Random Monday

Confession: I forgot about random Monday until just a little bit ago.  

But now I am here! all ready to be random. =) 

Me and Megga... you will most likely be seeing more pictures from yesterday afternoon at some point. =) but i chose to put this picture in this post because it is a bit... random. lol. Even as meg was holding the ornament above my head, she was saying "I don't know why i am doing this." sometimes i wonder about her and me. However, there is one thing that I am certain of, and that is this: one of us must learn to play the trumpet, and the other one must go like this (insert appropriate hand motion here)." 

This is something that I found last winter when I was cleaning out under my old bed to get ready for my new bed. I used to put all my lists of goals for the future and stuff like that in here. The problem is that I can't find the key. lol. and it is kind of driving me crazy. lol. So if you are strong, and think you can get it open... talk to me. I will love you forever. lol. But I probably won't let you see what is all inside it. sorry bout that. =) 

Back when I was in grade 12, and had a coloring book (i know... that sounds funny. I really did receive a wonderful education at Countryside) I would do almost anything to avoid coloring. 

Sponge Bob socks!!!! So I took this picture two years ago... and this is still my favourite pair of socks to wear around home. They keep getting thinner and thinner on the bottoms.... I plan on wearing them until they completely disintegrate. As long as there is sock there, I will put it on my foot. 

this is a very special picture. It was taken on the plane on the way home from Guatemala, when me and trish and josh were having hilarious times. =) nobody appreciates a good beverage like we do. =) 

Hey look!!! my face is surprised again!!! This was in grade ten. I don't even know what surprised me here. I just chose it because I posted another surprised picture of me. Which technically means that this picture is not random, because it belongs with another picture, which means it should not be included in this post. But I'm okay with it being here. 

This is Kitten. What is cuter than a kitten in a box? Well... I'm sure there are many things. I just have a thing for little animals. lol. Look at her tail! and her little legs!!!! and her blue eyes!!! and her long whiskers!! It's just cute!! I wish she had never grown up. 

Random Thoughts: 

- So me and Jason chatted the other week, and one of the things we talked about briefly was sleep, and how important it is and what the point of it is. This only took up a few lines of our chat, but days later, I am still thinking about it! lol. First I thought about what exactly sleep physically is. And I realized that I really like the thought of sleep. It's just your body resting. That's all it is. You close your eyes, and your body just... relaxes. You know that really really good feeling when you have had a busy busy day, and hardly had time to stop, and then you get into bed, and in the moments before you actually fall asleep, you lay there and can just feel everything kind of relaxing? The tension just kind of seeping out of your body? Am I the only person who thinks about this? lol. So sleep is a great thing physically. But then I was thinking about it more... and realized that God could have made us so that we don't need any sleep! Think about it! That would add several more hours onto every day for us. Hours for us to work, and make money. Hours for us to have fun. Hours for us to accomplish things. Hours for us to sew the dresses that we would like to have done for Friday night's Christmas banquet. lol. So why didn't God create us like that? I think there could be a few reasons (none of which I know for sure. This is just me thinking. lol.). I think one of the possible reasons could be that the fact that we get tired and need to stop to rest at some point kind of reminds us of the fact that we are just humans. We are not invincible. lol. God never gets tired or has to sleep. But we do. We are below Him. I think the fact that we get tired is a good reminder of that. I think that sleep is also something that kinds of draws us back to God. If we never had to stop to sleep, would we stop at all? I mean, obviously, if we chose to, we would. But I think that if life just kept being lived, without being broken up by times of rest, it would be very easy for me to just go and go and go without making much time for devotions. It would be very easy to become self-reliant. Time would kind of all run together. I think that sleep is also a kind of a trust thing. There is a verse in Psalms 4 that says "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." David said that. David who spent a whole lot of time fighting his enemies and probably would have had good reasons to lie awake worrying, whether it was about someone attempting to kill him during the night, or the problems that the morning might bring. I don't know exactly at what point David wrote this verse... but clearly, He trusted God to keep him safe, even while he slept. Sleeping leaves us completely defenseless. We actually lose consciousness for several hours, and for the most part, oblivious to what is going on around us. Anyone could do anything to us, and we would be completely unprepared to defend ourselves. This isn't something that I really think about... because I feel perfectly safe in my house. =) But there are places where people do not sleep in safety, and I think that sleep must be one way that they demonstrate their trust in God. And I think that it's also possible that God simply created us to need sleep because sleep is a wonderful thing. We get to take a break from our thoughts (although mine tend to show up in my dreams. lol.), and our problems, and the things we worry about, and the things that puzzle us. and we wake up refreshed (hopefully!) and ready for a new day. sleep is a good thing. =) 

-I love the snow!!!! I think it is beautiful and wonderful! it makes me feel so excited about Christmas!!! 

