Sometimes the best things in life are the simple things.

Like the title says, sometimes the best things in life are just the simplest things. I think we take for granted the small things in life that give us joy. It's important for us to just enjoy those moments for what they're worth and not take them for granted. For instance, here's my list of things that are small, but tend to make me happy, even just for a moment:

1. Cold showers on hot days.
2. Cuddling with my cat. Sounds really stupid, but it's actually quite nice when he's all happy and snuggly!
3. The smell of freshly cut grass...it's good!
4. The smell of laundry detergent. Yes, it sounds weird, but it smells so good!
5. Being freezing cold and getting under a warm blanket.
6. Being so tired you think you're going to pass out, and then finally being able to lay down in your nice, comfy bed.
7. Reading a book or colouring a picture with a kid (or having them climb into your lap. It's cute!)
8. Lying on your bed, or sitting in a comfy chair while listening to GOOD music [good meaning my kind of music ; )].
9. Going for a walk on a warm summer night.
10. Also, going for a walk on the beach at night....really nice.
11. When you first come inside and it's all rainy and stuff, and then you come out again and it's all sunny. It's a nice surprise!
12. When you've had a terrible day and someone, unknowingly, says or does something to make up for it.
13. Seeing someone else really happy. Seems odd, but it usually makes me happy, for some strange reason. Actually, I believe I was talking to Abe about this, how the greatest joy in life is seeing someone else's joy (my teacher used that example with seeing his wife happy).
14. Being with friends. You don't even have to be doing anything, I just like being with people.
15. My brother's presence. Yeah, yeah. We fight sometimes, but I like hanging out with him. He's going away for a week and now I'm going to be all alone! Alone in the sense that my mom doesn't really like playing video games! Nate and I get along really well despite what you all think.
16. Sitting in front of a real wood burning fireplace. I used to do this everyday at my friends house during lunch (or the smell of a campfire).
17. Waking up early in the morning and everything inside and outside the house is so peaceful and you get to just think or watch the sunrise. I did it once. It was cool.
18. Forgetting about letters or objects and then finding them in your room or house somewhere and then reflecting back on the memories.
19. Buying something new, especially if you worked hard to pay for it.
20. Mashed potatoes and meat patties with my mom's gravy.....yummy : )
21. Seeing or hearing from someone you haven't seen or heard from in a long time.
22. Listening to "Hide" by Creed. I don't know why, but it always makes me smile. I just really like the tune or something, I'm not sure.
23. Seeing a miracle, or having your prayers answered.

Well, those are just some examples of little things that are the best in life. I could go on forever! So, enjoy the little things in life that make you happy and don't take them for granted. Have a good long weekend everyone! : )

Only in Dreams

Ok.

Question: Do ALL dreams mean something? I mean, we all dream every night, but we don't always remember them, right? So can we just dream random, pointless and insignificant things and they are just some weird memory or something?

Do you ever have dreams where you wake up completely confused and your mind is boggled trying to think of what just happened? Ok. That's been happeneing to me a lot. They're not really dreams either. More like nightmares. The funny thing is, I don't watch scary movies, scary things don't happen to me and I don't read scary books. So what the heck?!

Last night I had this really freaky dream. I'm sorry if this is really morbid and you end up regreting reading this. Again, my apologies. But I dreamt that all the youth were at my house in my living room (I told you it was scary :P Hehehe). But it wasn't really my house. (You know how you dream it's your house, but it looks nothing like it? Yeah, that's what I mean). My house was on the same street, but it was right on the edge of the street and the windows were about a foot above cars driving by, so you could see into the cars very clearly and just above eye level. Anyways, all the youth were there, plus this girl I work with (don't ask me why she was there, I don't know!). So, we were just sitting talking or whatever like normal, and this white van drove by with this guy inside who looked like a farmer or something (red plaide shirt, dirty jeans, red truckers hat, stubbly beard, etc.) But he was driving really slowly by my house, and I was just watching him. Then I noticed he had a gun in his mouth. It was just a silver hand gun and the barrel was pointing up at the roof of his mouth. I said to you all, "That guy that just drove by has a gun in his mouth". But Julie (girl from work) said, "No, he wasn't driving, he was walking." We kinda bickered back and forth calmly and I finally said, "Ok whatever". And you guys didn't believe me and carried on with your conversations.

