jolene's blog

Good Times!

2007-12-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

The last week and a half has been very enjoyable. This weekend and last were the kind of weekends that remind me why I really do love winter. Snow falling softly, Christmas lights up all over town, slightly milder temperatures.....and lots of shovelling! But I don't mind that. Last weekend I went to a "Three Tenors" concert here in town and enjoyed it so much! I found it a bit odd that I was the only person in the crowd under the age of 40! Seriously, I'm not exaggerating! Even the performers mentioned it to me after the concert! :0) I think it was because the Grey Cup was on.

Then this last Friday and Saturday I played in the Booshie Memorial Volleyball Tournament, It's always such a fun tournament and our team took first this year! We had a great time and won some pretty serious cash as well....so that will help with Christmas shopping!

Other than that, I am really enjoying my piano students, I love being involved in my church...we are currently hard at work preparing for the Christmas program, and I also love this time of the year, before things get really crazy, when I can just really reflect and marvel at all that has been made possible because of the incarnation of Jesus Christ! I pray that I won't lose sight of that in the busy-ness of the season.

Happy Anniversary!

2007-11-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

Words can't express how grateful I am for my wonderful parents and the beautiful marriage God has given them.....28 years!

25 years!

2007-11-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a bit late on this but I did have a birthday last month and it was very nice. I was surprised with a little party at church on the weekend before my birthday and I was really touched by that. And I was just reminded of how blessed I am to have enjoyed 25 years of good health, good friends and a wonderful, loving family. Thanks to everyone who made it special for me!

My Thanksgiving

2007-10-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Today is Thanksgiving Day and, like every year on this day, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Once again, the Lord has blessed me far beyond anything I deserve. It's hard to put it all into words, but one thing I have been thinking about a lot lately is how thankful I am for the hope we have in eternity. This year I started reading through Charles Spurgeon's "Morning by Morning" devotional again, and the entry I read today dealt with that very thing...which is kind of neat because I am a few days behind in my reading. :0) The Scripture was Col. 1:5. Here is a bit of what I read...

"Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there...yonder is the land of rest where fatigue shall be forever banished...in heaven we shall enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, and the sword shall be sheathed, and we shall hear our Captain say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.' There we shall be perfectly holy, for there shall by no means enter into that kingdom anything which defileth. We are not to dwell eternally in this wilderness, but shall soon inherit Canaan!"

As if there isn't enough in this life to remind me of God's goodness, I have all of that to look forward to as well! Happy Thanksgiving!

merry christmas, happy new year, etc, etc.....!

2007-01-03T14:42:00.000-08:00

well, i just got home from a wonderful five days in silver bay, minnesota with my entire family. we had so much fun!! because sherry is still unable to leave the u.s. we couldn't all meet up here at home for christmas, so it was just mom and dad, tj, holly and i for christmas. i have to say it was one of the most relaxing christmases we have had in a long time. it was so nice to just be able to take a few days to slow down and focus on all the gifts God has given us as a family and as individuals. it was very refreshing. then it was back to work for a few days and then we left on the 29th for minnesota and brandy, sherry and troy met us there that night. we spent four days just sitting around visiting, eating, playing games, LAUGHING, and making some really good memories! i was sad to see it all come to an end this morning but i'm so thankful for the time we had together. the only thing i'm not thankful for is the fact that we all left a few pounds heavier than when we got there.....at least i know i did! :0) i am talking about an obscene amount of sugar and caffeine! oh well. we'll get things back to normal here in a few days i'm sure. anyway, i will post some pictures from the holidays soon. i hope you all had a wonderful time with family and friends!

a weekend of volleyball!

2006-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

well, i just got to play volleyball for two days straight....it was the best! these are the girls from the group that i play with once a week on wednesday nights. we entered our team in a tournament here in kenora. i played in it last year and we got first place. unfortunately we forgot to bring our game to the championship match this year and so we got second, but it was still a great time and we got $700 out of it so i figure that's a pretty good deal! i'm just so thankful that i still get to play on a regular basis and the level of play is really good. it's something i look forward to every week!

happy anniversary mom and dad!!

