bye bye blogger

well, blogger has served me well, for this period of investigating my long-hidden computer geekness within....my new blog is

here

check her out!

so long folks!

love Jen

a new look

well, things are changing. so i thought, why not give my ol' blog a face lift? a wise soul told me just the other day that it is i who choose to be scatter-brained. perhaps this is true. so i am seeking to living afresh, with a mind set on the future...anyone who knows me well enough might have some inkling as to the meaning of my new title. feel free to ask, if you're curious.

so i leave for korea in 3 weeks. wow. i'm feeling a mass of different things - excited, scared, but right now, most of me feels like i'm being pulled by someone a lot bigger than me, someone named Responsibility, and i'm skidding my heals, resisting the change. i love kingston.... being in chicago, as great as it has been, makes me eager to go home. to my house, my street, my soren, my church, my girls. i don't feel ready to go....and i'm not talking practical details. but then again i was ready as ever to go to Maui, and disappointment awaited me. so perhaps this will be a great thing. i'll be independent like never before in my life. i'll actually be making money instead of going further into debt! i'll be with kids everyday, and my sole task will be to making their learning fun and meaningful. i can't wait to meet my kids! i already have so many ideas. i'll be teaching, btw, ages 7-12. crazy. i have a feeling i'll be learning lots about patience.

that wise soul told me something else that made a lot of sense to me. he told me that there are never problems, only momentary glitches. i've been feeling sort of uneasy lately, like i want to get on with a debt-free life, like, now. but i think i've realized that my thoughts regarding how i think my life should go are irrelevant. God may want me to experience a lot of things in these next two years that i wouldn't have the opportunity to before i go to seminary (the plan, btw, is to go to Regent seminary in Vancouver once i can pay off my debt and save enough to go for 3 or 4 years)...the older i am when i return to school, the more meaningful and insightful questions i can ask. and living in another culture, learning another language - man, that will offer me many riches, i think.

everything will work out great. for those who pray, i ask you pray for me in the coming weeks. pray that my soul will be calm and i will trust that God is closer than my skin, and i am never alone. Pray also for a community in Pusan that i will grow to love as much as the one in Kingston. And to all you Kingstonians, i love you. And if you love me.....hehehe....you will TRY and come to my party next week! Thursday, August 11th at 8:00 - a Wine and Yummy-Things party...at Rhonda's house, just down the street (colborne) from my old one - I'll get the # and email you all. If anyone from outside of kingston wants to come, do! it will be great. i cannot wait.

between now and isabella, many things will change. but you will not, o Maker. and i beseech you, come, and do life with me till we get there, and teach me how to live the things i know.


-J.

sleeeeeeeeepy

all my thinking and playing and running around at the multiple parks and pools and libraries with my neice and having debates with the "extra narrow-minded legalistic imperialist", as my brother's best friend likes to be known as, and his mates at the counseling center today wore me out....i will post a very extensive and enlightening post tommorrow. you'll see, the angels will sing at the wonder of it.

chicago is good though....... a very vacationesque time i am having.....

-J

widgets are my new best friend

ok - how COOL is this - i'm on my brand new ibook right now and my brother downloaded all the newest mac software and I am discovering how fun widgets are! for all you PC folks who have not yet converted to the simplicity and eloquence of macs - widgets are these cool little tools that you can put on your dashboard that make your life a little easier - like i'm writing this from a widget called "dashblog" and i don't have to go to my blog to do so! or i have mapquest widget or a recipe make widget and i have time zone widgets for korea and toronto, plus currency converter widgets - and a widget that puts little flowers in a jar when i get new emails! whoever thought being a mac geek would be so much fun!! k, i'm gonna go play some more now....

-J

I'm going to South Korea!!

Well, finally, folks, today I accepted a job (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhheeeeheeee!!!) in Pusan,(or Busan, the P and B and the same in Korea) South Korea! It is an amazingly beautiful southeastern coastal city, yes right on the OCEAN, and it has mountains and rivers and places to hike and climb and scuba dive and stuff....i know like 5 people from my church who have been there and they all said that it was really a very earthy, cultural, historical city...a big seaport....so WAHOO!!!!! I'm very excited....this guy, my recruiter from Korea, phoned me today and answered all my questions and it turns out he's from Austrailia and he too is a Christian! So he said that there are a lot of English-speaking churches in Pusan which are very good....yeah - thanks, God!! And the package is great - i'll be able to save quite a bit because they pay for EVERYTHING....rent, airfare, medical - it's great! For all of you who care to learn more about this city that i'll be spending the next 12 months of my life in, the website is www.pusanweb.com - check her out!

so....the dealio pour moi for the next few weeks is:

1. since, as some of you know, i'm no longer working at the Lonestar (something about me being too scatterbrained, Ryder???! it's all good though!), I'm officially leaving kingston this thursday, will go home to Barrie (to my parents' new house!), sort stuff out, and pack.

2. then, i'll go to Chicago with the 'rents for a week and visit my brother and niece and nephew and celebrate their birthdays.

3. next, i'll return to barrie, and paint my parent's new house to earn some mula, and hang out with the Willow Day Camp crew and some Harvestites (!!)

4. then, i'll RETURN TO KINGSTON FOR A KILLER GOODBYE PARTY ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 11th - all you kingstonians better be there!!!!! (will fill you in on the details soon.) then I'll watch Jared get ordained at Next on the sunday, and say my tearful see-ya-later to my dear dear kingston.....:(....but redeemingly get to spend the weekend in k-town with my BEST FRIEND in the whole wide world - love you Christy!