So, a few minutes later, the guy drove by again in his white van, but this time he was going even slower than before and he was now on the side of the street closest to my window. I watched him and he still had the gun in his mouth and I saw him shut his eyes and pull the trigger. Sparing you the gory details of seeing someone shoot themselves a couple feet away (and what I saw sure was gory), it was bloody, to say the least. No one would believe me before when I said he had a gun in his mouth, but the shot, oddly enough, didn't even scare you guys. You all just kind of turned around and looked out the window (but it was difficult to see out for obvious reasons). It was really weird. The next thing I remember was being on the floor in the corner crying and just saying over and over to stop talking about it and that I didn't want to hear about it. Then I woke up.

So that was my really morbid dream. I've been having weird dreams like that lately, but some of them have really twisted creatures in them or someone's always being killed in front of me. It's weird. I mean, I'm not scared or anything. Like right now I'm not scared or freaked, just a little puzzled. And I don't ever have the same dream over either. Maybe they don't even mean anything. I'm not looking for interpretation, I just want to know if ALL dreams actually have meaning, or if a lot of them are insignificant. I heard somewhere that a lot of dreams are of what you are thinking of while you're going to sleep. That must not be true though, because I sure wasn't thinking of that! Anyways, sorry if you're all scarred for life or have nightmares yourself! I'm just curious, that's all. Again, sorry! :)

Nobody's "Normal"

You know what's funny? How people condemn others on a daily basis for not being "normal" or for being "weird", as we usually put it. I looked up normal to see what the standard definition was on dictionary.com. Pertaining to this issue, it is as follows:

Conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type.

I thought this was interesting because they used the word conform and I believe that's exactly what being normal is. Conforming to a person's, or group of persons, idealistic view of the way we should act, think and function in society. Sure, we do need some conformity in order to keep the world slightly sane and less chaotic. I'm not saying we should break laws and such just to prove that we aren't of the norm, but we shouldn't be afraid of thinking, or acting outside the box. By insinuating a norm in society, I don't think it teaches anybody anything, except that we MUST act a certain way or dress in certain clothes to be labeled what you want others to label you as, and in order to be deemed "normal".

Although there have been many people trying to imitate the role of normal in society, such as celebrities, who are hailed for their style and attitudes, there has also been other people who have gone out of their way to avoid the norm so that they can change the world to better it. Just think of slavery. What if Martin Luther King Jr. conformed to societal expectations the rest of his life and didn't do anything to fix the wrong in the world? Possibly, black people wouldn't have the same rights they have today. Same with Rosa Parks. The norm was for blacks to sit at the back of the bus and give whites the priviledge of the front. She didn't want to conform to society, so she sat at the front and look what happened! Still others continued to branch off from the norm and helped change the world. Mother Theresa was known worldwide for her caring and giving heart. The norm in society was, and still is, to think of yourself first and others later if it fits into your plan, but she had a heart for the people and decided to help them instead of turning a blind eye towards them (or however the saying goes).

Yeah, sure, there have been others who have avoided the norm and devastation has occurred as a result, such as Hitler and Stalin and other people like them. But they're just crazy.

My point is, just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't make it worthwhile. I think people are too easily swayed by the ways of the world and conforming to society and being "normal". Trust me, I know it's hard to avoid being like everyone else. Hey! I'm like everyone else, too. But it was just a thought. I just hate it when people use the excuse that "everyone does it" or "he/she did it first". I've seen too many people get hurt because they stepped over this person or ignored that person because they weren't "normal" or they didn't act like everyone else and they didn't want others to think they were actually friends with this person because they were deemed "weird". The funny thing is, there really isn't anybody who is normal to everyone. Canadian society is weird to Asian culture; and American society is weird to African society, and so on. Skaters are weird to preps, goths are weird to nerds, etc. So there ya have it. In many ways, we're all weird. Enjoy it. And quit worrying what the guy beside you is thinking. Most likely, he doesn't give a crap anyways.

