THE concert of the year!

Anticipation for this day had started back in April ... actually, no, that's not true. It started 4 years ago when their last tour ended! :) We bought our tickets back in April and have managed to somehow make it through these past 7 months. We had Floor Tickets which are General Admission (meaning no assigned seating) so we had to get there early. We didn't want to be on the floor at the back of the stadium (is this sounding reminiscent of the trip I took to Hawaii in 2006 to see them when I slept overnight outside the stadium?), so we lined up early. Now, when I saw early, you think I'm a little crazy, right? Well, let me tell you ... we got there at 7 am the morning of the concert and I was number 163 in line ... which means there were 162 people there AHEAD of us. There were some people who had been there since 8 am THE DAY BEFORE! We also met some people who could tout this as their FOURTEENTH concert of this tour alone. Yes, 14th! Ok, now that we've established that I'm not the craziest U2 fan alive, let's move on, shall we?

Here we are waiting out the day in line. It was quite chilly outside so luckily we had the casino behind us to go warm up in every once in a while ... and of course I tried to win a bit of money in the process. No luck this time. :( Unlike in Hawaii, they allowed us to come and go in line once we had our number. That was VERY nice. Brenda and I took a few walks and even got to go back to our hotel room at one point. The best thing about the day was that it didn't start raining until about 5:00 pm and we were inside by 5:30. Whoo hoo!!! Only 1/2 an hour of rain.

The wait paid off as we made it to the front of the line ... yes, FRONT ROW!!!

The Black Eyed Peas opened for them and I was looking forward to it. They have a few very fun songs and they were better than I expected. They all looked directly at us at some point. It was really quite fun. I was pretty pleased with the pics I got.

Then it was on to the main act and the real reason we were all there. U2 took the stage and it ... was ... awesome! Here are the boys.

The Edge stood in front of us for most of the concert, so my best shots are of him. LOVE this one. He has such a distinct sound. It's all about him and his guitar.

Rockin' it out.

The man, Bono, himself.

I can hardly believe I'm in a picture with Bono and The Edge. Ok, so it's not exactly like my pic with Michael Buble, but I'm still in the same frame as them!

Love, love, love them.

Another one of my favorite shots of the night.

Awesome.

So many great pics ... so little time to show you them all. :)

Thanks for another GREAT night, boys! We'll see you in Seattle in June. :)

I'll see if I can add some video in my next post.

Thanksgiving

I forgot to publish this post about Thanksgiving, so although it's a little late, maybe I'll pretend I'm American and then I'd be early! :)

Our friends, Norm and Lori invited us up to their condo in Osoyoos to spend Thanksgiving with them. We had a wonderful time.

We went for a walk one morning and saw the frozen orchards. Although strange, it was really quite beautiful.
Here they are preparing the turkey. Once it was prepared and marinating, we headed out to one of the nearby vineyards.

One night we went to the Blasted Church vineyard for live music, wine and lots of fun.

If you know me at all, you know that I've got a fear of water, but I overcame it yet again and went out kayaking. It was GREAT!

Look at me!!! :)

Deep frying the turkey.

It was a wonderful weekend away. Thanks for the invite, Norm & Lori. Can't wait until next time. Hint, hint. ;)

Catching up in pictures

Back in August, I went up to Whistler with some friends of mine from the States. I met Missy in 1992 on a missions trip we went on to the Ukraine. I've seen her a few times since then and even stopped at her place in Minneapolis when I drove across country a few years back, but we've always kept in touch via email or Christmas letters. They had just finished a cruise down from Alaska and asked if we could go see the Olympic sites. Since I hadn't been up there since all the construction started, I thought that was a great idea. It was fun to spend the day with her, Wendy and Tyler and to catch up again.

In September I got tattoo #5. You should be able to see it a little better if you click on the picture. It says "Freedom in Christ" in Hebrew. When I told my new supervisor that I was going to make an appointment, she told me that she'd always wanted one as well. I told her to come along and see what it's all about. I'm proud to say I've made another convert. We're bonded for life now, Meena. :)

Back in July I had been talking with some co-workers about going paragliding. Well, in September we made that dream come alive and here are a few pics. I went last so these pics are all of my friends.

Here are the pics of my journey. It was very peaceful and calm. Running off the edge of a mountain wasn't scary at all. You won't believe me until you try it. And you should. It's great fun, but honestly, I think next time I'll go parachuting because this wasn't enough of a rush for me. Loved it and am glad I can say I've done it, but didn't get my heart pumping like I thought it would.

