The full acting out of the self's surrender to God therefore demands pain: this action, to be perfect, must be done from the pure will to obey, in the absence, or in the teeth, of inclination.

C.S. Lewis

Happy Birthday times three!!!

Although it is both my mother's and my niece's birthday today (Happy Birthday to you both, I love you!!), I got a 'birthday' present too. Not only was I approved for my school loan but the school called and after reviewing my college transcript, they have decided to grant me 45 advanced credits. This means that basically the 15 elective courses that I thought I would be taking, I no longer have to take. Which then means that I don't have to go to school for as long as I thought. Possibly two years less. Which also means that I won't be in as much debt as I once thought. I knew God was going to come through. There are truly no words to describe how He takes care of me. I so know that I deserve none of this and yet He continues to come through and constantly provides for me. And thank you for any and all who prayed on my behalf. I know He answers prayers. He continuously proves that over and over in my life.

Silly girl talk. ;-)

Tonight I went to see 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' with Melissa. It was quite enjoyable. I do however like the first one better. Which is usually the case when Hollywood decides to create sequels. But, truthfully I would pay over and over to see Colin Firth on the screen. I don't know but this guy really does it for me. I think he is like in his forties but man he is just awesome. Too bad he's married. :-) Maybe it's the accent. :-) But seriously, he really has this charm in the characters he plays that gets me every time. Hugh Grant has the same sort of thing but Colin beats Hugh tenfold.

I know this is silly teen talk! It's fun! Mmmmm Colin. :-) lol

The weekend.

I had a pretty interesting weekend. I would say that it all started on Friday when I had lost my S.I.N. card. I had been looking for it for days and realized that I just wasn't going to find it. So on Friday I went to the HRDC to obtain a temporary card. (not really a temp card, more of an official receipt to use until I receive my new card) Anyway, I was sitting in the waiting area and a guy beside me started talking to me. His name was Wayne and he was from Vietnam. He had only been in the country for 2 days. He is here mostly because of his brother. During our conversation the woman on the opposite side of me started conversing with us as well. Her name was Asme and she was from Morocco. She has been in the country for 3yrs. She originally came to visit her sister and ended up finding and marrying her husband. Anyway, it was just so nice to talk to two total strangers. We ended up exchanging email addresses and maybe some day we will meet up again.

After I was finished at the HRDC, I had to head over to a financial aid office. It didn't matter which one, so I went to the closest one to my house, which was at Sheridan College. While talking with the receptionist I saw Julian. He is the guy I went rafting with. I haven't really seen him in awhile and we chatted it up. It was really great seeing him. We talked about a new love interest in his life and how he wishes he could stay on cloud 9, his schooling, my schooling, what I'm doing now etc...

Later in the day I went Christmas shopping with my mom. I got some big gifts out of the way. And I really got into the Christmas spirit.

On Saturday, I took my parents to see 'Hairspray the Musical'. It turned out being really good. My parents enjoyed themselves immensely. That is all that mattered to me. After the show we went out for a nice dinner at Canyon Creek. We had never been to that restaurant and I had heard great things about it. I had pasta but after tasting my dad's steak, I regretted choosing it. Overall, great day.

On Sunday, today, I was still in the Christmas spirit. And after having an awesome sleep I put up the Christmas tree and decorated the banister with garland and red bows. It looks great. Tomorrow I plan to place the lights along the banister and decorate the tree. My sister and Darcy came over for dinner too. It is so nice to have family over. I don't know what I would do without family.

Excitement with Fear!

On Monday I got accepted into the Christian Counseling program at the Christian College. It was both exciting and scary. I find it funny how easily fear creeps into a situation. I have been looking forward to this since God showed me back in August. Now, as of January, I will be a student. This is exciting. Then I was afraid that because I had just switched jobs, the current one might change their mind because in less then two months my availability will be drastically reduced. But when I told them on Tuesday, all she said was 'I am glad that you were honest with me' and she continued to schedule my training hours and such. That was a relief.

