a réflection of me

Still nearer to Thee.

2010-01-11T22:55:00.002-06:00

Nearer, still nearer, while life shall last

'Til safe in glory my anchor is cast

Through endless ages, ever to be

Nearer, my Saviour, still nearer to Thee

Patience

2009-11-09T19:38:00.002-06:00

I feel helpless.

I want him back.

scanner extraordinairre

2008-02-16T20:49:00.002-06:00

My poor scanner is going to blow up. And this pen in my mouth is about to explode.
What am I doing, you ask? Well, I'm applying to my life. Scanning photos and drawings and scrapbook layouts and hoping that it's enough.
And then, (yes, it gets better) I get to try and format it all on InDesign, which is my ultimate favourite hobby, and I am so good at it.

Today was decent. Work: the usual. Most exciting part was when a guy said he wanted to spend forty bucks on flowers, and I got to pick them out. Yes! Most annoying part: guys that come in to buy flowers for their girlfriends and they say ZERO words to me. Hello, I'm trying to HELP you. Sheesh. I do exist, last time I checked. I did get to drive myself to work, however, which made up for the annoying stuff. All in all, a perfectly average day at work. Happy.

This afternoon consisted of:
-a notebook
-a lot of dimensions
-Hooked on Swing (THE greatest record to dance to.)
-The Beatles...
-a living room full of paintings, sketchbooks, and scale models of the Xunantunich Mayan ruins!

= decent afternoon.

throw in Romeo and Juliet and it's a saturday. If you think about it, Saturdays are impossible to anticipate.

PLUS, I kept forgetting that we have a long weekend.

yeye

ugh.

2008-02-07T13:55:00.000-06:00

i feel useless right now.
does anyone even look at this thing anymore? because if they do, wow.
it's been a good non-documented year (almost)...can't remember most of it. but here's a point that's been on my mind lately.
I'm so sick of high school. But, at the same time, I'm worried for university. Everyone's getting that feeling though, I guess. Unless you're super smart and the go-getter type. yeah don't look at me.

don't expect anything less than randomness here. but isn't that what blogs are? it's all crap. and sounds like crap.

*taking a break and breathing. tea.*

completely sick of future talk. and why do I have that accent in the title? I didn't even get all the way to gr. 12 french. remind me to take that off sometime.

time to read a book. drink tea. listen to a beatles record.

I forgot how nice it is to let go of some stuff on here...maybe I won't carry it around with me all the time.

give this guy a dropje

2007-05-15T17:17:00.000-05:00

quick question...

2007-05-12T19:40:00.001-05:00

Templeton's wedding anyone?

unbelizable

2007-05-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

swing life away...

2007-04-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

I've been here so long I think that its time to move
The winter's so cold summer's over too soon
let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow
I've got some friends some that I hardly know
But we've had some times I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go

We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave 'til the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
-Swing Life Away by Rise Against

I couldn't help it...I absolutely love this song and I had to put the lyrics on here. Everyone who reads this must download it, listen to it, and tell me what you think about it. For me, it has so much to do with what our whole team has been going through here...and honestly...I love it here guys. It can't compare to all of you at home, but this is a very different situation. I love all of the people I'm here with. There are occasional problems of course...but I'm learning from these people and they're hopefully learning from me. You know what's crazy?? I'm talking...so much! I'm opening up to people...I'm learning to love people I didn't think I'd ever like. Honestly...Belize is incredible. Just check out my photos from facebook which I'm finally adding because I have a NEW LAPTOP finally! It's so pretty : )

God doesn't seem as distant here for me...in fact He's very near : )

[drumroll please...]

2007-02-25T20:57:00.000-06:00

Attention all who still faithfully read my not so consistent blog posts...I have news for you! I have made for myself a blog dedicated purely to my Belize trip. In case you don't know what the URL is, I will tell you now.

DAA DA DA DAAAAAAAA....

http://underthemahoganytree.blogspot.com

hurray!

So yeah. I'm going to keep that up pretty consistently. I'll put up pictures and talk about my daily life there...so yeah I hope it'll be an interesting read! You're welcome to post a comment or two, just keep in mind that most of my church congregation will have access to it too so...yeah. : P
I'm hiding this blog from my profile because I'd rather that they don't discover this one.

I like secret blogs!

Random Fact. By the time I come home from Belize, it will almost be a year since we took a lovely day trip to Wonderland! I think that is crazy. It was definitely memorable for many reasons. Any of you girls up for going again this summer?

