Find your inner woman 17: Forever young

The other day I walked into a bank to open an account and as I followed the petite, smiling banker to her desk she asked me if "we" were opening a teen account today...

Last week someone at youth group thought I was there as a student rather than one of the leaders...

At church on Sunday a kindly lady asked me what grade I was in...

Remarks like these used to really upset me but I think I really have come to terms with this young face of mine. I mean, what really is there to be upset about? Of course, everyone wants to look older when they are young and younger when they are old but isn't it all rather silly? What is the basis of this bizarre need to be viewed a certain age, even if it's just the age we actually are? It's not like we have anything to do with how old we are. It's not like I can take pride in my age or even ownership.

A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed - Job 14:5

My days are not my own. James says my life is only a vapour. Not exactly ample reason to stress about how many years I have had. Rather it's what I do WITH them that matters.

So I'll be "forever young" I guess, until that magical day when perhaps I will look older. I am who I am. Perhaps being "ageless" has it's perks. Perhaps it doesn't. What does it matter anyways? Perhaps we should just not judge people by their age or how they look, there's a thought...

After all God uses the weak against the strong and the foolish to shame the wise.

Where does that leave me? At the realization that I should see the person, not the stats written on their passport.

Besides sometimes I feel like a ten year old anyways... who's to judge?

Find your inner woman 16: The Golfer

Sooooo, last Sunday I tried something I thought I would NEVER get around too. Actually, it wasn't even like on the bucket list. Actually, I've always looked down on it and never EVER even considered trying it...that's right, I went golfing.

So let me explain. My church here in Jackson, Community Bible Church has this tradition of doing a golf scramble in the summer and so this year I was like, why not!? It was a new experience to try, something fun to do on a Sunday afternoon and a great time to hang out with friends, so I went. After about an hour of driving we arrived in beautiful Star Valley, made our way up to the course and then got into our teams and sat in the golf carts waiting for our turn to head out.

yay for golf carts - one of the best parts of the day!!

So...the very first "drive"...was rather terrifying. I mean, not really, but I had NO IDEA what I was doing! Kaitlyn and I were with Kerri who actually knew how to golf so she gave us some pointers but really, you kind of just have to figure it out for yourself. Basically, my first drive was an epic fail...but at least I hit the ball on the first try (I'm told that doesn't always happen for beginners)!

Moving on down the course we slowly got better and better and I started to get the hang of it. Funnily, I ended up being better at driving than just putting the ball. Kaitlyn was our star putter. I learned all about the different clubs and how to direct your hit and such. It was rather entertaining. Of course we laughed our heads off the whole time, had a blast encouraging/teasing each other and just doing our best.

it didn't go in - in case you were wondering :)

Kaitlyn and I, geniuses that we are, forgot to bring water so we were pretty much fading away with thirst in the blazing hot sun. Kerri gave us half a bottle of lukewarm water which we rationed to keep ourselves alive... okay it wasn't that bad.

When we all finished (like four hours later!!) we headed to the Pratt's house (they live really close to the course) and had a BBQ and ate WAY too many Oreos. Our team came in dead last...pretty hilarious but we didn't even care because it was such a blast. Now the group is planning a midnight golf scramble with glow in the dark balls and stuff!! I might just have to try it because it would be just too impossible!

Anyways, I've decided that golf is not a terrible sport and it must take a LOT of skill and practice! Seriously, I have a much deeper appreciation for golfers now. Still, it's not really a sport for me. I mean, maybe just for a fun afternoon every once in awhile but nope, I'm not gonna make it a hobby. Still I'm glad for the opportunity to try it. Now at least I know and can fairly give my opinion (which you all know I love to do!).

Also check out the photos page for some pictures of my latest hobby (unfortunately not going to so well).

Find your inner woman 15: the writer...editor...organizy person...

So, as it is my third day into my new occupation, I figured it's about time I wrote about it. That's write (hehe)...I have begun work on THE BOOK. (We were discussing last night, to our sudden dissatisfied realization, that the book has no title...I mean, we can't just call it THE ANCIENT MAN BOOK - THAT would be sure to draw readers! Unfortunately however, the whole project has been unofficially named just that: the Ancient Man Project, sometimes abbreviated AM - which I've always found confusing because that immediately makes me think we are working on a morning project... HEY we could call Pastor Don the AMPM...the ancient man project manager...okay, maybe not... Sooooo until further notice, I will continue to refer to the...project...as the ancient man book.)