Weekend

Well, it was yet another wonderful youth event this weekend. I had a lot of fun with all of you who went camping. Shall I do a recap for those who didn't go? Sure, why not.

Friday: We began our journey departing from Abe and Melissa's at about 10:45am. My car consisted of Mel, Celia, Catharina and I. We stopped for bagels for Melissa and the other two cars continued to the camp site. We had to catch up to Abe and Jamie, so we were going about 40km/h over the speed limit to do so! Weaving in and out of cars. No, not really. But it sounds exciting, eh?! Finally we caught up to them. Then melissa was feeling really sick (poor Mel :() so I had to drive for about an hour and a half (I only thought it was about 30 min, but I was wrong). It was kinda scary because I had never driven on a highway type road before and I went really fast and I actually had to pass people! But anyways, we arrived there safe and sound. Once we got there, I think we just set up the tents and went swimming for awhile and some tanned. We had our supper and sat around the campfire discussing the questions that George posed to Abe and the group for some free ice cream. Oh man, I had been eating candy ALL day long and then when we had supper, I had four hot dogs in a matter of 10 minutes and then some more candy. Then Bradley started talking about and playing with his disgusting gash on his leg and I almost threw up. Yeah, that was exciting! I think after that, everyone ('cept me and a couple others) played hide and seek. We talked some more and went to bed.

Saturday: We all got up, had breakfast (yummy pancakes....or potcakes for those of you who heard the joke and some muffins). We went to the grotto on our very LONG hike and it was really cool. There was a lot of really pretty sights to see, such as the lake, the grotto, the cliffs, etc. It was a really nice hike. A lot of work though and my legs still hurt! Abe climbed on the wall along the inside of the grotto and had to turn back because of the overhang. But, Richard thought he could do it so he climbed his way around and ended up falling in! Ah, good times. Over half the group turned back to the vans, but about 6 of us continued on the Bruce Peninsula trail (I think) and we climbed down this tunnel thing to where the overhang was above us. We all made it down safe and sound, except for Bradley who almost rolled down the rocks, but managed to catch himself. Funny kid. So we journeyed back to the vans and made it just in time before we all died of exhaustion. After that, Abe and I went swimming, Celia and Catharina went on the paddle boats and the rest hung around the campsite (doing what, I'm not sure). Again, we ate dinner, which was spaghetti (and it was good 'cause Mel's awesome!) and we played capture the flag and my team won the first game (Abe, Jamie, Laura, Celia and I), but it was so hard 'cause I was tired from hiking and swimming and I had to chase Nathan and he's fast! Then we sat around the campfire and talked again. Hahaha...there were some funny conversations going on there! The best was when everyone went to the washrooms without flashlights and attmepted to use the toilets, but apparently all the guys missed and Tara ended up using the washroom after them...just imagine what happened yourself! Hahaha.

Sunday: We woke up, had breakfast, packed up and headed over to Tobermory to walk around the harbour. It was really nice there, but totally a tourist haven, with overpriced everything and gift shops! We wanted to see the Chee Chee Mon (sp?) come in, but SOMEBODY told us the wrong time and we never got to see it! But, after some wandering, we went home and all dispersed in our own directions. It was a really memorable trip and I thank those of you who organized and supervised it. Thanks a bunch and do it again!

Today: I have to work a double shift today. I've already worked one and now I'm off to the other. What's worse is I'm slightly sick and really tired. I actually had a nap today, which is amazing because I haven't had one since I was a kid! That shows just how crappy I'm feeling today! Actually, it's probably just stupid allergies or something. But anyways, I have to go to work and feel free to add on to or correct any of the events I've listed. Have a great day!

Computers suck.

