I keep getting tagged for these things on Facebook, so I figured I might as well get it over with already...so here they are, 25 completely random things that you may or may not know about me...it's a dream come true!!
1. I left a HUGE chunk of my heart in Africa when I was there, and so far I don't see any sign of ever getting it back. :-) The sight of beautiful African children still makes me cry. Someday I will adopt a precious orphan.
2. I'm terrified of mice...in fact, the very thought of them makes me instantly break out into hives.
3. I still miss my grandpa, even though it's been over ten years since he died. Sometimes I can still hear his laugh, though, and see the pride in his eyes when he talked about us, his grandchildren. I'll never forget all the times he'd beg me to sit down at the piano and play him some old hymns...then he'd stand behind me with his hand on my shoulder and sing along. "You were one of my favorites" is the last thing he ever said to me.
4. Going to Bible school in Austria and travelling across Europe in the fall of 1999 was the first time I remember feeling really, truly ALIVE. Something changed inside me that year, and I discovered a passion for travelling and experiencing other cultures that is now a huge part of who I am.
5. Public speaking ranks right up there next to mice on my list of all-time greatest fears...so it's funny that the only trophies I've ever won have been for 4-H public speak-offs...I can still see the admiration in the judge's eyes the year I stepped up to the podium to deliver my spell-binding opening line..."Elephants are tall, thick-skinned animals, with long powerful trunks..." :-)
6. I love decorating and one of my favorite pastimes is collecting ridiculous amounts of artwork and stuff for my house (mostly Europe-themed, of course!)
7. My most successful romantic relationships all took place in elementary. :-)
8. I'm a country girl and proud of it!
9. I was once involved in a high-speed police chase and for a few glorious days became a household name among the police force of Dawson Creek.
10. I have a ridiculously hard time dealing with change, especially in my family. Sometimes I still ache for the good old days when we all lived together on the farm, picking rocks, performing The Bible Tells Me So Show on the combine, swimming in the dugout, laughing, fighting, sneakily watching "forbidden" TV shows whenever mom and dad finally left the house (a.k.a. anything not news or sports-related!) Most days I'd rather hang onto the way things were than move forward into the future.
11. Loving my nieces and nephews and being the "favorite aunt" is probably the most rewarding thing in my life right now. There's nothing better!
12. My life is starved for adventure since I moved to the big city. Back in Dawson we were out quadding and mud bogging and camping and playing some sort of competitive sport every weekend. Now I spend my free time in coffee shops and movie theatres and shopping malls, which means my redneck, country side never gets a chance to break free. Yes, it's tough. ;-)
13. I have a huge weakness for Australian accents. I once kept a telemarketer on the line for a good half hour just because the mere sound of his voice made me weak in the knees. :-)
14. I hate birds...they creep me out big time. Plus I'm still haunted by that time I was driving home from College and Careers in Rolla and I drove over an entire flock of baby ducks crossing the highway. I can still hear that series of loud thunks followed by feathers everywhere as I closed my eyes and screamed "I'm a murderer!" Not a pretty scene!
15. I love books...bookstores (especially ones with coffee shops!) are my weakness. I'd be happy to buy every book in sight, whether or not I ever get around to reading them...there's just something about being in their presence that makes me happy.
16. I'm extremely competitive...blame it on the Funk genes. :-) For the most part I don't see any point of playing a game haphazardly...whether it's Rook, Dutch Blitz, soccer, hockey, or Spoons...you gotta at least TRY to win!!
17. I detest making small talk. Put me in a room full of people mingling and chatting about nothing in particular and I'll hate every minute of it (although I'll keep a smile plastered on my face, of course!) But give me a good friend and a cup of tea and some music playing in the background, and I'll happily listen to any deep dark secrets you want to share and we can talk for hours.
18. I've been a bridesmaid seven times...and shockingly enough, some of the dresses actually WERE semi-attractive!
19. I'm a kid at heart, and am still strangely passionate about Lego and playing in the sandbox, even after all these years. There's something super therapeutic about it.
