Highlights

Considering how far we've come on our roadtrip (Esther and Scarlett and I),
i figured it was high time to update my blog.
The 2 pictures below are from 2 of my favorite places so far,
Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior and Le Basilique Notre-Dame in Montreal.
Both came at JUST the right moment.....

Old Woman Bay, ON



La Basilique Notre-Dame, Montreal QC

Visiting the Basilica was a really significant time for myself (and Esther). I'd woken up in a complete muck, not sure why things were so...foggy?...in my mind so we stopped at Starbucks to have a bible + coffee break. I'd been reading Hebrews lately so I opened up to chapter 7, and about 1/2 way through the chapter I realized what God was saying to me. Let me tell you, I almost started crying right there! (Side Note or maybe not so "side": you should read Hebrews 7. Go do it now. It's absolutely wonderful.) Anyways, God completely lifted the fog from my brain. And visiting the Basilica ties into all this because the moment I walked in it was like the peace of God descended on me. We spent quite a while in there just praying and being still, and left really refreshed. If you ever get a chance to visit Montreal make sure you take the time to stop by the Basilica. It will be well worth your time! (Also, ridiculously beautiful, have you seen the picture???)
Old Woman Bay was just a really really wonderful break in a 30 hour drive. We drove around a corner and all of a sudden it was right in front of us. "Should we?" asked Esther and then just pulled into the parking lot. Good decision! The sun was just going down, the waves were HUGE and blue and crashing on the shore (soft white sand....mmmm) and we were basically the only people there. Oh and then yes, we drove for 30 hours. So it was a good thing we stopped there.

Ah, new music...

There's nothing quite like getting a new cd from a favorite artist. Especially if it's FREE music...
Like i've said before, Josh Garrels is phenomenally talented and his new album is no exception. If you go to Noisetrade.com you can download the entire album, Love & War & The Sea In Between, for free. Seriously, it will blow your mind. He is a lyrical and musical genius.
What else can I say? Once again he has created a musical masterpiece. Listen to it, soak it in. Then listen to it again. And again.
Current favorite songs from this album: Pilot Me, Revelator, Flood Waters, Farther Along, Slip Away, Rise, Million Miles.

Never Have I Found

Josh Garrels is one of my favorite artists and more often than not I find myself using his words to describe certain aspects of my life. This particular song is one of my favorites so I thought I'd share the lyrics with you, also feel free to grooveshark it up for yourself...

Never Have I Found
by Josh Garrels

I walked under the blood red moon
At night when wolves gather 'round
And I've spent some time with the devil
But never have I found
Another one like you
Oh Lord
Jesus
And I've tasted too many temptations

And I've been chased by a demon hound

Lord I just can't be satisfied
Because never have I found
Another one like you
Oh Lord
And your love
Jesus

These are a few of my favorite things

I've decided to start compiling lists of my favorite things. Haven't decided why yet, but it's just something to do to waste time. Here goes!
Music:
- Songs: Whiskey Lullaby sung by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss; Creation Song by Josh Garrells; House of God, Forever by Jon Foreman; River Constantine by Jars of Clay
- Musicians/Bands: Jars of Clay; Alison Krauss; Switchfoot; Jon Foreman; Josh Garrells; Bon Iver!!
Food:
- Macaroni and cheese! so simple yet SO AMAZING :)
-
Websites:
- Grooveshark.com
- 1000awesomethings.com
- xkcd.com
Places For Picnics:
- Lighthouse Park
- Queen Elizabeth Park
- Burnaby Mountain
- Bridgeman's Bluff

