Christmas is... OVER?

Ok, well, maybe not quite yet. But it soon will be- the 5th, I believe? Or was it the 6th? But anyhow, that's coming up fast. I can't believe how fast that went!
We had my Nana and Papa and Great Aunt from my dad's side over on Christmas eve, and we went to the Christmas Eve service at my church. Then, on Christmas Day, we read the Bible and opened presents with my immediate family before we went over to my grandparents' apartment (my mum's side) with my cousins and ate, opened more presents, and played games. Then, on Boxing Day, I brought Justin to my crazy family get-together up in Hope. Whoa! You haven't seen crazy until you've been to a Downes family party! Anyways, that was great fun. Then the next day, I was very tired... I didn't get much sleep, since we didn't get home until around 1:00 am, and then we had mass the next morning at 8:30! But that's ok. =)

I am eagerly anticipating the new year of 2010. WOOT! I am hoping and praying that this year will be one of new beginnings, healing, love, and forgiveness. I really can't wait. =)

God bless you all!

Christmas Is Near

Hey everyone,

Can you believe that it's almost Christmas?! I certainly can't. I keep seeing Facebook statuses like "4 days 'till Christmas, YAY!!", and then... my mind is blown. =P It doesn't feel like it's almost Christmas!
And also, I'm getting so mixed up with which day it is- I blame it on the lack of school. Not that that's a bad thing!! Goodness no.
Ah, I just LOVE Christmas!! I agree with that song- it really is the most wonderful time of the year. The Christmas tree is up, the lights on the house, the house smells of baking, Christmas music blaring (though I don't appreciate it when I'm TRYING to sleep! *coughmumcough*), and the atmosphere in general is... peaceful. Well, for the most part. As good as it's getting, anyways. =P
But, no complaints here. I am happy. =)
Though, a little snow would be nice...
Ok, I'm not even going to start!

Merry Christmas, and God bless!

Sarah

A Thankful Rant

Hey everyone!

I`m sick and am unfortunately missing church because of that, so I thought that I`d blog.
So right now, despite sickness and such, life = amazing. For anyone that knew of previous struggles... I`m getting a lot better. :)
I feel happy... happy like I haven`t felt happy for either a long time, or maybe ever before.
I credit this to:
God. He`s still my rock, and isn`t going to move no matter what happens. I`m trying to remember this more.
My friends. They`ve been here for me through thick and thin, and I love them all! Thanks guys. :)
And last, but more certainly not least...
My boyfriend. He`s always there when I need to talk, and even when the only thing I can manage is crying. He`s an amazing blessing in my life, and I am extremely thankful for him! =)

So yes, just thought I`d go on a nice, thankful rant this time!
God bless, and Merry Christmas!

Sarah-Jill

Relationship Rant

Relationships are so complicated.
I'm not just talking about romantic ones- I'm talking about any kind of interaction with other people.
Friends, family, boyfriends, girlfriends...
EVERYONE.
Honestly, I LOVE my friends. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have them.
Well, I have an idea.
But really, sometimes it's so hard... who to be friends with, how much you hang out with them, how all your different friends interact with each other...!
It's all too much!
Sorry, I know this probably makes no sense.
But, this is my rant for today- I just really needed to get it off of my chest.

Back Again

Hey everyone! Or, hey to anyone that may actually see this.

It's been so long since I've used this blog! By date, yes, but even more so by how long it seems it's been. Going back and reading even the last entry, I feel like I'm reading a diary from when a was a little child. And yes, I'm quite aware of the fact that I'm still a "child" (meaning not an adult), but I'm so different from the person I was when I used to regularly blog.
Don't get me wrong- I'm still me. But I've grown up more; I see certain things differently, act differently, and even socialize differently (well, with different people mostly).
Make sense?
Well, I've got to go to bed.
Bye for now! =)

Exciting Update!

I can't type for long, but just a quick update in my life:

I MIGHT BE SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT A LACROSSE GAME AT 8:00 PM ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!