Nope

2007-02-13T17:04:00.000-06:00

yes I'm putting some poetry up here...some of you will get it, some of you will not. For those who are confused...mwahaha i'll never tell. Someone else probably will though.
It was just...fitting. I found it at my grade school in a poem book very very VERY randomly.

Nope

I put a piece of cantaloupe
Underneath the microscope
I saw a million strange things sleepin'
I saw a zillion weird things creepin'
I saw some green things twist and bend-
I won't eat cantaloupe again.

by: shel silverstein

AMEN TO THAT.

connect them(!)

2007-02-04T19:32:00.000-06:00

...this is weird.
Blogger is...dead.
...and I am creating a new one. IRONIC.
but i have to. it's not my choice...
...it's for Belize. To keep people updated on my daily life there...but it depends how often I can get to a computer.
my last job...is to think of a good name for it...ideas anyone...?
...maybe someone will realize in about ten years that I've posted...it's crazy how dead blogger is...
I just have nothing to say...

dot...
dot...
dot.

Sometimes I like going back in time, and I look at some good ooold family pictures. This is what comes out of those boxes and boxes of photos...wishing, in a way, that I could go back to this.

But sometimes in real life, I do feel like I'm back here. Possibly because I'm immature...or it could be that at the odd time I just feel free to do what ever the heck I want. Things change from day to day lately...there's a lot to get used to/to get ready for/of people to somehow say goodbye to for three months. You tell me how to do it.

update (hurray!)

2007-01-10T06:41:00.000-06:00

I hate how fast time goes in between my posts, especially when I have no new ideas. So...I'll give an update on my life.

My passport came in the mail yesterday. I don't totally hate my picture, but I don't like it. Who would like their passport photo though...we all probably look pretty scary in them.:p
I think I broke my record of how short it took me to watch the entire Pride and Prejudice mini-series. Less than 24 hours...i'm/we're insane!
It's sad enough that there's seven people playing DS at our lunch table, but it's even sadder that the rest of us are sitting there WATCHING them play.
I just may be staying at this school for almost eleven hours today.
I'm having a little Damien Rice phase right now...he's basically all I listen to.
One of the people I'm going to Belize with added me to facebook. Somehow that makes it a little more real that I'm actuall e doing this. AAAA
I witnessed a robbery. I hate it when I lose respect for people...but I can't help it when they do that.

I'm confused on many levels...

what a pointless post. at least it's not one line this time. be happy all you people who should be:p

2006-12-22T12:11:00.000-06:00

real christmas trees are a million times better than fake ones.

2006-12-15T19:54:00.000-06:00

Since it's been a week since I last posted, I decided...I'll post again. But, I have nothing to post about. A picture is always an easy way out, but I don't feel like doing that this time.

This week I did something I don't do often...I was rebellious! Well no not really...a little. Anyways, yeah that was a fun day. And Wednesday, and Tuesday, and every other day.

Every day of this week was good, or great. Or grood.

Today I made my Christmas list. Honestly, I put too much effort into actually making the list look nice. Yeah, I'm a scrapbooking loser, deal with it, westerhof. My problem is deciding what goes on it. For some reason this year I'm content. Which is cool. I like being content with life, or really happy with life. Either or.

Please don't mind this sad excuse for a post. All in all...I'm a ray of sunshine, just not in the mood to write. So you know what? Here's a picture. It's pretty, and it's called a morning glory. I think it's a good description of my mood right about now.

---good day sunshine---

2006-12-08T12:43:00.000-06:00

One of the best things to feel is pure contentment. I slept in until ten o'clock today, and I didn't feel guilty about it at all. I haven't slept in that late for months...maybe not since last Christmas break. A long time ago, anyways. Then, downstairs, my sister's decorating the house, Christmas music is playing, and there's snow outside. The one thing that kind of stinks though is that I'm not at Nicole's house...baking cookies and "doing my french". Rest assured though, we're getting together again over Christmas break, girls!

I'm sick of doing French already today. And try and read French out loud. And listen to French music. If I hear another French word come out of someone's mouth by the end of today, I'll freak!

On an unrelated note, I loved yesterday...everything. Even ddr was fun. Not that I wasn't expecting it to be, I just kind of knew I would stink at it. Anyways, it was really fun. I've got an awesome video of Eska doing ddr...if I knew how to put it on my blog, it would be up here. And walking to Tim's is always a good time, guys. Even if someone has a car next year, I'd still almost prefer to walk. J-walking is always exciting! Also, a word of advice to all you out there...it isn't smart to be buying frostys at this time of year. (Lenore...) The only thing to do is get a coffee just before you leave so that you don't freeze to death before you get back to the school.

