I Like Pictures and Stories

Have you ever checked out Suzy's blog? Well you should! Because she always has interesting things to say and cool projects to try out and funny stories to tell! Her blog is where I scammed the idea to do this: Step One: Post your very first facebook profile picture Step Two: pick just one picture from each consecutive year up to the present one Step Three: Explain/tell a story about each one Fun right?!

I was suprised that this was my very first profile picture...I definatly thought it was a different one! Either way, this is a testament to the Tim Tam Slam! For a while there my friends and I were very into the Tim Tam Slam and did it pretty much everytime we all got together! If you don't know what the Tim Tim Slam is...well I'm kinda sad for you. This picture was from 2007.

2008. This picture was taken at the end of a ministry trip we took to Calgary during Easter break. We had a great week helping out at The Food Bank, The Mustard Seed and some other Christian organizations in the city. We also stayed in a church that didn't have any showers, we all took 2 showers at the community pool throughout the week. The four of us were sitting in the back of the can during the last hour and a half drive home and taking silly pictures. This is our "who turned out the lights?!" picture. It made sense at the time!

and here we are in 2009, on a weekend inbetween camps. Craig, Kaylyn, Debbie and I had a most excellent Saturday off! It started with a leftover picnic in "the space van" after which we went for a drive on reserve land and picked berries out of the window. Then we went to the camp and spent the afternoon floating on tubes in the lake. We went waaaaaaay out the the middle of the Lake where a man driving a boat circled around us until we were being tossed by the waves. Also on the list of activities for the day were: a visit to the museum, laundry, listening to creepy music and planning our deaths in a car crash and eating ice cream. It was a really good day! Also, 2009 was a really good year! A lot happened during it.

2010! Also a lot of good things happened but whenever I think about the year it always revolves around the 2 weeks I spent in Regina during the summer for Becky's wedding! I had such a blast helping her do the last minute things and doing all the fun before wedding stuff. Plus her wedding day was just amazing!

One of my most favorite days in 2011!! My 27th birthday :) My friends really went above and beyond to show me I was loved! We went mini golfing, then had a birthday cake picnic, followed by playing W5 and doing some singing around the fire. THEN my friends kidnapped me and drove me around until I was very confused as to our location! When we got to where I had no idea we were going my friends put off FIREWORKS!! It was the best!

And all this brings us to 2010. This picture was taken mere seconds after the new year began. We were all hanging out at a farm playing games, eating food and having a lot of laughs. New Years Eve is one of my favorite nights and I was very happy to spend this last one with these 2 girls, they are a couple of my oldest and dearest friends. That was nice. I'm glad we had this time together :)

Thoughts on The Hunger Games

Ok, first off. I don't want anyone to ever mistake me for a bandwagon jumper oner, or a trend follower or anything like that because I'm really not. I like to decide for myself if I like something or not. Example: I've never, ever read any of the Harry Potter or Twilight books. I also have never seen the movies. And guess what? I never will! Because, even though, they've been all the rage with society and with pretty much all my friends I checked out what they were about and I decided that wasn't something I was interested in.

So there's that.

Now, The Hunger Games is a different thing altogether. I've known for a while that this would be a story I would be interested in. Mostly because even though I'm not a sci-fi fan per se, I do like futuristic settings. I also am drawn to survival stories as well as stories about the underdog rising up against injustice. Thus I knew, this was a book trilogy I would probably enjoy reading.

I've only read the first book but trust me when I say that I devoured it. I bought it on a Friday and by the following Wednesday I had read it twice. I sorely regret not just splurging on the entire trilogy at once because I am very anxious to get on with the story and find out what happens in the world of Panem. Anyway, yes I enjoyed the book. It was well written with complex and beautiful characters along with a tragic storyline about the deep injustice of dystopian societies. I also admit that I am in love with the Katniss and Peeta storyline.

And I know, I know, it's "about" kids killing kids. And everyone who is trying to be a good person says, "How can you read a book or watch a movie about THAT? It's horrible!" But that's the thing, it is horrible! It's unjust and disgusting and no one should be pleased with it! That's kind of the point of these books, the country of Panem is grossly dominated by the Capitol and in order for them to remain in control they intimidate, steal from and bully the surrounding 12 districts. The Hunger Games is just one of they ways the Capitol reminds everyone that they are in charge and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Or at least that's what you might think.

I also watched the movie. Yes, it was violent and no, I wouldn't suggest anyone under the age of 15 watch it but it was very well done.

One last thing: dystopian societies are real, that's not a reality that is far removed from us. None of them might have something as horrible as the hunger games but they have other tactics of control, just as horrible. I just wanted to put that out there.

It's been a while

I have not said anything in a long, long time on here. I feel bad about that. Mostly for myself though because I love blogging.

I can't believe how busy life has been recently. It's crazy but it's oh so good! God is very good! He's been setting up divine appointments and giving me opportunities and looking out for me all over the place!

Here's a picture I love. This was one of my favorite moments from one of my favorite weekends this "Spring"

Gluttony of the Brain

I've had a lot of big things on my mind; big ideas, big questions, big ponderings, big realizations. There's not much room left up there with all that's going on! It's like when you're filling a container with stuff and you have it full to the brim but then you find that last scarf that you know you can poke and prod in there as well. That's how my head feels!