I got the information today from my choir teacher, and I phoned the guy in charge just this afternoon- he said he would love to meet me, and wants me to come out to the game/practise tomorrow night at 7:00 to have mini-audition - well, I guess to see who I am and if I can carry a tune. :P

Pray that it works out please, it'll be an awesome experience if I get it!! :D

Sarah out!

Beauty and the Beast- Come and Watch, S'il vous plaît!

Hey everyone!

Sorry for neglecting my blog for so long! I've been UBER busy!! Tons of homework, choir, and theatre- and of course, a million and one other things too.
Beauty and the Beast is coming up SOOO soon!! :O
I hope you're all coming to see it! :)
Here's where you can buy tickets:
http://www.theactmapleridge.org/qs/page/10151/1965/-1
I'm cast 1, which means I'm Mrs. Potts Wednesday night the 29th, Friday night the 1st, and Saturday afternoon the 2nd.
And guess what??
I MADE IT INTO THE NEWSPAPER!!
Yeah I was pretty pumped :P
Here's the picture! I can't find the article anywhere though. =/


Anyways, I need to go do homework, and clean my room so that my out of town AWESOME friend Sary can sleepover when she comes to watch!!
I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God bless!

Having Funn With the Piano, Playing My Favourite Wordless Song :)

Just fooling around, sorry about all the mess-ups :)







Sorry, too much homework to write much, so a random video will have to do!

Ciao!

Sarah

Edit: Oh, I forgot to say, if you were wondering what the heck I was doing at 1:08 on the clip, I was relocating my wrists =P

Hate

We love without reason, and without reason we hate. ~ Jean-Francois Regnard

Why must this be so true?!?

I've been mad at this person for hating me.

I've been upset with this person for hating me.

I've been sad about this person hating me.

I know I just need to let go and accept that fact. But, I can't.

I love her.

We will always be related.

Whether she likes it or not.

Blood is thicker than water! Right...?

RIGHT?!?

But what did I do??

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not.” ~ Andre Gide

I have to remember this.

Even when things are not... going well between us.

I can't help that we're not into the same things, and I'm homeschooled.

I just don't know why that matters so much to her.

I just want peace.

And, love.

Voice Of Truth - Casting Crowns

Oh, what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name
and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh, what I would do
to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant
with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound
of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

But the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid"
And the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
'Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are

Sarah, Luke, and Jesse

Hey all!

Recently, I have become friends with 3 incredible people by the names of Sarah, Luke, and Jesse. They are seriously 3 of the most amazing people you'll ever meet, and I just have to dedicate a post to them.

Sarah: You are such a beautiful person inside and out! The way you treat people and your love for God makes you simply radiate! I feel so happy around you, and so comfortable. You will always be my twin/opposite! :) I love you Sary!!

Luke: You are such a sweetie! When you laugh, I just want to too! (not that it takes much, haha) I love the way you say "I love you" without being all weird! It's seriously awesome and so innocent! I love you! :)

Jesse: Ah, my first friend out of you 3! You always know how to make me feel better- emotionally because you care so much, and physically because you know so much about medical stuff. =P Thank-you for just being you!! You always make my day when you talk to me, and the best part is I'm sure you don't even know that. Thank-you so much, I love you! :)

Anyways, bottom line: I don't deserve you guys!! I am SO blessed just to know you!! Thank-you so much for being in my life!!

I can't even say how much you 3 have impacted my life. I honestly can't. I wouldn't be able to say it right.

There is so much more I wish to say, but I'm speechless!!

Sary, Lukey, and Jesse: I LOVE YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!

*side-hugs!!* =P (but Sarah gets a real one 'cause she's a girl!!) =D

God bless!

Sarah/Sary/Thing 2

Casting Crowns

"Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?
Or does anybody even know she's going down today
Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?"

Anger and Tears

I am SO upset! I was supposed to go on a field trip with my socials class to a Holocaust exhibit, but now, the day before, my parents said no. NO!

