i wish we spoke german.

I'm taking this class...a music history class...about Lieder, which is, essentially, german art song.

Mmm...

It really is beautiful stuff, even with a bare, bare, bare minimum of understanding of the language.

Take this, by Goethe (poet).

Uber allen Gipfeln
ist Ruh,
In allen Wipfeln
Spurest du
Kaum einen Hauch;
Die Vogelein schweigen in Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.

A poor translation:

Over all the mountains
is rest,
in all the treetops
you sense
scarcely a breath;
the birds fall still in the wood.
just wait, soon
you too shall rest.


Half the beauty of the poem is in the sound of the german (not nearly as gutteral and you'd think). The german word for peace, Ruh, is so peaceful sounding. Almost like 'roo-uh', but better.

anyway.

Also today, a watermain burst, and there was no water for me to shower, so I went to the gym @ school, worked out, then showered.

That's more or less all for now.

so. peace out.

here he is.

this is ben. sometime in his first year, trying to crawl on our parents' bed.

LOOK AT THOSE EYES...awww....

this is it. 5 weird this about me. me.

Alright, as tagged by my dear friend Skakes (cuz I don't know how she spells her first name, although I think it's Lindsey), I will make a list of 5 weird things about myself.

*ahem*

1. the only "boyfriend" I've ever had lasted about 16 hours...and a few years later, he was gay. still is. so...

2. I get an allergy shot (like a vaccination of sorts) every 2 weeks. I've been doing this for about 10 years now.

*sneeze*

3. I...just changed my mind of the one I was going to say. Hang on...

3. At home, I sleep with a plush-IKEA-duck. it's not because I'm lonely, but because my arms feel weird when I lie on my side (to sleep). my arms also feel weird when I'm just sitting, but it seems not entirely appropriate to carry the duck around ALL the time.

*cough*.

4. when I go to sleep at night, the room must be in COMPLETE darkness. during the day, it doesn't matter, I can nap wherevs. but at night-time...

5. I'm hella allergic to cats. except for one cat. I met him in the Cook Islands in May 2002. he used to sleep on my bed (fair enough, it was a mat on the floor), and I always got mad, but then...the little guy kinda grew on me. and as it turned out, all my protesting about being allergic was NO DEAL.

SO those things aren't too weird? But...hey..there ya go.


WEIRD COINCIDENCE...last year, @ school, I had one heckuva crush on this guy Aaron. Well...in the end, it ended. Hadn't talked to him in months, until I saw him, playing bass, at the New Year's Worship Invasion. We talked. A-ok. Closure, even.

LITTLE DID I KNOW...MA, Skakes, JonJon, Lucas Stone, and Robyn...Robin..., anyway, they came back from NSLC (that's all who went, right?), and they'd met Aaron's brother TIM from IVCF UVic. They also met Paddy or Patty, who I met, in Victoria, when I was with Luke Stones, hanging out post-Brennan Manning (and also earlier in the day, for a picnic of cake ala Andrew Dean), the VERY SAME DAY I first saw stars and Aaron in the same gaze (NO HEAD INJURY INVOLVED).

WEird.

mmmmm....

i am exhausted, and i don't know why. with sleeping in, i slept for 10 hours this past night.

argh.

yep.

take that, insomnia!

In the early hours of January 9, 2006, I studied the changing face of my digital clock for FIVE HOURS!!! 5!!!!

AHHHH!!!!

5.30 this morning, I think I fell asleep.

Woke up @ 11.36am, fully having slept through my first, and only, class of the day.

ARGH!!!

When I finally got up, I ate, read most of Nehemiah, then headed off to school.

Stopped by Tony's office, picked up some music for this semester, and my jury sheets (ie. evaluations of my voice final). REALLY GOOD COMMENTS. I was so encouraged by what the jurors had to say. WOW.

And Tony said: A professional career in singing is possible with dedicated work.

!

In Between Dreams.

Remember all that stuff about going for a run this morning?

HA!

First of all, I totally turned off my alarms and slept 'til 12.50pm.

Goooodtimes.

Secondly, it's snowing! Which means it's well below zero, which means that I'm not going to run!

Bah!