The concert was even fun, especially jazz band. We basically ruled the concert guys. I've never had so much fun playing baritone sax before. I'm definitely in jazz band next year...everyone should join! Oh, but the one part of the concert...when someone stole my chair (*ahem!* LENORE) and I'm stuck up there holding my instrument while everyone else is sitting down. It was mortifying for a good ten seconds. Other than that incident, the concert was good.

All in all, I enjoyed this week a lot. Really good times.

cloud nine

2006-12-02T18:50:00.000-06:00

Have you ever stopped to watch the clouds move across the sky? Well, I did today. And it was really cool to watch. They move so slow that you can't move at all in order to actually see them move. It's almost like time stops. It would be cool to stop time during some of the best moments of my life and just revel in the moment for a while. And then when I'm finished...

...time starts again. I know that so many times in my life I've told myself, "Stop...and just enjoy the moment, because you'll look back later on and wish you could relive it." But it never seems to work.

Here's an example. Every year my family goes camping, and it's one of my favourite times of the year, because it's just me and my family, and a whole week to do absolutely nothing but spend time with them. Every so often during that week I tell myself to just stop and enjoy it...breathe it all in, so that I can experience the same thing again once I'm back home. No matter how many times I try, I never get the same effect I was hoping for. It all just ends up as memories, which of course isn't a bad thing.

"God gave us memories that we might have roses in December." ~J.M. Barrie

once in a lifetime right here

2006-11-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

"It sucks living in Georgetown."

"Georgetown is the bomb!"

"Yeah it'd be nice if it blew up"

couldn't forget this one. Fast thinking there john...

thinking out loud

2006-11-26T15:50:00.000-06:00

Every so often I think about something really hard and then it seems like I was thinking out loud, and I wonder if anyone heard me. It's a weird feeling, like everyone knows what I was thinking...but then I realize I'm just insane. I don't talk to myself though. Cause then I'd have problems.

Yeah there's my sad excuse for a post everyone! Hope you like it!!!

I added a picture, just for kicks. It looks really warped, which is why I like it.

good way to end the day

2006-11-21T20:45:00.000-06:00

sometimes I wish FPFHF could happen everyday

philosophy #3592

2006-11-19T13:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, here it is. A real post on my blog that will have actual meaning!

I'm assuming you all remember Mr. Kooy, who now is the youth leader/pastor at my church. This morning he preached the sermon, and I got something out of it, which I am going to share. It's an activity guys, be excited! This is what he said to us (in a nutshell)

Think to yourself: What are ten particular sins that I've committed this past week? (Try and remember some...because we all sin)

Hard, isn't it? At least, I found it hard. It's supposed to be difficult.

Then, think of something somebody did to you that offended you, or something that you'd consider a sin. Something like that.

That doesn't take long, does it?

And there's the point of the sermon. Or one of them. We're really good at pointing out other peoples' faults, but we can't pinpoint our own. It's basically the lesson in the Bible of removing the plank from your own eye before you start thinking about removing the speck from someone else's.

gimme an S--L--A--C--K--E--R--S!!! what's that spell?

2006-11-14T18:28:00.000-06:00

"ok guys, we'll watch the next one after it finishes loading...um...just take a five minute break"

a five minute break from watching movies...yeah ok. so that's what you guys do in video block!

the best part about this picture is steve on the right

ummmm john?

they popped their collars and everything

aw kathleen and I...a very nice picture!

jonathan's brand new display pic!

totally retro

2006-11-04T15:36:00.000-06:00

so since everyone's been posting pictures...I'm following the trend. I came upon some good old grade nine band trip pictures, and just had to share them with all of you. I can't believe how young we all look!!!

So here's me and Tara in front of a floral clock at Niagara Falls...and we only knew eachother from badminton!

We're so dutch...we get a picture taken "inside a photo booth"...in a sense. ha and Lenore's reflection

aww Kathleen and Abram! I don't think I even knew you guys when I took that picture, but I knew your names. Crazy how things change in a year!

I heart this picture...I hate it when siblings leave TD, but it was awesome having Suze around for my first year...I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't there!

HA john...that was an awesome mini-golfing game, guys...but the go-karting was awesome(r)

...aaand last but not least, Brent. I was probably as tall as you here, and at one point i was taller, but yeah. not anymore, that's for sure!

I'm feeling nostalgic today. If anyone else has pictures from this trip I'd love to see them...or any pictures from grade nine, actually!

2006-10-31T13:26:00.000-06:00

WHO WROTE THAT FLIPPING NOTE

2006-10-28T22:34:00.001-05:00

"so do they all die in this one then?"