My computer, and by my computer I mean the one that I am priviledged to have located in my room, has completely killed itself! Well, I may have had a hand in it, but uh, hehe, I didn't mean to! See, I was bored, so I went searching for lyrics (like I always do) and I came across a lyric site I'd never been to before because all the other stupid ones didn't have the band I was searching for, so it's their fault! Anyways, the next thing I know, all these evil (and by evil I mean annoying) pop-ups kept, well, popping up! Then it continued to tell me I have a virus and yadda yadda. So, my dad being the computer genius he is (no sarcasm intended), tried to help me over the phone. It didn't really work though, because I know absolutely nothing about computers....NOTHING! When he came home, he tried to fix it, but I really screwed it over and there's a million viruses (that's right, a million), so now all my computer is good for is listening to CDs since my stereo is broken! My dad uninstalled MSN because, actually, I don't know why. But he did. Now I have to walk all the way to my mother's room to use the internet and MSN! It's an outrage I tell you! I don't know how such horror could befall an innocent person like me! AND while my dad was fixing my computer, he deleted my friend off my list! You wanna know why? Because he didn't like her name. Well, it did have swearing in it, but still! No, actually, I wasn't mad at him. I was laughing so hard though!

Anyways, the whole point of this, is that there is no point. I'm bored and hot. We have no A/C like some of you priviledged folks, so I'm stuck inside because I also do not have a pool or any other means to cool off with, therefore, I get to sit here and do nothing. I'm also getting sick, too. A cold more like it. If I can't go on the camping trip, I will be really mad! But anyways, enjoy your hot summer and I hope you're not as hot as me! (No pun intended :P)

Crazy Sports

Firstly, did they change the blogger post thingy? 'Cause mine is different. Pretty sweet!
 
Anyways, I was just watching part of the Calgary Stampede tonight and it got me thinking.  What kind of morons come up with these sports?  I mean, really! Specifically, I saw the bull riding thing they were doing and man, they are all crazy! Yeah, sure, it takes talent and all, but who came up with this?  The whole idea of the sport is for the person to stay on the aggravated bull the longest.  The thing is, the bull isn't even all that angry to begin with.  The people actually make it angry themselves so that the bull will buck even harder and they will be more challenged.  You want to know how they anger the bull?  Well, I didn't really, but I found out.  They tie a rope to the bull's *ahem* (if you don't know what the *ahem* means, then go visit Jevant's blog about the Darwin awards and see).  The bull is all caged up in an immovable position.  Then, as the gates are being opened, a man standing beside the bull and its rider, yanks up on the rope that is still attached to the bull's "special area" and then releases the bull.  No wonder the bull is so flippin' angry!  Like really, who came up with this sport? WHY?!! 
 
Also, who would want to take part in it?  That was my life long dream as a child. I said, "I want to ride on 2000 lbs bulls, that are angry to no end and hopefully stay on long enough to beat my opponents and then when it's finally time to get off, avoid a concussion, a goring or being stepped on.  Yup, that sure was a dream of mine!  Idiots.
 
Another stupid sport involving bulls: the running of the bulls.  Alright, what does this prove besides pure insanity and stupidity?  Yes, I'm going to run down narrow streets while giant bulls are running after me and maybe, just maybe, I'll outrun all of them and not get killed or seriously maimed.  Hmm...seems logical, no?  Oh boy, people really do have too much time on their hands if they think engaging in near death experiences (and sometimes not so near) is a career.  Crazy, crazy.
 
So that's my rant on bulls and stupid people.

Criminals or Mentally Ill?

I got the chance to talk to Susan Sterling (a former member of Faith) today. She was telling me about a program they have going on in Victoria, B.C. for heroine addicts. I'll warn you now, I don't know much about it, except for what she told me, so if you want exact details and such, then you'll have to research it for yourself.

Well, the program is instilled to help heroine addicts get clean needles and heroine. This enables drug addicts to use the drug in the safest manner possible. By doing this, the drug addicts, most of them, end up wanting to free themselves from their addiction. This is because when they are on the streets, they have to resort to illegal means to obtain the drugs, by either stealing it, dealing it, or prostitution to get money for the drugs. In places in Europe, I believe, they also have this program for addicts. Once this program was created, it reduced crime by 60%. That's huge, because a lot of the crime was from dealers and other addicts trying to get drugs any way they can. But by having a program, it allows them to focus on other things in life, such as a job. The statistics reported that of the addicts enrolled in this program, 40% end up being fully employed for long periods of time. This is incredible, because without it, the addicts would be on the street causing trouble and with no job or any place to live. By having this program, it helps them to get their lives on track. Most places have social workers working full time to help the addicts with withdrawal and the whole process of giving up the addiction, which addicts can enroll in at anytime they feel they are ready to quit.

