Tag, I'm IT!

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Oh my goodness. I've never been tagged before so this is exciting. But I'll give it a try. Thanks Melissa for making me try something new. Here goes...

Four jobs I've had...
1. Day Camp Director
2. McMaster University Tour Guide
3. Sarnia Basketball Referee
4. um...nothing else official, but babysitting counts I think, that's tough work!

Four movies I can watch over and over...
1. LOTR trilogy (all 11 hours)
2. So I Married an Axe Murderer (but it has to be with my dad-he giggles the entire time and it's the best)
3. Garden State
4. Moulin Rouge (sigh, blush...I know I know, but it's my pick not yours!)

Four places I've lived..
1. Petrolia, Ontario (small town outside Sarnia, and everyone who is born there is called a "Hard-oiler"I laugh at myself)
2. Sarnia, Ontario
3. Hamilton, Ontario-McMaster University, Whidden Hall
4. Hamilton, Ontario-Pearl Street
(okay, so I stretched it out to four)

Four tv shows I love...
1. Amazing Race (I'm so addicted I made my own)
2. Scrubs
3. Friends
4. Sex and the City (but my mom hates it)

Four places I've vacationed...
1. Dominican Republic
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Grand Canyon, Arizona
4. Manitoulin Island

Four of my favourite dishes...
1. ANYTHING my mom cooks, she's frigging awesome. Yes mom, I said frigging!
2. Cheese capelletti from my favourite small Italian restaurant in Sarnia
3. Pine apple or a fruit platter of some sort...
4. Ice cream!!! (preferrably chocolate)

Four sites I visit often...
1. Nathan's site
2. FRWY cohort
3. McMaster University
4. Relevant Magazine

Four places I would rather be right now...
1. Sarnia, Ontario
2. Cochabama, Bolivia (my missions trip, AMAZING experience)
3. Manitoulin Island
4. Paris, France (my life long dream...)

Four bloggers I'm tagging...WHOOOO HOOOO, my favourite part.
Nathan
Kirsten
Dave
Sarah
AND ERIN, but she doesn't have a blog so I get to include her and she can just post it on my site in the comments...I break the rules. :)

God is like...

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Waste of Skin

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Today was not the best day in the world, I've had better. Clinical isn't my favourite place to go on a Thursday or any day...but today was definitely a challenge. But no matter how awful my day is, I never end up feeling worthless. No matter how bad it gets, something always makes me feel like I'm not a complete waste of skin (wink wink, Miranda).
While I was flipping through chart after chart today I came across a comment that made me stop and re-read it over and over. And this time it wasn't because I can't understand the medical jargonâ€¦it was because the comment was so striking; it made me do a double take.
One client actually said something to the effect of: â€œIâ€™m so sad all the time. Nothing is worth living for. I donâ€™t want to get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes I think I should just be put to sleep.â€�
My heart ached for this person. Iâ€™ve never experienced such utter anguish. Even in the midst of my horrible day, what was really the worst thing that happened? My professor couldnâ€™t remember my name? Big deal in the grand scheme of thingsâ€¦next time Iâ€™ll just write it on my forehead-she canâ€™t miss it!
I guess once I sat down to think about how bad things could really be, this quote put things into perspective. Iâ€™m not a waste of space and Iâ€™ll remind myself of that everyday that doesnâ€™t go as well as planned. Godâ€™s not finished with me yet.

Does this count?

Monday, January 23, 2006

Matthew 18:20:
And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there.

HSR Survival Guidebook

It's not a rulebook by any means, but for heaven's sake people, have some decency and at least try!!!

Guidline 1: If you have to sneeze, please don't sneeze into your hand and then put it back on the pole your holding onto so other people catch your cold, switch hands.
Combat strategy 1: Carry a bottle of trusty anti-bacterial hand gel in your bag and use it generously to fight off nasty germs.

Guideline 2: When you need to get off the bus, at least make an attempt to move toward the exit so that the bus doesn't start to leave and you're left hollering "back door"
Combat strategy 2: Buses get full and sometimes it's tough to get to a door, intentional boy placement is the key. Make sure you're aware of when you need to get off so you can begin the exiting process by gradually moving closer to the door.

Guideline 3: When the bus is full, try your best to move to the back. People like me want to get to school on time. We can't get on the bus if the bus driver thinks the bus is full! Move back!
Combat strategy 3: You can try to hop on the back of the bus when it stops if the driver refuses to open the front door, but beware the wrath of the driver if you are caught.

Guideline 4: When an elderly person gets on the bus, stand up and give them your seat, unless you're suffering from severe leg cramps or you stepped on a nail etc.
Combat strategy 4: If you really need a seat, head toward the back of the bus.

Guideline 5: When you're looking for a seat, it's usually kind to move toward the window of the bus to allow others the opportunity to sit down.
Combat strategy 5: Work up the guts to ask people to move over if need be, or you'll be left standing.