5. then go back home for 5 days, pack pack pack and all that jazz

6. then i'll go to Esther and Dave's wedding on August 20th...my 4th one this sum...

7. finally, i'll FLY OFF to Korea on AUGUST 25th!!!! Yeah...its a frikin 21 hour flight and then a 6 hour trainride....but the coolio thing is that my Korean friend who lives next door to me will be in Korea and will come with me to Pusan and stay with me for a bit!! sweetness, i KNOW....

so Hurray!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm really really excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think in honour of this new chapter of my life I will start a brand new blog....I'll keep y'all posted....on when and the addy, etc....this random thoughts thing is getting a little....well, SO last year....

k, love you friends!
-J.

i'm just overqualified, folks....

so I've been offered positions in both Busan, South Korea, and in "various locations" in Taiwan - both teaching kindergarten-elementary kids....and yes, I am thrilled, but dang - it was just way too easy to sink these jobs!....I basically sent my resume, picture, and cover letter all over (although i avoided Iran this time:)) and then I started getting massive amounts of badly-written, horrible english emails from everywhere ("Hi Jen! we like resume, i would love talk on phone soon. We like come Korea." - and I was like: geez, these people reeeeeally need my help....) So anyways, I had a phone "interview" on Sunday with a woman from Korea, and she was basically begging me to come -she kept saying that with my qualifications and experience I would be an excellent asset to the school - it's cuz I have a B.Ed, and most ESL teachers just have any old B.A. and a TESL certificate....but anyways, I felt like I could've demanded a limo to pick me up at the airport and free season's passes to the nearest ski resort and she would have agreed....anyhoo, that i did not do, but basically the job is mine for the taking, and it seemed like a decent one....I always swore that I would not go to Korea because I've heard horror stories about it - but most of the bad jobs are in crazy concrete-jungle Seoul teaching business men, and Busan is a smaller city right on the ocean farher south - I've been told its a lot "earthier" and "relaxed," and its a fishing port apparerently...so this all seems much more me....and the Taiwan one is through the other guy who offered me the UAE job before the school crapped out on them....

BUT, I'm holding out for the UAE...I feel it is where God is leading me....there is sooooo many reasons now why I want to go to the middle east, I really just want to be involved in Arab/Indian culture, and I want to travel in Egypt and Israel, and the church there is apparently wicked because there are so many young people from all over the world - like S. Africa and Britain and Austrailia - how cool is that??? ...so pray people, cuz I could be hearing wrong.

love you all,
Jen

p.s. the silly thing that allows for easy commenting stopped working, I'll set it back up soon...so just email me for now!

Jahan's offer and a brand new ibook

so all week this is what i've done....sat in my room, on my dad's LOUD, old, crappy '95 PC laptop and sent out resumes all over the world - taiwan, korea, poland, iran, UAE....and then i realized halfway through the week....hmmmm, maybe i should only send my resume to places that i really WANT to go to, instead of just everywhere...reason? oh, i got a phonecall from a guy in Ottawa who is conducting phone interviews for a sketchy job that i applied to in Tahran, Iran....yep, so i look it up on a Lonely Planet site, and it says, of the city, "Iran's capital is definately not the most beutiful place in the world, as the pollution, crowds, and traffic jams are much of the focus....but the museums are great." wonderful...i may be hot, sick, clausterphobic, and wait in traffic for 3 hours a day, but hey! at least i get to see some ancient iranian jars that nobody cares about. sweet! ....no, none the less, i'm not calling this guy back, and i think i'm going to stick to more appealing places to send out my resume.....my next door neighbour tim took the photo for it and he did quite the fixin up on it, so needless to say, when the people who hire me meet me for the first time, they're going to be like "who ARE you? how did your skin get so pourous and blemishy and your teeth so yellow?" ha...oh well, by then i'll have already signed my contract, suckers....

in other news, i have a new ibook! well, technically, my brother should have it by now....my dad bought an Mac ibook G3 for me for grad and he's getting it sent to my bro in the states and i'll get it in July...i'm sooooooo excited cuz then i'll actually be able to listen to music and upload pictures and see what being a MAc geek is all about....i've always wanted to know....

ah, one more thing....if you all think about it, pray for the Raponi's - David, especially....pray for peace, forgiveness, understanding, and the nearness of God. Pray for me, too - that I will be forgiving and peace-bearing and understanding. Pray that God will be near me.

thanks, y'all.

i'll say goodnight, not goodbye.