After the paragliding day, I had zoom envy of my friend Jas' camera. She got SO close up in some of her shots that I had to go out and buy myself a new camera. Since I've loved most of the shots my camera has taken, I decided to stay with So.ny, but just a newer model with a better zoom. I debated about going hi-tech, but I always have my camera on me so I wasn't ready to be lugging something big around with me all the time. I went with So.ny DSC H20 and here are some of my first shots.

My friends dog, Aggie, had puppies on my birthday this year. I felt like we were kindred spirits. They went camping a couple of times this summer so I was privileged enough to get to look after these sweet little creatures ... and of course had to take a million pics.

Also went to the MCC Sale this year and enjoyed some good, ol' Mennonite favorites like Farmer sausage and Vereniki and Rollkuken. YUMMMMMY!

I started this post with a reunion with an old friend and I'm going to end it the same way. Tiffany was also on the same trip in '92 where I met Missy. Tiff only lives an hour and a half away so I've seen her quite a few more times and still love her friendship. She is one of the sweetest, caring people I know and I'm happy to call her my friend. Thanks for putting up with me for an extra night, Tiff! Can't wait to see you again.

Tofino!

I was reading a friends blog and she said that a blog post without pictures isn't much fun and I realized that I've been a bit of a downer lately. All serious and stuff. I was having a hard time wanting to write about fun stuff even though I was still going out and doing fun stuff. Then again, I kept thinking that most of my readers are on Face.book and would see the pics I'd posted there, so why would they want to see them again? Anyway, I'm over that, and here are some new posts ... with pics. ;)

I don't know if you've ever been to Tofino, but if you haven't, you should go! It's BEAUTIFUL there. I was in awe practically at every turn. It is a bit of a jaunt to get there and not so cheap, but worth it in the end. A couple of my friends wanted to go surfing and there's a school there called Surf Sister's, so my friends signed up and another friend and I agreed to be their photographers.

On the way we stopped at the Enchanted Forest. Ok, I don't really know what it's called ... some Provincial Park, I'm sure ... but it was SO cool and the trees were MASSIVE!

After an 8 (or was it 9) hour journey, we went for supper, settled in for the night and prepared for an early start. The first day was quite foggy and looked QUITE chilly, but they still looked like they had fun. The 2nd day was much better. Way to go, ladies!

It actually looked very cool and if we ever go again, I may have to join them ... only in the 3 foot deep water, though ... none of this super deep stuff for me.

On the first day when it got really foggy and Lori and I decided we'd taken enough pictures (plus we were starting to freeze so we needed to move around to stay warm), we wandered off and took a few pics of our own ... of scenery ... of ourselves ... of sea life ...

of ... oops, how'd that picture get in there? ;) Hey, like I said, we took pics of the scenery. Nothin' wrong with that, right? :)

We did have a bit of down time after their first day of surfing so we went to explore the beach. Of course as soon as they got in from surfing, the clouds lifted and it was sunny and warm.

There are some spectacular sunsets in Tofino.

Like I said, I would highly recommend it. 2 nights wasn't enough. I'd say to stay at least for 3 nights ... and don't forget your camera. Photo ops everywhere. Like this amazing spot we found on the way there but decided to stop on the way home.

Here's the poem I left in the guest book at our condo.

Until God Becomes Our All

Life has been interesting these last few months. I haven't known exactly how to write about what's been going on because although as a result of what's going on parts of it do affect me, the core story isn't about me, so I have to be sensitive.

Life sometimes doesn't make sense. Life sometimes isn't fun. Hard things happen in life and I believe that it's all about how we deal with these things that makes us who we are and pleases (or not pleases) God and hopefully in the end brings us closer to Him.

The sermon at my church on Sept. 27 was titled: If God Exists, Why Is There So Much Suffering and Evil? The next weekend I went down to Snohomish, WA to visit my friend Tiffany and her pastor spoke on The Life of Joseph and used one of the same passages that my pastor had used for his sermon. Gen. 37: 12-36 talks about how Joseph's brothers wanted to do him harm so they threw him down a well shaft and then later sold him. Joseph was first a slave and then ended up in prison. He could've cursed God and asked him why this was happening to him. In the end, it all came together and God used it for good.

The last thing my pastor said that brought me to tears was:

Once we get to Heaven, everything sad is going to come untrue.

That, my friends, gives me hope. There will be an end to our suffering. Rom. 8:18

The last thing Tiff's pastor said was:

Even when it doesn't seem like it, God is in control.

I'm counting on that because I know I'm not in control. This situation is so far beyond what I could've imagined and yes, it makes me angry, but not at God. It makes me angry that Christians who know better would allow Satan to get ahold of them and tear them away from what they know to be right and true. Tiff's pastor also said that God doesn't call us to understand what's going on, He calls us to remain faithful.