ANYWAYS, as I said, it is my third day in and I am having a blast. I mean, it's not exactly the kind of summer day in the sun most people envision as a party (there's no warm sand squishing between my toes, no cool water to float around in, no beach balls or sunscreen or rock and roll or barbequed hot dogs or chips) but the joy of working on something I am passionate about keeps me high all day. (And I still get to relax with friends in the sun... when we all aren't working, and I've already been out to the rodeo...watching Annie's little ones, and up to the lake...where we all got eaten by monster hordes of mosquitoes, and my chillaxin music makes my working hours basically a party and a half.) Really, I suppose a lot of people would not find this type of summer exactly to their liking but it has so far been a huge blessing to me. I am praising God each day for bringing me out here, for surrounding me with so many great people and entrusting me with a project in which I can serve Him the best I can.

Back to the project, I have started off with Pastor Don's (PD) stuff, basically the first section of the book which explains the premise of our research and the biblical base that we are basing our study off of. I've had the enjoyable challenge of figuring out how to organize, rewrite, and edit ten pages of fascinating work. What is my job in this project exactly? Well, it's hard to explain. See, I'm not really a researcher (though I did have to do a little research before writing the preface as...neither I or PDknew what exactly one writes in a preface) and I'm not exactly a writer (as I'm really just taking other people's work and reorganizing or editing it) but I'm not really an editor (because I'm doing way too much additional writing and research)... Basically, I do whatever comes along. If the writing is already done by a member of the team, I just go through it so it flows with everything else; if the writing needs to be done, I write from scratch; if we need more research, I engage in some Googling. The team calls me "wordsmith" which is an shorter, easier title to explain I suppose but seems a bit exaggerated (it refers to an expert in the use of words or a person skilled in the use of words) but I suppose with God guiding me, I can embrace this job of wordsmithing, knowing He is the ultimate Wordsmith out there!

I'm finding it both exhausting and exhilarating and I've only just started! It is a little daunting...okay, let me be completely honest...a LOT daunting, rather terrifying actually, to think of all the stuff that's got to be done but I don't really let myself do that. I'm taking this one step at a time because that's all I can do. I've almost finished my first run through of PD's work and I think it's given me a really good understanding of what he wants this book to look like. I'm really excited to see the rest and get started working it all together. I really think God is going to use this book for His purposes and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Please continue to pray for me and the whole team as the summer progresses and the book comes together. We really want this to reflect the truth of Scripture and to be a great resource (and wake-up call) for Christians. It is evident that God is doing most the work here and we are all just blessed to be tools in His hands.

Until next time, I remain yours,
          
            Wordsmith, tool of the Master

Find your inner woman 14: the Astrophysicist

uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

maybe not...

Maybe someday I will be able to flippantly say, "I wrote a computer program to graph fractals, oh and I had to teach the computer to compute imaginary numbers"...

...but I rather doubt it.

Perhaps I will write a paper called "Anisotropic Synchrony Convention"...


...highly unlikely.


There is a slight chance I could debate someone so well that they would be terrified to ever debate me again...


...but only if God blesses me with that ability. 


Having Dr. Jason Lisle as a professor this last week was definitely a huge blessing and an amazing experience to learn and just soak up as much as this genius could give us. I am so glad that God has blessed him with such intelligence and is using him in such amazing ways. It inspires me even more to use my own gifts for God's glory - though they aren't quite PHD worthy. 


So I wish you all the best of luck in discovering THIS inner woman - unfortunately, I'm pretty certain she doesn't exist in me. :)

Find your innner woman 13: the Astronomer

It finally cleared up yesterday so we could go out with Dr. Lisle (our professor this week) and check out the night sky. As the sun dragged itself seemingly imperceptibly past the mountains, the sky deepened, the stars multiplied and crystallized as our night vision increased. I have to say, I was unbelievably excited to be studying the stars and such. My family will remember that phase of life when I was obsessed with stars and planets and constellations - begging for a telescope. Well, I never really lost that passion for this amazing part of God's creation. I mean seriously, the universe is out there, don't you want to know what it's like!?

We started out just looking at some stars which were rather unimpressive through the telescope, as it wasn't super crazy strong. Dr. Lisle pointed out a bunch of constellations, the north star, and the celestial equator. We watched Orion slowly set beneath the mountains and new constellations arise in the east. It was really magical, seeing the universe  revolve around us. We looked at some star clusters and even a spiral galaxy! People would randomly gasp and point out shooting stars. (Kaitlyn saw her very first one and actually squealed which was adorable. Poor Cannon missed every sighting.) Oh we also saw the international space station at around 9:30 and then at about 11 we saw it again! That's right - it orbits the earth at 17 000mph meaning it goes all the way around in 90 minutes!!!