J.

the classy pick-up

k, funniest thing EVER - so after kind of a sketchy weekend, i had a great hilarious shift at the Lonestar tonight...
the best thing in the world is to have fun with your tables....so these four guys come in and order two pitchers of Keiths...and we're joking around and such about stuff, and then i ask them if they want more chips...they say no, because they're too warm, and its too hot outside...so they ask if i can make "ice chips" so i tell them i'll see what i can do....so THEN, i come back with half a bowl of chips with a mountain of ice cubes on top - ha! twas funny....but folks, the story doesn't end there....

so the guy tries to pay with a credit card, and afterwards, as i'm going to pick up the slip, i noticed that he left me his number on it, saying "call me"...but the hilarious thing is, he left me the wrong slip so i'm thinkin that i'll have to pay for this bill...so i run out to try to find him , and he's gone...so then, my great friend Sheriff says, "hey, why don't you call him, and let him know?" so i'm of course, all game....so i call him and leave a msg, to the effect of, "um hi, Peter? this is Seniorita from the Lonestar...um, yah, i just thought i'd let you know that its pretty smooth of you to try to pick me up and then leave me the wrong slip, so now i have to pay for your beer. way to go. hey, so if you don't mind coming down to the Lonestar and giving me my 38 bucks, that would be great. thanks!" ha....so it turns out, i didn't have to pay for the beer but i just lost the tip...still...sooooooo funny...

on another note, i have the best friends in the world. seriously, i'm loving my girls these days....the last month hasn't really been steller for me...and my truest friends have really showed their true colours....here's thanking God for Christy, Kathy, Sarah O., Emma, Anne, Esther, Jessie and Anna....you girls rock and i'm thrilled to know you...its nice to have friends that you know you can count on...and even when we all make mistakes, forgiveness is jumping at the door....and that's sweet to know.


and now for sleep.
i love Sheriff, btw. :)

J.

unlikeness

The lesson of my life thus far: God is more concerned that I am different than that I am popular. He doesn’t want me to blend in, to be like everyone else. I am to be odd. Separate. Independent. I am to respond differently to catastrophe. I am to look differently, to have a unique perspective. I am to think differently. I am to work differently. I am to ooze unlikeness. I am to turn the other cheek. I am to love those who wish me harm.I am to forgive and carry on. I am to respond with grace and humility, and if that means to receive a little injustice on this earth, so be it. God is in control and one day His justice will be complete. Great I Am, praise you.

Too bad to carry through with this is much less romantic than proclaiming my intentions….

Father...do it for me?

J.

its a start, but only that

i'm glad that the problem of the third-world debt is making international headlines these days....for those of you who know nothing about it, here is a great intro article found on cbc webpage:

www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/06/10/african-debt050610.html

click on the "in-depth" link - it provides a great overview for the problems and solutions surrounding the third world debt.

pray for our world leaders, that they would make wiser and more selfless decisions that would benefit our poor global neighbours.

may we all seek to think globally, act locally, and serve the poor in our own communities first.

J.

a closed door

so i didn't get the job in the UAE...i called the guy last week and he said that they received some devastating news from the school - apparently they are switching to a British curriculum and are now hiring only British ex-patriates to teach there. ah well, though, it wasn't meant to be. i'm always excited when there is an obvious block in my plans like this because i know that God has something better....what, though? don't know right now. i'm sending out my ESL resume to places in the UAE right now (Dubai, i think) and all over rural Taiwan. The guy who recommended me for hire said that he would for sure hire me for a Canadian language institute in Seoul, S. Korea, but I'm not sure I want to live there...when i was there last year for a bit on the way home from Nepal, i remember not liking the concrete-jungle-ness of it....i need trees, and water, and preferably, mountains and dirt roads....so anyways, we'll see. keep me in your prayers, pray for wisdom and clarity of mind to make a healthy decision that will grow me and that i will love...

love you all,

J.

thankyou tim forbes

so after a looooooong day at work, all i have to say is this:

life is way too short to abort friendships...we need all the ones we can get.

my next door neighbour tim gave me the best advice that i've heard in a long time: true friendships are not self-aware - they just are. you don't analyze them, you don't chase them - they just exist. if its this complicated early on, cut your losses, because its not going to get any easier.

so don't abort friendships but don't fret over the ones that abort you? i don't get it. i don't want to be aborted at all.

Cheers (from Lonestar) said last night, "people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."


whatever. am i too greedy if i want all three?

feels closer to bliss

wow...sooooooo much to tell i don't even know where to start! so say hello to your brand new granduand!! (no, i didn't spell that wrong, apparently Queen's is too pretentious to spell the word how the rest of the world does.) Yep, i graduated yesterday - well, okay - there is a funny story here - um, i didn't actually GET my diploma but i got a tube like everyone else but with a piece of paper in it that said something to the effect of "um, Jen, you suck. you forgot to pay your $36.75 in library fines, and because the University is so needing desparately that money you can't have this piece of paper which is the key to your future unless you pay it to us. haha."
yeah, such is my university career summed up.

i'm workin at the Lonestar which is going fab - i love it and it's so fun and the people make it so worth it....I'm outside all day in a cool cow-girl like outfit introducing myself in broken Mexi-spanish and doing singing human pyramids for people's birthdays - what more could one ask in a summer job?

no news yet on abu dhabi - pray people - cuz i really want this job! i'm still awaiting a second phone interview and the guy in TO keeps telling me it'll be "any day now" but it's not really up to him anymore - i have the feeling i'm competing with tons of people from all over canada so who knows....i'm chasing other leads in the same area though - because my heart is so set on going to that country - i've been reading Middle East travel guides and studying a bit on Islam and I really really really want to go there....

going to abi and chris' wedding tomorrow and camping overnight in the open field where they are getting married - jared spent tonight turning his cowboy shirt into a clerical collar - like a priest collar - dude - this hippie wedding is going to be so much fun...!!!

so yeah, life is good and i'm feeling great....much .....um.....different than the last post....eek...i'm loving kingston and next and my friends to death and am so glad i am here this summer....

k i'm out! must finish knitting abi and chris' wedding present (shhh...i'm knitting them his and her bikini/undergarments - bright red with blue stars - i cannot wait till they open it!)

p.s. abi is my next door neighbour who also was in my small group at Next and who was also my pottery instructor...she's a really great girl...

k now i'm really out!

now we see through a mirror dimly

nothing is what is seems...nobody is who they seem....is there anyone out there that can be fully trusted? is the world a safe place for a girl such as me? too trusting, too fragile, too willing to care for those types who treat my heart like a ping-pong ball, like a piece of useless rubble...God, bless them, as with all those who seek me harm…but please… not yet.