The reasons:

1) I have too much school work

2) My mum’s too busy to drive me

3) I’ve had a ‘bad attitude’ (misinterpreted I say!!)

I even phoned around trying to figure out someone to carpool with, and when that didn’t work, I looked up the transit routes out there, and was possibly going to take the bus with my friend. But NO, that would take too much time away from my school work, and it’s too dangerous.

Anyone who talks to me on a regular basis KNOWS how excited I was. I’ve always been very interested in the Holocaust- though it makes me sad, I find it very interesting. I’ve taken books out of the library and everything!
My keyboard is soaked with salt water, I’m not even joking.

Bottom line:

I WAS SOOOO EXCITED.

AND NOW I’M… UNBELIEVABLE CHOKED.

That is all.

Happy Birthday Emma!!

Today is Emma's birthday!

She turned 13 today- that means my mum has 2 teenagers now! Whoa!



Happy birthday Emma! Hope your day is great! Love you!

Exhilaration! Celebratory Finale

So, my concert was last night! You know, the one with the Elektra Women's Choir, the Mira program I was in? Well, it went great! I made it through all 10 songs, which were in English, Latin, Croatian, Serbian, and Japanese! The other choirs that sang with us were the Balkan Babes from Victoria, Brilliant Harmony from Tokyo, and WWU Women's Chorale from Bellingham. They were all SO amazing!! And I loved their conductors too! Ko from Tokyo was SO funny!!!! Our conductors are great too! :)

Has anyone reading this ever been to Christ Church Cathedral? If you haven't, check out the pictures below. Anyways, when you're not singing, you have to sit in the pews and the chairs that were set up behind the stage, so depending on the size of the choir, you may or may not be seen.

This is the front of the church, including the stage.

Anyways... when the Balkan Babes were singing one of their songs... well... I fell asleep. Ok, I know that sounds bad, but it wasn't because their singing was horrible or something!! In fact, they were AMAZING! But, the music they sing is so hypnotic... it's all in different languages, with lots of little trills and stuff... it's hard to explain, but I promise, it wasn't anything to do with their voices! Plus, I was REALLY tired, and sick too. So that's why. But I just had to share this story, because I found it funny. :)
When I was asleep, I had a dream that me and my friend Rachelle (my friend who was sitting next to me) were on Broadway, preforming Hairspray... she was Tracy, and I think I might have been Penny... weird, huh?!?

Anyways, my whole Mira experience was AWESOME, and I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to have been able to be a part of something so exciting, fun, and wonderful. I can't wait to do it again next year!! I wonder if I can request to get the same mentor... all of us Mira girls were assigned mentors from Elektra to help us and make us feel really welcome. My mentor's name is CLee (pronounced See-Lee), and she was just great! I would LOVE to get her again next year!! I already miss her! I wanted to cry wen I was saying goodbye. And I miss Kate... and Nancy... and Grace... oh, I miss them all!! =(
I miss the Mira girls too! But, at least, I think they all have Facebook. ;) I actually gave up Facebook for lent, but when that's over, I'll add them!

Here are the only pictures that turned out: (courtesy of my little sister, the photographer) =P
In her defense though, you couldn't use a flash.

You can't actually see me, but I'm somewhere on the left (when you're looking at it)

And this is me with my 2 friends that did the Mira program with me! Love you guys!

Anyways, that's all I have to say!

God bless!

A Shout-Out To Some Amazing People

I've been thinking.
(no, that isn't the main revolution of this post, though I guess you could count it)

What would I do without my friends?!?

