Snapshots

A wonderful beginning.

The fabulous five characters.




A masterpiece ending.

Tally

Yesterday at work I went through my binder to tally up exactly how many different scripts I have for when I'm making a reservation for someone. And the grand total is:

23

"Liz speaking...

... where would you like to reserve?"

As of tomorrow, I will be trained to receive calls for:

-Ontario Provincial Parks [76]
-Ontario Backcountry trips [9]
-Conservation Areas (for regions of: Thames, Grand River and Toronto) [13]
-Haliburton Highlands Water Trails
-Nova Scotia Provincial Parks [20]
-Nova Scotia Backcountry trips [1 park; hiking, kayaking and 2 roofed facilities]
-Washington State Parks [58ish]

I do not think Camis can train me on anything else for the summer. I started working on April 30th and I am only now officially completing training. Wow!

Now, for your reading enjoyment, I could go into all the different policies for all the different parks and types of accommodations (ie. campsite, backcountry, yurts, cabins, cottages, group facilities and marina slips), but that would take a lot of your time, considering I can count at least 15 different scriptings I use (and I know I'm forgetting a few). Fun, eh?

One thing I will mention is this. If you are planning on going camping and you do not know exactly what date, park and site you would like, check the websites first or call the information line (for camping in Ontario, it is 1-800-ONTARIO). Then call me and I promise I will be very friendly and polite!

One last thing. I do enjoy my job. I enjoy talking to different people and I enjoy my co-workers.

And to put a smile on the faces of my co-workers...

"Unfortunately Sandbanks is full for the entire summer. [...] Yes, completely booked!"

I've Decided...

I've made the decision. I'm going to purchase a Macbook.
Thanks to those who gave me good advice!

They're coming out with a new operating system in October, so I may wait. But I'm definitely excited about this! AND, I've picked up 4 extra shifts and a few hours on top of that this month to put towards it! Woot woot!

Poverty

I received an email today from the President of Campus Crusade for Christ Canada. What he shared in the email really gripped my heart. Here it is:

30% of the 260,000 men, women and children who survived the holocaust are now living in poverty.

Wow. That means approximately 78 000 holocaust survivors are living in poverty. These individuals lived through one of the most horrific ordeals of all time and as if that was not enough pain to go through, life is still difficult because many of them lack many things I have that I take for granted. I've been sitting here thinking about that for a few minutes and I really have no words to express how I feel about it.

Campus Crusade for Christ in Canada wants to offer support to people by providing for their physical needs. If you are interested in being a part of that, you can go to the giving website.

Here is what they are doing:

"Campus Crusade's partner agencies will send 28 containers of humanitarian aid to Israel in the next 12 months - 2 of these containers have just been shipped out and more are getting ready to go. The containers are filled with food, clothing, school supplies, medicines and essential medical supplies. The contents will be distributed by 30 Evangelical Jewish Christian Congregations throughout Israel to refugees and holocaust victims who are devastated by these desperate conditions of poverty."

I'm reminded to count my blessings.
I'm also reminded to pray.

Thinking

I have been reflecting on the sermon I heard yesterday. Andre spoke about the fear of God. Last summer during my own personal reflection time, I spent a little while learning about God's character. I hadn't ever really put much deep thought into it before last summer and I was glad to dive into it, especially learning about what it means to fear God. When I think of my own fears that I struggle with, there is a great amount of negativity that surrounds such ideas. But when I dove into fearing God, I learned that I need not be afraid that God will strike me down with a lightning bolt, nor should I be fearful He'll send His wrath out when I mess up. Rather, I learned that it is standing in awe, in reverence of Him and His amazing creations and loving Him with all that is within me. It is a deep respect; a desire to do my best to honour Him. I have people in my life that I have grown to love so deeply and I respect and admire them so much that I do not want to mess up to disappoint them. It is a fear not of my loved ones personally; it is a fear of displeasing them. And I think it is the same for God. I don't think He wants me to be afraid of Him, but I do think He desires me to love Him so much that I will use that passion and that love to avoid sinning to the best of my abilities. He knows that sinning is inevitable for me, but through Christ, He has extended grace to me to forgive me.

How often do I marvel at His creations? I remember standing out on a Lake Ontario boardwalk earlier this month with Heather and looking out at the water that beautiful day. How could I stand there and not believe? But what about the "little things"? How often do I stand in awe? Not nearly enough. No, not enough at all. I think deep down my heart is telling me I need to start acting and expressing my awe, my fear of God more.

Hmmm, yeah.

Below are some of my notes from last summer.

Seeking Out God’s Character

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.”

• God is faithful.
• God is always trustworthy.
• God is timeless.

Joel 2:13

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

• God is gracious.
• God is compassionate.
• God is loving.
• God is patient.
• God is powerful.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

• God is loving.
• God is merciful.

1 John 4:8

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

• God is love.

Therefore, God is: faithful, trustworthy, timeless, gracious, compassionate, loving, patient, powerful, and merciful.

Deuteronomy 6:2

“…fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, so that you may enjoy long life.”

• We are to fear God so that we may enjoy life, which means, we are to respect Him and obey what He tells us to do.

Deuteronomy 6:13

“Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.”

• We are to serve God and only God.

Psalm 34:11

“Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”

• We have to learn the fear of the Lord. It is important to seek God out and learn of his character and learn how holy he is.

Romans 8:15

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

• The “fear of the Lord” does not mean to be scared of God. Rather, God gives us a freedom through being a child of His, through Jesus.

1 John 4:18

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.”

• God is love (1 John 4:8), so fear in the sense of being afraid is not of God.

Perhaps a definition of “fear the Lord” means that we are to be aware of the presence of God and His power in our lives, reminding us to obey and stand in awe of Him. We should also remember we are called to honour and respect Him and to try to possess His characteristics.

So why do we doubt God? Everyone must because even Peter, Jesus’ close friend and disciple doubted. Peter saw Jesus’ miracles and literally walked on water with Jesus, yet Peter still doubted (Matthew 14:29-31). So obviously we’ll doubt too. That does not give us an excuse to doubt, but rather should stand to remind us of our imperfections and reliance on God, and also encourage us to continue to trust so that we may not sink, but continue to believe in our Lord. Without catching a glimpse of what it is like to sink, we would not understand what it means to have faith. Do we become less of a person or Christian if we doubt God’s power? I believe we would only become less if we choose to continue to doubt God, rather than repent, which means “to make a change for the better as a result of remorse for one’s sins” (www.dictionary.com). Do we insult God if we lack faith in Him? It saddens His heart, yet He still forgives, and still chooses to show us why we should place our trust in Him.

Matthew 27:50-51

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.... “

“Jesus’ sacrifice not only covers our sin, but it also makes the way clear for us to come to God to ask for forgiveness! By the curtain of the temple tearing in two, it was the beginning of having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ – no longer did people have to approach God through a priest. If God has done all this for us, why are people afraid to come to Him to receive forgiveness from their sins? A father does not arouse fear in the child who is obedient and doing right, but in the child who is doing wrong. If you want to be free from fear of the one in authority then repent, ask for His forgiveness, and He will receive you” (Written By: Jonathan Christopher jc@feargod.com Visit our web site at www.FearGod.com).

1 John 1:8-9

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. “

Laptops

So I've decided and received the blessing to buy a laptop.

The issue right now is this: Do I purchase a MacBook or a PC?

Any opinions with reasonable and logical explanations would be welcomed and appreciated! :o)

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.