I’m beginning to understand why the Buddhist philosophy is so inticing ….i really wish that this all was an illusion and that there is no really is no spoon, no pain – it is all in my head, and I can breathe and will it all away….but, no….too many regretful mornings remind me that the brutal reality is that it that reality really does suck sometimes…

my deepest fear is that he was right...that they all were right...am i really that undesirable, that easy to toss aside without a second thought or a twinge of sorrow or regret ? Just when you think you are getting stronger, a person who you thought was on your side steals your confidence by switching teams and batting amongst all your life-long opponents that you have spent endless years convincing yourself that they were all in the wrong because you are indeed worth something….

So now I am through. Through, through, completely through. My two seconds of boundary-less self-pity and I am through. I refuse to allow my over-analyticalness to blind me to the fact that all is well with my soul because God is near me. He is closer than my skin and he is whispering to me….. that now I see through the mirror dimly, but one day I will see Him face to face, and I will understand…..thankyou God, that you know me better than myself and that this will be good for me…..and so - I will not waste the pain – no – I will learn, and grow, and change, and become… weaker….yes, for strength is over-rated… it is when I am weak, and vulnerable, and helpless – then alone am I strong….what good does self-confidence ever do but pollute your mind with the lie that you are ok on your own? That you need not to change or learn a thing or recklessly abandon your soul to God? No,I need you God, and thank you for this humble reminder that you are all that i could ever need. I will be confident in You and of Your plan to mold me and shape me remind me of what my focus should’ve always been…...Your work of renewal on this earth…..

From the Message, 2 Thess:

Live at peace, knowing that God is in control. Remember, he picked you out as his from the very beginning. You are included in the original plan of salvation through the bond of faith in the living truth. Stand firmly, then, feet on the ground, and head held high…hold fast to what you have been taught, for it is the way of Life.

Amen.
Moving on, here I come.

the PERFECT weekend

DSCN3053
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

ah....what an amazing time away....i spent the entire weekend with my bestest girlfriend in the whole wide world, Christy - I hadn't seen her all year cuz she was doing an internship for a trend forcasting company in NYC..so it was soooo great to spend some quality time with her.....I picked her up in T.O. on friday and then we went to corduroy's wedding (a friend from camp, the pics are down a bit), and then she came back to barrie with me....we went to a wedding shower on sat, and then visited friends all night, and just had an excellent time full of laughter, intense giggling sometimes, tears, and many soul-bearing chats....i feel so blessed to have her in my life and i thank God alone for her....you're awesome, Chris!!!

Barrie girls

DSCN3043
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

ah....soooooo awesome to see erin and sarah....we love these girls to death and hurray cuz erin is in love with a boy from australia! she met him at YWAM and he's living in the Osborne's basement for the time being.....how perfect.....so this was at annie's shower (who is marrying my friend matt and she's from cali!)...it was a perfect way to see all the women and girlies from Harvest/Willow...a very elegant afternoon....

Charlie's Angels!!!!

DSCN3044
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

yep, we are smokin'!!!! after the shower, christy and i headed to the end of saturday church to find cam and sarah so we could have a good ol' gab fest with sarah...sooooo great to catch up and tell our stories from the year....love you girls to death!!!

Happy Birthday Ash!!

DSCN3045
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

After coffee with sarah we headed down to Jack Astor's for ashley's b-day...it was good to see the Harvest/Bethel crew and catch up.....!

Jackie and Nathan's Wedding

DSCN3034
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

what a gorgeous beautiful wedding! in a green house in New Market - what a great idea. Jackie (aka corduroy) was one of my best girls from camp, whom i adore and miss so much, and Nathan Laverty i've known forever...i like dated him in grade 7! (i went with his family to Blackcreek Pioneer village for our first date - ha!!) anyways....a fabulous cute wedding - they're both skaters so they gave out little mini skateboards for the boys and candles for the girls....but screw that...i snagged me a skateboard....:)

introducing Lucy Charlize

DSCN3036
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

in between the ceremony and the reception christy and i went to visit my best friend from highschool, becky cripps, and her new baby girl! and i cannot believe how much jackson has grown! he's like 2 1/2 now! crazy eh??

le bride et moi!

DSCN3038
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

here is the darling jackie and me....what a babe eh? (the bride's not that bad either) :)

clover and jem!