2006-11-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

well, today is my parents' 27th anniversary. this morning i made an early run to tim horton's while they were still sleeping so they could have breakfast in bed.....sort of a tradition holly and i started a couple years ago. and it sure beats getting up and making it myself! :0) anyway, every year when my parents celebrate their anniversary, i am reminded again of how much i have to be thankful for! i have been so blessed to grow up in the home God has placed me in and to watch and learn from a marriage like my parents have. i pray that God would allow me to experience a love like theirs someday. they truly are best friends and have so much fun together. mom and dad, thank you so much for the rock-solid stability of your marriage for all these years. i can't begin to explain to you the comfort and security that has provided for all of us. i love you and hope you have a wonderful day!!

what's new with me

2006-11-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

one of the reasons why i don't post very often is because i often just can't think of anything interesting. which is funny because i would say i lead a fairly interesting life. okay, maybe busy would be a better word for it......anyway, i've decided that enough is enough and it's time for me to write a little update (for the three people that read my blog)! :0) so, what's new with me you ask? well, i worked at the pharmacy on saturday.... which is something i only have to do once a month.... and had to throw a drunk out of the store. that was a first. considering he was about half my size, he didn't put up much of a fight. he wouldn't have lasted long anyway, he was barely able to walk, it was pretty sad. another first in my life.....i sang a solo in church last sunday. it is amazing how the presence of one other person (or lack thereof) can make such a difference. i was SO NERVOUS but it actually went fine. only because the Lord helped me through it and allowed me to focus on the message of the song. hmmm, what else? last weekend we had a birthday celebration for Charles, the one deacon in our church, who just turned 85. it was kind of a last minute thing but there was a great turn-out. all i can say is, my mother is amazing!! she pulled it all together in about one week. anyway, it was a really special time for him, and he is such a giving man....it was nice to do something for him in return. well, i think that's all for now. i don't want to overwhelm my readers with all this new information!

one of those weeks

2006-11-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

do you ever have one of those weeks where you experience failure in almost every area of your life that you have been trying to work on? that was last week for me. don't get me wrong, it's not like i ended up in jail or anything...it was just kind of a frustrating week. but the really great thing is that God hasn't given up on me (thank you!) and all i have to do is just get back up on my feet and go at it again! and already, this week has been better. i'm so glad that God has an endless supply of grace for me because i sure can't do anything right on my own....at least, not with the right motives! anyway, i'm not discouraged, just determined to draw on God's grace and be more consistent today. and we'll worry about tomorrow when it gets here.

anyway, i started a new student last week. a guy just a few years younger than me who is pretty talented. it makes for a little more variety since the majority of my kids are still in the beginner stage. saturday was a busy day. i got together with some of the ladies from church to start working on some music for the next couple months and we are starting to think about the christmas program as well. i'm a little more excited about that this year b/c of the fact that we now have an entire family saved and attending church b/c they came to the christmas program last year. it really is a great way to get people into church. anyway, it's just a really good thing that i'm not putting this together myself b/c you all know how well i plan ahead! :0)

violin lessons!

2006-10-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

well, i decided that it's time i started learning something again instead of always being the one doing the teaching. so, i am taking violin lessons. so far i have enjoyed it....i've only had two lessons. and while it is certainly beneficial having a background in playing the piano, the coordination thing is a bit of an issue. but i am really enjoying it. next to me in the picture is my teacher, carrie. she is a missionary here and so we do a lot of ministry and music together. we have played together for several weddings and community events, and of course for church. she's become a good friend.

anyway, the last two weeks have just flown by! they have been good weeks though. teaching is going really well. it's so exciting to see progress in my students! i have two more starting up next week and that should put me right at 40 students. wooohoo! it's a little crazy but that's allright.

my parents went to a conference in alberta this week so i had the place to myself. i really enjoyed it. now i know that sounds like i don't like living with them.....which is totally not true (i actually like it a lot).....i just enjoy that little taste of independence once in a while. hopefully i'll be tasting more of that independence in the not-too-distant future. nothing has come up or anything...i'm just praying for wisdom and patience. i really don't want to be one of those people who still live with their parents at age 40!!

more on my birthday....

2006-10-19T19:16:00.000-07:00

these are some of "the girls" i work with. they are a lot of fun and i'm so glad i've been able to get to know them. behind me is pam, then theresa, gail and georgina...i'm not sure why gail and georgina look so scared!
on monday they got a cake for me (chocolate...so good!) and a $50 gift card to reitmans and a huge bag of junk food...they are just the greatest!
after i finished with my piano students, my parents took me out to celebrate my birthday. we had a really nice time and the food was great. although i didn't have a ton of friends around to celebrate with, i was thinking earlier in the day that i was privileged to spend my birthday with the two people who love me more than anyone else in the world (unless there's someone i don't know about who has yet to express his undying love for me...hmmm....) anyway, they really made it a special day for me.

some pics from my trip....