Me

I am an introvert.
Growing up I saw my introversion or shyness as something I needed to change, something that was bad, something that was wrong. I was always surrounded by people and noise and activity and I would always tend to shrink away from it all and retreat into my own little world (usually a book :) ). As I got older this got worse, and I would try sometimes to mimic my older outgoing siblings, I admired their friendly and sociable ways and wanted to be like that myself (and although I CAN be like that my first response is usually to be quiet and subdued). However that wasn't me, and as a result when they all left home and went their separate ways I was left stranded with no idea who the real me was.
That's where God came in.
Coming into the Barnabas internship program I had NO IDEA what to expect. I had no expectations and no "hopes" of what would happen, I knew God had called me to be there so I was just there. And then one day Mark Warren came and spent a day with us doing the Myers-Briggs test (for those of you who don't know, the Myers-Briggs is a personality test designed originally to figure out which jobs people would be best suited for).
As I read my profile assessment that afternoon (INFP) it was as if a whole new me stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Except I was amazed to find out that it was the
same person
that had always been there! I realized that basically all the perceived bad things about my personality that were different from my siblings were actually an integral part of me. I remember going to bed that night and crying myself to sleep because I was so happy to be ME and have it be a good thing, something I'd never seen in myself before.
Over the next couple of months as I started to accept these things as normal God was slowly molding me and shaping me into a better me than I thought could ever exist. It was an incredibly freeing experience! I began to embrace quiet times instead of seeing them as "just trying to escape". I enjoyed spending one-on-one time with other people. I LOVED spending time alone with God, and as a result my relationship with Him was deepened and strengthened. I came back from Barnabas a "new" person.
Now let me just clarify what introversion and extroversion are. Wikipedia puts it best I think: "Introverts are people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction. Introverts tend to be more reserved and less outspoken in large groups." and "An extraverted person is likely to enjoy time spent with people and find less reward in time spent alone. They tend to be energized when around other people, and they are more prone to boredom when they are by themselves."

Now that I'm back at Barnabas for a whole summer I have to learn to deal with large amounts of people every day, starting tomorrow with the rest of the staff arriving for orientation. I mentioned to Christina today that before the internship I would have jumped at the chance to prove myself more outgoing with lots of new people around (despite the fact that I would be uncomfortable with it) and now I'm almost dreading losing the peace and solitude.

But boy oh boy I sure love being me!

3 Candles

The other day Will and I had a interesting conversation at the dinner table. It all began with three birthday cupcakes for Hannah, each with one candle. Will hypothesized that what if your age depended entirely on how many candles you blew out on your birthday every year? For example I am 23, but if on my next birthday I choose to only blow out 23 candles I would still be only 23...see where I'm going with this? Basically you could live forever! I could keep on blowing out only 23 candles on my birthday, year after year after year, forever 23.
Now, ponder this: what if you chose to blow out zero candles? Would you die? And in that case I speculated that it would simply turn into a method for killing someone. Stop them from blowing out their birthday candles and they would die. OR force them to blow out a few hundred candles and they would instantly age to an impossible age. But if this whole candle business was legit maybe you COULD age to an impossible age? Hypothetically someone could live for 300 years and still "only be" 23...correct?
And to top it all off you could be "23" years old but with the wisdom of 300 years.
Fascinating.
In other news, guess who made it to round 3? THE CANUCKS! WOOOOOOT!!!
and oh yes.....

Happy Birthday Hannah! <3

The Playoffs

Well folks, playoff hockey is finally here. And along with it the jitters, chewed up nails, chewed up white towels and snacks i can't eat....
There's something so incredibly delicious about watching a playoff game as opposed to a regular season match-up. For one, it's WAY more intense. A regular season game can be watched with a mug of hot tea on your knee and 3 conversations going on simultaneously. This is not the case with the playoffs. The playoffs involve your entire concentration and emotional involvement (whether you want it or not).
The first period starts off not too badly, you're excited to be watching the game and are still settling into your seat. A couple of hits and a goal later and you are chewing your nails off, alternately screaming in anticipation or groaning over a missed shot.
2nd period rolls around and your nerves are starting to fray. The sound of the puck pinging off the goal post, Luongo wasn't ready for that one...the white dishtowel in your hand doubles as a muffle for your yells or a celebratory flag, waving triumphantly. Go Canucks Go! Maybe this could be the year we actually go all the way?...
3rd period. The enemy scores. We score. The enemy scores again. Time is counting down and your nerves are frazzled, heart beating fast, towel clutched in your sweaty hands as you twist it round and round, watching as the play becomes more and more frantic.
The horn blows. You breath a huge sigh of relief, exhaling 2 hours of pent up frustrations, and relax your shoulders. The Canucks live to play another game!
The run may be long or it may be devastatingly short. Enjoy it while you can folks, and cheer for the Canucks!