DSCN3039
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

my darlin former co-counselor, clover (she sometimes goes by shannon). it was soooooooooo good to see her - here i was crying because it was super emotional because i forgot how much i love her and jackie!! camp was way too fun that summer, eh girls? i took out my old pics and was sooo grateful for all the fantasticle memories we made....ben at night, moby in the morning, dancing to "His girl," singing to "feels like home" and roxy roxy roxy....ah....tear...

me and mr. laverty

DSCN3040
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

here's the father of the groom - my dear sweet friend mr. laverty...i cannot believe his speech...soooo funny..."nathan is like peanut butter....sometimes he's crunchy, sometimes he's smooth, and sometimes he's just spread thin.....but there was somethin' missing...and then jackie, came along, and she was like the strawberry jam that completed the sandwhich...." ha!

mark and me

DSCN3041
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

no, i'm not suddenly back in Maui...the wedding was at a green house so there were fresh flowers like....everywhere....this is my good friend formerly known as SPAZ (camp name)....it was wonderful to see him and laugh with him again! ah, spazzy....

jeremy-beremy

DSCN3042
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

what a wild one!!! the party is just gettin started now.....i cannot BELIEVE jeremy is getting married in august!!! the third of the laverty boys to get married in one year....craziness...

scott from halifax

DSCN3025
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

no, i'm really not naked here....but this is me and scott from halifax at the tirnaog on our last party night as education students....boo hoo that i'll probably never see him again....it feels soooo weird to say "have a nice life!" to people that are too cool. take care, scotty...keep me posted, bud!

Happy Birthday, Davide!!

DSCN3024
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

aren't i the coooooolest friend by knitting him this rad wristbad? yeah, i thought so...

education formal!

DSCN3021
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

no more con-ed! the last five years of my life are O-V-E-R....it is soooooo ridiculously hard to believe....i'm excited to move on but sad that i will not see all these peeps anymore... :( here's kailey, jess, matty, me, and gregors...love you guys...!

trist and ad

DSCN3023
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

hey...member when i walked in on guys...??

trist, me, and jessie-girl

DSCN3019
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

my girls! trist was my rez buddy (member the slippers and pregnant-jonesin' phase??)...and jessie girl has always been one of my best girls....she's here for the sum still - yahoo!

me and hambley

DSCN3020
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

i met this kid 5 years ago in frosh week...soooooo sad that i won't just be seein' him around anymore....good luck in the yukon or wherever the freak you end up buddy...love ya!

me and laura bora

DSCN3016
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

ain't we sweet! i love and miss laura bora very much - she was a great housemate and funny little thang...kisses laura..

portfolio-smortfolio

who the heck has ever heard of a teaching portfolio???? (k, education students - you don't count)....so today i feel much better and am back to my old, procrastinating self....i seriously think that procrastination is an incurable disease -it's been a part of me as long as i can remember and has not gone away....case in point : tonight I: had a nap, ate delicious veggie tacos, talked to Davide on the phone, talked to my parents on the phone, phoned my friend who just had a baby girl (congrats Beck on Lucy Charlize! - what an adorable name, eh???) emailed, browsed the web for an hour looking at knitting patterns, went to get mango smoothies with my housemates, watched the Bachelor, watched Super Nanny, cleaned my room, emailed some more, and now i am blogging - like everything under the sun except for the 4 projects i have to do in the next 48 hours....egad, when will i learn???????????

last 3 days of university, here i come!!

-J.

sunrise, sunrise...

...looks like morning in your eyes.....ahh...how I love Norah Jones....she reminds me of driving back home to Barrie from Ottawa in the summer with Christy...so peaceful, so in love (with the fact that I was no longer letting love get to me), and so excited about the world outside Barrie ....today was a really emotional day, because last night was my last university formal ever, then there was a loooooong staff meeting at the lonestar with hundreds of people that i don't know, and then my mom told me that she was really sad that i was not coming home for the summer and about all the people she saw today that i miss.....i really am sad that i will not be at home this summer...i'm sad that my housemates are leaving, I'm sad that Davide and Binny and all of the education people are going away and i love them, I'm sad that things will be really unfamiliar in the next couple of weeks....am i really as adventurous as i like to think? i hate change....nothing makes me happier than people who really know me, who i don't have to pretend with, and who love me anyways....and whom i can really sink my life into and love in return....and this always takes time....some longer than others, but some almost instantly....why do i want to go to Abu Dhabi next year? and then to Vancouver? so much change.....

thank you, God, that you are constant, and you require change for me to grow, to evolve. ease my mind.

by the way, my new lonestar name is - perhaps a sign of new beginnings? - Sunrise....


-J.

introducing the newest Lonestar employee....

......me! Yep, folks, just one day after i went in and dazzled them with my.... wits, the Lonestar (a fabulously and scarily busy patio restaurant on the water in K-town) hired me to be a full-time server, starting next week! crazy! So, i guess I'll be staying in K-town for the summer, which I'm reeeeeeeeeally excited about - I've always wanted to! (For those of you who have been following my summer happenings, I decided to ixnay the job at the School of English, cuz it turns out they only wanted me to work for August, and I can't pay off my frikin' OSAP with that teeny weeny paycheck....cuz it's super hard to find jobs without lying about the fact that I'm not available in Aug...and lying makes baby Jesus cry...). Except I'm sad that I won't be seeing the Barrie crew that much, but what can ya do....i'll be back for a few days here and there....so now I'm happy and sad and nervous and over-gleed and sentimental all at once.....ah - emotional overload! must go eat chocolate....mmmmmm....chocolate.....

