the oh so distant shore

Ahh, the infamous Floating Homer analogy. sorry to copy you marce, but it kind of summed up my feelings right now. sometimes i feel like i'm on that floating homer in the middle of the lake and i look at the shore and think to myself, 'i know i should be there, but it's too much work to paddle back.' i think we all go through stages like that. it just sucks when you're there.

right now i feel kind of sick. maybe it was something i ate. who knows, who cares.

i went to the German Club on tuesday for a movie night. (sounds geeky, i know). The movie had no english subtitles and it was pretty sketchy. if you're ever in Germany and someone wants you to see Der Bewegte Mann, say no....or should i say "nein". It was cool to see a movie in a different language and sort of be able to follow what was going on, though. oh german....what would i do without you?

a bunch of nothing

I have such a hankerin' to watch Anne of Green Gables today. I haven't done that in a long time. I think I might be watching Bourne Identity instead. Not exactly along the same lines....but a good substitute!!

Sorry to sound lame and like a grandmother, but the weather is really nice outside! It's days like this that make me forget why I dread winter so much. I think to myself, winter isn't so bad after all. Isn't it weird how tough we act around people that aren't from here. When it's 30 below, we just laugh at them and say it'll get worse, just wait till it hits -50 with the windchill. But really, inside, we are just as cold as them. I think it's our pride.

I was considering just continuing to write about nothing, but I decided that you have much better things to do with your time than to read my goings on about nothing, so I'll spare you.

What's there to tell?

Last night was super fun. I went skating at the Forks with Marce, Keny, and Cherise. I'd had never skated there before. I was a little disappointed at the ice quality, but the company made up for it. Oh yeah, and Holly, we saw someone there, but if you've read Marcia's journal, you already know about that. Me and Marce almost died laughing. It was humorous.

The other day Keny and Kyla and Tanya and I went out for coffee. I realized how much I miss just doing social things. I never do anything anymore, except when I go home on the weekends. I don't know why. oh well, hopefully more socializing is to come in the next few months.

Well, I should go and pack up for another fun filled weekend at one of the places I call home.

it's the little surprises that make my day

don't you love it when someone that you have a connection with (for example, if you know a person that they know), but you don't really know them yourself, says hi. Or at least acknowledges the fact that they know that you have a connection. It really saves the whole awkward phase of 'should i say hi? or should i just smile? maybe a nod and a smile...' Yeah that happened to me today and it made my day.

I also talked to this lady from China the other day. She was the funniest person ever! She told me about how she was running to the bus through a snow bank that was up to her knees and she lost her shoes in the snow bank. Don't worry, I acted sympathetic towards her as she told me the story. Later on, I laughed like crazy!!! I'm not cruel, I'm just a person of mental pictures, and i think that story gives some pretty funny mental pictures!!!

Well, off to sleep I go.