Today I was reading Walking with God by John Eldredge again and this is what I read (pgs 85 - 87):

God wants us to be happy, but He knows that we cannot be truly happy until we are completely His and until He is our all. The sorrows of our lives are in great part His weaning process. We give our hearts over to so many things other than God. We look to so many other things for life. Especially the very gifts that He Himself gives to us - they become more important to us than He is. That's not the way it is supposed to be. As long as our happiness is tied to things we can lose, we are vulnerable. We are created to enjoy life. But we end up worshiping the gift instead of the Giver. We seek for life and look to God as our assistant in the endeavor. We are far more upset when things go wrong than we ever are when we aren't close to God. And so God must, from time to time, disrupt our lives so that we release our grasping of life here and now. Usually through pain. God is asking us to let go of the things we love and have
given our hearts to, so that we can give our hearts even more fully to Him. Our first reaction is usually to get angry with Him, which only serves to make the point. Don't you hear people say, "Why did God let this happen?" far more than you hear them say, "Why aren't I more fully given over to God?"

Now, I am not suggesting that God causes all the pain in our lives. But pain does come, and what will we do with it? What does it reveal? What might God be up to? How might He redeem our pain? Those are questions worth asking.

Don't waste your pain.

Lord, help me to love you above all else.

Quote of the day

I heard this quote today and really like it, so I thought I'd share:

If you don't like something, change it;
if you can't change it,
try to change the way you think about it.

Finish the sentences

Feel free to join in if you'd like. Finish the sentences. Some may be uncomfortable, but you'll manage.


1. I've come to realize that my last kiss ... was wasted.

2. I am listening to... Michael Bublé (not live ... I wish)

3. I talk... often.

4. I love.... life ... most of the time.

5. My best friend... has made me a very blessed girl.

6. My first real kiss... was surprisingly good.

7. Love is... great if both parties are willing to work for it ... because as much as we'd love it to be, it ain't easy.

8. Marriage is... something I desire at times and not at all at others.

9. Somewhere, someone is thinking... "Aaaaah, crap! Why'd I have to step in that doggie doo doo." (I don't know why, but that was the first things that came to my head, so I went with it).

10. I always.... get happy when I see things in 3s.

11. The last time I really cried was because... my heart was breaking for someone close to me.

12. My cell phone... has helped me out when I'm at a store and have no money in a certain account, so I hop onto the Internet and voila, money transferred.

13. When I wake up in the morning.... I hit snooze a few times but really wish I could just thank God for another day and go from there.

14. When I go to sleep..... I look forward to what I'm going to dream about.

15. Right now... I would like to go to sleep but have energy from Boot Camp.

16. Babies are... uhm, sometimes loud, sometimes cute, sometimes smelly, sometimes in their birthday suit. Bad rhyme, I know. I didn't know what I think about babies ... honestly don't think about them much.

17. I get annoyed when... people are fake.

18. Today I... am wishing a wonderful friend many blessings in her new home.

19. Tomorrow ... I MUST mow the lawn and clean the house.

20. I really want to be... oooooh, so many things ... famous ... a writer for a travel magazine ... truly who God intends me to be ... 35 pounds lighter ... a millionaire ... friends with Bono ... in a great relationship ... but mostly right now I really want to be in bed, so that's where I'm heading.
Peace out!

Always be camera ready

We rejoin our main character, Fiona, as she gets ready to go out for her last birthday celebration.

Plans were going to have to be changed as everyone was supposed to meet downtown and either go hang out at the beach or take a walk around the seawall, then go for a late lunch or supper, but unfortunately, it was now raining. Text messages where sent and phone calls were made and plans were changed to go to Cactus Club in Coquitlam. Fiona was thinking that it was great to see everyone as there were a few of them she hadn't even seen over the summer. They had a great time catching up, eating the delicious food, taking a couple of pictures ...




and then ...

As they were sitting there chatting after paying their bill, Fiona looked up towards the doorway and saw this guy walk in. She thought, "He looks like Michael Bublé … I think it IS Michael Bublé, IT IS MICHAEL BUBLE!!!" Once she was sure, she said out loud to her friends, "You guys, that's Michael Bublé over there." One of her friends whipped her head around (not thinking that he was close enough to see her do that, but really he was only about 10 feet away), he looked right at her and she said, "Sorry. We love you." He said back to her, "I love you, too" waved at their table and then came over and high fived the same friend on his way over to be seated at his table. So cute!

They all sat and giggled at their table for another 3 minutes or so and then Fiona said, "Ok, I'm going to get my picture taken with him." All her friends looked at her and said, "WHAT?" "Yup," she said, "I always live with regrets after situations like this and I'm not going to do it this time. Who's going to take the picture for me?"