-J.

decisions, decisions...

i really should be stressed out, but I am not: the Lord is good. As I reflect back upon the last few months, God has been my guide (my sherpa, if you will!), my comforter, my teacher, my provider, and my everything.....At the Biblical Counseling Centre in Chicago, I learned so much about being true to his Word, and to worshipping Him before all the other things that so easily become idols in my life: acceptance, security, popularity, pleasure, and....politics!!!.....Lord, may I learn to seek you first and listen to other's perspectives and always assume that there is something to be learned from the other side...left-wing, right-wing - does it all really matter how we label ourselves?? Sometimes I feel like the most liberal amongst conservatives, and sometimes I feel like the most conservative amongst liberals....I see the perspective of both sides (most recently I've discovered that not all conservatives are ignorant, money-grubbing, self-righteousness pharisees), and you know what? I think it is more important to focus on people, and on the type of person I am, than political ideals....sometimes these intertwine, i know, and when it does I will seek to be a positive voice, standing up for the things and values that I believe are right..... but mostly, i am just really sick of the whole debate - i can and will be friends with people regardless of their political affiliation....for i am neither liberal nor conservative, I am a struggling child of the Father trying to figure out what He wants me to do with what i know, with what i have, and with the time he's allotted me....may I always seek to have a humble heart and listen more than i express my opinion.

as for the decisions....Barrie or Kingston for the summer? There are way too many relationships that I am not ready to say goodbye to in Kingston....all the people at Next church have become a family to me, and this summer seems like the last opportunity I will ever have to live in Kingston and be a part of these people's lives....yet there are so many people that I love and miss at home, too....despite the "drama" of last summer, t and j are dear to me, along with my family and all the people at Harvest and Bethel....i love and miss you guys....and if I am going to Dubai for the next two years - I will not see them for a while either...

despite it all, God will use me and be with me wherever I go, of that I am sure....I feel peace knowing that He will make the best out of any decision I make, and it will all work for good in the end....I have an interview at the Lonestar (a hugely popular and ridiculously busy patio-restaurant down-town kingston) today so however that goes I will take as a sign to stay in k-town or go home....

to anybody who has comforted me, supported me, taught me, and laughed with (or even at) me....I love you dearly and am praying for you....!

love Jen

ta da!!!

blanket pics
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so, my loyal bloggy fans, THIS is the one and only reason for my absense over the last...what - month?? when i said i was obsessed with knitting, i meant it - and this is my first completed project! it's a baby blanket for Kath and Jared's brand new baby boy....it took me like 80 hours because i used such fine yarn, but i loved every stich of it...and now my hands are craving something else to knit!

oooohhh!!!!! ahhhhhhh!!!

blanket pics
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

isn't it stunning?? see if you can guess which side (left or right) i started with...it has like a million more mistakes....!

(hint: it's not the right) :)

introducing the stylish Nathaniel Zechariah Siebert

blanket pics
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

it was sooo great to have Jared, Kath, Soren and Nathan come to visit....what an adorable baby and a great weekend playing with Soren and visiting with Kath....love you girl!

OC stands for obsessive compulsive

wow.....long time no blog....and i have to confess, people....I've found a new love. yes, its true folks, I've been unable to blog because I have recently (ok not this weekend but last) discovered the long lost art of...... knitting. K, seriously kids - don't laugh - but I'm obsessed!!!! Even now, as my hands are typing this, they long, they YEARN even, to be knitting. I don't know really how it happend, it just, sort of....happened. It all started when I went to Borders with my brother and his fam to go to a Bethany Dillan concert (k, WHO books a show in a freakin BOOKstore?) and I've never really heard of her so I start to wander and come across this wicked book called "Stich n' Bitch." The title made me laugh because my next door neighbour abi and I haved joked about starting a Stich n' Bitch with our friends - its where people get together and knit or work on their other projects and eat food and have a good ol' girly time (yes, Davide, you can come too - I know you want to :) ). So anyways, I bought the book and it turned out to be the coolest book in the world - full of step by step instructions and cool articles and awesome patterns - for like, wristbands and cell phone holders and bikinis and bandanas and stuff....so the next day I got out my brother's yarn and needles (yeah, he went through his knitting phase in highschool - yes, you can laugh at him), and learned how to make all these patterns and then the other day I went and bought my own yarn and needles and I haven't been able to get enough of it! I've already made a bandana and a cool striped camera case holder and now I'm making a surprise for a friend (hmmmm.....I bet you're all hoping its YOU, aren't you?? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!!!! Eeeeeeeehahahahhahahah!!! (k that's a wicked witch laugh.)

yeah. so besides that, I was REALLY sad to leave the Biblical Counseling Center on Friday....I absolutely LOVED it there and will miss everyone so much - I love you Don!! - (I'm still in Chicago until Wednesday though and will first going to Barrie and will stay there till sunday and then be coming back to k-town on sunday). anyways, God taught me soooooo much by being at the center and and feel like a new person but I will have to explain that in more detail later.....cuz, like, I'm jonesin' for some knitting right now.....

lates!
-J

good news!!!!!!

crazy me
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so this is my reaction after hearing the news via email today that i have been offered a position with Queen's School of English to be a monitor for the summer.....hurray!!!! So basicially I'm living in rez with the international students who have come to learn English, as well as designing and implementing extra-curricular activities for them in order to help them get to know Canadian culture and improve their "social English" - and have fun of course! this includes taking them on fun weekend trips to Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and camping and canoeing and stuff, plus i'll be designing fun language workshops for them during the week - hurray for a fun summer! Plus it'll give me great experience working with ESL students to pump up the ol' resume for ESL jobs overseas next year! Thanks, God!!!! And hello kingston in the summertime!!!!!!!!!!!!

McFun??