Guideline 6: When the bus arrives, please don't create a mass mosh pit to get on, people like me get trampled. Order is pivotal.
Combat strategy 6 a: Attempt to position yourself where you think the bus will stop so you can be one of the first people on and avoid the pushing.
Combat strategy 6 b: Walk to another bus stop that isn't as crowded perhaps before the full one to get on first and even guarantee a seat.

Guideline 7: Say thanks to the bus driver, it's just polite.

Lost my mittens but gained a friend...

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Yesterday while walking home from the FRWY cafe I met a friend. Laura was walking past me and she stopped me to ask and see if I happened to have an extra bus ticket. I told her I was really sorry, but that I only had a student card. But I managed to find 2.10 in my wallet for the bus. We chatted a bit more while we walked. She grabbed my Nursing Research book and was making fun of me for taking such a hard program. She then told me she barely understood three words in my textbook and I told her that was the extent my knowledge, and I paid for the book! She laughed and we continued to chat. I asked her where she was off to kind of late in the evening and she told me she was heading to a karaoke. I love to sing and so I asked her what song she was going to perform. She told me that "One moment in Time" was her big song and so we stood near Jackson Square and belted out the lyrics for a bit. Then I told her I should head home as it was getting later than I usually stay out on a Thursday evening and she headed on her way too. I told Laura I hoped I would get to see her again soon and she gave me a friendly wave. It was great to see her, even for that short while. This might seem completely normal to you, but the thing is I'd never met Laura before in my life. Laura lives on the street.

The next day (today) I was walking with a few friends from the FRWY talking about how to reach out to the community. It was pouring rain and I was absolutely freezing. We'd only been outside for about 15 minutes and I was drenched and got a soaker, so needless to say I'm not in the best of moods. Just then, I see Laura. She walks up and asks the group of us for some help. I don't think she saw me at first and I finally stepped forward to say hello. Laura didn't remember my name and I think she called me Rhonda. Close, but I prefer Rachel. Laura asked us for help and I didn't have any money. I think we managed to get her a few dollars between the group but I still felt a burden. Laura and I got to talking and she grabbed my hand and her fingers were ice cold and her coat was soaked through and very bare. What else could I do but take off my mittens and put them on her hands? I told her about the FRWY cafe and gave her directions. We asked her about where she was sleeping and if she would be okay that night and she gave allusive answers. My heart hurt. I wanted to take off my coat, my hat, my socks...anything that might help to keep my new friend warm. Soon after Laura continued on her way and I walked about ten steps and then remembered that the mittens I was wearing weren't mine. So, I owe my housemate Nicki some new mittens, but somewhere Laura is grateful, I'm sure. I hope I see Laura again soon. I find myself sitting here, wondering how she's doing and if she found a warm place to sleep. I can only hope that she'll drop by the FRWY sometime or that when I'm walking home from the cafe/church I'll get to see her again. (See, this justifies my walking home, so there!) Anyway, next time I'm near the FRWY I'm going to bring something extra that's warm and some bus tickets for Laura. She's a friend I want to keep.

Extreme Makeover Blog Edition

Friday, January 20, 2006

My blog underwent a big makeover today. I think it looks fierce. Huge plastic surgery in the real world. Thanks to Pernell for helping me to become more computer savy today!

Congratulations!!!

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Tonight my sister and her boyfriend got engaged!!!
How exciting is that? I'm just glad it wasn't yesterday...that's my day! (just kidding Danielle)

The first thing she'll ever do before her big sister is one of the biggest decisions in life. I'm so happy for her and I get to be the maid of honour!!!

I've never had a brother, I'm just sorry he has to be related to me...poor Aaron.

Congratulations Danielle and Aaron. I love you both.

21 things I've learned so far...

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

It's my birthday today. I'm 21. So I thought I would share some things that I know and lessons I've learned during my 21 years...

1. Procrastination and denial are the two main causes of stress
2. You miss 100% of the shots you donâ€™t takeâ€¦
3. Often the journey is the destination.
4. When God shuts doors, donâ€™t bang on it, look for a window, or grab a keyâ€¦find a different door.
5. Choosing not to choose is never the best choice.
6. Money canâ€™t buy happiness!
7. Coffee headache is one indicator that you have a problemâ€¦
8. Sing like no oneâ€™s listening and dance like no oneâ€™s watching.
9. Mistakes are part of being humanâ€¦and the biggest mistake I often make is to fear making a mistake.
10. Life is short, eat dessert first!
11. Sometimes Christianity and Jesus donâ€™t have much in commonâ€¦
12. Go big or go home.
13. True beauty truly comes from withinâ€¦
14. Be the change that you want to see in the world.
15. No medicine is as good as a friend.
16. Life moves pretty fast and if you donâ€™t stop to look around once in awhile you could miss itâ€¦
17. I shouldnâ€™t let grades interfere with my education.
18. All you can ever do is your best!
19. Hope is a passion for what is possible.
20. God loves me because Iâ€™m me and thatâ€™s enough.
21. Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten.