"yeah"

"what happens in the next sixteen movies?"

"they're about the fossils"

2006-10-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

It's curious how times like these bring us closer together.

Love you, Jo!

2006-10-23T20:12:00.000-05:00

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

I'm a mess of emotions. I've tried a dozen times to word this post right, and for now I'm settling on a verse from the Bible, because those words are the only ones that come out right.

I wish it never happened, but it's life, and it's a bumpy road. We'll all get through it together.

title goes here

2006-10-22T12:30:00.000-05:00

I've decided to change this post. It was probably a little too much to the point. I did it too quick because I've got too much on my mind (Math, French, Physics, Art...everything basically). I'm taking a quick break from my math homework just to say that last night was awesome!, for lack of a better word. I don't feel like describing it because most of the people who will actually read this post all probably went. But it was also a sort of bittersweet day too, and you all know why.

So the party was a great chance to get away from stress for a few hours, but it doesn't make it go away.

Darn. Maybe next time.

**Oh, and Eska and Tara, we've got to set a date when we can go play some serious mailbox baseball...

...inspirational

2006-10-15T13:29:00.000-05:00

so...

it's been about a week since I last posted on here, and I thought I'd write up another incredibly inspiring post.

You know what I hate? When people come into the place where I work and say they need flowers. That's all well and good of course, but when they're frowning or they just look generally ticked off, that's annoying. I had to put together some roses for this one guy and he didn't smile once while I was wrapping them up. I was so put off that I couldn't even bring up the weather or anything.

Besides political problems, wars, crime, etc., people shouldn't be so miserable in Canada. We've got too much to be miserable about anything. Especially when they're buying flowers.

Service Trip

2006-10-09T13:09:00.000-05:00

well I basically had a blast on the service trip this past week! Loved every minute of it except for the last placement. To all of you out there, try to not have to go to the Portland Place because it suuuucks.

pink hats
pink umbrellas
rick mercer (who is really short)
name tags
group leaders
PRESIDENTS!
Second Cup
Starbucks
Bubble Teas (i dunno how to spell it)
vanilla bean milk steamers...my new love
Mcdonald's [hard to forget that experience]
chinese lanterns
st. francis day, and the nun lady who took all of twenty minutes to explain about it *sigh* that was boring
posters
tango tickets (poor man...nobody's gonna show up for his classes, tara and john!)
TTC Transfers! Can't get enough of em
self-love
green kool-aid
the guy's lucky book that he made us all touch
bowling in a manually run bowling alley...for about ten minutes
pringles every night
subway-balancing
weird food
peanut sauce {???}
napkins that look like pope hats
cousta mouta spoerta, elle belle!
stupid penny contest. At least I found one...no two! I almost tripped that old lady on the sidewalk for one and then john takes it
stealing hats
i left my wife and forty-eight children...
i write my name on the window-pane...
pigeons and tapioca balls and a group leader...not a good combination
scary murals of cowboys...i'll say no more

i can't think of anymore! everyone, tell me more things to remember cause i want to make a biiiig list.

It was all really fun! You should all go sometime.

funfunfun!

2006-10-01T19:04:00.000-05:00

So yeah, wow! What a crazy weekend! I have a lot of those, I think.

So my sister got engaged two weeks ago, and yesterday night at dinner she asked me (and rhiannon and suzanne) if we'd like to be in her wedding party. I was...uh, more than willing to accept. In other words, I was ecstatic! Yipee! It's gonna be a huge wedding party...two maids of honour and three bridesmaids, and five groomsmen on the other side. So it'll be a different experience from my oldest sister's wedding considering that this one's gonna be twice as large, guest-wise.

I have nothing else to say. This is the end of my post

no training necessary

2006-09-20T20:40:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel like I have ADD. I want to do nothing at all, but make cards and watch TV and play with my dog and frolic down the dirty and drug-infested streets of Bradford.

Ok, that was a little too far...

But has anyone else ever felt that? I mean, I have no inspiration for anything, and I want to do stuff, but I just can't! I need to go relax and watch a movie or something. Maybe I'll go do that sometime.

I'm my own peer counsellor.

...and all the "deepness" of it all...

2006-09-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

Look back.

Look ahead.

Look within.

Peace.

Did you know...?

2006-08-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

Did you know that I am done my Driver's Ed classes? Did you know that I'm SICK AND TIRED of working? Did you know that I haven't seen anyone I categorize as friends since almost two months ago? (altogether in a group I mean). Did you know that for the past two days I've watched...seven or eight episodes of I Love Lucy? Did you know that I'm going to be so very organized for the first two months of school, and then lose my agenda, and then everything will fall apart?