Emily, who I can phone about anything, anytime, and she will sympathize and then make me laugh without worrying about offending me;
Tara, who has been one of my best friends for a loooong time and on top of everything else, is an awesome prayer warrior who is always ready and willing to pray for me;
Jesse, who knows TONS about medical stuff (which is VERY useful to me!!) and is always free to chat and make me feel better because he really cares and shows it;
Josh, who is hilarious and has great advice;
Amanda, who is SO awesome at teaching theatre with a great balance of strictness and love, letting her Christian light shine;
Lizzy, who leaves encouraging comments on my blog regularly and who is beautiful inside and out;

And so many more people!! I can't list everyone right now because it's SO late, but thank-you SO much you guys! I really, honestly, can't even begin to tell you all how much you mean to me.

Take care, and God bless!

Sarah

Wear Pink Tomorrow!!!!

Hello all! Just a reminder to wear pink tomorrow! Bullying needs to stop, and we must all do our part.
Physical bullying, verbal bullying, online bullying- it's all the same, and I want to do something. This doesn't seem like much, but it all helps!
Well, take care and remember to wear pink!

Valentine's Day

So, I'm sure you all know what tomorrow is- Valentine's Day. Well, I've been doing some thinking- I'm at a pretty awkward stage! I've just passed the stage of making cute little store bought Valentine's cards, but I'm not at the stage where I'm spending time with a boyfriend. Don't get me wrong people! I'm not looking for a boyfriend or anything! But do you know what I mean? It was just a moment of realization.
So........
NOW WHAT?!?
I guess my dilemma is solved for this year because I'm going to my cousin's wedding- how romantic! ;)
But next year, who knows? Maybe I'll get together with some friends (who BETTER still be single!) and hang out! Hey, hey?
Sorry for this incredibly random post! :)
Take care and happy Valentine's Day, whoever you are celebrating with! I'm just going to find a cousin to dance with at my cousin's wedding... more like, a cousin I'm going to be forced to dance with...!
Catch ya later!

P.S.- It's Friday the 13th!!!! Ahhh!!!! Just kidding. I don't even care. =P

Oh, one more thing!

Jesse just posted the links to him speaking. Just in case you wanted to hear part of it, here you go!

Part 1

Part 2

And then, here's him giving a speech a while ago... I haven't watched it yet, but I will when I have time! =)

Anyways, just another quick update! I'm just trying to do what I can to spread to word!

Remember to wear pink on February 25th!!

Here's the Facebook event!

Ciao!

He did it!

He did it! He spoke on the radio, and did very well. I never knew that he actually knew one of the kids that started it, but I do now.
Anyways, just a quick update, and thanks for praying if you saw this in time! I do believe it worked. =)

Congrats JD!

Jesse On CKNW!

Hello everyone! Just thought I'd get the word out, my friend Jesse is talking on CKNW today from 1:00-1:15! I doubt anyone will see this in time, but if you do, please be praying for him, that God will really use him and speak through him! He's talking about the whole 'wearing pink' thing, and bullying issues. Here's Jesse's words:

"Today @ 1:00 - 1:15 p.m., Christy Clark and I will be talking on CKNW 980AM about wearing pink and what it is about and I will be sharing my thoughts on bullying.... you can listen live at http://www.cknw.com/ just click on the listen live button at the top of the page...."

So yeah! Even if you don't see this in time, you could still pray for the cause! ;)

Thanks for readin'!

Haircut!!

Hello all!
So...
I GOT MY HAIR CUT!!
For all of you who voted on how it should be done, thanks!!
Unfortunately... I didn't get my hair cut really short, like the poll said I should. I couldn't bring myself to! Plus, the poll was just to give me an idea, not to tell me what to do. But I really appreciate all of you! Thanks again!!
I got about 2-3 inches off the bottom, and I got bangs! I haven't had bangs since I was... uh... well, VERY young! I LOVE them though! =)
Here's what I look like now!

With glasses...

And without!

Man my hair looks so brown now! My hair used to be SO blond! =(
Not that there's anything wrong with brown hair! It's just that... well, I'm a blond! It's always been that way! The hairdresser actually thought I had dyed my hair, because the bottom of my hair (that she cut off) was bleached looking! The lighting was bad when I took the picture too, though. So my hair is still significantly lighter than it appears there.
Anyways, just thought I'd give you faithful followers an update!