Hope you can add something to your list of things learned now...

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I forgot to celebrate. "Happy Belated Birthday Martin."

Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech and spoke the famous words "I have a dream". If you've never listened to his inspiring words check it out here...http://www.providenceri.com/RI_BlackHeritage/MLK/Martin-Luther-King.html
(The words are in text below so you can follow along)

Martin Luther said that our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. I pray that I'll always be loud.

Skydiving and learning to trust...

Monday, January 16, 2006

One of the things that I want to do before I die is go skydiving. I love to cliff jump and so I can only imagine how exhilarating it will be to be to soar through the air high above the Earth and just bask in Godâ€™s creation when I make the jump (pardon the pun) to skydiving...I canâ€™t wait!
As excited as I am to finally fulfill a life goal and skydive, I know itâ€™s a scary thing to do. Sometimes it's not the initial jump that ends up scaring me the most. It's actually the thought process leading up to and just before the actual jump that gets my heart racing. I can only imagine myself standing there in the doorway of the plane with my equipment on and someone yelling, â€œ1, 2, 3â€¦GO.â€� My worst fear is that I will get up there and be too afraid to just throw caution to the wind and jump.
Right now, my biggest challenge is my fear of the unknown. Uncertainty. Iâ€™m such a planner-schedule maker-big nerd-organizer, whatever you want to call it, and I usually have all my ducks in a row. Recently, my ducks have been getting lost or shot or maybe theyâ€™ve gone to swim in other ponds. In a matter of weeks, I went from having things relatively all together to not knowing where Iâ€™m going to be living this summer. I found myself constantly thinking, okay worrying, about the future. After thinking late into the night I came up with one conclusion. Itâ€™s not the uncertainty that is the actual problem, but my inability to trust. I have to get a job, I have to find a place to live, I have to figure out my clinical placement, I, I, Iâ€¦me, me, me. Maybe the reason that Iâ€™m so afraid of the process is because Iâ€™m afraid to let go. I have to be in control.
For one of the first times in my life I donâ€™t have things all figured out and itâ€™s okay. Iâ€™m learning to let it be okay. While times like this are overwhelming, Iâ€™m just going to make sure I continue to just simply trust God. God is teaching me a huge lesson and Iâ€™m struggling and fighting back at times, but I know he just wants to teach me how to jump without fear.

Sarnia & Hamilton

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

I haven't written in awhile. Obviously. I went home to the lovely city of Sarnia for the Christmas holidays and fell off the face of the earth. Really, I did... and it was great. Since my program rocks, I got to go home super early and spent almost a month with my family and friends. I just got back to Hamilton yesterday and itâ€™s great to be home. There I said it. Home. I know my mom is either going to kill me or cry when she reads that, but both places feel like home. Last night I couldnâ€™t sleep. I was laying awake thinking about the meaning of lifeâ€¦okay okay, you got me: I was totally excited for school, how silly is that? But the fact remains that I couldnâ€™t sleep. In an afternoon, my life was altered drastically. I felt like I was thrown into a crazy vortex or something and ended up in a completely new life. Here, let me try to explain how different life isâ€¦
Sarnia: I drive around in my parents Volvo station wagon whenever I need to go anywhere, eat all I can of my momâ€™s delicious dinner, play more family games in that time than the rest of the world combined, never go on the computer, attend church Sunday mornings and get to hang out with my boyfriend until he's sick of me.
Hamilton: I take the HSR with my cool bus pass whenever it doesnâ€™t drive past me, eat peanut butter toast-everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, study until I want to cry, my computer is my most prized possession and msn my best friend, attend church Sunday evenings and maybe I get to see my boyfriend every 9 days or so.
And yet, although the difference between the two cities is striking, I canâ€™t help but feel at home in both. (Maybe the pollution in both cities makes me feel at home?) Itâ€™s weird how that happens. If home is where your heart is, I guess mine is split in two, right down the middle. And yet, even though both places are comfortable, the weird thing is they are both ending, and soon. Hypothetically, Iâ€™m only in Hamilton for another year and a bit, and my house in Sarnia wonâ€™t always be mine. One day Iâ€™ll come home and my room will be an office, or a gym, or maybe a scrapbooking room. Reality is that home is really in a transition phase right now. My friend (can I call you that? J) Pernell spoke about this transition phase for University/College students at the beginning of December. It got me thinking. Where will home be in that year and a bit? What is home, what does it mean to me? I think for me, home is being with the people that I love. Itâ€™s not really the place (house or city) that matters; itâ€™s the experience with the people that mean the most to me. I have both my immediate and Pearl street family. Home can mean so many different things to different people. Despite the chaotic life I lead at present with so many changes, I am going to take solace in the fact that home is so much more than a building or street sign. Home is being with the people take make my life worth living each day.