I do.

~evk

That last part sounds like a marriage thingamajig. But it's not. I sound superly unintelligent today.

loneliness

2006-08-15T13:45:00.000-05:00

I'm really very lonely. I just got back from camping, which was fun, don't get me wrong. But I get home and wake up at quarter to six in the morning for work...and it's dark outside and cold. Summer passed while I was on holiday. I think this happens to me every year...post-camping depression. I want to see everyone so much. I miss you all! It's so sad that I almost want to go back to school...but it's only because I want to see everyone. I'm not looking forward to two sciences, and two ILCs; Math and French at that! Ouch. Someone kick me.

missing you all,
~Elena <3
"alone....alone again..." ~Ben Folds "Prison Food"

no good title...for this

2006-08-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

thank goodness for 25 degree weather, and mexicans who come out to help weed the roses.

just plain gross!

2006-07-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

I hate weekends when I'm going home. The stupid highway is completely plugged up through the marsh...so there are cars stopped dead, and have nothing else to do but look at people like me who are innocently trying to bike home.

Arg.

So there's this car full of these guys...they must have been...19, 20...somewhere around there. They see me and start yelling "hey! Hey! HEY! LOOK AT US!" and honking their horn.

So I turn away. What girl would want to give them the satisfaction of looking at them! Ew. They keep hollering and finally i just glance at them and they say, "yeeeeahhhh she looooked at us! wooooo!" But I don't know how they knew because the road I bike home on goes beside the highway, but not like you step from the highway right onto my road i go home on. There's a little bit of a distance between them. Anyways, then the highway got started again and they were gone, thankfully.

Then a Jamaican drove past on a tractor and blew me a kiss. I waved at him. Then Suze drove past me and i put my bike in the back of her car and she took me home. The end. My rides home are pretty thrilling, except for the...biking...part.

I think I'll add some pictures onto this. Just randomness ones.

~evk<3

Sunsets and Sunstroke...two very very different things

2006-07-14T18:06:00.000-05:00

I think I got sunstroke today. I feel very... out of it. Yesterday I went to Wasaga Beach with my mom and sister, and aunt, grandma, and two cousins. It was really hot and the water was like a hot tub but not...and there was a creepy guy who watched my sister and cousins playing in the sand. So we moved. It's sad to think that there's not too much trust left in the world. But this guy was honestly scary and all the talk about kidnapping and such creeps me out. We stayed to watch the sun go down and it was absolutely amazing. I'll try to put up some pictures but if I can't I'll try to put them up on my space...if it actually works, that is! It was great to see all of you on Wednesday...I had lots and lots and lots of fun! But I only took some really random pictures. If you want to see them, I'll try and put them up, too.

It's really strange how fiesta and siesta sound so alike, but are so different. I think I need a siesta.
~evk<3<3<3<3

Irony...gotta love it

2006-07-10T15:11:00.000-05:00

So who had a huge storm today? I did...while I was at work. Hollay it was so loud and long and creepy, especially in the greenhouse. It was pouring and rain was leaking into the greenhouse and dripping all over my head. Yuck. But, while the huge storm was raging outside, guess what song was stuck in my head and wouldn't go away? "Beautiful Day" by U2. Can you see the irony? I thought it was kinda funny but I didn't laugh in the greenhouse because then my coworkers would think I was nuts.
Hope you're all having an awesome summer!

~evk<3

it is officially too hot outside

2006-07-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have it during the school year when you think about summer? I did. Swimming in a nice pool, having people over, going camping, working with flowers, nice relaxing bike rides, and just sitting in the backyard doing nothing at all. I'd have nothing to think about...just how nice everything was. But then today...for some strange reason, I started thinking about ...Christmas! This always happens to me. I'm never happy with the season I'm in...I always want something else! Sledding, skating, pond hockey, hot chocolate, fires at night in the family room, christmas trees...sometimes I drive myself crazy, honestly! Does anyone else ever get these thoughts? arggg

~evk
p.s. this post was trés random! (haha french...that was there for you tara because i made this blog cause you told me to, but we already covered that in the last post...!)

hollllay...

2006-06-29T16:24:00.000-05:00

wellll here it is! elena's blog! yay! this is a post that is so utterly pointless I think I'll end it right here. But trust me, things will get more interesting. It's just that I'm not in a mood to blog. I did, however, make this blog because Tara told me to, so it is dedicated to her! *sniff* ok end of fake emotional moment there.

~evk<3<3<3