2006-10-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

just hangin' with my girls

so many good memories...i'm so thankful that i got to go!

it's my birthday!

2006-10-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

well, today is my birthday. it's been a lovely day. God has been so good to me. i had planned on writing about my day but it's gotten pretty late so i think i will do that tomorrow. thanks to everyone who called and wrote, etc....you made my birthday very special!

thanksgiving

2006-10-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

i love this day...thanksgiving day. what a reminder it is to me of how i should live everyday. i am so blessed! God has given me so much and spared me from so much. i'm so thankful that i have a personal relationship with Him and that He has forgiven me for all of my sin. i know we say and hear things like that all the time but really, there is no greater gift than that! anyway, we had a good day today. we had fourteen people over, great food of course (my mother is amazing!) and just a good time of visiting. my friend melissa got to spend most of the day at our house which was so great! i haven't seen her much this summer b/c she is a forest firefighter and has been very busy for the last couple of months. it was really good to spend some time with her. i also went in to winnipeg on saturday and got to spend some time with another friend, mickey. again, had a great time! i don't have a ton of friends here but i am so thankful for the few people i have connected with. i'm also so thankful for my great family. my parents are truly such wonderful people and i respect them so much....they're just two of the kindest people you will ever meet. i'm thankful for my brother and sisters and the friendship that i have with each one of them. i'm thankful for my new brother-in-law who is a really great guy and is taking care of my sister so well (love you troy!) i'm thankful for my piano students and the opportunity i have to help them enjoy the gift of music. i'm thankful for the great friends i have and the fact that nothing changes no matter how many miles separate us or how seldom we see each other. God has been kind to me!!

reality check

2006-10-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

well, the last couple of weeks have just flown by. i can't believe how fast the time goes now that i'm back to working two jobs. i'm not complaining at all, i certainly don't have to worry about being bored! teaching is going great. i think i'm sitting at right around 34 piano students right now. and the calls are still coming in. so that's been fun. last friday i got together with a couple of the teen girls from church....we just went to mcdonalds and i talked to them about starting to meet regularly for a Bible study. they weren't overly enthusiastic but they agreed and so i'm going to go with it. i have such a desire to see these girls just fall in love with Christ! of course, my first desire is that i would love and know Him more everyday. that has been my prayer for a while now and God answered that this week. i know everyone heard about the shooting in the amish school a few days ago. well, there have been a lot of school shootings recently but this one just grieved me in a way i didn't really think was possible. it woke me up again to the depravity of humanity and helped me see once again what really matters in life. and that the only hope we have is in Christ! but what an amazing hope it is! i am so blessed that i know Christ as my Saviour! and so thankful that He is continuing the process of making me more like Him.

the best trip ever!

2006-09-26T18:23:00.000-07:00

hmm, it looks like i am going to be about as consistent with this as i am in so many other things. :0) anyway, i need to play catch-up a little bit here. about three and a half weeks ago, i went on a trip for a long overdue visit with my friends in virginia beach. i was SO EXCITED!! i spent the first half of the week with julie and rob hall and got to see their beautiful home that they have done so much work on. julie and i have been very close friends since 9th grade so it was so good to be able to spend so much time with her. the 2nd half of the week i spent at erin's place. it was fun to catch up with kristen and get to know erin's other roommates as well. i got to see where erin teaches and go to a couple of her volleyball games. she and carmen are doing a great job with the team. it was so good to just be able to sit around and talk like we used to when we lived together in school. i've missed that girl! there were many other friends and classmates from northland that i got to catch up with and it was so encouraging to see everybody just excited to serve the Lord in whatever way He leads. i came back home feeling very renewed and excited about what God has for me here. the trip was everything i hoped it would be and i'm so thankful i was able to go! i am hoping to post some pictures from the trip soon.

my very first post

2006-09-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

well here it is. my very first post. i don't really know what i'm doing but thought i would take a whack at it. i'm a firm believer in the importance of keeping in touch with likeminded people. i know i have benefited so much from the godly friendships God has placed in my life. hence, the blog.