-The boneless chicken bites at Pizza Hut are gooooooood. =) and Pizza Hut has insanely good ceasar salad. And Smokin' Tony's has the best chicken ceasar wraps. yeah... I'm hungry. lol. 

-Next friday, at work, we have to make 472 gingerbread men. kinda dreading that.... although it could be fun! Work keeps surprising me that way. lol. my new motto should be "never dread anything, because it might be fun." lol. I just remember the last time we made gingerbread men... it was really funny! it's too complicated to explain though. plus, i think you maybe had to be there. lol. 

-I am reeeeeeaaaaaallllllly excited about the church Christmas banquet. And hearing the Messiah. And the school Christmas program. And Christmas caroling. And all the gatherings. I just loooove Christmas. I can't believe that it is this time of year already! 2012 is almost over. I should really read over my new year's resolutions and quickly accomplish the ones that I haven't done yet. =) 

My Favourite Brother Kenton

Well. 

Today was the day. 

The day that my little brother was born. 

16 whole years ago! 

Over the years, Kenton has been many different things for me. 

When we were kids, he was an excellent playmate. (He loved his teddy bear way more than I loved mine!!!!) And when we lived in Elmira, we kind of shared some of the same friends. I have wonderful memories of spending entire summer evenings jumping on a trampoline with Kenton, Katie, and Cole. We would always fill the trampoline with a ton of little cars, which definitely provided incentive to remain on your feet. lol. And I remember dashing across Mrs. Lacy's backyard with him, because it was way faster than using the street to get to our friends' house. And I remember playing in the orchard with him. Specifically the time that he and I and Joy and Curtis decided it would be fun to throw rotten apples out onto the road. lol. And we would put our rubber boots on and go wading in the creek with a bunch of neighbour kids. And I secretly thought that his rubber boots were cooler than mine. =) 

So basically, I have uploaded some random pictures of Kenton, some from when he was very young.... and some from more recently, and not really any of the in between stages. lol. 

This is a child who is excited about life. Just look at that kid. The glowing eyes... the smile... the outstretched arms... it is like he is embracing life. =) 

This is me and Kenton at the cottage! He is the one wearing- ahem- purple pajamas. lol. This is one of my all-time favourite pictures in the world, I think. 

Awww... you were just pretty cute, Kenton. And I like your bonnet. =) I don't know why you ever stopped wearing it. 

Kenton appears to have been a happy baby.

This is Kenton sleeping. With Ted, his teddy bear. This is the teddy bear that he loved more than I loved mine. 

And then Renee came along, and the three of us could be so happy together!  See? Don't we just look happy? 

So these next pictures are all pictures that I took of Kenton because he needed a picture of him that involved nature to go on the yearbook staff page. Seriously... he was only standing in front of the camera for a few minutes, but I have a bunch of really funny pictures of him. Kenton, sometimes, it is annoying that you rarely just smile for a picture, but looking back at pictures of you is always entertaining. lol. 

According to Kenton... someone was standing on his toe in this picture. lol.

I do not know if there is one single picture in the whole wide world  where all of us are looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. 

So... 

now for a list of things that I like and appreciate about Kenton: 

-Kenton, you are fuuuuuuunnnnnnny. lol. You crack me up like every single day. Even the bad ones! The other day, you said something really funny. lol. You said, "The other night, I ate a whole bag of chips. Well, I guess I didn't really eat a whole bag. But by the time I was finished, the bag was empty." That made me laugh. I'm sure you remember. lol. 

-And we have wonderful conversations. Sometimes they happen latelate at night. Those don't happen very often, but it always amazes me how great your thoughts are when you share them. But it's great having you to drive to and from youth with me... those would be some long quiet rides without you. 

-Sometimes, you do nice things for me. Like the other night when you carried my shoes from the car the house for me, even though your hands were just as full as mine were. And all those times that you have offered to park the car for me... so nice of you. =) Sometimes I hand you the keys. But I usually regret it later. lol. jk. =) 

-I like how when we are getting close to home, and on Floradale Rd, you always play "Heartless". And sometimes if "Heartless" gets done, then you play the "Fishin' in the Dark" song. In fact, the very fact that you introduced me to the "Fishin' in the Dark" song is a whole entire separate reason why I like you. It really deserves a dash of of its own! It shouldn't have to share a dash with anything else. 

-You found the "Fishin' in the Dark" song. I love you. 

-You are good at a lot of things. You answer a lot of questions that I ask you. 

-You went jogging with me. Back when I jogged. Well, we jogged together once. But I think we should consider doing it again next year. But more than once! =) 

-You put together a bookcase for me. thank you. 

