Irritated, But Blessed

Things that are irritating me tonight:

(1) I can lie in bed, absolutely exhausted, yet be wide-eyed.
(2) While lying in bed exhausted and wide-eyed, I cannot stop myself from thinking.
(3) If I do dream at night, the dreams are weird and horrible. I wish I could dream about "raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string... these are a few of my favourite things..."
(4) Feeling awesome one minute, then tearing up, ready to bawl the next minute (especially at work when I have to sound happy on the phone).


Some good things about today:

(1) I made an appointment to have my first-ever professional massage next week. For those who know me really well, that is a rather huge deal for me!
(2) I picked up an extra shift tonight at work, which equals more money for me (and potentially closer to a new laptop).
(3) I received some positive feedback at work tonight from my employer and a customer. And my co-workers are super nice and super helpful!
(4) I was able to sleep-in this morning and enjoy my very comfortable bed.
(5) I received three voicemail messages while at work tonight. It was nice to hear my friends’ voices.
(6) A friend gave me the opportunity to see Hillsong United live for free. Unfortunately I have to work, but what a nice offer!


I always find it helpful to reflect on my blessings when things don’t seem very fun. Despite some challenges, I am thankful that God is faithful and continues to provide wonderful blessings to me. :o)

Now… I’ll try this bed thing again… good night!

Our Happy Day!

I have been wanting to post about the Happy Day I shared with Heather on Friday, May 11th, but I have been busy with training and life. Heather totally beat me to it on her blog, so here is the link because she did such a great job outlining Our 'Norah Jones' Day!


And please note that anything Heather said about me, I reciprocate back about her.

Thank YOU, Heather, for a wonderful day! Happy Birthday!

Week 1 of Training

The first week of my summer job training is complete. To bring everyone up to speed, I am working in Guelph this summer at Camis Inc. My position is a Call Centre Agent and I will be booking campsite reservations for parks across Ontario, Nova Scotia and Washington State. Perhaps that sounds pretty easy, but the training is pretty intense and very extensive. I felt like I was back in school this week, memorizing 76 Ontario Provincial Park names and locations and writing tests at least once a day! Crazy!

Today we learned about Washington State Parks. Unfortunately, I do not think I absorbed much because my brain was already operating at its maximum capacity. I sat at the back and Emily started drawing fun pictures...

This is a family who enjoys camping in Washington State.

Random information about Washington State:
Park names include Cape Disappointment and Deception Pass
(I thought that was funny).


This is a couple from Idaho and they want to go camping.
(Camis also books sites for Idaho)

I think I am going to enjoy my new job and the people I work with. I had a blast with my training group this week. Emily, thanks for keeping me entertained today when I could no longer process anything!

I'm off to bed... finally... good night!

Work

Well, I've started working for the summer at Camis. The training requires a great deal of memorization, but I think I'm going to really like it once I get into the call centre. I'm a little tired... actually, a lot tired. And note: my "weekends" will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays this summer.

Today I was blessed to have a special person make and bring me lunch! She even brought a rose and an ice cream pizza from Dairy Queen for me! She made my day! Thanks Heather MacGregs!

AND, I wanted to go to bed about two hours ago, but Alex wanted to come over to give me a hug before he goes home for the week. So he, Nate and Nathan chilled with me for a bit. It was definitely worth giving up sleep! And now I have a new tattoo that Alex drew on my foot while I was on the phone with Lauren. It's so good to have time to be social!

Now I have to go to bed and force myself to make up early to study for my tests for work... good thing I brought Starbucks drinks to take to work with me in the morning!

Life Comes Back

A gorgeous friend of mine gave me a very beautiful bouquet of pink tulips yesterday for my birthday. Early this morning when I was getting ready for my first day of work, the sun was poking through the window and the warmth of the flowers made me happy. Thank you, Heather, for reminding me that with a new season, life comes back. :o)

"Farewell to Dad"

My Aunt Laura sent out this email to members of my family this evening.
It rings true.

We wanted all our family, friends and loved ones to know that on, April 28th, 2007, we said our last Goodbyes to Dad.

Our immediate family gathered at Delmer Cemetery at 11 am for a time of remembrance and prayer of committal. Please pass on this notice to any of our family who I don't have e-mail access to.

The 4 of us girls and Joy miss Dad very much, but were reminded by Jim Rowbottom that because of our "Hope" we will be reunited again, not only with Dad, but to our loved ones who have gone before.

Dad was one of the best listeners! (if he could hear you in the first place!) Some of you might know that on special occasions, I would write little poems and Dad would be my "sounding-board". If he liked it, I felt sure I had done well.

Below is a little poem which I hope would have pleased him.


