomplishing dreams, making new memories and ruffling your own feathers a bit."

Several of my friends had posted this little blurb on Facebook. I think it is cool. A bucket list of sorts for a year. Not only that, but it could make for a very interesting year of blogging. So, I'm going to up the requirements for this challenge. Not only do I need to complete everything on this list, but I need to blog about it, with pictures (preferably). This should get my creative juices flowing. Who knows, I might even get some good ideas for Editorials. 

1. Watch all three Back To The Future movies in one sitting (pee breaks allowed).

2. Read the Dirk Bently Omnibus by Douglas Adams

3. Get my full Driver's License (finally).

4. Apply to work in another country.

5. Play The Game of Life with my little sister. The right way, with Junior Monopoly peices and 18 different cars.

6. Memorize a poem, at least 12 lines long.

7. Create Calvin and Hobbes style snowmen.

8. Play poohsticks.

9. Have date-night each month with Cousin Kristin.

10. Read all of Paradise Lost by John Milton

11. Send an encouragement letter to someone I don't know.

12. Pull an all-nighter (even if it's homework related).

13. Bake oreo-peanut butter brownies and give all of them away.

14. See my best friend from childhood.

15. Prank another dorm.

16. Do a photoshoot with Laura D. 

17. Love someone I've never been able to connect with.

18. Paint my nails a different colour each week (52 different colours in all). 

19. Finish writing that story I started 2 years ago.

20. See downtown Hamilton in the wintertime, before Christmas.

21. Visit Mr. Steffler, my grade 12 English teacher, and thank him for teaching me.

22. Pray with a complete stranger.

23. Make a quilt.

24. Bake each first year dorm something yummy. 

25. Visit Brock one weekend and give my sister a big hug.

26. Learn a magic trick.

27. Read all the books Natalie Campbell suggests to me.

28. Spend a month replying (in written form) in poetry.
29. Find "Erkle-O's" and eat a bowl (major bonus points for this one). 
30. Buy something from Avon.
31. Learn to play "Never Underestimate my Jesus" on guitar.
32. Grow a flower from a seed.
33. Dry fall leaves in books.
34. Cook something new each month. 
35. Go for a walk in the first snow of the season.
36. Die my hair.
37. Spend a Saturday in Toronto doing nothing of any importance.
38. Keep a prayer journal.
39. Run.
40. Make a gingerbread house with my girls.
41. Climb a tall tree.
42. Go sledding.
43. Sleep under the stars.
44. Go fishing.
45. Go to the Irish Pub. Take Keeley. 
46. Take Laura D. out for her 19th birthday (as specified in brownie-making afternoon on Oct 2, 2011).
47. Climb the Dome (or let Colin, Derek and Craig do it). 
48. Sleep in a hammock.
49. Go puddlejumping in my rainboots.
50. Make a very elaborate cake.
51. Create a home-made kite.
52. Fly it. 
53. Go to Strathroy's Turkey Festival.
54. Make a Jack-O-Lantern.
55. Read the entire Bible.
56.  Make Christmas cookies not around Christmas.
57. Do a crazy Hamilton bus trip tour using my student card. 
58. Learn to juggle.
59. Read every Charles Dickens novel (except Tale of Two Cities since I've read that already).
60. Sit on a statue.
61. Watch a sunrise with a friend.
62. Donate 30 items of clothing.
63. Make a list (progressively) of 1000 Gratitudes.
64. Incorporate a new word into my vocabulary.
65. Graduate with my (hard-earned) B.A.
66. Play cards with Uncle Joe at Christmas (like old times).
67. See Melissa Greenfield. Some way, some how.
68. Go skating on an outdoor pond with Maria.
69. Go somewhere interesting during Reading Break, even if it is just for a couple hours.
70. Trip to Niagara Falls, just because I think this should be done at least once a year.
71. Have a garage sale.
72. Knit/crochet an afghan.
73. On the topic of knitting, learn how to make Grandma slippers.
74. Make jam.
75. Become an organ donor.
76. Road-trip with Becky Kinsman (to nowhere in particular).
77. Do a handstand. 


Word of the Day: Brilliant


Quote of the Day: "It's not a health kick, it's more like a add a few more years onto my life kinda thing...uh...kick." Amanda

Amanda and I in our second year RAing. I am so thankful for her.

