Random Rouleou and Regina Road Trip

Okay, Corner Gas fans, be prepared to drool with jealousy! I have actually stood on the deck of the Ruby, and the steps of the red brick cop shop...I have seen the Foo Mar with my own eyes and walked around inside the Dog River Bar and Hotel...and although we didn't see Brent Butt or Fred or anyone else from the show, I'm sure they would've given us their autographs. That's right, we went to Rouleou, SK last weekend! But let me back up a bit...the reason we went was because I won a bet. You see, Bryan thought that prairie dogs and gophers were the same thing. I KNEW they were different. So we made a bet before doing some research in the wonderful world of Wikipedia, and since I was (obviously) right, Bryan had to hold up his end of the deal. So on our first available weekend we packed our bags and went on a sweet road trip through south central Saskatchewan. Our first stop was Moose Jaw, where we took pictures with Mac the Moose, then we spent some time in Rouleau being pathetically obvious tourists (as we were pulling into the town and I saw the gas station and Ruby, I had a bit of a happy freak out...I was bouncing and saying something about my dream coming true), and we finished off in Regina. And hey, for those out there who always burn Regina for being a dirty city, let me tell you something...I was once among you, but everywhere we went, things looked very nice and we were both considerably impressed.
So after watching the ducks and geese at Wascana Park, we spent some time with an ex-Frontierian friend and her boyfriend, who were kind of like a sitcom couple. They were the most entertaining part of our weekend for sure...thanks for the good times Malory!
Anyway, I just wanted to share my excitement with everyone. And yes, it's sadly true...I'm actually super pumped about having been to Dog River. That's one thing to check off of my "to do before I die" list.
And thanks Bryan for being such a good sport about driving to the middle of nowhere because of a silly bet! You're alright I guess.

My closest-in-age sister (who will remain anonymous), who lives with my brother and sister-in-law (Zac and Jenne), was trying to call our cousin yesterday to make plans for today. Five or six times she dialed, and five or six times she was met with an irritating busy signal. Finally she gave up, bemoaning the possibility that our relatives had left their phone off the hook by accident.
This morning she realized her mistake. Unfortunately, she confessed it to me and my brother, and we are more than happy to remind her of this for the rest of her life...all day yesterday she was dialing my brother's number. Poor girl.

I Had No Choice...

I was driving to Alberta today. The trip was long, the sky was dark, and my car was way too hot (cause if I turned the heat down at all, the windows got covered in a thin sheet of ice which I would then have to scrape off while semis zoomed past me). Needless to say I was growing tired, and the iced cap and obnoxious singing and plethora of junk food weren't helping anymore. So I succumbed...I bought a Red Bull. It sat in my drink tray for a long time before I opened it. Halfway through the can I was wired. For a few hours Red Bull was my hero, getting me so hyped up I was rocking out to old school DC Talk music and making up dramatic soliloquies that would put any soap actress to shame. It was a grand time!
But now I'm at my brother's house, and everyone else is going to bed. I'm still quite wide awake, and I don't know what to do with myself, so I'm killing some time by writing this useless blog. I want to wake up my sister to tell her I like her lipstick, but I think that'd probably be mean.
Here's hoping for a decent night's sleep...

Trading Pages

A week ago I was reminded of something that happened to me when I was fourteen, and it was super cool so I wanted to share. At that point I was materialistic to the point of believing inanimate objects had feelings, and I hoarded everything because I didn't want anything to feel rejected. Pitiful, I know! So one day Mom did the unthinkable and threw out some things of mine that I no longer needed or used. That night as I lay in bed, seriously aching for the loss of my treasures, I grabbed the Gideons Bible my Grandpa handed out to everyone in my class in Grade 5. It had a suggested reading for each day of the year, and the one for that day was Matthew 14:13-21. So I turned to that page and this is what my eyes fell upon:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son...no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
I couldn't read any more for the tears in my eyes. In that moment God's presence filled my room so powerfully I couldn't deny Him if I'd wanted to, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He'd given me these words for this circumstance. It was the first big step in the long, unsteady journey of me learning to accept God's unconditional love for me, and accepting that He cared about the tiny (and, in hindsight, laughable) details of my life.
The next day I was flying high, and after school I grabbed my Bible to re-read the passage from the night before. I double-checked the "suggested reading" page and turned to Matthew 14, but was met with the story of Jesus feeding the 5000. Confused, I double-checked and read the surrounding chapters to be sure I was on the right track, because I specifically remembered seeing "Matthew 14:13-21" as the heading, and those verses on discipline as the subsequent words.
After more searching I found those verses right where they belong, in Hebrews 12. It took awhile for reality to sink in...God had given me a sweet miracle to reach me where I was at.