goodbye waterloo...

seems like yesterday i was a froshie moving into waterloo college hall. now i'm graduating and moving out of the town which, over the past four years, has become my "home". it feels so surreal.

back in first year my floor don gave us all a sheet of blue paper with a poem written on it. i don't really remember what it said, but i do remember the last line which read, "university is about learning: learning how to live."

that statement is so true. many lessons were learned during my four years here. i'm thankful for all the experiences, good and bad, i've had during university as they have all impacted the way i live now in one way or another. some experiences were tougher to go through than others, but i can say that i've learned something from all of them and in the end, that's what's most important. anyway, these are a few of the lessons that God has taught me along the way. :)

top five life lessons i've learned in university:
5. learn to let things go: you can't hang onto everything, that will only eat you from the inside out. pick your battles wisely.
4. think before you speak: not only can words really build someone up, they can hurt a reputation, break a heart, and even destroy a person if you're not careful.
3. balance: balance is key. all work and no play is boring, but all play and no work is just dumb.
2. know your limits: have a clear idea of what your limits are and stick to them. some compromises just aren't worth it.
1. be REAL: don't be afraid to be yourself. people can usually tell when someone is being phony or trying too hard. eventually everyone's true colours shine through no matter how hard people might try to hide them. just be yourself and when you do, you'll know that the people who like you, like you for being you. :)

door number two is closed too.

i love music, i really do. i'm soon-to-be graduating with a BMT (bachelor of music therapy) & BA Psych, and in retrospect i'm glad that i chose the option i did, but the road to where i'm at now has been tough, long, and full of resistance...from me.

i realized today that throughout my whole life, i've constantly tried to run away from music. i've tried different things, but i've never been able distance myself from it. in elementary school i did this by refusing to fill out the arts york program applications until the morning of the day it was due (and even so it was only because liz made me); in high school i did this by originally applying for only science programs; and in university it was applying to masters programs in speech-language pathology for post-grad education.

well, all my attempts failed: i ended up going to unionville high school for their arts york piano program, then going to wilfrid laurier university for music (then eventually music therapy), and i didn't get into any of the schools i applied to for speech-language pathology. i don't believe in coincidences, so it's not by chance that any of these things happened. with all that in mind, i can't help but ask myself why i'm so reluctant to enter into the music field when He has guided me this far, and has equipped me with musical skills.

to make a long explanation short, i'm scared.

just call me Jonah. maybe this, my not getting into speech, was my big fish...

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
- Jeremiah 29:11

...but even jonah eventually learned that with God's help he could overcome his own personal baggage and follow God's plan for his life right? i suppose now it's my turn.

where You lead me, i will follow...

lccf grad night 2006.

9 grads + the greatest fellowship + the greatest alumni + great videos + awesome performances by froshies, tracy, and sam (euni and allie) + honest and from the heart sharing + cake + craziness in the caf + jamming and signage of books = a night to remember.

thanks so much everyone for making this night so incredibly special. thanks for all the preparation, thought, sweat, and love that went into making this night happen; i wouldn't have changed a thing. this community is SO special. i've said this before a million times, but i'll say it again: i love you all so much. :)

L C C F.

so yesterday was my last lccf as a laurier student. all i can is, wow. it is certainly something special, and i'm sooooo excited for them in terms of what's to come next year...and the year after that...and so on. God has been working in and through the people of lccf in both macro and micro levels, in terms of our growth as a community, and growth as unique individuals which make up our fellowship.

over the last four years i've learned over and over again that attaining a perfect community is impossible. lccf is not perfect; it's made up of a group of imperfect people so it will never be "perfect". there will always be struggles, and growing pains to deal with, but it is in our imperfections where true community is tested and developed, faith is strengthened, God's power is made perfect and as a result, people are transformed.

true community is not about perfect people coming together to form a perfect community. instead, i believe true community is about imperfect people coming together in love to help one another, live life together, and encourage each other to continue striving towards being like Jesus, the ultimate perfect being.

Love, Christ-centred, Community, Family...these are a few of the things i think of when i think of lccf - the fellowship comprised of people who, over the past four years, have been my community, my second family, and my home away from home.

LCCF winter retreat 2006 @ Camp Ganadoweh

thanks for all the memories, i love you guys. :)

two squished bugs, one grossed-out girl.

today i smushed two bugs. it was so grosssssssss. and now i'm going to share both stories with you!

bug story #1: "in the john"
so i was in the bathroom, when all of a sudden i saw a dark movement on my leg. i immediately started to freak out (silently so i wouldn't wake up any potential sleepers in the house because it was early), and hit and brushed off my leg. at that point this huge spider fell onto the floor (well, not HUGE, but big enough) so i promptly squished it with my slipper. then picked it up with toilet paper, threw it into the toilet and flushed.
bye bye spider.

bug story #2: "on my door"
i was walking into my room when all of a sudden i froze because there was this really wierd looking bug on it. it was kinda long, had long antennae and a few legs popping out of its body. *shudders* i almost dropped my juice on the floor, but somehow i managed to put it on my dresser. then i got some tissue, and was just about to smush the stupid thing and then it flinched. *AGHHH!* i gathered up my courage and promptly smushed it before i lost my nerve. i felt the guts explode out of its body. then i ran downstairs to the toilet, threw in the kleenex and flushed.
bye bye wierd bug on my door.

please let tomorrow be a bug free day. PLEASE. :P

"time to say goodbye to meeeee!"

heehee. this is what my client sang in our last music therapy session during the goodbye song. (the original lyrics go, "it's time to say goodbye [insert client name here]".) i was watching the video of our session as i was working on my session notes, and i couldn't help but laugh outloud.

i can't really go into any details due to confidentiality reasons, but believe you me, my client is truly a m a z i n g. :)

only two more sessions to go. i'm gonna miss them.

must. keep. swimming.

oh man, these next two weeks are going to be BRUTAL. so many things due, so many things left to complete. aghhhh. i made a to-do list for myself this week. it took up two post-its! hopefully i'll be able to stick to it. (haha. get it? post-it? stick?) man, i suck. :P

on a completely unrelated note: happy spring everyone! even though it's still freezing cold outside (sometimes it looks like it could be so warm...so deceiving!), i can see the tips of buds just waiting to pop out of the branches. :)

okay, back to work. bye!

weekend in the loo.

it's been a while since i've been able to spend a weekend up here in waterloo; i had almost forgotten how nice weekends up here actually are. :)

only two more weeks of class!

nation sharon's day

i have an announcement to make. *clears throat*

i dub today, march 10th, as national sharon's day! *cheering and applauding* :D

i'm thankful for the time i was able to spend today with spammie (aka "the other sharon"). in fact, it was so good we decided to make it an annual tradition, (hence the creation of national sharon's day.) heehee. from brunch, to the bus, to national sports, to mcdonald's...it was all good! thanks for the laughs and conversations throughout the day. pastey legs for life. BAH HAH. :P

...yay for sharons! :D

and now, a quote i really liked from women's cell yesterday. guys, listen up, this one's for you:

"Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib: Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior, but from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved."

my biggest hurdle

letting go is something that is especially hard for me. it's an internal battle that no one sees from the outside, but one that i most definitely feel and know is real on the inside. it's too bad satan knows about this huge weakness of mine; he has used it to his advantage one too many times. aghh, he sucks and i hate him so much.

well, it's time to cut the strings connecting me to my load as i attempt to let go of it again. a part of me wants to hang on, but i know i can't. it's time to move on and resist the temptation of looking back.

goodbye load, you're no good for me.

Lord, continue to strengthen me so i can fight this...