My favourite part of the night was our last object - SATURN! It was the only planet out at the time and I could not have been more happy. I have been wanting to see Saturn through a telescope for a VERY long time. All night, I was anxiously waiting, keeping my eye on the glinting planet to the east. As it slowly rose, it reached its peak and we aimed the telescope in its direction. I didn't really know what to expect as I waited in line for my turn but what I saw was beyond what I could have imagined. It truly was beautiful: pale yellowish in colour, crisp rings surrounding, Titan and Rhea hovering nearby. It looked like a textbook image - so perfect. It was hard to realize the reality of what I was seeing and it was truly amazing. I can only imagine what it would have been like for those who first saw it through a telescope, having no idea what they were going to see. God is so amazing! The detail and care He puts into everything is unbelievable. When I look at the night sky, I see not only His unfathomable vastness and amazing power but also His creativity and His intelligence. Everything just works up there the way it is supposed to. I could just watch it all night long.

What a great God we have!

Find your Inner Woman 12: the Philosopher

So I meant to write this post ages ago...like back during philosophy class, but  (as you may remember) I was slightly overworked and super busy and a little stressed during that week and so it didn't happen and so that is why TODAY, I have decided to post it!

Basically as we were reading our "Introduction to Philosophy" textbook, we were noticing all these ridiculous philosophical theories and examples and things that really just made us laugh or confused or were just plain dumb and I made note of them so I could share them all with you... (warning it's kind of long and probably confusing, I understand if you skip reading this one!)


In relation to knowledge and skepticism...
     There is a state called ephoche which is the "suspension of judgement" which means that "one must embrace all mutually inconsistent claims and withhold judgement on each of them"

- now this is just plain confusing and I don't know WHY you would even sort this out enough to put it down. I mean it doesn't even make sense - you have to "withhold judgement" on all things...so do you have to "withhold judgement" on "withholding judgement"???

Another skeptic says...

     "We can conceive of a world quite like ours in which the sun will not rise tomorrow morning"

- uummmmmm...I don't know about you but this is kind of inconceivable to me...how can a world be like ours but without a sun rising...? basically his point is, you can't say that something will happen because it has always happened because we can imagine  it NOT happening...

Okay, Descartes has a pretty great philosophy...

     "I think, therefore I am" You may have heard this before. His point is that you can't be sure of anything in the world, real or imagined because "there may be a demon or an evil god who systematically deceives [us]" YET we know that WE must exist because even if God tried to deceive us about ourselves, there would have to be an "I" to be deceived. 

- OH! THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING THAT SO CLEARLY!!! How did I miss it?

On the logic of listening to authority...

     If we didn't heed the warnings of others, believing that they know what they are talking about - if "we refused to accept anything we were told...we would probably end up in a mental institution"

- this is probably true...but then, you could end up in a mental institution just thinking through all this mumbo-jumbo!

Back to Descartes...

     "He was concerned that he might be systematically deceived by a malevolent demon or evil deity" but was comforted at deciding that "God is a perfect being, and thus would not deceive him"

- aren't you happy for him?

Here is his thought process for the "external world"...

     3 options: "(1)Descartes might be responsible for the idea. He might have a fertile imagination, and thus manufacture the idea of an external world. (2)God could deceive him, and place in his mind the idea of an external world...(3)The external world itself existed, ad was the cause of the idea in Descartes' mind. 

- wouldn't you love it if your mind worked this way????

Now we have the topic of REALITY. I give you Zeno...

    "Achilles could never catch a tortoise" because to catch him you'd have to go halfway to catching him and then half of the half and half of that half and so on and you would never actually get there...

- no comment


Platonism...

     Identification by negation: "we define or identify the pencil by showing that it is not the table"

- that makes sense right? I mean if it's not a table...or a chair...or a bird...or a mountain...or the sky...or any other of the innumerable things that it COULD BE...it must be a pencil. So...why is this important???


Being...

     "there can be different kinds of beings depending on their potentiality. Some beings (like men) have the potential for being rational; others (like tomatoes) do not."

- aren't you glad you have more potential than a tomato????


Concerning the relation between mind and body...

   "While it makes sense to ask the location of a physical event, it is absurd to ask the location of a mental event."

- thank you EINSTEIN!!!


Spinoza speaks about man's freedom...
     "it is conceit to that leads us to think that we are the masters of our behaviour...suppose that a stone has been thrown into the air and suddenly becomes conscious...it would believe that it was the source of its own motion"

- I mean, I get it, but WHERE do they come up with these illustrations!?!?!?!? Did he just compare us to a stone? ...I'd say we have more potential than that!

Here's an interesting theory: indeterminism (basically NOTHING causes our actions)
     Following this view..."the understanding of man that now emerges is that of an erratic, jerking phantom, making moves and actions without rhyme or reason. he moves at one time this way and at another time that way but in both instances without cause!"

- yep, that's definitely the answer to life...

Concerning truth...