-You are like a friend who is always around! I mean, I love all my other friends very much! But you are the only one who actually lives with me! It's so handy. I can be annoying any time that I want to be. ;) 

-You seem to remember the time I made good lasagna more than all the times I have made bad food. lol. 

That is just a few of the things that I like about you, Kenton. =) I'm so glad that you are my brother, and I hope that sixteen is an incredible year for you!!! 

Monday Randomness

Second random Monday post.... 

This may become a thing. lol. 

I think today will just be random photos. =) 

Just cause I'm positive that my thoughts from the past week would be of absolutely no interest to anyone. lol. 

One day, I came into my room, and found Wendy on my bed, with my laptop, and she was typing in a word document, and the first sentence that she had written was "I love you, Jassy" and then she went on to say other sweet things, and I just thought she was cute and wonderful. Still do. =) She made me laugh the other day... because Renee was yelling about something, and Wendy looked at her and said "Renee, you scream like a boy." and it made me laugh. lol. 

My dog is okay with cats. =) 

Pink windows in Ottawa! Emily gets the credit for these. Not that she made them or anything... but she loved them first. =) And she pointed them out to me. And I love them too now. Thank you, Emily. =) 

Last spring, I sometimes would take my homework out to the trampoline with me and do it there... and sometimes the sun would shine so pleasantly. It would almost be enough to make a girl wish that she was already done high school. lol. 

I made these ladybugs for Sunday School attendance charts... it was fun. =) Sometimes I forget that I kind of like stuff like that. lol. 

This was my calendar in June. By the end of June.... I was tiiiiiiiired. And convinced that I could not handle working in a bakery, because I DO NOT LIKE TO BAKE. lol. But guess what? I'm still working at Hillcrest. And, although I'm still not a huge fan of baking, I actually do not mind working there at all. I realized that the only reason I don't like baking is because I'm not particularly good at it, and it seems really dumb to not enjoy something, and dread doing it, just because you are afraid you will mess up. That is just... being a wimp. You should never ever be scared to learn new things. and Hillcrest has taught me many, many things. like... ovens are hot. lol. and the faster life goes, the more sense milk makes. I don't know what that means, but it's what the sticker on the fridge there says. I ponder it each morning. 

Polka dot sheets! One of my favourite things about summer is my polka dot sheets. lol. And I like that these sheets actually fit on my bed. It is so exciting to have sheets that fit on my bed. Because my old bed, was so old, that it was a size that they no longer make sheets for. But now, my sheets actually fit on my bed, and it is wonderful. lol. 

This was what my room looked like after I pulled everything off of my old bookcase so that my new one could be set up. (thank you kenton, for that. =)) You may notice that the majority of the stuff on my bed is not actually books..... that is because my old bookcase had more cupboard space than book space. Which is why I needed a new one. The new one is already full, and I am back to stacking books in my closet. lol. I think that soon I am going to upgrade to digital books. They just take up so much less space. lol.

This is a picture of me looking hopeless. lol. It was taken by Meg, for her photography course. It was fun taking these pictures. =) 

This picture just... cracks me up. lol. I just love the little face on the red block. and their little legs. and their arms too. and how it's just like "lego" and "no". it just amuses me. over and over again. lol. 

tomorrow is november 20. 

for those of you who were not aware, it is a very special day. 

Kenton's 16th birthday! 

and so, in honor of his "16 years of awesomeness" (that's the phrase he used. lol.) i am going to do a blog post all about him! 

that's tomorrow. =) 

Random Monday Pictures (and maybe some thoughts too. I haven't decided yet.)

Well, to quote some of my favourite people in the world, today I am in a "tadly random mude". =) 

That is why I have decided to do a blog post of random pictures! lol. 

And I will possibly share some random thoughts that I have had in the past week too.... 

Who knows? Maybe I will officially declare every Monday as my day to do a random blog post. We'll have to see how that works. 

Mondays generally are pretty random days for me... and I love them! 

One thing that I love about them is that there is generally time on Monday afternoons for me to spend a long time doing devotions, which, right now, includes reading Eric and Leslie Ludy's book "Wrestling Prayer", and ahem- catching up on Bible readings. lol. 

So anyways... it's time for random pictures! And some of them may be kind of related to eachother, and therefore not totally random, because I kind of pulled them all from the same general folders. (That sentence may cause you to wonder exactly how I organize my pictures, after you have seen these ones. lol.) 