While this program does seem helpful, the States and some legal authorities are outraged by the installation of this program because they see heroine addicts as criminals, when really they are mentally ill. It is like a disease because these people, almost all of them, once they get in, it is difficult to get out and they so desperately want to get their lives on track but they can't because they don't have the willpower or the resources to do so. So by having this program, it helps them get their lives back in order and quit the addiction altogether. Although this does seem positive, there are some who, after as early as a week, get right back on heroine. But I don't think that we should see them as criminals, because it is something that is affecting the addict mentally. Just like alcohol, it is a poison that slowly takes over the abuser and it is hard to get out. Though alcohol isn't as extreme as heroine, it still has the same effect on the person. They become abusers and addicted, they think it's an escape from their problems when really it becomes the biggest problem in their life; they use it to feel a high and then eventually use it to feel "normal" and they truly believe they cannot function throughout the day without it. It is a sad state to be in, but there are lots of people who suffer from addiction and it should be helped in every way possible. Addicts are considered mentally ill, but the ones distributing it are considered to be the real criminals. This is because most there are a lot of dealers who don't even use heroine, but they feel it is a means to acquiring money, which it is, it's just not the greatest way to do so.

But then again, looking at it from a Christian perspective, it may seem Biblically wrong. You know, this program is distributing the drug, legally however because they had to apply to the ministry of health as well as to get exempt from certain parts of the criminal code. Some may see it as morally wrong because the addicts are still getting the drug. But really, in the end it has proven to help stop addicts from being abusers of the drug and also significantly lowered the rate of crime. To me, this is an assistance to addicts rather than a hindrance.

That's really all I know from the situation considering I only had twenty minutes to talk to Susan in the car. Let me know what your take is on this. As I said, I'm not educated on this subject really at all, so maybe there are more details that would condemn this program or maybe prove it to be successful.

My Movie Advice

I saw King Arthur on Friday night.

It really wasn't all that it was played up to be. I mean, it was alright, I guess, but definitely not worth the ten dollars spent to go see it.

First of all, the plotline was not very good, because I thought it was dry and boring and nothing really exciting happened. There wasn't a whole lot of action, and if there was, it only lasted for a few minutes. Most of it was Arthur and his knights' journey to save this family in exchange for their freedom. Whoohoo.

There was some really cheesy stuff in it too, which made it really bad. Also, there was this pointless sex scene in it between Arthur and Guienevere. And when I say pointless, I mean pointless! You know when you know when there's romance and stuff between two characters? Well, this one was confusing I tell ya! I thought they hated each other, but once again, I was wrong. And Keira Knightley was a terrible actress in it. She wasn't even needed in the movie at all.

The only good thing in the movie, was probably the last battle scene. It was pretty good and the war tactic was fairly interesting.

My advice on this movie, wait until it comes out on video. Then again, you all may not have my taste in movies, and it may have been better than I thought because of the fact that I wasn't in the particular mood of seeing such a film. But hey, what can ya do?

You know what movie I do want to see? That Anaconda one, some Search for the Red Orchid or something like that. I don't know why, I just do! Have a good night all! :)

Violence Among Children

I've really noticed lately that young children (1-8) have become exceedingly more violent, especially at work. In public schools you hear about all the nasty things children have done to other children, such as stabbings, shootings, beatings and other forms of violence. I find this very disturbing, especially since it is among such a young age. For instance, stabbings and shootings. For one thing, these children should not even be able to access weapons of this extreme. If you keep guns or knives in your house, fine. But they should be locked up somewhere or the children should not have any knowledge whatsoever that these weapons are contained in their house. It's just wrong to hear in the news that an eight year old has just stabbed a classmate because he became angry with them. When I was in grade six or seven, a boy a grade younger than me pulled a knife on this guy in my class. The reason, I don't know. But I was standing right there and it was pathetic. He was mad about something stupid and so the kid was suspended. He's lucky he wasn't charged or anything. And this was at a school full of wealthy families, so it wasn't like it was in some sort of stereotypical "ghetto" or anything.