     This guy, James believes these two sentences are the same: "It is true that it is sunny out" and "It is useful to believe that it is sunny out". 

- I don't even know where he gets this...basically I think, to him, "truth" is what is "useful to believe"...right.

Aristotle's definition of truth...
     "To say of what is, that it is not, or of what is not, that it is, is false; while to say of what is, that it is, and of what is not, that it is not, is true"

- that clears things up now don't it?

And here's a precious nugget of truth...

     "when we falsely believe that the moon is made of green cheese, our belief corresponds to nothing"

- and this is why we should all take philosophy classes - you learn such awesome things!

Geometric rationalism...

     ""evil is but an illustration of the moment or the particular. The universe as a whole is good, just as a mosaic as a whole is beautiful, despite the seeming ugliness of an individual piece"

- so obviously this has major flaws but I just have to point out one that really hits me - there is STILL THE PROBLEM OF THE UGLY PIECE! I mean, just because the pieces together make something beautiful, this doesn't make the pieces individually any less ugly...

Concerning "good"...

     "Some goods are higher than other goods. An unhappy man is better than a happy pig, said Mill"

- again, the comparisons to the animals and such!??!?!

Another opinion on "good"...

     "The attempt to save a drowning man is not in itself a good act. For the extreme utilitarian, the act is not good unless it bring about good results. If the man is rescued, then the act is a good act; if he drowns, it is not"

- now this is just pessimistic and sad!

Often the most simple and obvious ideas, upon critical examination and reflection, show themselves to be complicated and profound. 

     - so perhaps we should critically examine and reflect on such things... I think sometimes the answer is really in their simplicity 

Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a philosopher but these and many more things I have found in the subject just make me shake my head in wonderment. Oh the things we confuse ourselves with, psych ourselves out with, cause doubt and unbelief and fear with! If only we would just turn to the One with the answers to it all and read the Word He provided for us! How blessed I am to have been gifted and shown the truth. So many intelligent men have agonized over these questions of life and God has graciously provided ME with the answers! How awesome, how amazing, how humbling.

Find your Inner Woman 11: the old lady

As one should in collage, we had a crazy, random, hilarious party last night in which those age 25 and up had to dress young and those under 25 had to dress...elderly.

From baby to grave...

I have to admit, I was less than excited about the whole prospect going into it. I didn't have anything to wear and I just wasn't looking forward to it. Fortunately things changed as I talked about it more and made some plans with my friend Natalie. No sooner did we make one set of plans that they all changed when we made a random trip to Kmart and found THESE:

I know right? I can't believe they still sell this kind of thing in real stores! They were only 3 dollars to we had to buy them and I have to say, they were a hit. We first planned on using a rolly-chair as a wheelchair but then switched to this highchair walker instead. We had such a blast. We were laughing like lunatics, looking for people to play Bingo with and being just silly. I have to say, I quite enjoy acting like a crazy old lady, smacking people with my purse, making my back ache from leaning over the stupid "walker", wearing ridiculous clothes and talking like a weirdo. It was so amusing.

Best part of the evening was when Jared came in dressed as a baby with a SHAVED HEAD. I seriously screamed. The whole room was in an uproar it was SO funny. I can't even look at him with a straight face anymore.

Anyways, basically it was a lot of fun - good food, lots of laughter and lots of pictures (check the photos page for more).

Jess and her mom switched - SO funny!

Find your inner woman 10: the Markswoman

Marksman: a person skilled in shooting.

22 semi-automatic

 Okay so technically, I wouldn't exactly fit the dictionary.com definition of the word, buuuuut, hey I am now capable of shooting so it works for me.

That's right my friends! I finally got to shoot a gun! For the first time in my life! I mean, I never figured that I'd really ever shoot a gun, never mind 7 different kinds!!!! It was so fantastic (and I got to skip work day which was cool). For those who actually know what they are (aka not my sisters...haha) I shot a 22 Revolver, a 22 semi automatic, 338 Revolver, 9mm Glock, 45 Glock, 22 Rifle, and AR15. Pretty much loved the 338, the 45 and the AR15. You just feel so powerful...but at the same time, it's kinda frightening to be holding a weapon of not-quite-mass-but-still-destruction in your hands.

22 Rifle

Interestingly, I found out I am left eye dominant which makes shooting the Rifles and such interesting as I ended up having to shoot them left handed...that was cool...

It was fun to go with a bunch of girls, many of who also hadn't shot often or ever so most of us were learning and it was hilarious and such fun. It was a super beautiful day as well so that was really nice. All together it was exhilarating and a really fun experience that I wouldn't object to trying again. 