20. I love history and politics and current events, but never feel smart enough or informed enough to carry on a decent conversation about them...so for the most part I don't!
21. Manual labour makes me happy. :-) Accounting and business are what has paid the bills for the last ten years...but if I could make a living mowing lawns, being a carpenter, cleaning, organizing, cooking, and hauling around heavy stuff, I'd be set!
22. Family is the most important thing in the world to me. I can't wait to have one of my own, but until then, I love to love my amazing sisters and brother and parents and nieces and nephews!
23. I still have to stand during the national anthem whenever I'm watching a hockey game or the Olympics...it's something mom made us do when we were kids, and I can't shake the habit!!
24. I'd be happy to leave my comfortable life in North America behind forever to go live and work with people overseas who have nothing and are crying out for someone to just love them. That's my dream, and even though I can't for the life of me figure out how it's all going to happen yet, I'm pretty sure a big part of my future will unfold across the ocean.
25. I love country music, pop, classical, worship, and everything in between...but if you really want to touch my soul, play me some southern gospel. The four-part harmonies, the timeless melodies, the simple but powerful truth in the words...it's woven into the very fabric of who I am, thanks to my Mennonite heritage! And I love, love, love it when we get together as a family, aunt, uncles, cousins, and break out into song...it's the music of heaven!
The new job...
Posted by
little miss sunshine
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So I just finished my first week at Habitat for Humanity, and I think I'm still partially in shock that such an amazing opportunity landed in my lap!! I had a whirlwind week of orientation...got to spend a day in each of the different areas of Habitat so I had a more well-rounded perspective on the whole organization, and it definitely WORKED! It didn't take long to catch the passion and the vision for what Habitat's doing in the city and around the world...yep!
Monday I basically spent the whole day meeting everyone and getting settled and reading through mounds of, um...interesting and informative paperwork (haha...yeah!) It was cool to read some of the family files, though, and realize what an international component there is to this job...so many families came from refugee camps in Africa, one was on the run from an extremist group in South America, etc....it'll be cool to get to know them and hear their stories!
Tuesday I was working in the ReStore, where they sell new and used donated construction and household supplies, which is then used to fund Habitat's entire administrative budget so that all money donated can go directly to building the houses. I was pretty impressed, I have to say....seeing how they take perfectly good stuff (lumber, windows, appliances, cupboards, whatever!!) that big corporations and individual families would otherwise just throw away...and turn it into something useful...over a million dollars in sales last year. That's a pretty creative way to be a good steward in our ridiculously affluent and wasteful society! I spent the morning tagging along with a charming old British man picking up donations from Home Depot and the afternoon cleaning and organizing and stocking shelves in the store. Good times...
Wednesday I was OFF (yep, I get Wednesdays off in this job too! Can't quite believe how amazingly God arranged that all!) And then Thursday the fun really began...I got to go on site and help out with the house construction. It was a bit intimidating at first, just me and 15 men...some of them staff, some of them volunteers...but all of them had such great attitudes and fantastic senses of humor that it didn't take long to get over the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. :-) I spent the day drilling holes in concrete to secure basement walls to their foundations, framing, measuring, hauling around tools, embarrassing myself with my hammering skills (or lack thereof!), and getting to know the guys. Probably the coolest thing about the day was getting past my "stereotypes" (I didn't realize how quickly I make judgments about people after meeting them!!) and being reminded AGAIN that people are not always what they seem on the outside! And everybody has a story. For example, one of the volunteers I was working with had been homeless just last year, living on the street in Edmonton, and he definitely looked the part. Long scraggly hair, a dirty messy beard, old baggy clothes.....and as much as I hate to admit it, I was surprised to see him there..."weird...I wonder what he has to offer?" I was thinking. But then I started talking to him, and I was blown away. He was hilarious, smart, well-spoken, obviously educated, totally aware of current events, and not afraid to show his heart and his passion for Habitat's mission. I was pretty much humbled after getting to know him...and the other guys were great too. Old and young and everything in between...we shared coffee breaks and lunches and they were infinitely patient with all my questions and insisted that I get to try everything...whether I had a clue what I was doing or not. It was strangely refreshing to spend the day with them, talking trucks and power tools and outdoor adventures and swapping building stories...I was definitely in my element. :-)
Friday I was back in the office, and the steep learning curve began...yikes, the non-profit world is completely different and it feels like I may never master it all...my poor brain is very tired! But who wants a job you can figure out in a week, right? :-) So even though it could be weeks or months before I feel totally comfortable and like I'm actually contributing (!!) I'm excited to grow and learn and be challenged, and blessed to be part of something that's way bigger than just me. And there ya have it! :-)
Monday I basically spent the whole day meeting everyone and getting settled and reading through mounds of, um...interesting and informative paperwork (haha...yeah!) It was cool to read some of the family files, though, and realize what an international component there is to this job...so many families came from refugee camps in Africa, one was on the run from an extremist group in South America, etc....it'll be cool to get to know them and hear their stories!