On another note, I haven't had an allergy shot since November 8, and I'm supposed to get them every 2 weeks.

AIIYA!

UPDATED

If I could have, I would have spent my day on a beach like this.




INSTEAD...I got up, went to school (one class), then came home.
On the no.11 bus. It's new ... only 5 mins home instead of 25! Heeeey! Well, 10 min, with walking. Still...better.

Then I napped!

Then I got up!

I watched TV.

I made dinner.

I showered.

I ate dinner.

More TV.

Pretty much, a house-junkie day. That's okay, I guess. I gotta sleep it up soon, so I can get up and run tomorrow.

Sheesh.

words of farewell.

"have a nice flight. read and listen to nice things in your ears!"

- matthew mcdaniel

elisa slept on the bunk above me for 6 months in australia.

HEY ALL!




elisa micheli, dts roomie, cool girl. This isn't a picture of her...I can't find my digital picture cd's (containing some of her). OH well.

living in NZ, sent me an email, this quotation..

“Just once we pass this way –
therefore, let's attempt something so great...
so imaginative... so demanding...
that when it has been accomplished,
all will know it could not have been done
without the aid and blessing of the Almighty God!"


word up, peace out, hollaback, shizzle.

new year indeed.

hello one, hello all.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!


Wow. I rang in the new year with some very good friends by my side. No matter what's happening on a given new year's eve/day, when I end up @ worship invasion, I am so thankful to be there. It's just...perfect. The conversations and run-ins and catching up seem so ordained. The stuff that Ed spoke about last night was BANG, straight into everything I've been struggling with. The worship was real. Bass-boy (remember him?) was playing bass, so we talked after.

THE WORD WAS...talking about 'being conformed by the renewing of your mind.'

Just what the heck does that mean?

Well. Meditating on the WORD so that your spirit is resounding with it. Meditate on it, hold onto it in your MIND, which influences your WILL and your EMOTIONS and your BODY. The stuff of the word will stay in your mind, and it will be renewed.

Simple, maybe not the best explaining ever (I don't always blog my best wordings...? eh?), and SO GOOD. I felt like a blindfold was being lifted as I listened.


SO, that's newyear's. No more feeling sorry for myself.

POLAR BEAR SWIM!!! My first ever was today @ about 12.30pm, with Katrina and Aaron Bjornson. So fun. Pictures to come.

LOVE!

carved out of the forest

Stanley Park seems over-rated (on those gorgeous summer days when you think it'd be a great idea to picnic there, but so does the rest of the GVRD), but it is beautiful.
For those of you who don't live here, I wanted to show it off -- maybe it will strengthen your resolve to come out for new year's 2006/07, and we can ride the Christmas train together.

"A city that has been carved out of the forest should maintain
somewhere within its boundaries evidence of what it once was, and so long
as Stanley Park remains unspoiled that testimony to the giant trees which
occupied the site of Vancouver in former days will remain"
The News Herald - October 30, 1939

That's all for now,
love
m.

i do not think that word means what you think it means.

i was at london drugs with my mom the other day, and i saw some pillows on a shelf. normal enough, they were those pillows that are shaped to better support one's head and neck.

they were called "Cervical Pillows".

yeah.

boxing day.

i kind of boxed with myself today. boxing with ... my heart? i don't know.

i went for breakfast @ the bentall's, which was amazing. amazing because jenny is one of my best friends, because her dad is hilarious, because her food is so good, and her family is great.

talked with jon bentall for a few hours. he's getting married. ok, ok, so i was a tiny bit hearbroken when i heard that. but let's face it, i knew he wasn't for me.



he's so ugly.

the rest of this post would be pretty self-involved....realizing how much i miss home, in how many ways mikael is my best friend, how much i love walking on the beach, and having friends who love my family...

big thanks to aaron braun for giving me the day with mikael.

peace.love.don't get pregnant.

*ding, ding*

Hey All!
I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas (even if you don't celebrate it, have a great day!).
This morning I went to church, where the music was provided by the Appenheimer family -- kind of fun to play with mum, ben and liz.

I'll list my presents for you later, with links (just because that's fun...?), but for now...
I'm glad to be home, in the company of wonderful family and friends.