The only other fear I have right now is the financial situation that I am in. Because I switched jobs, no real money will come in until I am actually on the floor. This has set me back a little bit. And I am going to have to take out a loan. Something which doesn't sound that bad, maybe to you, but, I already have financial constraints and to add to it would be crazy. I know God can do anything and it is His will that I go to school. I know that, I just have to trust that He will get me through.

Tuesday night's cell group was pretty good. Because we haven't been able to get together in the past two weeks, we basically talked about what has been happening in our lives. We prayed for one another and read from the bible. I think it is awesome that we can be so honest and upfront with our thoughts and emotions and no one criticizes. Actually on Tuesday, a new girl joined our group, Samira. I got a chance to get to know her a little because of the openness in the group and also because I drove her home. She is actually from Afghanistan and she is the only one in her family who is saved. She moved to Canada a few years ago and she finds it amazing how much God has impacted her life.

Everyone if you could please pray for Samira's family.

Great Big Sea!

So, my good friend Nadine calls me last night at around 6:30pm. She asks me if I have anything planned this evening. I tell her no. (I was actually already showered and in my pjs) She then says how about meeting me downtown, because I have tickets to the Great Big Sea concert tonight. Now, Nadine is a security guard for concert venues and she got me two tickets to the concert, which was going on at 8pm last night. She was so awesome to think of me. I love Great Big Sea. When I got down there, she was security for the dressing rooms. I wasn't lucky enough to get V.I.P. passes but the concert was totally awesome.

There is just something about Newfies and partying. The crowd was cool too. They sang in unison to so many of their songs. And when Alan Doyle and the rest of the band sing a cappella it totally blows your mind. They are so in sync it's amazing. They are totally gifted and talented musicians and luckily I have been fortunate enough to go to two of their concerts, both I must add, I got in for free.

And to top it off, the concert was being filmed for a special viewing on the internet. It will be aired again on sympatico msn in December. The camera came around my area a few times. I will have to see if I actually got on t.v.. :-) I recommend everyone to check out this concert. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee it. My niece, Jessica, who is into hard rock came with me and she enjoyed the concert immensely. :-)

A Poem for Remembrance Day

Wooden Crosses
Originally uploaded by angeler.

"The inquisitive mind of a child"

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today.
The poppies, child, are flowers of love.
For the men who marched away.

But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.

But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child.
The blood that our soldiers shed.

The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy.
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief.
For the men who never came back.

But why, Mummy are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child.
For the world is forgetting again.

Author Unknown

Random Thoughts

I don't know why but I love the new Air Canada commercial. I love how they put windows in front of the world. And the ending is awesome, people rowing and taking off into the air. It also helps that I really like the song.

It is so crazy how voicing your opinion can get so many people riled up. I have not until yesterday, voiced my opinion about the election in the States. I don't have the same view point as most of my friends and collegues. I am glad Bush won. That is not to say that I like him but I have my reasons for preferring Bush over Kerry. Call me names, hate me, but that is my opinion. One good friend of mine without even hearing my side said 'There has to be something wrong mentally if you want. Bush' Ok, so now I'm mentally ill. :-) Whatever. I am sure that most of the people who read this blog will disagree with me too. And that is fine, my opinion is still the same and yours is too. We probably both have valid points and before we argue lets just agree to disagree. After, my friend blew up at me, I told him to hear me out. Although he said I had valid issues with Kerry and my reasoning for choosing Bush he understood and in the end we decided to agree to disagree. We are still friends. ;-)

On another note, I am getting a reference letter from the current church I am attending. My cell group leader is going to write it and get a pastor to sign it as well. I really hope that the college will except this. If not I will have to go into detail my situation and hope for the best.

I quit my job last week and Friday, tomorrow, is my last day. I am so glad. I feel a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Of course I panicked after I did it because I did not have another job to go to, but I knew for my heart and soul, it needed to be done. On Monday I got a job. Someone is watching over me. :-)