Farewell to Dad

I don't believe in poems
For the one who's passed away.
But I do believe the message
For those who are here today.

We know Dad was a worker...
And patience he'd display.
We know if Dad were standing here
He'd have "not much" to say.

But what would Dad be telling us
If he were to have a say
I'm sure he'd say, "Get right with God, and please do not delay"
"Because we're not assured of time, and know not when He'll say,"

"Your time on earth is over now,
I know your heart 'tis true,
If you believed like Grandpa did
A reward will come to you.
But if your heart has hardened,
And you didn't "give a care"
My Home in Glorious Heaven, I cannot really share!"

So now it's up to all of us
To listen and obey,
And know that God's own precious Son
Is the One and only Way.

Let's not forget Dad's final words
Amidst our grief and pain,
The wave, the smile, the phrase well said,
"Until we meet again!"

It gives me great comfort knowing that Dad is in Heaven, as happy as can be! This day has been harder than I ever expected it to be, but I too have "Hope".

Going to the Doctor's

I have discovered that my favourite building on campus is the Student Health Services (SHS) building. I came to this conclusion today because I realized it is the building I seem to visit most, other than the UC.

You see, I was cleaning and rearranging my room last night when a sudden burst of pain shot into my foot. I sat down and noticed I was bleeding. I was responsible and cleaned the area. I even called Nate to see if he could come over to make sure the foreign object was ejected from my body. As the evening progressed, the pain intensified and the amount of pressure I could put on my foot quickly decreased. When I woke up this morning, the "trauma area" was red and puffy. At this sign, I decided it would be wise to go to the doctor (you called that one, didn't you Heather). The nurse said it was beyond her. SHS do not have a walk-in doctor in the summer, so they had to find one to look at my foot. Once a doctor came in and looked at my cold, purple coloured foot, he decided to put freezing in and then he made a tiny incision to dig around for any foreign objects. It was great: he had gloves (obviously) and all the instruments on a little stand and he covered the foot up - looked like he was actually doing something serious (I wanted to take pictures, but thought that was weird). He couldn't find anything, but he was concerned about it because the "trauma area" was really red, meaning infection. So, he prescribed an anti-biotic and my foot hurts even more now because of my mini-operation! ha ha, only me.

As I was pondering my visit to SHS, I realized I place my trust in individuals I have never met before. I mean, I let a total stranger freeze my foot to then dig around in it, trusting he knew what he was doing and doing it to the best of his trained ability! I find it crazy that sometimes I do not even trust myself that much, not to mention, people I love and know. I find it very interesting how experiences like these make me think so much about deeper issues. God wants our trust like that; giving Him control of our feet and where He wants them to go. Trusting Him to heal our wounds, whether it be physical, emotional, spiritual or mental wounds.

Hmmm. That's all.

Quote of the Day

"Liz, you really are the rebel out of all of us."
-Tricia

My thoughts: You really can't expect anything different from a Pastor's Kid. ;o)

Spontaneity

I enjoy being spontaneous every once and awhile.
If you're curious to know what I did, you'll have to wait and see!

Winter Semester 2007: Completed!

I have officially completed my Winter Semester 2007!

I cannot believe everything that has happened in the past four months.
Wow.
***sigh***

My Wacko Family

My parents asked my brother and I to go out for lunch on Good Friday. The problem was that we had no idea where we wanted to go. The four of us stood in our kitchen, tossing ideas back and forth but not coming to a solid conclusion. Finally, my Mom (and if you know my Mom, this will not surprise you) suggested that we each cast a secret ballot. Dave and I protested, but finally went along with it. We were each given a pen and a post-it note, then told to write our restaurant of choice with our left hands. The four of us folded our votes up and gave them to my brother to tally. Longhorns it was! Then my Mom's curiousity got the best of her and she asked my Dad what restaurant he voted for. He laughed and refused to tell her, saying it was a secret ballot. Then she asked me and I refused as well, saying that it was her idea for it to be a secret! During this, Dave threw the ballots in the garbage and Dad, Dave and I started walking out the kitchen to leave. We realized Mom was still in the kitchen, so I went back in and she was starting to go through the garbage to find the ballots! At this time, I yelled for my Dad and Dave to return to the kitchen and we started laughing hysterically while Dave went and grabbed my Mom from behind to try to stop her! We eventually gave in and told her when we turned into Longhorns to find it closed. We then decided to go to Boston Pizza, which no one voted for in the first place! Hope you enjoyed the glimpse of my wacko family!

My Mom and Dave wrestling over the secret ballots! Sorry for the blurry picture...
I only had my phone on me and they were spinning around very quickly!

Summer Employment!

Yay!
I have a summer job.
Two doors down from my house.
In Guelph.
Yay!