Thanks to Deanna for the phone call, reminding me of the beautiful people who are still alive and well in Lethbridge (and surrounding areas).

Peace, goodwill to all.

love,
m.

torn.

It's hard to know, from this standpoint, how to negotiate community, and living in 2 cities.

Being back at asap on Tuesday felt like home, but I am coming to know and love and be involved with churches/friends in Lethbridge as well.

Having friends in 2 cities isn't so hard, I can handle that. It's more the church thing.
I really like where asap is going, who's leading it, and the family I have there. I love the flags for dancing, the mood lights, the spontaneous shouts of joy, the awkward straining to stand, or to run or to jump...

So much growth, leading to transition and LIFE. It is something I've been able to totally connect with.

Lethbridge churches...nothing quite exactly the same. That's alright though, I wouldn't want a carbon copy...I don't see how that could be...good.
It's made for an interersting fall though.
I'm involved with 2 churches, at one with young adults/worship, and another just as a go-er. The first is smaller, maybe 200-300 on a Sunday morning? The second has 2 services, each with a couple hundred people, give or take (especially give me a break because guessing based on visual stats is not my strong point...at all).

As if numbers matter.

In the first church, young adults were some of my first friends, definitely some of my dearest. I am being known there, involved with the ministry, have coffee-d with the pastor.
The second church, as a of yet, has led to no meaningful relationships, except the ones I have with my sweet neighbour girls (and MA), and those have definitely been strengthened. Second church is going strong, with a focus and understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, the importance of missions/evangelism, and a personal relationship with JC.

First church, love the senior pastor, how he speaks and teachers.
Second church, love the welcoming of persons with prophetic giftings.

On and on and on. The point is, I just don't know. Throw in my involvement (and executive position) with IVCF, interest in 'the Gate' (charismatic church, will go in the new year for the first time), and I'm pretty much as scattered in Lethbridge as I was here (BUC (dad's the pastor), asap, rock garden, worship invasion...), but without the rooting of a home community.

It's a post of questions, so let me know what you think. I'm not distraught or disheartened...I'm just wondering.

Merry Christmas Eve.

p.s. on the first day back.

i also got caught in several DOWNPOURS today.

talk about a vancouver welcome -- cheers.

first day home.

today i woke up, so comfy in my bed. i slept peacefully -- barely rumpled the covers.

i ate some breakfast, then drove my dad to work.

came home, and mended mikael's present. (plane incident).

went out, picked up jessica, bought a tunic from OQOQO (it's orange).

picked up zoe, bought groceries for an awesome dinner (me and jess cooked for my family), took zoe home, and then hit the homestead for dinner.

ate the awesome dinner, had awesome conversation on the way to asap, got in on some carols and good words and love.

bought anna's cd, reconnected hearts with friends, drove around listening to anna...cried.

basically -- i can't describe how good today was. i was excited to come home, not for the place, but the people. not the movies and games but the conversation and silence. not the parties and commutes, but the relief of being known.

i also realized how great lethbridge has been -- being accepted for who i am in a time when i couldn't even pretend to be anything else.

today was that and more and less and reminded me of why i love here and you.

awww shucks.

boo-erns...

Out-of-province students studying in Alberta, who filed a 2004 tax return in their home province will NOT be considered Alberta residents, and will NOT receive the $400 resource rebate cheque.

:P

Doesn't really make sense, because if you ARE an albertan, you just had to file a Canadian tax return -- federal tax returns don't change province to province.

IF I had moved to AB to live, I would get it.

BOO-ERNS!!

And also, merry christmas.

buddies who like to drink

shout out to chonger -- seeing me on your blog illicited a gasp of joy and nearly a tear.

good to be here.

(it feels like home to me...)

experiences

westjet:
leather seats (not ucky upholstery).
EXTENDED LEG ROOM (plus only 2 peeps in my row, so empty middle seat = heavenly).
little screens for each seat/satellite tv.
snacks/juice...blah.

guys behind me:
drunk
horny
in vancouver to get laid and buy a car.

Taylor:
made the trip ok.
case is banged up.
i almost cried.
but she's ok.

I'm home. VERY OK. Call me.