AR15

Find your inner woman 9: the Football Fan

Okay, so this isn't that great a "find your inner woman" but I just had to post something about our grand Super Bowl party. Basically my first time actually purposefully watching a football game and I actually had a lot of fun. Most of us crammed into Jared and Annie's house, ate tons of food, cheered, laughed and just had a great time hanging out. I really didn't care who won, but I was in a room pretty much dominated by Steelers fans with like 3 Packers fans...found myself joining the Packers fans. haha - chose the right team!

So basically I am full of homemade donuts, chips, artichoke dip and pop...ew I don't feel to fab now. We're weird creatures we human beings, the things we do: eat and watch a bunch of guys run around and hit each other, all fighting over a little brown pigskin, eh?

(Have to say, I think the biggest cheer came during a commercial in which some guy asked, "Who's Justin Bieber?" and another guy says, "I dunno but he kinda looks like a girl!" Seriously, the room exploded with cheers and laughter, it was awesome.)

Find your inner woman 8: the Chef

So I was craving chicken cordon bleu and had this bright idea of how to get it...like actually the way I wanted it (aka my mom's recipe). So instead of asking Jared to make it, I just asked if I could make it one Friday for work day and they totally said yes! So we got all the ingredients and the big day arrived!

I started at 3:15 and wow...it's a good thing. I have never even MADE it before...I mean, like maybe once but to make it for around 40 people!?!?!? It was crazy. We had 72 pieces of chicken in 3 hotel pans. Then I hate to slice most the cheese, which took awhile and then we had fresh sliced ham, which took another while, and then I had to find enough cream of chicken soup...we didn't really have enough but I just added a bit more milk to make it go farther. I didn't realize when I started this whole that I would be basically in charge of the whole meal, but I had a blast. I was directing people here and there who came up asking for a job, got people working on Greek salad, getting the pasta ready, and fetching rolls (that's right, I actually called them rolls the whole time!). So by this time, it is about 4:30 and the chicken really needs to get in the oven. We sprinkle some bread crumbs on, pour some butter over it and in they go. (I have no idea if they are really going to turn out but I'm hoping for the best.)

Now over to the Greek salad. Lish had mixed up the dressing and her and a few people were working on cutting veggies. I showed them how big I wanted them, and how much etc and then we realized we had no cucumbers...problem. So we call Jared, who is out with a group of guys at the shooting range and he says he'll bring some at 5:25...5 minutes before dinner...

Next we have to figure out a dessert and I totally hadn't thought of anything and so we are all just sitting there thinking and I have the bright idea of a trifle...not really thinking it would work but it just so happens that we have 2 sheet cakes and enough whipped topping to make two for dessert (they turned out SO awesome!).

Finally, we are down to pretty much being done: waiting for the chicken, waiting for the cucumbers, testing the pasta. Everything was ready 15 minutes before dinner time...just waiting for the cucumbers. We set out all the dishes, get the chicken out (and it looks amazing and I am so excited) and then in walks Jared with the cucumbers. Three of us on the job and 3 minutes later, the salad is done as well. I have to say, I was feeling pretty good. I had had a blast and now, was hoping people would like it.

As people went through the line, I explained what it all was (many had never even heard of Greek salad!) and suggested putting the sauce on the pasta as that was how I liked it. Some people were a little skeptical - especially of the salad but everyone LOVED it! I was so happy to serve all these people something that they really enjoyed. I kept getting compliments until I was worried I was going to become a little prideful!

It was a fabulous evening and I can't thank all my helpers enough. Makes me wanna be a chef! ...but...I highly doubt that's gonna happen...

Ended the day off with broom ball and a movie - doesn't get much better than that!

Find your inner woman 7: the Eskimo!!

Woke up this morning to - 36 degree weather. It hurt to breath. I don't think I have ever seen that temperature on a thermometer before (mind you this wasn't a real thermometer either, just my computer, but hey you know what I mean). The weather has been so amazingly beautiful but all this lack of cloud has given us temperatures of like, negative a million, as I commonly say and I don't really know how I feel about it.

Lish being cheerful in negative a million degrees

With this freezing cold weather, I have noticed that the bunkhouse doesn't really seem to warm up. The last week, unless we keep the heater on full blast at all times, we don't actually get warm. A few minutes after it turns off...I'm cold again. Plus, it doesn't help that we have to have a fan on up here so that the rest of the place can actually get some heat. (It's kinda a weird feeling always being a little chilled indoors...reminds me of home. hehe)

Sunrise on the mountains - right outside my door!

 Another fun thing with this frigid weather is the ice ("ice!?!? you mean like snow...and igloos...and penguins and ICE!?!?!"). Yes ice. I mean, walking around isn't bad because we just have hard-packed snow but all the fabulous icicles of death hanging from every eave, our nice, shiny icewall outside the door (which keeps the dorm quite nicely refrigerated) and the skating rink on the driveway are all just great benefits of the cold. Moreover, today, we have a nice sheet of ice on the INSIDE window of our door...and frostiness on the INSIDE handle and around the INSIDE edge...I'm thinking "Day After Tomorrow"...