Our dorm. Beautiful girls.

Mid-Summer Miss You's

I miss this girl.

Word of the Day: Frazzle

Quote of the Day: Stephanie: "This shirt makes me look pregnant!" Me: "What HAVE you and Zack been doing?!"

Sadie Hawkins Dance

As a jump start to a semester (and to provide a fun celebration of the return of the schoolyear) Amanda's RA group decided to host a Sadie Hawkins Dance. A Sadie Hawkins Dance is one of those old school dances where the girls ask the guys. This particular dance was also Semi-Formal. I've included a few photos.

 My good friend Jer was my date!

 My lovely dorm! (Left to right: Becca, Emily, Meghan, Me, Meredeth, Christine. Front: Amanda, Jenny)

I wore Erica's dress that she left behind when she went to France. She told me it would come in handy for something! :D

My girls are just beautiful. We started dance preparations (something which Meghan refers to as the 'boyfriend routine') around 3pm. This was the nail polish part of the prep process. We sat sprawled out on the living room floor with bottles of nail polish. Mine are now painted a rather bright blue. In fact, I have a cardigan that is nearly the same colour. 

This was followed by the modelling period of the day, where all the girls tried to decided what dresses to wear... all the girls except for Meredeth, who was still quite determined that she was not going to come. That changed at about 6:30pm. But I'll get there.

4pm marked makeup time. Emily did all of our makeup. Our eyes looked incredible! She received a really amazing set of eyeshadows and blush and toner. She had every colour you can imagine, and she did an awesome job! I wish we had taken photos of everyone's eyes up close, because she matched colours to dresses and skin tone.. awesome. 

At the end of the make-up time, we finally coaxed Meredeth into coming. Meghan straightened Becca's hair, my hair and Emily's hair. I did my own hair, twisting it into this cute knot thing. I did Mer's hair at about 7:15pm. After everyone had decided what shoes to wear (Christine came out with two different shoes on, trying to decide which ones she liked better), Becca decided she was going to wear one of my dresses, Mer also decided she was going to wear one of my dresses, and I decided I was going to wear Erica's dress. 

At 7:45 (Dance started at 8) the boys showed up. Here are some snapshots! 

 Josh and Meghan

 Chad and Amanda

(Left to Right) Emily, Mer, Mitch, Andrew, Christine, and Becca

Everyone had a great time. Meredeth was the last one to come home. She enjoyed it more than she thought she would.

Today was spent nursing sore feet and watching Big Bang Theory in the afternoon.

Word of the Day: Bazinga

Quote of the Day: "It's okay, you can always come in for the last Bang!" Meredeth

A New Year and Shakespeare

Well, it [the title] almost rhymes.

In my cyberspace travels, I came across a nice little questionnaire about the past year. I figured that since I have always, in some form or another, recounted the past year in written form, a questionnaire would be a sufficient manner in which to do this. I mean, it's no heartfelt diary entry (see former self and many old diaries), but it'll do.

So, I present, 2010 in review.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
This past year has been filled with many blessings, many trials, many good books. The best thing that has happened? Oh goodness, this is a tough one. I think that the single best thing is a part of a greater best thing. The greater best thing is Redeemer University College, and the life I have made there. The single best thing would be my wonderful group of first year girls and the relationships I have been able to build with them, and the things they have taught me about Christ's love and what it means to be a servant and a leader. 


2. What is the single most challenging thing that has happened this past year?
The single most challenging thing that happened this year was, with no exceptions, working at Redeemer over the summer. It was a terrible job, for horrible pay. In reality, the only good thing about the job was that it taught me that I never want to get into the hotel/service industry. Bleh. It took a lot of self-convincing to get myself up every morning to go to a job which I absolutely despised. And I mean despised. It was a decision I resent, but it was an experience. It is, after all, through challenging experiences that we grow and change. I learned that I hated making beds. 


3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Getting to know Jon MacDonald. One of my favourite things about the terrible job were those times when I didn't work, but spent time at Jon's, eating pizza, and watching anything from Galaxy Quest to the Police Academy series. He even taught me how to play Guitar Hero. Now, I sucked, but at least now I know! 