I know violence takes place in all ages, but I'm just focusing on the very young children. The children who should not be learning these things, let alone acting upon them, until they are much older (learning I mean, not acting). At work, I've noticed the children are very violent towards one another. I'm not just talking play wrestling or anything like that, 'cause we used to do that harmlessly when we were kids. But I'm talking about hitting and throwing things and such. This morning, I had this brother and sister come in. The girl was about 2 and the boy about 4. The girl was walking around kicking the other kids and smacking them in the face if they were in her way or if she wanted a toy they had. We told her not to do that and also gave her a time-out (where she proceeded to wail uncontrollably). Later, she was sitting on my lap and she stole a toy unicorn from another little girl of the same age. So, I told her to give it back and she wouldn't, so I took the toy away. She told me she hated me and she wasn't going to be my friend (the friend bit was kind of funny, but...) the girl was 2!! At the age of 2, she's going around hitting people and telling them she hates them! Is this not disturbing? I was completely shocked at the way she treated other kids. Her brother, who is even worse than she, was also hitting other kids. From the moment he walked in, there was non-stop violence. As he entered with his mother, she was yelling (not yelling, more upset that he said whatever he said) at him because he had said something extremely rude towards one of the members working out. And when he left, he was balling his eyes out because we gave him a time out since he threw a mat at two kids and then jumped on them, where they smacked their heads on the floor. He told us not to tell his mom because she wasn't going to like him anymore. This is so bizarre. But I mean, 2 and 4 and they are as violent as anything.

I think a lot of it is because of parents letting their kids watch movies and shows they shouldn't. There was this 8 year old in awhile ago, and I asked him what his favourite movie was and he said XXX! For one thing, there's probably content in there that I shouldn't even be watching!! I mean, the kid's 8 and he's seeing all this violence on TV and what kind of kid was he? He was the kind of kid who didn't listen to anyone and thought pushing younger kids was funny. It just makes me so upset to see such young kids acting like complete jerks all because of TV or something stupid like that. Granted, I know there are a lot of broken homes in the world and that's where some kids pick up violence, which is absolutely saddening that they have to witness such things, but still. I just think it's horrible.

There was this other brother and sister who came in a long time ago, and the brother was about 4, and he was VERY misbehaved! It was just me working and there weren't very many kids, and he was calling me over, but I was doing something at the moment, so he called me a mother f-----!! He's FOUR!!!!!!! I was SO surprised, I just kind of stood dumbfounded, because I couldn't believe he said that! Long story short, his dad came in and picked them up. I was going to tell the dad, but then I realized the problem. It was the parents who taught him this! The dad came in and swore at his children a few times and cursed his wife under his breath because she had went to the store instead of picked up the kids. He had asked me where his wife was, and I told him she went grocery shopping and he was yelling at me saying how typical it was of her and other nasty things about her. He was actually really scary. I wanted to cry because he looked just so angry and violent and he was yelling at me and the kids, and it was just all so surreal. Like something you'd see in a movie, how the dad flips out and hits his kids or something. I felt really bad for that family. He threw on the little girl's shoes and grabbed their hands and dragged them out of the room. It was so sad to see a parent acting like that towards their kids. I haven't seen them since and it's just heartbreaking to know that some kids are experiencing that in their homes, or even worse. Children are innocent, and they should stay that way. They shouldn't be violent or little pains to others. I just feel terrible when I see that happen. It's not right. It's never right.

How do we know we're "Good Christians"?

This has been a question of mine for a really long time. The reason I'm posting this is because I think you guys can help answer it and I respect your opinions (awwwww).