Only 1 friend stepped up and said she'd do it, so she walked over to him and said, "Hi, I'm the one who spotted you over there and it's my birthday. Would I be able to get my picture with you?"

He looked at her with a big smile and said, "Sure!" Fiona looked at the pretty, blonde girl he was with and apologized, but she just smiled and looked totally fine with it. Fiona's friend took the picture and Michael said, "Is it ok?" Isn't that sweet? He cared if it was a good picture and if it wasn't, he really seemed like he would've let her take another one. Anyways, Fiona looks at it and says, "Yeah, it's great. Look." She holds the camera out to him, he leans over and looks at it and says … get this … "Oh yeah. You look HOT!"

Yes, ladies and gentleman, Michael Buble told our little ole main character of Borne To Travel that she looked HOT! Sure, he may know how to work his lady fans by now to keep them hangin' on, but whatever. It totally worked on Fiona! :)

Then, after she finished blushing, Fiona said to him, "I just want to let you know that I saw you at Deer Lake Park a few years ago and" to which Michael interrupts her and said, "Was that you in the front smoking pot?" with a huge smile on his face, so Fiona says, "Yeah!" He grabbed her hand and lifted it in and air and said, "I love it!" haha Little joke between performer and fan (because just in case you were wondering, Fiona WASN'T in the front smoking pot).

Fiona then continued and said, "I just want you to know that I loved your concert. I knew you'd be great musically, but I had no idea that you're so funny. You put on a great show." He said, "Thanks. It's always great to meet the Vancouver fans." Little side note in case you didn't know, he grew up in Burnaby.

Fiona said, "Thanks for the picture," and started walking away and he said, "Happy birthday, kid."

And that is why you should always be camera ready.

In case you're not sure who this gorgeous man is, take a look here and listen to his amazingly smooth voice:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4020141001?bctid=25335050001

And if anyone still hasn't gotten me a b.day present and is wondering what to get me, I would really love to have the DVD he made of his concert at Maddison Square Garden. :)

New look, new countdowns

So, can anyone tell me the flag that's at the top of my blog? I know one of my readers can for sure ... actually, two, seeing as Jennie sat with me for many hours figuring out my new look on my blog. Thanks Jennie! You're the best! :)

This flag represents the next new country I am going to visit in 82 days from today ... I mentioned it a few posts ago ... ARGENTINA! I'm so excited to go and see my friend, Leana! :) Lea and her hubby, Doug have lived there for about 8 and a half years and probably every year I say to her, "Maybe this will be the year I come and visit." Well, no more dangling it out there. My ticket is bought and I leave the day after the U2 concert so I'll be flying high ... maybe I won't even need the plane to fly me there. ;)

Lea will come meet me in Buenos Aires for a few nights to start off the trip, then we'll go to their place and I'll get to meet their 2 adorable girls. It's so fun to webcam with Lea and see the girls. They come up and say, "Hola, Fiona!" Their English is getting better all the time. I hope to learn a bit more Spanish before going down there, but we'll see if I can fit it in.

I'm not sure what else to do while I'm there, but I'm sure Lea will have some great ideas. If any of my readers out there have been to Argentina before, please let me know of anything that I absolutely shouldn't miss.

I'm also getting myself psyched for the U2 concert. I have a friend who knows all things U2 and he sends me updates all the time about how their tour is going so far and You.Tube clips of "how to get front row seats at a U2 concert." All fun things like that. The anticipation is killing me. It seems so far away. I cannot wait!

Such fun things to look forward to! Let the countdowns begin!!!

My Birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday (Happy 37th to me!) and I kind of celebrated all weekend. :) We had originally had other plans for the weekend but they fell through. I'll admit that I was a bit sad at first, but it all turned out great in the end.

Friday night my wonderful friend Rachel had Steve, Brenda and I over for steak and she made yummy peach cobbler for dessert. Now, this wasn't in any way for my birthday, but it was part of my excellent weekend, so I wanted to publicly thank Rachel for yet another wonderful meal and fun times.

Saturday I got to hang out at a friends pool all day and soak up some rays. That was most delightful. :) Then in the evening, Bren, Steve and I headed into Vancouver for the fireworks (that Steve said he had arranged especially for my birthday). Since Steve wouldn't be able to be at my birthday supper the next night, he asked me where I wanted to eat and I chose the yummy place below.

Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmm. If you've never tried Vera's Burgers, they are SO yummy. Their fries are really good as well, but I prefer the onion rings. Delicious! We made our way through the throngs of people and ate on the beach. I was obviously too hungry to remember to take a pic of our food. Sorry!