two more times and i'll be a spinster

Let me tell you about the wedding I went to this weekend. This is a really good story. (Cherise, just to warn you in advance, I will not be exaggerating at all. This is all true!). There are many things to be said about this weekend, but I will tell this story from my perspective, since the other girls will probably tell this story as well. So, here goes...Kendra, Melissa, Marce, Robyn, Rae and I all hopped into one car and drove to Saskatchewan for Joanna and Tony's wedding. When we were there, I was talking to Joanna and Linda came up to Jo and said, "Have you asked her yet?" And Jo said, "No." then she turned to me and said, "I have a question for you. Would you like to be my witness and sign the register for me?" I was so flabbergasted and shocked, I didn't know what to say. But once I caught my breath, I agreed to do it. Now let me explain a little, in talking to Joanna before the wedding, she told me that she wasn't going to have any attendants, and that they were just going to ask some people to be their witnesses. I was under the impression that they weren't even going to have the signing of the register as a part of the ceremony. It would just happen after the ceremony. So let's fast forward to the dress rehearsal. The pastor who was officiating the ceremony said, "So who's the maid of honor?" and he looked down at his paper with the order of service, and says, "Lori?" At that point I was thinking, "what??? I'm the maid of honor??" It hadn't hit me yet. Then he says, "OK, Lori and Joanna, you have to start outside of the sanctuary, and practice walking in." At that point I realized that I was actually supposed to stand up there the whole time. You may think that I was slow in catching on to what was going on, but really, I was in such shock that I wasn't really thinking properly. Joanna then turned to me and said, "I'm so sorry for putting you on the spot like this. I had no idea that he was going to make you walk in and stand in the front." (see, at least I wasn't the only one who was surprised at that.) Later on in the evening, Rachel came up to me and said, "I have a dress that I wore a couple of years ago as a bridesmaid at my friends wedding. It would match Joanna's colors, and it would probably fit you. Do you want to try it on?" So, I tried on the dress. It was a little too big on top, but Jo's mom pinned it for me and I wore it. I had to borrow Melissa's tights and Marcia's shoes so I could be matching. Then Kendra offered to do my hair. Which I was sooooo grateful for, cuz you know me and hair....I'm lucky if it gets combed, never mind done all fancy. So, yeah, the wedding came and I was the maid of honor and I did the fun job of straightening out her train during the service and handing out Kleenex to Jo and holding her bouquet when she couldn't and making sure she didn't fall off of the stool she sat on to sing Tony a song. Wow, there is so much more that I could write, but I think then I'd be here all night. To make it short (if that's even possible by now...) I learned alot this weekend. I learned that we all have gifts to use, we just need to be willing and open to use them. I learned so many others things that I just can't put into words right now. maybe another time. So, that was my weekend. Very unexpected but it was an unforgettable experience. Thanks to the 'ladies fellowship' for making the weekend really fun! have a great week!
PS "Don't worry, it's not a disease!"

something i read

here's a quote from the book, "the story we find ourselves in" by Brian D. McLaren.

"This is the story we find ourselves in, isn't it? Caught between two dangers: a hyper-spiritual danger that says, 'It is good enough for human beings to be alone, so all they need is God,' and a hypersecular danger that says, 'It is enough for human beings to be with the other created beings; forget about the Supreme Being from whom all being and blessing flow.' Neither of those options is good enough. The only viable option in our story is for us human beings to enjoy the company both of our Creator and of our fellow creatures..."

I thought that it was thought provoking. God has given us the wonderful gift of relationships! Thank you God for all my friends!

Go Vikings!!!!!!!

Wow! what a game! Those Vikings definitely outplayed the Packers. What a sweet win! They may have lost to the Packers during the season, but they pulled out a win when it really counted!! (Does that sound familiar Marce????? Hee hee!!!)

There are so many things mulling in my brain right now. I had such a thought provoking/stimulating conversation tonight. I just don't know where to start explaining what's all going through my brain.

Have you ever had the experience when it finally hits you that you're not a kid anymore. I still think of myself as a 'young' teenager, but I realized that other people don't see me as that anymore, so I need to start acting like I'm an adult....or something. I was at my cousin's engagement party this weekend, and I didn't know half of the people there. I just wanted to pretend like I was invisible and not talk to anyone. But I decided that I was a grown up and I should be able to carry on conversations with strangers all by myself. That was probably one of the hardest things that I've made myself do, and even though it was a little awkward, I was very blessed by the people that I met. I realized that I do like meeting new people...once it's over with. The thing I hate about it, is actually forcing myself to do it. I guess it's probably like that for everyone. Well, it's off to bed I go.

Napoleon Dynamite

Best Pick-up Line ever:
"I see you're drinking 1% milk. Is that cuz you think you're fat?....Cuz you're not. You could drink whole milk if you wanted to." (that's a quote from the movie 'Napoleon Dynamite' for those of you who haven't seen it.) Wow, what a movie. There's no words...