So how do we know if we're "good Christians"? I mean, we don't get a status report every month telling us if we're slipping or if we did a good job that month. So how do we know? I do, however, have some answers. By one, looking to the Bible and seeing if we're following the Commandments and what God has said. But I mean, sure, I haven't murdered anyone...yet. ;) But what about other things, like lying or something. It seems small, but it's an equal sin, compared to say murder, it's still sin, so what then?

Ok, so I read the Bible, pray, go to church, etc. but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a good Christian, they're just actions. I guess it's the heart of the person, right? But how do you know what your heart truly is? I mean, maybe I'm just doing all those things because that's what I've been taught was right to do and because it says in the Bible. But how can you be sure that you actually WANT to do all those things for GOD and not because other people say it's right? I'm not saying I don't think I'm a Christian, 'cause trust me, I DO, but I just want to know how you can be totally, 150% sure that you are. Maybe it's unanswerable, maybe I'm just oblivious to the answer. I don't know.

I find, sometimes, that I think reading the Bible and praying, etc. is a chore. For instance, I find my mind wanders very easily and I completely forget what I'm doing or what I've just read. What does that mean? Does that mean I don't care? I feel so bad that it happens, but I'm so confused!!! Maybe one of you can answer me...I don't know.

New Churches

GTA was pretty good. Still no comparison to our church though. Oh, sorry. Our OLD church.

The worship was good, kinda short though, but nonetheless, good songs. No hymns. YEAH!

The sermon was fairly good, no comparison to Mr. T though. And not nearly as long as his.

I didn't like that if you went to the morning service, you had to be shipped out before the next service started, but whatever. We won't ever find a church like ours, so I guess I can't be TOO picky with other churches. Whatever.

The people were friendly, though, which is nice. I knew a couple people, one from work, one from school. Kinda crazy.

My parents want to check out New Hope, so I think that's where we'll be going next week. The thing that sucks, is that I have to follow my parents around and where they want to land, may not be where I want to, so that can be interesting. I guess I have to trust God, eh?

It seems inconceivable to have to call some other church "home".

Canada Day

Well, Happy Canada Day to you all, as well as Happy Birthday to my mother! You want to know what she asked for for her birthday? I'll tell you. A water gun and steak. That's right. First of all, I had the same expression on my face when she said that as you probably do from reading this. I asked what the significance of a water gun is, and she said she wants one so that she can shoot the squirrels that dig in her garden so that they don't come back. I laughed at this! Ah, my mother is crazy, but funny. As for the steak, well, it's too expensive for us to eat regularly, so she wanted it specially for her birthday, Needless to say, we're eating steak tonight! Nathan baked a cake for my mom for her birthday. It was actually really good, considering he just learned to make Kraft Dinner!

Last night was fun! Spiderman 2 was pretty good, but I don't think it was better than the first one like the critics say, but I still liked it. I think the first one had more action in it, because, for one, that's what people were looking for, and two, the villain was a little more crazy than Doc Ock. The second one had more of a plotline to it than the first one. I think it was more about Peter Parker's character and his struggle to find himself, rather than fully about becoming and being Spiderman, like in the first one. Overall though, I would recommend it and I thought it was pretty good. And for those who were in the van when I was dropped off, if you were wondering what I was doing, there were all these bugs everywhere and I was trying to swat them away. There was this disgusting ear wig on the door by the handle, so I had to take my key chain and kill it. It was sick, but hey, I wasn't about to touch it! I stayed up until after 3am because I couldn't sleep, so I ended up talking to someone on MSN! :P

We were talking about what church we want to go to this Sunday, and I mentioned that some of you are going to GTA and that we could go there. That was an idea. My parents wanted to know where the Timmermans were going and I said I didn't know, and they suggested we camp outside their house on Sunday morning and follow them! Haha! So I guess you guys should feel special! :) Hehe.

