n.i.n.e.t.e.e.n.

My 19th birthday was a totally a night to remember! Numerous photo shoots, lots of laughs, a few beer and good friends... what more could I ask for?!

We started the night with Jen hosting a lovely little get together for some friends. About 10 of us were packed into Jenn's room blasting music and dancing!

We later ended up at Peak's to go out dancing! It was my first time in a real bar after hours and we had a great time.


Around 1:30. we decided to walk uptown to Isie's to see Sunday Punch play me happy birthday beatles style! Our night ended at 3am at the local Chinese Restaurant for some beautiful sweet & sour chicken ball! yummy! A night like this was totally needed but I honestly don't understand how anyone can do it every weekend. I love my girls. Thanks for a great night out!!

The boy she loves

"When she looks down at her left hand, there is a ring on her finger. it reminds her of the boy she loves with all her heart. She's marrying that boy next summer, and he makes her,

THE luckiest!"

is this not the cutest thing you've ever heard?!

i saw this on my friend's wall when i was sending him a message to catch up. i am so so happy for them. he's known he would marry her for a while now. finally : )

i am certain this exists for me somehow.

... i'll just keep dreaming

A Blessing for Life

Cornerstone's College and Career Small Group has finally started! We are getting into a study called "Walking in the Ways of God" and I am thrilled to get into some great discussion.

We are reading deuteronomy 30: 11-20 can be found here if you want to read it, but in an effort to keep this post short, I'll get to the point.


God makes it so easy... so clear for us. He lays it out. He sets life and death before us, and asks us to choose. We have the choice! We have freewill to choose what we want, but because God cares for us as His creation, He urges us to choose life. He is completely honest with us and He essentially outlines the outcome of each choice.

Bottom line is: life = prosperity & death = destruction.

John Waller wrote a beautiful song, The Blessing, and it reads...
Let it be said of us while we walked among the living, Let it be said of us by the ones we leave behind:
that we lived to be a blessing for life
that we gave to reach the dying
that our legacy is a blessing for life.
that our hearts belong to Jesus
that we spoke the words of life
that our heritage is a blessing for life.
Being a blessing for life what we are called to do as Christians in a broken world. It's so exiting to see The Holy Spirit work though us in other people's lives. God is great!

Today I was sitting in War & Peace. We were discussing that war began with civilization and now we're at a stage where war can end civilization.
There was a girl sitting to my far right who was of the Islamic faith, I'm guessing. Of course when discussing war in its current state, it would be obvious that the conversation would include the huge concern and power struggle between the Europe, Russia and Middle Eastern countries. ... oh don't forget the US. Nuclear bombs... of course.
As she spoke, it occurred to me her reality. It was really hard to believe how much of a daily reality war would be to her. Her home, maybe her family. She spoke to the issue between India and Israel like it was second nature... and i guess it was. Home, where ever that is for her, is basically an alternate reality compared to the one i know. Maybe I'm incredibly naive but I just couldn't get over how obnoxiously aware she was of the possibility and consequences of a nuclear war and I was sitting there in daze and confusion.

I conclude that I'm blessed far beyond deserving... and really out of touch with internation politics.

The End.

Short and Sweet

this week is nso, and with all everyone all finally back together, i can't believe how fast it was to get back into last year's circles. this makes the comfort level nice and high, but it also makes it very easy to slip into old habits.

i miss lucas a lot. talking to him instantaneously puts a smile on my face and i love it. i've never been so sure of a relationship. ever. patience is easy when i'm this sure. God is really blessing me.

i'm lonely without kevin to talk to. nothing compares to the random conversation kevin and i had on the phone. please get a new phone!!

Me...Superman...nah.

I'm up posting because I'm tired and my mind is racing.
There appears to be a stereotype. The one that classifies the good girl who always goes for the broken guys. Apparently I fall into that category, and honestly... my track record doesn't reflect anything but. What can i say... I like to fix things! Relationships scare me for a lot of reasons but yet... i seem to be so fearless at the same time. These reasons I would have to take a whole other post to list and explain so I won't go there tonight.

Its absolutely true. Ask my friends. The majority of the guys I find myself attracted to have issues (some worse then others) and need me... or at least I would like to think they do. The problem is that I mildly suffer from what my pastor calls a "savour complex" or commonly known as the "superman complex" which basically means I want to fix things. I'm not exactly an extremest like what Wikipedia defines.

Its a wonderful gift to have but as I've come to see the responsibilities that comes with it, I've been slowly learning a few key things.

1. Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves, no exceptions.
2. God will put people in your life. Its up to us to respond.
3. Every single person has the choice to turn their lives around... even when they feel stuck, but if no one will give them a shot, offer them forgiveness and and a chance, then they really are stuck.
4. Its tough, but sometime you have to know when to stop "beating a dead horse". Not everyone wants to change.
5. There is a line. A critical line of which you have to be careful when crossing. Indulging in a relationship with someone who is emotionally or in general a mess can damage and compromise their progress.

That about sums it up. Its what I've learn first hand and through friends this summer and I just hope I will be smart enough to use what I have learnt. Life is full of change and people can surprise you!

Get off your donkey and do some good!!

Oasis was loaded with a lot of important things to think about as an individual and as a church.

Reggie McNeal talked a lot about the difference between a 'church centered universe' and a 'kingdom centered universe'. It seems that most churches, Baptist's included, are becoming more and more 'church-centric.'

"If we think were the point, we'll act like the point, and were NOT the point".

He also was sure to make it clear that its not all about us. Its all about the kingdom, and the kingdom is bigger then the church! Sometimes we're so focused on our programs that we forget to reach out, we forget that Jesus is with the broken, He is with the homeless, He is with the sick, and He calls us to meet them on their level.

Here are some other good points from the event (yes I actually took notes):

We have one job: to bless the world.

Just simply ask people, "how can i as God to bless you?" or "what is it that you need to see God do in your life?" or "how can I pray for you?"

Its not their job to come to us.

We are not the point, but we are His people, and we have been cut in on the deal.

We grew up in a generation where we were the answer - (we create the program = they come to us = were the answer... NO!). People need God where they are!

Get off your donkey and do some good!!

Focus on customized leaning remembering that we're all different, we learn different ways, and we've encountered different things.

Grow people through service, not grow people to service.

We went on an adventure!

North Cape was so much fun! It was far enough away but worth the drive, even soaked on the way back. The turbines were so beautiful and the water was really nice. A really nice way to spend a Summer Sunday afternoon!