This is my fish!!!! His name is Oscar. Oscar Fish. Oscar Fish is very fun to say if you say it out loud, and as one word. Oscarfish. It sounds a bit Russian or something. lol. Fish Oscar is also fun to say. Fishoscar. You should try it! It's fun. I promise. Oscar is a wonderful fish. The best fish a girl could ask for, really. There is not one single thing I would want to change about him. Well, except for the fact that he apparently has violent tendencies (due to the fact that he is a betta fish), and so I cannot buy a friend for him. I mean, I could, but I would have to keep them in separate bowls, or else they would fight to the death. Which I actually think would be fascinating to see. I mean, how do fish even fight? lol. But.... I like Oscar, and he is all the fish I need, and so it doesn't really matter that there is only one of him. And for the most part, he seems to be a very gentle fish. Well, except for the time that he ate a fly that was not even totally dead yet. But he generally just swims around his bowl, and watches me while I do my devotions or email or write. I have not yet figured out if he ever sleeps. I do, however, know that he is the best fish in the world. and the prettiest. 

This is photo editing at its classiest. =) Well... maybe not. lol. But I forgot about this puppy! A couple Christmases ago, we had puppies, and all of them were sold, except for this one, and so we used to go out and play with it, so that it wouldn't get too lonely. lol. And since it was close to Christmas, I apparently felt the need to add snow and Christmas lights to this picture. It really adds something, huh? =) 

Me and Megga at Leisure World. What good times we have there. =) 

This picture was taken several summers ago.... and we were all smiling nicely for it. I promise. We really were. And then just as I snapped the picture, the sun came out reallyreallyreally brightly, and this is what we ended up with. =) 

Oh Wendy... your face is just... intense. lol. 

Me and Ben and Jamie!!!! a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time ago. lol.

Me and Joy. Being happy on a bench. =) 

Seriously... if you could have seen what was going on on the other side of the room, you would have made the very same expression, okay? lol. actually, the only thing that was happening was that the "feliz cumpleanos" poster that I had made for meg's birthday decided to fall down at that very moment. My face may have over-reacted a bit. It does that sometimes. lol. none of that explains why we are wearing blue hats.  there isn't really a wonderful explanation for that. We just... are. lol. 

And... random thoughts (yes, i have decided to share some of them. lol.): 

• So, Joy and I are reading through the Bible in four months. And it is intense. lol. But reallyreally good! I started out with a word document open so that I could take notes while I was reading... but that got kind of annoying, so now I have just started writing things in my Bible. I am being reminded of how much I love the Old Testament. Some things that I have read recently that I thought were interesting.... 
• Numbers 25: 10,11- "The Lord said to Moses, 'Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them.'" Wouldn't that be awesome?? To have God Himself say that YOU were as zealous about maintaining honor and purity as He is????? 
• Leviticus 10:10- "You must distinguish between the holy, and the common, between the clean and the unclean." notice how it does not say that we are to distinguish between the "holy" and the "unholy", but the "holy" and the "common"? God knows that humans get distracted. And that sometimes, it is way easier to be distracted by things that aren't really wrong. Like, we know what things are BAD. so we avoid them. But then we just throw ourselves into the common things. the things that aren't bad, but they're not the best. We need to be able to tell the difference between what is holy, and what is just... common. Because common things... are not what God has in mind for us. He has better things for us! After I read this in the Old Testament, I moved on the day's reading in the New Testament, and couldn't help but notice that the disciples lived this out. It was the part where Jesus is calling them to be His disciples, and He's going around and collecting them. They were just doing what they would have normally done on an ordinary day... they were working and stuff. But then Jesus calls them, and without hesitating, they just leave their jobs behind, and follow Him? Why? Because they distinguished between the holy and the common. They were willing to exchange the common for the holy. I kind of wonder if the common things seem incredibly lame when they are in the presence of holiness. I think they must. Sometimes I can feel it... how insignificant so many of the things that I put my time and energy into really are. And other times, I am too distracted to think about it. But I should never lose perspective like that. I place way too much value on my possessions and activities. 
• Chicken McBites are here! in Canada! (when i said "random", i meant it. lol.). Seriously, it is about time that McDonalds brought something like this to us. Ever since they took away McMinis. That was a tragic day. I am still dealing with the after-effects of that. I will probably never recover. But it will be better now that there is actually something kind of snack-sized to take the place of Mcminis. No more of this buying happy meals for snacks. who even wants to eat yogurt when they are at mcdonalds anyways? lol. 
• I bought a new coat!!! I love it, and want to be with it forever. 
• I made my bed twice in the past week. Which has to be some kind of record for me. 
• Kenton's birthday is on November 20th, and he is turning 16! What should I buy him???? =) I remember 16... it really doesn't feel like long ago at all. 
• I am excited about Christmas. Very excited about Christmas. The whole Christmas thing. like, the time before and after it. 
• Gingerbread bazaars.... do not actually involve that much gingerbread. I was disappointed, to be honest. Popcorn just does not take the place of gingerbread. mostly because i like gingerbread, but don't like popcorn.

... And I think that is about it. =)