We asked someone to take our picture and this is the doozy we got. Oh well. It's better than nothing.

We waited for the sun to go down so the fireworks could begin.

It was China's night to perform and they didn't disappoint. They were very good ... can't say they were the best I've ever seen, but very good none the less.

Then afterwards we made our way through the throngs of people again and made the very long drive home (our weekend plans had been to stay in Vancouver so we didn't have to make this drive but the place where we were staying the person decided to come home last minute so it wasn't to be).

Then, the day of my actual birthday, Bren and I took the top off on her convertible and headed down to the States. We stopped at Tar.get and I found some goodies and didn't get dinged at the border, which is always nice.

Came home and got ready to go out to dinner with these lovely ladies.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends. I really am. I love each and every one of these girls at this table very much. They all mean so much to me and represent different eras of my life. I'm so glad they're all still around for this era as well. :) Love you girls!

I'm thinking my b.day will last all week, though, because a few of my other friends were out of town this weekend and they've all said they still want to go out with me and I also have a lunch date planned with work friends this week as well. Who am I to say no? ;) Again, very blessed with wonderful people in my life.

Thank you to all who either Facebook'd me, phoned me, emailed me or sent e-cards. You are all treasures in my life.

It was a great day.

Now I'm off to watch my friend jump out of a plane! Have a great BC Day everyone (or Family Day or just a regular Monday to those of you who don't have today off).

Be encouraged

As no scripture is of private interpretation, so is there no feeling in a human heart which exists in that heart alone, which is not, in some form or degree, in every heart.

George MacDonald

Be encourage. You are not alone in how you're feeling.

Try, try again

So, I went online to book my trip the other day (going to Argentina to see my friend, Leana) and the prices had gone up from the few days before that I had looked. No problem, I'll just check out a different day. Perfect. There's the cheap price again. I go through the whole process of picking my departing flights, returning flights and putting in all my information and when I hit "purchase" it says that this flight cannot be found. Huh? I get on the phone and call their tech support to which the lady tells me that their website hasn't been updated and those prices are no longer available. I ask her to help me find out which flights do have those prices. She hems and haws for quite awhile and I realize she's going to be no help to me.

I hang up on her (after saying thanks (for nothing) and goodbye) and I try again ... and again ... and again on the website. Choose my flights, put in my information, flight not available. So frustrating. I decide to call back and this time, I get a fellow named Peter. Peter politely asks me what the problem seems to be and goes through it all with me again. After Peter hears my story, what does he say to me?

"Since that price is on the website, I have to honour it."

WHAT? I think I love Peter! Thanks, dude!

Why am I telling you this? Because it's a good reminder that if you don't get what you think you should be getting from the first customer service person, don't be afraid to try again ... although you may end up talking to the same person as before and that can be a little embarrassing.

But yes, back to the even more exciting part. I'm off on another adventure to Argentina!!! I'm not leaving for awhile yet, but you know me ... the countdown will start soon.

Can't wait to see you, Lea and meet those 2 beautiful daughters of yours.

Guilty or Innocent

This is from Facebook, but I thought I'd steal it for my blog. :) Feel free to add to your blog as well.

RULE 1 You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2 You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!(So people reading this, if you want an explanation.. comment.)

1. Asked someone to marry you? Innocent

2. Kissed one of your Facebook friends? Guilty

3. Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent

4. Ever told a lie? Guilty

5. Had feelings for someone whom you can't have? Innocent

6. Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Innocent

7. Kissed a picture? Guilty

8. Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent

9. Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty

10. Held a snake? Guilty

11. Been suspended from school? Innocent

12. Worked at a fast food restaurant? Guilty

13. Stolen from a store? Innocent

14. Been fired from a job? Innocent

15. Done something you regret? Guilty

16. Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty

17. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Guilty

18. Kissed in the rain? Guilty

19. Sat on a roof top? Guilty

20. Kissed someone you shouldn't? Guilty

21. Sang in the shower? Guilty

22. Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent

23. Shaved your head? Innocent

24. Slept naked? Innocent

25. Had a boxing membership? Innocent

26. Made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry? Guilty

27. Been in a band? Innocent

28. Shot a gun? Guilty

29. Donated Blood? Innocent

30. Eaten alligator meat? Guilty

31. Eaten cheesecake? GUILTY!

32. Have/had a tattoo? Guilty

33. Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty

34. Been too honest? Guilty

35. Ruined a surprise? Guilty

36. Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you can't walk afterward? Guilty

37. Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty

38. Dressed in a woman's clothes (if your a guy) or man's clothes (if your a girl)? Guilty

39. Joined a pageant? Innocent

40. Been told that you're handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty

41. Had communication w/ your ex? Guilty

42. Got totally drunk one night and you have an important thing to do in the tomorrow morning? Innocent

43. A total stranger treat you by paying your bus fare? Innocent

44. Get totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty

Sooooo hot!