McDonalds
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

okay....so after a crazy busy week at the Centre, I'm exhausted and looking for something fun and relaxing to do on Saturday....the day started out ok by me babysitting my neice and nephew as my brother and sister-in-law went out on a date....but THEN...Holy Crap. We went to a McDonald's Birthday Party for a two year old girl - one of Anna's little friends. HERE ME PEOPLE - NEVER EVER GO TO A MCDONALD'S BIRTHDAY PARTY....I had a headache about 2 minutes after I got there...it was complete CHAOS...children of all sizes, tempers, and ages running around the playplace running and yelling and shrieking and crying and biting each other....i admit, i did have fun playing with my neice and nephew (like this pic) and taking my neice up the tunnel thingy, but man, did i have to fight our way through that thing and protect Anna from the trillions of sugar-rushed kids who were climbing over her and pushing past me (ME - a 25 YEAR OLD, got pushed over by two little 6 year old girls!!) and all the adults were just ignoring the kids and talking and eating their Big Macs and SuperSized Fries and Extra-Large Cokes like all of this was all in a middle-class American parent's day's work! So after like 3 hours, I caved and ate some chicken fingers (I KNOW) and some fries and left feeling bloated, exhausted, and rather annoyed. But, we had an hour's drive to the City...where I got some replenshing rest.....which redeemed the sitch a little before our night out on the town....

Ooo-Ooo-Ooo-Ah-Ah-Ah!!

Rainforest Cafe
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

yep, that's what a monkey (and, apparently, his cousins the guerilla) makes.....me, Anna, and my sis-in-law Jen outside the down-town Chicago restaurant of our choice.....The Rainforest Cafe...it was pretty funky inside.....all jungle-like and loud and stuff......crazy but fun! (no, I'm not being sarcastic this time).

Yeeee-Haaaaaaw!

my niece and nephew
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

Ah, a woman after my own heart.....Anna and me looking through the Safaria Gift Shop waiting for our table....

Jungle Fever

Rainforest Cafe
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

So our safari begun by simply stepping through a magical wardrobe called a "revolving door" which landed us among waterfalls, such as this one, and real-life-looking moving animals like snakes, guerillas, and elephants....i think the place scared the crap out of anna, but hey, how toddler friendly is a place with moving crocodiles and talking snakes?

pretty fishy

Rainforest Cafe
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

nope, I'm not suddenly on a scuba-diving adventure - this was a fish that was one of like a trillion in these HUGE-mugous aquariams that lined the entrance into the eating area.....craziness.....hmmm....feed a small country, or, import millions of exotic fish for our restaurant.....hmmmmm.....tough choice!

Look Anna, a fish!!!

Rainforest Cafe
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

oooooohhh! ahhhhhh!!

my only prince charming

Rainforest Cafe
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

despite my brother and sister-in-law's attempt to set me up, Mr. Froggy here is the closest thing I've come to so far with finding a soul-mate in Chicago. He was real friendly, though, but didn't speak a word... Hmmmm...maybe that has it's benefits......:)

the windy city

blue chicago
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so after the restaurant we decided to check out the chicago blues scene.. our options were a bit limited with the kids, but we found this great all-ages place that played live blues in a family atmosphere (which means no alcohol and no smoking, i discovered)....so here's me in front of the the place with the sparkling city laughing behind me....

my one-eyed lova

blue chicago
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

here's the band....they were sooooooo good and the woman's lyrics made me laugh....like, "my one eyed lova, yeah, he left me for a one-legged woman....yes he did, now....so people ask me darlin, what are they gonna do to me? but ya know, honey, i ain't worried, cuz, well, she can't run and he can't seeee..." hhahahaha...anyways, i left feeling satisfied that i had soaked up some true Chicago culture....which, sadly, was 20 minutes after we got there cuz we had two cranky tired babies with us....yeah....remind me not to have kids any time soon....

goodbye blues

blue chicago
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

a cool painting that was on a side of a brick wall on our way out....and that completes our night on the town!

Anna Grace!!

my niece and nephew
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

Meet Anna Grace - my crazy pyscho energetic neice who is full of energy and fun to play with...we've bonded lots and I teach her to play with her food and stick her tongue out while chewing....much to the joy ofo her parents...:)

Auntie Jen and Micah

my niece and nephew
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

meet my nephew Micah!! He is a sweetheart...so laidback and giggly...it's great to get to know him more being here....

my alt prac

my alt prac
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

Here's where I'm doing an internship.....I'm loving it and am actually learning quite a bit...so many people's lives are being transformed here, it's neat to be a part of it...so far I've been sitting in on counseling sessions, making phone calls, and taking a Foundations of Biblical Counseling course, which requires a lot a lot of reading...it's interesting though!!

welcome to the bible belt of chicagoland

chicago pics
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so here is me being forced by my brother and dad to play the most ridiculous Bible game i have ever seen - it was a christian version of "Life"....the goal is to get to "Heaven" and avoid going to "the Lake of Fire" or even worse.......dahn dahn daaaaaaaaaaaaaaahn - "Backslider's Valley" (Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkk! Oh no! not there!!! please, God, not Backslider's Valley!!!!!!!!!) So in order to get to Heaven you have to acquire, in this order - Conviction, Salvation, Assurance, and Santification Cards....and along the way you do "typical christian things" like get baptized (ok,understandable), go to church (alright, got it), and protest outside an abortion clinic (????????????? Hmmm.....never done - nor wanted to do - nor seen the purpose of - doing that). it was sooooooooo cheesy and it made me kind of embarassed to be a christian, but what can you do - at lease it made me and my dad and mom laugh, which made my brother angry and confused, but hey, you can't please everyone i guess...:)