4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
Moving four times in four months was a little annoying. But that wasn't really unexpected...


5. Pick 3 words to describe 2010.
Growth. Laughter. God-breathed.


6. What were the best books you read this past year?
I really enjoyed FINALLY reading all of the Hitchhiker's series. But my favourite books were The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, and A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence. The best, creatively speaking, was The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde. The best, politically and socially speaking, would be Beatrice and Virgil. 


7. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
My roommate, Amanda. Joel, Maria, Emily. And the beautiful girls I have had the opportunity to live with in the past year - including Kait, Keeley, Lauren and Yana. These girls are the best. Also, one of my most valuable relationships this year has been with Jer. He is one of my best friends at Redeemer, and he and I have been through a lot together. We have grown together, and I am incredibly grateful for the support system and brother I have in him.


8. What was the single-biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Uh, Facebook. That's a no brainer. However, I also worked through the entire series of Gilmore Girls this past summer. That was a huge waste of time.


9. What was the best way in which you used your time this past year?
Learning to pray and spending time in prayer. I have always struggled with prayer in my relationship with God. I think I struggle with it because prayer is a conversation, and, in many ways, a recognized dependence. I don't like not being in control [thankfully, that means I am human]. One of the girls I live with, Meredeth (see the side for her blog), started a Wednesday morning prayer group. Getting up at 7am for prayer, mid-week, has been, hands down, one of the best ways I have spent time in the past year. 


10. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?
I learned to read Shakespeare properly, which I must say, is a very exciting accomplishment. I learned time management. I learned how to be a good student, not just a student, after I realized that God called me to be a student (for now), and so He demands my all. That was a pretty cool thing to learn. 


So, what are my goals for 2011?

I would like to be able to finally finish reading Henry James' Portrait of a Lady.
I hope to lead, by the grace of God, a missions team to Juarez, Mexico, in February 2011.
I hope to open myself up to what God is teaching me, and follow Him.

And, to finish this post off, something funny to watch for the New Year. Tonight, Mom, Dad and I were watching The Cosby Show, where Theo and Cockroach had been studying Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This was their rendition:



Pretty funny, eh?!

I suppose that if Shakespeare was taught like this, students might actually enjoy his work.

Happy 2011!

Word of the Day: celebrate

Quote of the Day: Girl from The Waltons: "You left Floyd and Me." [Baby cries]. Me: "Poor kid, he just realized that his name is Floyd."

Life in Dorm 17

The following are a collection of photographs from the last 3 weeks. (I did promise they would come!)

Frog Olympics. Black Team came in 2nd Place!

Niagara Falls. Six of Eight sitting on the really big chair.

Beth and I thought we were pretty cool, being all Royal Mountie and Moose-like.

The next two photographs were done by Maryanne Farrow. She is a Redeemer Alumnist and good friends with Amanda. Paired with fun outfits and sunshine, they turned out quite lovely.

These girls are wonderful, beautiful; created in the image of God.

Word of the Day: apparition

Quote of the Day: Today's quote is the sound of the raindrops, finally.

The Beginning and the Looming Sleep Cloud

Remember how I complained that I was bored?

Remember when I said that I was looking forward to my brain having something useful to think about?

Well, school started.

Last week was RA/HA training. This is one of the most intense weeks of the year. It is when all the RAs and HAs get fed with mountains of information on how to save lives, invest in the dorm spiritually, use a fire extinguisher, and deal with any up and coming problems that may arise during the year. Its all fine and dandy, until you are so overwhelmed by seeing all your friends that you have missed so much over the course of the summer, that it cuts so far into your hours of sleep that you suffer near exhaustion by the end of the week.

And then you move the girls in and realize that you have become old and incapable of keeping up with 18 year olds and their fast paced, witty, conversations.

And then you start with the classes, and the homework starts to pile on. And then you realize that there is no way to have sleep come back to you, even though you wish for it so dearly, and it hangs above you like a looming storm cloud that only wants to lightening but never rain.

Okay, its a bit of an exaggeration.

But seriously, I have done over 40 pages of reading this morning, and I have another 300 pages to do before tonight is over.

The semester begins.

OH! The final Marineland commerical count was 95.