Last night I ended up taking my sarong, soaking it, wringing it out and laying it on top of me to help me sleep ... and it worked!!! Well, until 4 am when it was dry and I was sweating again. Ugh! I really do like summer better than winter, but when it's this hot I just feel lazy. I'm sweating just sitting here typing this, so anything above that is just over exerting myself. ;)

I hope you're all surviving the heat. For those of you with A/C in your house, don't take it for granted. You're SUPER lucky!

Oh, and is anyone else having trouble breathing lately? I've heard them say on the radio that the air quality is really bad right now and I'm feeling it ... and I don't have asthma, so I can only imagine how bad it is for those of you who do.

Try to stay cool, everyone. Oh, and at least our pools aren't as crowded as this one!

Sweet release

I'm not feeling real joy at the moment. In fact, the longer whatever this oppression is hangs around, the more discouraged I get. There's not a lot of peace here either. Not like a river. Not even a rivulet. Whatever this cloud is I'm under, it isn't bringing with it the fruit of the Spirit. I can't get back to the clear air I normally have. Something is in the way.

God had me read that part (page 51) of Walking with God (by John Eldredge - I talked about it a few posts ago) on Sunday for a reason. It's exactly where I was at. There's been something bothering me for awhile now and I just couldn't figure out what to do with it. I've let myself get stressed over it and the effects have been showing. I haven't been able to be myself and experience true joy. Unfortunately, I can't go into detail about the actual situation, but God revealed more to me.

You'll soon discover that if you want life and joy, if you are moving into deeper intimacy with God, you are going to attract attention. The enemy will not like it. That's okay. Don't surrender. Don't back down. As Scripture says, resist. Rise up. Fight back. If you do, you can be rid of the attack. And best of all, it makes you holy. Because it strengthens your will and draws you closer to Christ. It causes you to mature, for you have to be intentional and deal with assaults directly. - pg 56

So that's what I've done. I've acknowledged that I've been listening to that voice in my head that's beating me down and calling me a bad person and I'm no longer going to listen to that voice. God wants me to find His peace and have joy. He came "that we might have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 I feel that I have been getting closer to God lately and it didn't even cross my mind that Satan wouldn't like it and would attack me. I hate how cunning and subtle he is and how he can make us feel bad about ourselves. Yes, we do need to take inventory of ourselves and desire to become better people in Christ, but if it's from God, He won't beat you down to get you there. He'll do it in love and bring peace from it.

Thank you, God, for revealing that to me and helping me to bind Satan and the accusations he was gently placing in my head. Those thoughts do not come from You and do not produce fruits of the Spirit.

ONE ARTIST

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a song title. Enjoy!



Pick Your Artist: U2 (of course ... did you expect anyone else?)



Are you male or female: Party Girl



Describe yourself: Lady with the Spinning Head



How do you feel about yourself: Love and Peace or Else



Describe where you currently live: Don't Take Your Guns to Town (haha - if you know where I live, you'd know how true this is - in a pleading way)



If you could go anywhere you wanted to go: New York



Your favorite form of transportation: Fast Cars



Your best friend is: The Sweetest Thing



Your favorite color is: Paint it Black



Favorite time of day: Night and Day



If your life were a TV show, what would it be called: Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For



What is life to you: Magnificent



What is the best advice you have to give: Sometime's You Can't Make it on Your Own



If you could change your name, what would it be: Elevation (ok, I could've gone with Grace or Gloria, but I wanted to be different)



Thought for the Day: The Saints Are Coming



How I would like to die: Miracle Drug



My soul's present condition: Rejoice



My motto: All Because of You!

Transformation

I didn't mean to leave you hangin' for so long. Thanks to Sonya, Rachel, Lea and Jode for their kind words and to anyone else who prayed for me as well. Your prayers were felt. 2 weekends ago I went away for the weekend by myself to deal with this anger. I had an amazing time away. I started reading Walking with God by John Eldredge.

I don't know if you can read the small print at the bottom of the book, but it says, "Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really." That's what I needed that weekend ... well, I always need it, but especially that weekend. You may say, "but you're single and live alone, so why would you need to go away for the weekend?" Because there are too many distractions at home and I know myself ... I would've allowed myself to be distracted. I hate that I have to go away to feel like I can really talk and listen to God, but that's what I needed that weekend. So, away I went.

There was another book I read the first night (which I'll tell you about in another post) and then finished in the morning, then I went for a walk and took a few pictures, which I'll throw in throughout this post.