-J

mom and me

chicago pics
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so this is my mom and me very tired after our long drive (11 hours) to chicago....needless to say, we we happy to get there....:)

the last night at the tirnanog

tirnanog last night
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

my best girls from first year - Tristan and Jessie and me at the Tirnanog on our last night together in K-town till April....love and miss you girlies!!!

kareokee time

tirnanog last night
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so the entire Faculty of Education went to Kareokee at the Tirnanog on the last night before our alternative practicum....a lot of us won't see each other until April - till we're back in classes after our spring practicum....so it was VERY fun, yet VERY sad at times too!

a couple of blondes-turned-brunettes

tirnanog last night
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

and here's Lea-Ellen and me - good times...girl - i miss ya and am praying for you in China!!

still friends!

david and me
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

ah, this is a funny pic....david looks quite annoyed but i'll assure you he loves piggy-backing me home from pottery class! hehe... love this kid more than ever; it's nice to have a friend who is more pyscho-somatic than me :) ....most of the time....

p.s. for the most entertaining and enlightening "history" of jen and david see the January archives

david, anne and me

david, anne and me
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

here's us on a chilly walk back from pottery class - anne lives next door to me with abi and she is from Germany! sweet girl, and so funny....!

jamie and me

jamie and me
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

this is me and jamie miller - one of the most hilarious, gracious, actively principled, and compassionate people i know. he came over for some sweet potato quesadillas the other day.....mmmmm....jamie is going to Nepal next year (most likely) to work on some water-system related stuff...so i'm giving him my "christian contacts" over there...and me and Jessie might go visit him (after we meet at the Taj, of course!) Hurray Jamie, you're the bomb!

-J

the BEST history group in the world!!!

history group
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

ok, so everyone, meet my history group (minus Pat, see below), history group, meet everyone. (from L-R: Raina, Esther, me, Dena, Lea-Ellen). so these people are the reason i went to my history curriculum class every week- not because of what we learned (or didn't learn), and deffinately not because of the exciting...ahem... atmosphere (poor Proffessor Bob). We had tonnes of fun and became more of a...family...by the end of this in-school session....ah, the goodtimes....our reoccuring "genocide throughout the ages" bullentin board theme, the "dichotomy of Dena (see her blurb below)", Lea-Ellen's "ruined" presentation ("well, for those of you teachers who DON"T want to challenge your students with Jen's mind-map, you can give them the following definition"), Pat's phone prank ("so, Dena, what's your driver's license #??"), crocheying, cross-stiching, Bob's looks, the curse of the half-moon table (Me: "Is it because we're loud and laugh alot?" Bob: "So, anyways..."), applauding whoever shows up, Hotel Rwanda, tirnanog....the list never ends....i miss and love you guys....Dena watch out for those druglords, Lea-Ellen wash your hands a lot (to stay clear of the diseases), Pat get your sleep (within reason, now), Raina have fun with your bro in TO, and Esther be sure to do SOMETHING!!)

love, Jen

p.s. below is an intro to all of the history group members, except for Dena cuz i don't have a pic of her alone, so I'll just say this: HAHAHAHA...a great, mysterious girl who knows how to laugh at herself and take charge of a history rocks project (i owe ya girl),,,,we'll forever wonder how you've made it through life without a driver's licence, and how you can ingeniously unite the two opposing worlds of fashion and development work....:)

Pat - the often absent member

Pat - the often absent member
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

so here is Pat - the often hung-over-or-just-plain-lazy member of our history group (k, the guy LIVES in the same building as our class but somehow never quite makes iton a regular basis)....he made us all choke up by pretending to know what was going on, getting angry at that "girl" for no apparent reason, and by playing poker late late late every sunday night (who DOES that?) this pic was taken later as Pat (surprisingly) didn't show up to class during the last week of school.

Raina

Raina
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

and here is the artiste Raina, who planned out the Holocaust bullentin board behind her....she is quite talented in watercolours, crocheying (sp??) and making me feel like an idiot when I ask enlightening questions :)

Lea - Ellen

Lea - Ellen
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

and here's the gorgeous Lea-Ellen - who just happens to be in China at this precise moment - this girl is one of the most actively principled and hilarious girls i know - she made history fun times

esther cross-stitching

esther cross-stitching
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

and here's how the lovely esther passed the time - cross stiching some flowers for her grandma.....awww.....seriously, though, good call es - you gotta do something to pass the time in that class!

pottery class

pottery
Originally uploaded by hollograms.

here's my dear friends Jessie (who just scored a teaching job in INDIA for the next two years teaching grade 1!! Yeah, we're going to meet at the Taj Mahal I think if I'm in the UAE!) and David at pottery class....I am starting to loooooooooooove pottery - it is so fun and relaxing! Though I'm not the best at it, it is super fun anyways! Especially with these two guys in my class.....haha David is toooooo funny...he told us his thoughts one class "molding, molding - I can't believe I'm only guy here - smoothing, smoothing - I'm the only guy here - just a little more edging now - I'm the only guy here." HA -don't worry, mio bel precipe, you are VERY masculine!!! :)

-J

lyon's cottage - my shadow

lyon's cottage
Originally uploaded by hollograms.