Icicles off the bunkhouse

But, really we are all enjoying it. Everything is so beautiful and it sure beats Abby rain 24/7. We just bundle up like Eskimos (I even brought a blanket to class it was so cold), gather around the wood stoves, and drink lots of hot chocolate and coffee. The guys have been amusing themselves by throwing pitchers of water into the air and watching it freeze into a crystalline cloud of vapour.

Me being all Eskimo-y

Today, for my PCMA, we got to spend two hours out in this weather shoveling Mt. Everest off a driveway for someone people in our church. It was FREEZING at first, but really, I think we all enjoyed it. It felt good to get out, work hard and help some people rather than spend the hours indoors baking like we have for the past two weeks - not that that wasn't a blast as well. So I feel quite like an Eskimo these days, living in this land of ice and snow and frigid temperatures. I think I'm becoming quite accustomed to it as well, not that I want to move to the Yukon or anything, but it's a nice change from the winters of my childhood. :)

Find your inner woman 6: the Hockey player!

Okay, so it wasn't really hockey but, close enough! Last night, after a day of snowboarding, we played broom ball for four hours. Basically it is ice hockey...without skates and with brooms instead of sticks. SO AWESOME! I didn't play last week as I was too tired but it was soooo much fun and I'm so glad I played last night (even though I am SO sore right now - it was totally worth it).

At first, I was like really terrible and awkward. I didn't really know what to do because there were so many people around, like probs 20 people on each team at least and so I kinda just stood and "played" middle pretty much failing at ever hitting the ball. Then Cort made the excellent point that I should uh, turn the broom and actually hit it with the broad side rather than the tip so.... things started getting easier when I actually concentrated on the position of my broom.

As the game went on, I got more into it...perhaps a little too much into it. I fell a whole lot and I've got the bruises to prove it but really, they just prove that I was trying hard and actually getting in there. I stayed playing middle for most the game, checking people and making interceptions. Then I played some defense when we started really losing (plus by this time we had lost like 5 players - Stephen got a concussion, Lish hurt her knee, Nick had to leave early, Tim got cold, and Teresa had left) so then there was even more chaos and then Josh S. pulled my hair...apparently trying to pull on my tassel so I whacked him with my broom and Danilo and I had a little international rivalry going on...until he got switched to my team.

I played offense for the last bit, not very useful by this time as I was exhausted and it hurt to move. (I found out there was 45minutes left and I was like...ughhhhhh, can I just sit here and swing my broom???? but I didn't.) Then, coolest moment ever! I happened to just be positioned in the right place when Cort took a shot, missed and I passed it to Derrick who shot it and SCORED!!! It was perfect! and it tied the game and ended it too as we were out of time. So great ending with a tie game.

Funny note, as we were gathering the stuff, the lights went out (only stay on 'til 10) so we had to make our way back to the cars in pitch blackness as our eyes slowly adjusted. That was fun. Oh, and by this time it was like -18 degrees and we finally started feeling the cold cuz we weren't running around and it was FREEZING!

Anyways, I hadn't done a "Find your inner woman" in awhile so I figured it was high time. Basically I had a blast and I figure my Canadian blood must have been proving itself because I've never been very good at hockey...

And I think there are even some parallels to my spiritual walk here (kinda random but you see these things everywhere when you're in Bible school haha). I'm often nervous and unsure of myself around other outgoing Christians who seem so on fire for God, going on missions, serving others, volunteering and it is really hard for me to find "my place" but really, I don't think there is really a "place" I need to find. God can use me anywhere if I just get in there and work my best for His glory. Sometimes I will fall down or miss the goal but He can always make the most of every swing of my broom and sometimes, I'll be in the right place at the right time and finally realize that God had been moving me all along for just such a time as this.

Find your Inner Woman 5: the Researcher!

That's right! Today I was a researcher - not that that's something new or anything. Most of you know how I'm kinda a geek and really like research...like REALLY like research. And what better thing to research than God's Word!?!?!

We had to do a word study for our Hebrew-Greek class and I did mine on the Greek word ὑπομονή, hypomone for those of you who don't read Greek...probably all of you...and for those who can't translate that off the top of your head (me included) it means perseverance, endurance, steadfastness, things like that. I was studying specifically the reference in James 1:2-4. It was so much fun and so enlightening. I mean, I knew most of the stuff that I learned but not in like the fully clarity I discovered today. I looked up all the other places it was used in the NT and had to categorize the instances by meaning and oh man, it was tough work but so worth it. I used all these different tools including multiple translations of the Bible, dictionaries, commentaries, and Great Treasures (an awesome website! It's on the sidebar of the blog if you wanna check it out - highly recommended). Basically the whole experience was a researcher's dream. I mean, I'm really only a beginner in studying the Bible but I have learned so many new ways and have so many more tools with which to learn and study, it's just FANTASTIC. 