Sometimes we feel so alone in how we're feeling. God knows and is there for us.

I picked up this book not knowing what I would find, but being open to whatever it was. I was only in the Introduction when I found myself already underlining things. He talks about Adam and Eve and the relationship they originally had with God.

"...whatever it was they were, and whatever it was they had, we also were meant to be and to have. And what they enjoyed above all the other delights of that place was this - they walked with God. They talked with Him, and He with them. For this you and I were made. And this we must recover. It is our deepest need, as human beings, to learn to live intimately with God."

This is something I want. Intimacy with God. I continued reading and reading about intimacy with God revealed to me how intimately God knows me. That didn't scare me ... it excited me! The fact that God loves me THIS MUCH (even though I'll never completely fathom how much) is overwhelmingly awesome. Even when I sin, God comes looking for me.

The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. 2 Chron. 15:2

I'm going to write what I wrote in my journal at this point.

That's all we have to do. Seek Him. God is ALWAYS with me. That isn't a new thought to me, yet somehow I forget that "with me" doesn't mean up in the clouds whenever I need to talk. He was in the car with me on the drive up here and is sitting across the table from me now.

I sat and thought about that fact for a second. God is sitting across the table from me right now. I thought, "Ok, let's talk," and this is literally the conversation I had with God about my anger.

Me: What do I do with this anger?

God: Give it to me.

Me: But for some reason, I feel I'm entitled to this anger. You love (this person) so You'll be nice to them and they don't deserve Your love.

God: You don't deserve my love.

Me: I know, but it's so hard to grasp Your concept of "all sins are equal."

God: Let me be the judge and jury.

Me: Ok, right. That does make me feel a bit better knowing that You'll judge them.

God: That shouldn't bring you joy. You'll be judged one day, too.

Me: I just don't get how they can do this! How can they be so selfish?

God: Haven't you been discovering how selfish you are just this past week? (refer to previous posts about God revealing my selfishness to me)

Me: Wow. You're right. That's a good slap across the face. Help me to pray that all of our eyes are opened to our selfish ways and that we see how ugly that is and how that DOES NOT bring honour to Your name.

I can't say that I'm not still upset with what's going on, but I honestly don't feel the anger anymore. Luckily ... actually, no, I don't believe in luck ... by Divine appointment, I had a counselling appointment scheduled for the Monday after my weekend away. My counsellor helped me to see what this person may be going through and really opened my eyes and I actually left the counselling session with compassion for this person ... who just days before (although I'm not proud to admit it) I couldn't have cared less if I ever saw again.

That night we also had our wind up Care Group for the year. We had been given a bit of homework and when I opened it up while away for the weekend (yes, leaving my homework until the last minute), I had to laugh when I saw the question in bold at the bottom of the page. It said, What is a transformation story you have that you can share? Hmmm, let me think ... !!! Going through a bit of transformation RIGHT NOW I'd have to say. I went back to reading my book and while I'd like to type out all of pages 18 and 19 for you right now, I'll just give you a taste so you go read it for yourself. :)

We may not know exactly what God is up to in this or that event in our lives. "Why didn't I get the job?" "How come she won't return my calls?" "Why haven't my prayers healed this cancer?" I don't know. Sometimes we can get clarity, and sometimes we can't. But whatever else is going on, we can know this: God is always up to our transformation."

Transformation isn't always fun and it can be a lot of work, but if it brings me closer to God in the end, He promises it will be worth it.

Opinions, please.

Well, there's a first time for everything and yesterday at church, I had a first. I was listening to our Pastor speak about how we are meant to be a community and that we were saved to be part of a group. We should be "other" oriented. This resonated with me because as I briefly mentioned in my last post, just this past week, God has been showing me my selfish tendencies. I was chuckling to myself (not out loud because the person next to me might've thought I was a little off my rocker) that this point was being driven home to me yet again. I was telling God, "Yes, I get it," but not in a cocky way. I really do want to learn and change my ways. I did mess up this week and just had to say, "Doh!" after I realized that I had asked God to show me ways to be less selfish this week and I missed the mark big time. Luckily God is gracious and I can learn from that. When we run contrary to our design, dysfunction happens and I felt that as soon as I realized how I'd missed out on being selfless.