And I'll still get to go to Norah Jones! What a relief!

"What Happened?"

I called my Mom today to fill her in on how an interview for a job went for me this afternoon. I also mentioned that I received marks back for two exams, as well as a few assignments. For various reasons, my marks this semester have been higher and consistent (although, I am also somewhat surprised because there are various reasons why achieving higher marks does not make sense to me). My grades during my time here at university have been less than desirable and as time continued to tick by, all I started to want was just a pass. Until now.

I was telling my mom what my final marks will be and she said, "What happened?" I ought to mention she also said it was great and very encouraging!

But what did happen?

(1) I started reading the very first day of school, especially because I did not have classes. People were a bit surprised by this and gave me a hard time about it (except for Heather, of course). My theory is: better get a good start on it. And to those of you who gave me a hard time, I'm sorry that perhaps my actions resulted in you feeling unproductive! ;o)

(2) I had a great team of cheerleaders and prayer warriors on my side. Thank you!

(3) I attended class regularly. I'd say that was a huge accomplishment because I had my very first 8:30am class in my university career and I hardly missed it! It was actually refreshing to be on-campus early!

(4) I tried to read my readings BEFORE the lecture. It actually does help. The professors haven't been lying to us or trying to make our lives harder. Crazy! Who knew?! That also means that when it came time to write a midterm, I had already read all the readings so studying was actually reviewing and not learning information for the first time.

(5) Although I have had difficulty sleeping lately, my bedtime has been earlier this semester. If you don't believe me, Becks will tell you!

(6) I set some boundaries for myself, my time and in my relationships. I stepped back from commitments I had and re-evaluated where I stand. I think it has been beneficial and a useful exercise!

(7) God. Most of all, I owe it to Him. Why? Because the past few months have been some of the hardest months in my entire life. In all honesty, I expected to do poorly this semester in all areas of my life and academics. But He is gracious and supplied me with the energy and focus, despite my struggles, sickness, and my grandfather's death.

Thank you, Lord!
The victory is Your's.

April

I cannot believe it is April.
Time certainly flies.

A Mini-Rant!

Okay, so I have the same professor for two of my courses this semester. He put the final exams in week 11 (this week) because he is going to be leaving the country in the next few weeks. In the second class today, we were discussing marking and the final. The course outline says we were to have four pop quizzes throughout the semester; we have written three quizzes. The final is Thursday. I decided to ask how the last quiz was going to be graded (was it going to be worth double?) because the T.A. said it would be worth more. Well, apparently my professor thinks it would be a great idea to have a "pop quiz" next Tuesday -- AFTER THE FINAL EXAM! How extremely wrong is that? A "pop quiz" after the "FINAL EXAM" in an "optional lecture".

Grrrrr....

One Down, Three More...

I've officially finished one of my courses for the Winter 2007 semester! Crazy!
Social Welfare: DONE!!!

Norah Jones' Concert

Heather and I are going to a Norah Jones' concert on May 11th in Toronto. I have an extra pair of tickets. I'm planning on posting them on eBay, but I thought I'd offer them to my friends first.

Let me know if you're interested! :o)

Happy

Today I spun around in the rain, with a very cute girl who was giggling.
It made my day.

Then the cute girl sent me a text message that said...

"Open your eyes and see...
The wonder of a life so wonderfully free..."
-More to See, Hillsong

Thanks cute girl. ;o)

The Nasty 'S' Word...

... is the word SHOULD. Last semester I was informed that using the word should in my vocabulary really negatively influences the way I think and feel. It is a word that often times implies guilt. I really tried to eliminate 'it' from my lexicon.

Today I was reminded of the negative connotations associated with the word should. I was told that it is a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon word scold. I have not yet investigated the truth of the origin, but I was told, "If you use the word should while making decisions or in conversation, it's like scolding yourself or the person in which you are associating the word with."

Interesting. Interesting indeed.

Resting in His Arms

Last night, Becca shared with me a touching story about singing her niece to sleep. Her story reminded me of an evening last May while I was babysitting a sweet little girl. Mckenna’s bedtime routine consisted of giving her a bottle, while rocking her to sleep. Have you ever held a child and noticed that sometimes they fight going to sleep? As they fight going to sleep, all they do is exert more energy, making them even more tired. This was the case with Mckenna. But eventually, she started to ease more into my arms and she fell asleep. She was so incredibly peaceful. I held on to her for quite sometime while I realized God was teaching me a lesson. At times, I fight resting in His arms, just as Mckenna fought falling asleep that night. When I fight, it wears me down even more and makes me even more tired. But as soon as I do trust and let go, He gives peace and He carries me. Perhaps it’s not as easily said as done, but He’s faithful and provides perfect peace.

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee." -Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)