Tuesday I was working in the ReStore, where they sell new and used donated construction and household supplies, which is then used to fund Habitat's entire administrative budget so that all money donated can go directly to building the houses. I was pretty impressed, I have to say....seeing how they take perfectly good stuff (lumber, windows, appliances, cupboards, whatever!!) that big corporations and individual families would otherwise just throw away...and turn it into something useful...over a million dollars in sales last year. That's a pretty creative way to be a good steward in our ridiculously affluent and wasteful society! I spent the morning tagging along with a charming old British man picking up donations from Home Depot and the afternoon cleaning and organizing and stocking shelves in the store. Good times...
Wednesday I was OFF (yep, I get Wednesdays off in this job too! Can't quite believe how amazingly God arranged that all!) And then Thursday the fun really began...I got to go on site and help out with the house construction. It was a bit intimidating at first, just me and 15 men...some of them staff, some of them volunteers...but all of them had such great attitudes and fantastic senses of humor that it didn't take long to get over the fact that I had no idea what I was doing. :-) I spent the day drilling holes in concrete to secure basement walls to their foundations, framing, measuring, hauling around tools, embarrassing myself with my hammering skills (or lack thereof!), and getting to know the guys. Probably the coolest thing about the day was getting past my "stereotypes" (I didn't realize how quickly I make judgments about people after meeting them!!) and being reminded AGAIN that people are not always what they seem on the outside! And everybody has a story. For example, one of the volunteers I was working with had been homeless just last year, living on the street in Edmonton, and he definitely looked the part. Long scraggly hair, a dirty messy beard, old baggy clothes.....and as much as I hate to admit it, I was surprised to see him there..."weird...I wonder what he has to offer?" I was thinking. But then I started talking to him, and I was blown away. He was hilarious, smart, well-spoken, obviously educated, totally aware of current events, and not afraid to show his heart and his passion for Habitat's mission. I was pretty much humbled after getting to know him...and the other guys were great too. Old and young and everything in between...we shared coffee breaks and lunches and they were infinitely patient with all my questions and insisted that I get to try everything...whether I had a clue what I was doing or not. It was strangely refreshing to spend the day with them, talking trucks and power tools and outdoor adventures and swapping building stories...I was definitely in my element. :-)
Friday I was back in the office, and the steep learning curve began...yikes, the non-profit world is completely different and it feels like I may never master it all...my poor brain is very tired! But who wants a job you can figure out in a week, right? :-) So even though it could be weeks or months before I feel totally comfortable and like I'm actually contributing (!!) I'm excited to grow and learn and be challenged, and blessed to be part of something that's way bigger than just me. And there ya have it! :-)
Ah, the sweet life of leisure!