Word of the Day: Cabbage

Quote of the Day: "My initials are MVP...I think that pretty much makes me awesome!" Meghan VanPelt

Yesterdays and Tomorrows

This summer, I worked the worst job I may ever have.

Housekeeping at Redeemer is no picnic. I have experienced one of the darkest sides of the school, and it is a side which I never hope to see the likes of again. If it has been nothing else, this summer has been a learning experience. It has been a summer of firsts.

First time paying rent.

First time paying utilties.

First time (in about 6 years) going to the Canada Day fireworks.

First time working a Sunday.

First time legitimately living on my own.

First time being angry at Redeemer.

First time letting boys sleep in the basement.

First time sending a package through the post office.

First time doing MY OWN groceries.

First time hating a job.

Ranting about Redeemer's Campus Services and the awful experiences I have had with the administrative side of the school could be worth a blog post - it could also be worth a Crown article. This entry will, however, be more of a reflection on my summer; a summer I didn't do a great job of documenting.

I have learned a lot this summer. I have learned that I do not like working behind the scenes. I like to be in charge, and I tend to be vocal when I don't agree with my supervisor's actions (ie. we work hard, and the supervisor watches shows on the computer...last time I checked, being a manager doesn't give you the trip to work less, but harder...) I have come to measure my own sanity in the number of dorms I can clean, or the days I can go without doing dishes...

I have also been preparing for one of the most incredible experiences of my life - to be a Residence Advisor for six first year girls. I have been praying for them, and preparing myself for the responsibility, and getting excited about everything that is to come. I have stressed about a disagreement between myself and my Co-RA, and also been completely thrilled when her and I have agreed on basically all the big stuff. I am learning to step back and not be in complete control...and to take one day at a time.

This summer has been busy. It has been full of fun times and frustrating ones. It involved movie nights and pizza, girls nights with Kait, a trip to Webster's Falls, a hypothetical trip to the Toronto Zoo, many hours vacuuming, scrubbing showers, making beds. It has been a summer of weddings, professions of faith, baptisms, and Friends.

One of my favourite things to do this summer was to walk to church on Sunday morning in the sunshine, with my shoes off, down the sidewalk. I loved coming into the church which was lit by the sun, and letting the entire week fall at the door. I loved worshipping, listening, learning. God has been good.

This summer has brought some goodbyes, some hellos, and some see you laters. I said goodbye to one of my best friends at Redeemer as he travels to Halifax to do his Masters at Dalhousie. I said hello to all the girls I worked with this summer. And the see you laters, I hope, are for all the people whom have become such a vital part of my life this summer, but will probably never see me once essay season starts...

The upcoming year is going to be a challenging one. It will stretch every part of me. The girls will teach me, and I will teach them. My classes will challenge me, and the Crown will knock off any remaining energy I have. I will be sleep deprived, I will be crazy, and I will be hanging on by my faith in God.

So, yesterdays lead in to tomorrows.

A change of seasons.

MCC: 91

Word of the Day: Initiation

Quote of the Day: "It's the leaning tower of Cheese-a!" Emily Williams

The RA Extravaganza

Amanda and I sent out the letters to our girls this week. We worked really hard to make everything right, and then we each picked a photo and I put them into a collage to send along with the package. Amanda mailed them out today, and voila! our girls will get the letters they have been waiting for since they first applied.

I remember those days. I remember waiting in the summer for the day when my RA letter came. I was so excited to find out who the girls in my dorm were, and what dorm I would be living in, and who my RAs would be (probably in that order..) I still have my letter from my RAs.

It's a little nerve-racking too. I mean, parents are trusting US with THEIR daughters for EIGHT MONTHS! Its crazy to think that just two years ago, I was one of those first years. And my parents were the ones trusting Steph and Lorie. I was trusting Steph and Lorie.

I know God will look after us this year. I know that Amanda and I will be tried, and tested, and probably have days when we just don't want to do it anymore. But I also firmly believe that God is blessing the dorm, and He will bless it. He is in the business, after all.

MCC: 25

Word of the Day: Pizza

Quote of the Day: "You know, having your shoes off is very un-hygienic." Random lady at the school, talking to me, after she noticed that I didn't have my shoes on.