So, today was the first week (or rather, half-week) back at school. Definately some interesting experiences. Mostly interesting professors. I'm scared cuz I have a paper due next week and I haven't written a paper in almost a year. I forget how. I hate writting papers...what am I doing here???? No, really, it'll be Ok. I just need to psych myself up for it. Well, I guess I should clean my room. I need to unpack so that I can pack to go home for the weekend! I guess that didn't really make sense. That's OK, it doesn't need to.

Go Canada!

Yeah for Canada winning GOLD!!! I was super excited. Well, the first 4 goals were exciting, then it got kind of boring. It wasn't really a question of WHO would win, more like, by how MUCH Canada would win by. Oh well, That's always good too!

I feel like I should write a reflection of the year that just came to a close, or at least some goals I have for this new year....but I haven't really given either much thought. I've realized that about myself lately. I go through life and live in the moment and learn things in the moment. Once they're over, I forget about them. I don't usually go back and reflect on the things I have learned or experienced. This is bad because sometimes I have to be taught the same thing over and over again. It's like I experience something, and I leave as an unchanged person. I should want to be changed, or at least affected by my past, shouldn't I?....Well, so much for not reflecting. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and all the best in this New Year!

'Oh the weather outside is frightful'

I'M DONE MY EXAMS!!

I really needed to get that out! So, I had my Anatomy exam this morning....sure will be surprised if I pass it. I need to pass it, but I did horrible on it! Oh well, I can't change that now. Now, I need to start thinking about Christmas shopping. I was watching the news and John Sauder was giving the 5-day weather forecast and he said something about this Saturday being Christmas. I sat there feeling quite shocked. I knew Christmas was soon, but I didn't realize that it was this week! Wow! It really snuck up on me! Thanks John Sauder for giving me the wake up call that I needed to start my shopping! Now all I need to do is decide what I want to buy for people....That's a tough one.

Today I waited for the bus and I almost froze solid...(Yeah I know I'm a wimp) I even wore 2 pairs of pants so that I would stay warm. But, you know, If I had been doing something active...like hockey...it wouldn't have been so bad. Speaking of Hockey.......We need to gather the GHL-er's and start our third annual season! Maybe even recruit some new players!

Have a Merry Christmas, ya'll!

Christmas is almost here....I can smell it!

"It's none of your business who does and does not go to hell. It is your business to be warned by it and to run, not walk, in the opposite direction! It is your business to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love your neighbor as yourself, to have confidence in Jesus Christ and live as Jesus Christ lived. Let the imagery of hell remind you that life is serious business, that there are real consequences to how we live and believe, that justice and injustice ultimately matter more than most of what people worry about. Now stop speculating about hell and start living for heaven!" (taken from 'A New Kind of Christian' by Brian D. McLaren)

I read that last night and I stopped in my tracks. Often we get so caught up in defining the "line" that separates a Christian from a non-Christian, that we lose sight about what salvation really is. It's not about a "line" at all. It's a process, a way of life; living how Jesus lived. He's not saying we shouldn't be concerned about the non-believers around us. I think the point he is trying to make is that instead of sitting around and debating the theology of salvation, we need to go out and live it. THAT is the most effective way of witnessing! I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the idea.

Today our neighbors (here in the city), whom I've never met before, came over and brought us a Christmas card and some cookies! It was so cool! In the card they wrote a scripture verse and everything! I was so excited! (One: because we got cookies! and Two: because they put a Bible verse in the card! What are the chances!) It was funny because in the spot where people usually put "To:...." they wrote, "Sorry, I don't know your names"! It was cute!

I only have one exam left!! I'm so excited to be ALMOST done. It was so hard to be home this last weekend with everyone else coming home and being finished. I just wanted to spend time with everyone, all the time, but I really needed to study. Speaking of studying, I think I need to do a little more before I call it a night.

Only 5 days until Christmas!
(And I've only bought one present so far! Hopefully I'll get it all done!)

a short one

well, I've been home since friday evening and have a I studied at ALL? NO! I was going to yesterday, but then I realized that all my notes from before the midterm were still in Winnipeg. That would have been fine if my final wasn't cumulative. But since it is..... Thanks to Kendra who so kindly agreed to bring it home with her this evening. Well, I just got a call from my sister. I'm going to go over there now and babysit the kids! Yeah for more procrastination!