Today. Yes, I know this blog is all over the place, but really, I don't care! I went biking with Nathan. I wanted to ride to Springbank, but he wasn't exactly up for that! So, we went to this forest near my house. It was pretty cool. There used to be a few ramps and things there, but there was only one fairly large ramp left. So we went off that. I hadn't gone off a jump for a long time, so that was exciting! Except the thing is, we had to ride up this really steep hill and the ramp was at the bottom and there were a few roots along the way, so you had to maneouver correctly, otherwise you would end up flying over your handle bars. It was slightly scary though, 'cause I don't own a helmet anymore, so I really had to do it right! But, you know, Nate and I being the expert bikers we are, had no trouble with it. ;) So after going off that for a little while, we decided to move on. He showed me this cool view, where you could see a bunch of trees and then this valley and a creek at the bottom. It was actually nice and serene. Iggy said that farther into the summer there are these purple flowers that bloom all along the hillside, which sounds beautiful. I decided I would slide down the dirt hill and go to the creek. Nate didn't want to, so he stayed at the top. At first, it was really steep because there was nothing to hold on to, just flat dirt. So that was a little tricky. I was about half way down, when Nate called me, so I turned around and he yelled, "catch!". He was standing by some trees so I couldn't see what he threw at me because it blended in with the trees. But after a second, I saw it against the sky and it was a rock!! HE THREW A ROCK AT ME! The first one missed me by a lot. But the second or third one was so close that I turned around so it wouldn't hit me in the head and I ended up falling down the hill onto a giant rock! And what was Nathan doing? Laughing at the top of the hill! He threw a few more rocks and I continued my journey down to the creek. (No, he wasn't actually trying to hit me, he was trying to bother me, as usual. So before you go telling Nathan he's either cruel, or funny for throwing rocks at me, don't!)

I got down to the creek, but it was blocked by a bunch of poison sue mac (sp?) plants and I wasn't risking dodging those to look at a little creek! So, I proceeded to climb the hill back to the top. It was actually a lot steeper than I thought, which made it difficult. That and Ig still throwing rocks to distract me. I was almost to the top, when this GIANT bee attacked me and I ended up sliding down a few more feet in order to swat at the bee. Okay, maybe it wasn't GIANT, but it sounded like it! I think it liked the smell of my hair or something, 'cause it kept buzzing around my head. ANYWAYS, I made it to the top, covered in dirt and hurting from landing on the rock, but it was fun. It reminded me of my childhood, because Kevin, Nathan, Ernie (our friend) and I used to go biking in the Sem by King's. They had wicked jumps there, where you came into this kind of opening, but it was still sheltered by trees and what not, and there were all these ramps and things there that we went off of. We were crazy back then! I remember one day, these girls, Caitlin and Missy, came with us (they were more girly girls and didn't do much in the way of biking) and Kevin and Ernie set up this string in between these two trees where the path led to a certain ramp. Well, Caitlin and Missy were riding down the path and all of a sudden Caitlin flips over her handle bars and then Missy flips over and lands on Caitlin. It was the funniest thing you've ever seen! Of course, they weren't hurt or anything, but it was still funny!

But yes, Nate and I came home after that. We went up this hill to Whiteacres, this area/street with these massive houses and such, near my house. It's kind of funny though, because you have all these nice houses on Whiteacres, and then across Wonderland, it becomes Blackacres and that's where I live. They aren't bad houses, just some townhouses and condominiums, but I think it's funny how they named the streets like that!

On the way home, my brakes were feeling really weird. So when I flipped over my bike to check them, I discovered the bolt that holds the brake on, was almost off! I'm glad I checked it because then the next bikeride I went on, I'd probably be flying down a hill and the bolt would fly off, and yeah, you get the picture! I managed to fix it, which is a miracle, since I'm not a very handy person. But my dad said I should become a mechanic because I fixed it and he couldn't figure it out! Yeah right! Me? A mechanic? I'm the type of person who would be like, "Oh, look. I wonder what that does? Whoops! I guess you shouldn't put your hand on a spinning belt!" Haha. Okay. Maybe not THAT bad, but you know.

Well, that's been my exciting day so far and I hope you all have a fun Canada Day and tell me how the fireworks and such were, because our stupid FORD broke down AGAIN, so we can't go anywhere today, otherwise we would probably be at the beach or something. Happy Canada Day!