Posted by
little miss sunshine
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So I'm in the middle of a week and a half off between jobs right now, and I can't even begin to describe how heavenly it is!! I didn't think I was going to survive my last two weeks at Givens...NO motivation to work; I just wanted to be FREE! And now I am, and can't help but think that retirement sounds pretty good. :-) I have a long list of stuff I want to get done this week....scrubbing the house out from top to bottom, catching up on my scrapbooking, going for a long-overdue hair appointment, getting my car fixed, shopping for a new wardrobe, taking down the Christmas decorations, numerous coffees and dates with friends, cooking enough meals to last for the next month, having some good God time, catching up on sleep, and doing a bunch of writing!! So YES, boredom shouldn't be a problem, as always!!
The week started off with a bit of an adventure, though, when I woke up on Friday morning and the house was a balmy 10 degrees!!! This is when home ownership gets REALLY exciting, when there's a problem and you're the one who has to solve it! Anyway, needless to say, I got on the phone with dad pretty quickly and he gave me my first lesson in Furnaces 101. Then Diana and I marched downstairs and managed to diagnose the problem! It looked like the ignitor had burnt out, so off we went to the furnace store and bought the part from a super-helpful dude whose business card said "Furnace Expert" but the first words out of his mouth were that he didn't know anything about furnaces. Hmmm. :-) But here's where the story gets REALLY exciting! We came back home, bundled up in our winter gear (the furnace would have to die on one of the coldest days of the year!!), gathered all the tools we could find, and got to work! And....within a few minutes....as we waited with breathless anticipation....the furnace roared to life!!!! We were pretty stoked, I have to say...to fix the furnace ourselves, no men in sight! The house is nice and toasty again now, and all is well!!
Ummm....I think we have a problem!!
No worries....I was born to use a wrench!
Aha!!! Problem solved!
You're looking at two triumphant women!
Today I had another exciting adventure when I took my car in to get the thermostat fixed (a simple $190 job, or so I thought!) and was presented with a long list of everything ELSE that needed attention too! A list that topped $2,000.....so needless to say, I was a little choked. But after a quick phone call to dad (what would I do without him?!) I calmed down and decided to trust that they weren't in fact taking advantage of me because I'm a helpless female (haha), swallowed hard, and got $1,200 of the work done today...the rest can wait a bit! So that's a nice chunk of unexpected change down the drain...I might have to start budgeting if I'm going to be able to afford to pay my property taxes in June! ;-)
Nothing can steal away my joy this week, though....to be able to breathe again, to not feel TIRED for a change, to get so much stuff done that I haven't had time to....it's indescribably wonderful! I'm excited to start my new job on Monday, though!
Some highlights from the past month...
My fabulous roommate scored luxury box seat tickets through her job for....wait for it...the Backstreet Boys! For one glorious night I was 16 again, swaying to the music (let's face it...I can't dance!) and crooning along with those fabulous lyrics..."I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did, as long as you love me!" :-) sigh...
Then, to continue the trend, my friend Amy invited me to join her when the highly anticipated New Kids on the Block reunion tour hit Edmonton. I was never really a fan (their music was highly controversial back in grade six....and I had strict parents!!) but you couldn't help but get into the spirit...17,000 middle-aged women screaming and crying and having flashbacks to their much-younger days. Really, does it get any better than that?? ;-)
Then there was the spontaneous Christmas dance party that erupted during life group one Thursday night....one minute we were having a deep spiritual discussion, the next minute we were rocking out to Mariah Carey! "All I want for Christmas is you, babyyyyyy!!!" That was followed by some late-night frolicking in the freshly falling snow and a little experimenting to see if sticking our tongues to metal poles was as fun today as it was when we were kids. :-)
December 20th....my kindred spirit got married in Fort Edmonton Park! A great night of amazing food and meeting new people and wishing again that I knew how to line dance!
Christmas Eve I surprised grandma with a visit to Three Hills (mom and dad were there too)...we had such a great day of Rook, laughs, food, watching the Waltons (that's grandma...always livin' on the edge!), and going to a Christmas Eve service at her church. So much fun to bless her that way, and be blessed in return!
And in between it all, of course, there was lots of talking on the phone with Mr. Noah....Karen snapped this picture one day while Noah was talking to me. SO PRECIOUS!!!!! I love his priceless little smile!
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