Watch out for that...(squeal)...bus!

Yesterday as I was riding on the bus, a pedestrian ran out in front of the bus and almost got hit! The bus driver had to quickly put on the brakes. Everyone on the bus started talking disgustedly about 'stupid pedestrians', and I had to hold in my laughter. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that getting hit by a bus is funny. I just got flash-backs in my head from that movie...What's it called again? Mean Girls. I think that's the one where that girl gets hit by a bus. OK, so I have a twisted sense of humor. I already knew that.

Today was my last day of classes. In German class, we sang German (no kidding) Christmas songs!!! We sang Stille Nacht, and O Tannenbaum. I wanted to request 'Horch die Engelchöre singen' (or whatever that one is called! I hope we sing that one in church this year!) It was cool because my Prof gave us all tea lights and we lit them and turned off all the lights and then we sang the Christmas songs. It was beautiful! I love singing Christmas songs!

"Do you celebrate Christmas?"

Today was the first time in my life that someone has actually asked me that question. I was so shocked. It's one of those things that you don't expect, especially if you've grown up in a predominantly "Christian" town/city. I talked to someone today that doesn't celebrate Christmas. He is Hindu so he had a celebration in November (I think it was Diwali or something). I was so fascinated by that.

I had another interesting conversation with a friend of mine today. We got on the topic of Christianity today. I realized that he had a very twisted view of what Christianity was. I didn't know what to say, or if I should say something. I was at a loss for words. He said that he hadn't been to church for 5 years, but that he was still a Christian. Then he went on to talk about how people that go to church are so bound by rules and so on. It sounded like he hadn't had a very good experience with the Church. That made me sad. It's sad when the thing that is supposed to show Jesus to the world is corrupted and drives people away from God. I feel bad because I didn't say anything to him. For all I know he now thinks that I agree with him. I hope not. Maybe this topic will come up again. Who knows.

Well, I'd better do some studying today if I want to pass. All the best to all of you who are busy with exams right now. Just think, it will soon be all over!!
Only 19 Days till Christmas!!

the hardest thing

This weekend I did one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. For over a month now, I knew that I had to confront a friend of mine about a certain issue. I don't remember ever in my whole life having to confront someone. (I remember times when I needed to confront people, but I was too scared and I chickened out. I'm the type of person who runs away from conflicts or pretend they aren't there.) So, after a month of struggling with this, I finally did it. It wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. I just hope I didn't wait too long to finally say something. You know, I thought I would feel like a jerk for saying something, but I don't. It's actually quite freeing! I'm sure more issues will come up yet because of this, but hopefully I'll be able to deal with them as they arise. Thanks for those of you who have encouraged me (but did not force me) to do the right thing. I think I knew all along what I was supposed to do, but I had to come to that point on my own where I was finally ready to go through with it.

Did you know that there is only 20 days left until Christmas!!! (and I still haven't started my shopping!) Oh well, Christmas isn't all about gifts anyway. It's about Jesus! What a wonderful season of hope and joy it is! Thank you God for your Son!

I was thinking...

Today I was so blessed by this elderly woman who I met at the bus stop. She was the sweetest lady ever. She started talking and she told me about her family and her life. She really made me smile. It made me think about how many times I see strangers at school or at the bus stop and I just stand by them as if they don't even exist. This lady made me feel like a person. She acted interested in my life and was willing to share about her's. Since when has it become OK to treat other people as if they aren't there, even if they are strangers. Shouldn't we try to brighten other people's lives up in any way we can? A person can't contribute to society by staying away from people. It just doesn't work that way. I guess I just feel like a failure in that department. I definately do NOT go out of my way to meet people or talk to them. Maybe I need to change that.

Today I was watching Oprah, (big surprise) and the show was about the oppression of females in China. They showed American couples adopting Chinese girls that had been abandoned because they were female. That made my heart break. Someday I'd love to adopt some children who need a second chance at life. I think that would be an incredible experience.