I know some of you may have trouble really comprehending my zeal in this post, but I think every Christian should be this interested in studying the word. I don't care if you hate research for history or science or studying old classic literature - when it comes to God's Word, there should be a completely different category for study in your brain. It's the only study, the only research, that REALLY matters. God's Word is the greatest thing we could possibly read. I mean, why aren't we more excited about this!? Shouldn't we be sitting night and day, reading, discussing, discovering all it has to say? Yet we spend most our days doing pointless things and devoting the least amount of time to the Bible as we feel we can get away with. How troubling to think of. I dunno, if you struggle with this as I do, try a couple days, nay even a couple hours of just wholeheartedly getting into the Word. (and I don't mean going to youth or church) I mean sitting down with a highlighter, a pen, a notepad, a concordance, a dictionary, a couple versions of the Bible, a couple commentaries (or a laptop as it has all this on it) and immersing yourself in the depths of this Book. You won't get bored, I guarantee it. And you'll never be finished, there is always something else to look into. This Book is inexhaustible so take advantage of it! It's not like you have to save it or ration it across your lifetime! You'll never learn it all but you can surely learn A LOT! 

Oh and this post applies to men as well. haha

Find your inner woman 4: the laundress

Yes, I know I am getting kind of obsessed with the 'inner woman' stuff but it just amusingly fits with so many things.

And yes, today I was a laundress. I walked into the Laundromat and immediately thought of Hairspray when Tracy's Mom tells her that her dream was to own a "coin operated laundromat!" and really, I don't see the appeal! It was all rather foreign and a little frightening: walking into this large room of whirling machines, dirty clothes, strangers, and the sweet smell of laundry detergent. There was a little confusion figuring out how to get a money card thing (some of the machines only work with the card, some are coin) and then figuring out how to go about putting a load in properly. I love how the machine can give you instructions, with PICTURES, but it's STILL confusing.

...and then of coarse, it takes like 5 different tries to get the card to WORK! but eventually, $3.15 later, you've got your load of laundry in the washer.

For the next half hour your sitting there with all these other people (luckily most of them were from JHBC) trying to entertain yourself. Most of us were attempting to read out Two Babylons book but my goodness it is a tedious read. Written in like the Dark Ages, it is hard enough to understand the English in it, never mind the theology! My head is already spinning from the laundry soup and then you add ancient Babylonian religion, the queen of the heavens, lions eating bees, the evil of wax candles etc... definitely NOT laundromat material...I got through 4 pages and ended up spending most my time just conversing with Danilo beside me on the table (yes we were sitting on the table).

Finally, the washer is done...but now you have to find a dryer open and with all the "not in service" signs everywhere, this was not so easy. But luckily snagging one quickly we get our load in. 55 cents for 15 minutes means a lot of going back and forth waiting for your clothes to dry. Talk about tedious!

While we continued to wait, some of the guys arm-wrestled which was entertaining for a bit but soon got old. Then Danilo and I started sniffing my laundry soap because we realized it had no smell...I explained to him that it was really GOOD quality stuff! and expensive; that I couldn't use cheaper stuff, only the best now...we had a good laugh as we realized what others might think of our conversation about my white powder in an old Peanut Bar jar.

Finally, 3 hours later, we headed out, stopped at the grocery store and finally got back to camp about 5:30...then I had to hang up all my clothes that I don't dryer dry (remind me again why not!?!?!?) and by then it was about dinner time. Sooooo basically it was a great day! At least I wasn't sitting around camp bored!

Find your inner woman 3: COWGIRL

okay so I'm having fun with the "find your inner woman" stuff, but it has just worked out. haha

The Rodeo last night was so much fun. It was a little disappointing because the cowboys and animals were kind of having an off night and not many people actually scored any points...however it was the last night so it wasn't even a competition anyways.

Cutest thing of the night: the little kids chasing calves around trying to get tags off of them. Man, I was that little cow, I'd be scared.

Second cutest thing of the night: mutton busters! Seriously Mom and Dad, why didn't I ever get to ride a sheep!?!?!?! One little girl got like bucked right off! luckily Jared (on staff here) caught her in midair.

There was also barrel racing which was super awesome. (my camera was dead by this time) There was this one little girl who was like 4 or 5 or 6 or something and I'm like "that is NOT responsible parenting!" She was like jostling EVERYWHERE and would have like broken her neck if she fell. She looked so tiny on the huge horse.