I've recently come to 2 very big realizations in my life...

1. I have no idea what my passions, gifts and talents are. Don't get me wrong, I love what I'm doing and where I am right now but I'm not content. I just can't help but think that there must be something more that I was created for. I've been doing what I'm doing for so long because there was a need for it, because I do love it and because I'm good at it. A while ago I was just thinking about life and what I love to do and it dawned on me, I'm not really sure what I love to do what I'm really good at, what gives me energy. This isn't a negative thing, it's been exciting thinking about it, praying about it and talking to others about it. It's exciting thinking that God could be taking me new places, and having me do new things! I have the same feeling I get when I have a blank canvas in front of me and a lot of options on how to fill it!
2. All my life I have felt guilty for so. many. things. Things that I don't even have to feel guilty about! I mean the kind of things that when you feel guilty about them it makes you a ridiculous person! [Hello my name is Joni and I am a ridiculous person.] Would you like to know some of the things I've felt guilty about over the years that are ridiculous? Of course you would!
-I don't like water slides
-I enjoy watching movies
-Roller coasters scare me
-Sometimes I just want to be alone
See? I mean who needs to feel guilty about these kinds of things? No one, that's who. People may disagree with my opinion about water slides but it doesn't mean I have to feel bad about it! So I'm going to stop that. It's important that I be ok with who I am I think. Unless it's bad things that really do need to change.

One of the bigger things I've been pondering is how even though I love God so much I do not show it enough or to the best of my ability. Seriously, ponder with me if you will, God's love for me is vast and creative and wonderful, yet somehow I'm very limited in the way that I love Him. Everyone and their barista has gone through or at least heard of The 5 Love Languages. We've all discovered how we are best loved and figured out how to best love the people in our lives according to this. I'm not dissing the theory behind the 5 love languages, I find it helpful. The thing about it is, God is love and He is the one who created all those different ways of loving others so doesn't it make sense that He can be loved in all those ways as well? I don't have to be limited in showing my love to God by singing worship songs and doing good things. I can...no, I should spend quality time with Him, give Him words of affirmation and praise and even gifts. One of the ways that I express love to my friends is making them cards and writing nice things in them. I can do that for God, it might seem silly but He sees my heart in it.

Well it feels good to talk about a few of the things stuffed in my head. My brain can breath a bit deeper now.

My face is very stoic right now.

My grandfather's heart stopped beating today. But only for a couple seconds. It just started beating slower and slower and slower until he went unconscious. He got help in time and they got his heart into rhythm again and got him stable enough to transport him to a city hospital by ambulance.

This happened earlier today but I still haven't called any of my friends to let them know what's happening. So I've turned to blogging instead.

Truth be told, my emotions are probably not what most people would expect. That's maybe the main reason I haven't talked to anyone about what's going on. I am sad, don't get me wrong. However, I'm mostly sad because my grandfather has never accepted Christ and so I know where he's going if he doesn't pull through this.

That's the saddest and scariest thing.

No Room.

You know what I've found myself thinking about often this Christmas season? It's not what you think but go ahead, take a guess...








The Inn keepers in Bethlehem that wonderful and profound night so many years ago.

I've found myself wondering if maybe after the census rush, maybe even years down the road once Jesus was a man, some of them realized who Jesus was and felt ridiculous for turning his parents away when they needed a place to sleep. Seriously! I mean here it turns out that the Messiah that people have been waiting for was born in their town and they turned Him away! Granted they didn't expect the Messiah to come in that manner and they didn't know just who they were leaving on the street, I realize this. I'm just saying, how did they feel after they figured it out?

It makes me think about the "whatever you do for the least of these you do for me" passage of scripture in a different light

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I'm sure some of those Inn keepers, if they had known just who Mary was carrying in her womb, would have given their own rooms for Him to be born in. As it is now, I should make sure I'm being kind and helpful to people because when I'm not it's the same as turning Jesus away.

Not something to remember only during the Christmas season but for everyday of life.

oh, hello there!

What in the world happened to November??! One minute I'm seeing the beginnings of all the greasy staches for "Movember" next thing I know it's the 30th. This has never happened to me before...I've never blinked and had an entire month go by. And I thought that December was the busy month.

Ruuuu ooooh! :S

Here's some things that happened in the blur that was November:

I donated blood, always a good time. This was a particularly great experience because I had a couple nurses that were chatty and super nice. The one told me that I seemed to be very capable of anything. Whatever that meant.
A team from Alberta Bible College came and ran a youth night, I cooked supper for them as well. I've decided that I like cooking for groups of people.
I hosted a sweet 16 birthday party for one of my youth girls: a pinata filled with candy, freeze dance, musical chairs, Indian tacos. Boss.
I watched Drumbeats, twice.
I forgot how to drive on ice.
I put up my first ever "my own" Christmas tree! It was very exciting!
My dad had surgery, it all went well.
I discovered this amazing thing called 31 Bits you should seriously check it out. It's awesome! I'm trying to pull together a house party I think it's so awesome!
I developed an insatiable urge to go sliding down a grassy hill on a food tray.
I had a really good chat with Fresh IE

There's more. But that's enough!

And now comes December! Huzzah! I love the hustle and bustle that is the Christmas season!