Well, that's enough thinking for tonight. I need to get some shut-eye.

What a weekend!

My trip to Saskatchewan was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. First of all, God answered my prayers for good driving conditions. The roads were amazingly clear! Thank-you Jesus! Then, I had an amazing time catching up with Melissa! I hadn't really talked to her since September. That's pretty sad, I know. During the trip, I felt like we had never been closer in our lives. It was like we ended up where we left off, and yet our time apart had made us even closer. (I know that sounds a little weird and twisted, but that's the way it was.) Then, visiting Joanna was really good! (Oh, by the way, Holly, I brought her snowboard and boots back for you. I hope that that was still the plan.) We spent one evening with Joanna and Tony. We played Clue and Who Wants to be a millionaire. It was super fun. I was scared that I wouldn't like Tony. But I did. I think that he is a really good guy and that him and Joanna are well suited for each other. I don't know how much you can conclude from one evening with a person, but what I saw, I thought they were good together. I guess a lot of prayers were answered for me this weekend. Thank-you God!

On to another topic that is on my mind...I'm quite annoyed right now. It's not really a big deal, but you know when little things happen over and over again, it's just too much. In the past month 4 people have, in 4 separate occasions, either tried to set me up with a guy or just talked about setting me up with a guy that they knew. Don't people think I could get a boyfriend by myself if I really wanted one? Why does everyone keep meddling in my business? I know, it's intended to be humorous. I thought it was humorous at first too. After a while it gets old. So that's my rant for the day.

I hope your day is filled with wonderful things like, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens!"

Snow

How about the weather, eh? The day after I wrote on my prayer wall for it not to snow until next week, it snowed. I guess God knows best. Now the question is, will the roads be good enough to go and visit Joanna this weekend? Or will it be too icy/snowy? Who knows. That's what we (Melissa and I) get for planning a road trip at the end of November. I'm very nervous about going there for the weekend. I really want to see her, but I feel like it's going to be a challenging weekend. I don't know why, I just have a feeling. Please keep us in your prayers this weekend.

Thinking about feelings

Feelings are weird. I would say that I hate them, but in order to hate feelings, I have to have the feeling of hate. Actually, I don't really hate them, they are just confusing. I mean, if you think about it, feelings are so random and relative at times. I think we often base our view of a situation on our feelings. You can be in an identical situation and view it totally differently because of your feelings. For example, God never changes, but we feel like He does but really it's only our perception of Him that changes. We may feel unloveable, so our perception of God is that He would never love us. In reality He has shown us the extravagance of His love through Jesus. I was going to go somewhere with this, but I forget what it was. I'm really tired, I think I'll take a nap now.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind!

Looking back, this last week was pretty problem-free....Well, except for my clumsy moment that I'm not going to go into. So, I guess it wasn't problem-free. It was more like worry-free for me. I had such a great week, and I didn't know what made it so good. The only thing I can think of, is that I didn't worry nearly as much as I usually do. I made a decision last week to forget about my problems....in hopes that they would go away. (I know it doesn't work that way, I just thought I'd try it for a lack of a better solution.) Well, it sure worked...until today. Going home for the weekend has become more complicated than it should. Then again, staying here won't always get me away from it either. All I can think of right now is "the Sound of Music" where Maria says, "You can't run away from your problems. You have to face them!" (Wait, I think the Reverend Mother told Maria that, or maybe not....I don't remember who said what!) But I don't think that I can face this one....because technically it's not a problem...yet. I just don't want it to become a problem. OK, so that was my rant for the day!

Do you know what my new favorite TV show is? (well, I don't know if it's my favorite, but it's funny.) Corner Gas. Today they had an episode about Hockey! I miss playing hockey! Man, I'd love to put on my equipment right now and skate around. Mmmmm, what's that smell? Smell's like hockey!! What a wonderful smell!

Have a fantastic and safe weekend, y'all!