Thanks for readin'!

So... Much... Schoolwork!

Hello! This is going to be a short post, because I have SO much work to do! I have a ton of stuff due tonight at 11:59!! I'm currently writing a script for the trial of Louis Riel. It's fun, but very hard! I don't know how a trial works!! So, I've done a lot of researching! =)
I have English and Planning to do too... oh dear... wish me luck! =)

Mira 2009!

In case any of you haven't heard, I made it into Mira 2009!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!! YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!
What is Mira 2009, you may ask?
Mira, meaning 'wonderful' in Latin, is a mentoring program by the Elektra Women's Choir- they're from Vancouver and pretty famous! =)
I'm SOOOOOOO unbelievably excited!!!!!!!!
I made it in, along with 11 other high school aged girls- 2 of them being dear friends from my other 2 choirs!
So, at the performance, we're singing with the Elektra Women's Choir from Vancouver, The Balkan Babes from Victoria, Western Washington University Women's Chorale from Bellingham, Washington, and Brilliant Harmony from Japan at the Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver!!!!
But- wait for it- we have to learn 10 songs for our show on March 1st!!!!
And our first practice is January 24th!!!!
=O
But I'm totally up for the challenge!
I've already got the sheet music for 8 of the songs though so I can start practicing! It's going to be intense, but not too long, so I know I can handle it!
So, at the moment, I'm in 3 choirs... on top of everything else... yeah... insane, but that's what I'm used to!
Unfortunately, I only know 1/10 songs, so this is going to be a lot! And one of the song is in Japanese, and another couple are in Latin!!
OH MAN OH MAN I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok I'm done!
=D
If you want to read up more about this, check out this site and this part of it too!
Ooh, and they mention the 12 of us in this one! =)
God bless!

All Good!

It's not a fracture!! Yay!! =)
It's just a sprain/soft tissue injury (or possibly flared-up tendinitis), so I don't have to wrap it or put it in a sling! I just have to be reeeeeally careful I don't lift anything with it or whack it or something.
1 x-ray down, one to go! I have one tomorrow for my back because I was born with spine issues or something... and, I found out today (as my doctor put it): My back is stiff as a board, and I have severe limitations in my legs (hamstrings), especially my right leg. So that's why I'm so un-flexible!! I've never really been able to touch my toes or anything.
Basically, they need to see if I have structural/developmental problems before they can start fixing me... hmm... I learned a lot today!
There goes snow tubing!! =(
Anyways, thanks for reading, and talk to y'all later!
=)

X-Ray!

So, I'm going in for my wrist x-ray today! It's feeling a lot better today than before, so I'm feeling pretty positive that's it's just jammed/sprained!
Keep your fingers crossed! =)

My Poor Wrist! :|

Helol! Opp,,s! Ah, OOPS!! :|
sORRY nooo, Sorry about my messiness! In a way, this what I'm typing about.
What do I mean? Well, my left arm is in a sling.
*pauses while anyone who knows me finishes their groaning*
Yes, again.
What happened?
Not telling,
It's rather embarrassing!
But I will sat no, say that it was believed to just be a sprain and a few jammed joints, though now after comparing notes with my sister (who fractured her wrist a couple years ago) I believe that it might be a fracture. I have all the same symptoms as she had, and it hurts more, and gas grrr HAS been hurting longer than my other sprains, so now I'm a little worried!
So could any prayers out there please pray?
It would be much appreciated!! :)
Anyways, I've got to go!
God bless!

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!!
And for those of you that live in Canada, near me:
CAN YOU BELIEVE THERE WAS A MINI BLIZZARD WHEN YOU WERE OUTSIDE MAKING NOISE?!?
I thought that was SO insane!!
But I loved it!!
=)
Well, I hope everyone has a prosperous, fun, and an all-around amazing 2009!!
Take care!