So, we know that's not a first for me. Being selfish is one sin I'm unfortunately, too familiar with ... but working on to rectify. What was a first was at the end of the sermon it was time to take communion. He went through the "instructions" about how if you're not a Christian you may just want to let the bread and cup pass you by and how if you have an issue with a "brother" you may also want to do the same until you make it right. All of a sudden I was confused. I'm dealing with anger right now towards someone who hasn't done anything directly to me, but to someone I'm close to. Is that enough to make me let the communion pass me by? It's not like I can go and make it right with this person because, like I said, they haven't done anything directly to me and therefore, if I went to them, they may tell me to butt out. But the anger I have in my heart isn't right and I know that. Do I hold off on communion until I've dealt with this anger? I didn't know what to do. I've never had this feeling before. Since I was unsure, I left during communion and decided to not take it. This was a first for me. Something I really do not want to repeat. I hated not taking communion and feeling that special bond with God. It left a hole in my heart, but not enough to drive out the anger yet.

Anyone have any good advice for me? I'm all ears.

Inspirations

This weekend I have had 2 major inspirations. One is by a girl I went to High School with who is dying of cancer. Her name is Rachel Barkey and I'm sure a lot of you know her. This video of her speaking is from March 2009 and she was only given a few months to live. If you have an hour to listen, I really encourage you to do so.

http://deathisnotdying.com/fullvideo/

She has encouraged me to not be so selfish and to remember my purpose. I have been put on this earth to please God. I'm going to seek ways to do that this week.

The other thing that inspired me this weekend was a movie called Running the Sahara. Here's the preview for the movie.




This movie is about 3 guys who run across the Sahara desert. For me, this was not an inspiration about running (although I do want to go for a run tonight). It was more an inspiration that if you truly set your mind to something, you can do it. It has also inspired me to go to Africa. I've always wanted to go, but I'm really going to try to make that happen. In what capacity will I go? I don't know yet. I just hope to get there.

This weekend I got to meet Ray Zahab, one of the guys who ran across the Sahara. He is an awesome guy. 8 years ago he was a pack a day smoker and says he "kept Guinness in business." One New Year's Eve, he and his brother said they needed to start a new life and he took it to the extreme. He's only been running for 5 years (at the time he ran the Sahara he'd only been running for 2 1/2 years) and has also run across the Antarctic and has many races planned to education kids about other cultures and the water crisis around the world. If you see this movie somewhere or want to buy it online, I encourage you to do so.

Fiona needs ...

I saw this on Keri's blog awhile ago and thought it was funny, so I thought I'd try it.

Here’s how it works: Google “[your first name] needs” (don't forget to include the quotes) and share the first 10 results. That's it: it is that simple. But be honest...

Fiona needs URL

Fiona needs to ______. I want to ______ Fiona. Fiona can ______ my ______. If I could describe Fiona in a word: ______. Fiona will never _____.

Princess Fiona needs her Shrek

Fiona needs support

Fiona Needs is on Facebook

fiona needs to go on a diet seriously

Fiona needs money!!!

Fiona needs new hips.

Fiona needs insperation

Fiona needs a HOME!!!

Ha Ha! Some of those are SO true ... and some of them I have no idea what they mean, but it was funny, so I thougth I'd post it. :)

I'm back! (I should look and see how many times I've used that as my Title)

Hey Everyone ... if you're still there. My friend asked me today, "When you said on your blog that you'd be back in April, did you mean April 2010?" After we had a good laugh about that (thank you, Karen), I tried to explain why I haven't been back, and I'll try to explain it here as well. At first, I didn't come back right away because 40 days away from the computer really made me realize that I don't need it as much as I thought I did. I could live without it! Can you believe that? :) I would go for days without even thinking to look at my emails or Facebook, but slowly over time, it's creeped/crept back in. Not like it was before Lent, and only on my email and Facebook. I haven't looked at my blog or anyone else's since the end of February. When I thought about why that is, I think it's because I'm a little ashamed. I had big plans for myself during my break, but I think I somewhat wasted my time and I'm dealing with some shame over that. Without my computer, I'd have a lot of time on my hands to do good things with. I'm going to admit that the only good thing that I feel came of my break was that I visited with people I hadn't seen in a long time and I made time for that, which I was happy about. Other then that, I'll be honest and tell you that I filled my time with crap TV. I did do some reading, but mostly I sat (or layed, depending on my mood) on my couch and I flicked through channels. I didn't read my Bible more like I intended or have more quiets times and pray and I know that I missed out on some great opportunities. Then why didn't I do it? I've asked myself that question so many times and I can only come up with that I didn't want it enough, which makes me sad. I know only I can change that, but for some reason, I don't. I know that God still loves me and we have a wonderful relationship, but it can always be better.

Anyways, there it is. Now that I've admitted that, maybe I'll be here more often.

Oh, in the time that I've been gone, I've transferred to a new job and it's been wonderful! God's timing is perfect, as always, and He knew what I needed well before I did. I'm so glad that I didn't get that job that I talked about earlier. I'm also glad that He's in control and not me. :)