It was such a fun night. It felt so old-fashioned and western. Coolest thing ever, the people who run the rodeo are Christian, they go to our church here, and they started off the rodeo with a prayer! It was so neat. Then of course we sang the National Anthem because we are so proud to be American...ahem

(see photo page for more)

PS this is short cuz the last one was so long...but you should read it because I personally think it's genius. jkjk

Find your inner woman 2: the Scavenger

So today a daring few of us got up early and left by EIGHT in the morning to hit the garage sales early. Many of you have heard me tell of how the garage sales here are apparently "great for shopping" but I have to say...it was disappointing today. Don't get me wrong, it was fun but...well there just wasn't much there. I always feel so odd going through other people's junk. I mean, who KNOWS what they did with it, where they use it...ugh, just not something to think about. It makes you wonder if vultures and hyenas ever think about what their food looked like before it was half rotted and ripped to shreds. Do they ever wish they could be the first ones? Do they wish they got to choose which poor little antelope finishes it's part of the circle of life? Do they wish they could browse among the pristine specimens only known to those more agile and skilled of the wildland meat-eaters, rather than carry-out the lowly business of scavenging. Don't get me wrong, it's important work and someone has to do it but really, sometimes I think we should really take turns because I sure don't enjoy trying to always find treasures in the rough. Wait, that's diamonds isn't it? But let's face it, we aren't gonna find diamonds at a garage sale...(hence why I actually didn't buy anything until we got into town)

The best part of the morning was eating at Bubba's. Heather and I shared a full serving plate of French toast and it was AMAZING! I mean, I have NEVER had restaurant French toast that tasted THAT good! I don't know why restaurants usually have such a hard time make French toast, pancakes or even toast for that matter but coming from a family that specializes in breakfast meals, I'm usually VERY wary to buy breakfast food anywhere. (you see what you've done family!?!?!)

However the French toast, no matter how bad it could be, would definitely beat biscuits and gravy anyday! I seriously do not understand how or WHY people would eat that especially in the morning. It doesn't LOOK appetizing, it doesn't SOUND appetizing. There is no tempting aroma (except that biscuits always smell good), there is nothing there! We've already had this odious meal once for breakfast here and are SURE to have it again. Canon says I'm gonna have to try it but seriously, I think I would throw up. The Portuguese guy tried some and his reaction was in NO WAY comforting and therefore I plan NOT to try it if I can help it - that might not be possible if too many people get on my case. PLUS the cereal isn't a very appealing alternative either...ANYWAYS, back to the French toast - we also only had to pay $3.50 each. So ya, it was awesome.

Other than that, the day has been characterized by reading, trying to sleep, reading, emailing, reading and basically just being pretty bored. (I'm now listening to others downstairs expounding on how bored they are...) We are currently all waiting around to go the Rodeo which will be fabulous and I can't wait. At this moment, I think even watching rocks grow could be called exciting...actually, now that I think about it...that would be pretty cool. I mean, how often do you actually see a rock grow???

A quote by Charlotte Whitton goes like this: Boredom is like a pitiless zooming in on the epidermis of time. Every instant is dilated and magnified like the pores of the face.

...so that sounds kind of unnatural and unpleasant but beyond that...I don't really get it

(and for those of you wondering who Charlotte Whitton is my google search told me she "was one of this century's most colourful and controversial women...best remembered as Ottawa's flamboyant and outspoken mayor during the 1950s and 1960s." Also, she was a feminist. SO, I don't "best remember" her at all...I wonder what she is worst remembered for...)

(unfortunately this rodeo business probably means another late night and early morning for church...ugh)

Find your inner WOMAN: Lumber Jane

Yes, we are now all Lumber Jacks...or as Amy suggested, "Lumber Janes". I got back from a walk today and with a couple friends and we came up to all these girls whacking at the woodpile...

You see, we need firewood all winter so people go out and cut down the trees during the day (by people I mean men) and then the guys were all chopping it and being manly before dinner and don't get me wrong, it was IMPRESSIVE. So then later around 8:30 when we got back tonight, the girls were there, in the dark trying to chop (the guys were all in having a meeting, talk-thing). It was SO funny! Some were better than others but everyone tried it. We felt so hard core! And suffice to say, the guys now look MUCH more impressive!


Oh and then "Tiny" came out and laughing at us, had to show us how it's done. We were all in aw! But I just can't believe how much entertainment we have now derived from chopping wood. All the RA's are like, "I sure hope this fascination lasts!" Apparently we are all gonna be SICK of chopping wood by the end of winter...probably by the middle of winter. But for now...it's fun!

this is "Tiny"...not tiny