Joni's ABC's of 2016

A- Apple Juice.  Greg and I were given an over abundance of crab apples and we spent an entire evening juicing them together.  It's such a simple thing but one of my favorite memories from this year.

B- Beachbody, I decided that I would give Beachbody a go to better my health.  I signed up under an independent coach and bought the 21 day fix program, which I really enjoyed!  I've slacked off though for a while.

C- Cooking at camp!  This summer I cooked for teen camp at SBBC with Debbie, Wendy, Glenda and Micayla.  We had a really good week!  Cooking for the Hawaiian banquet was a lot of fun!  I didn't take proper shoes with me and had very swollen feet at the end of the week.

D- Dog Patch Music Festival.  I went to my first music festival, and I was even asked to have a part in it by running the children programming.  It was fun, and I would go to the festival again but I probably wouldn't do the kids stuff again.

E- Eastend, Sk.  Greg and I took a roadtrip down south over the May long weekend and spent an entire day exploring Eastend.  Worth the trip!

F- First anniversary!  Greg and I made one year of marriage!  We celebrated by spending the night in Lloyd at a hotel and eating a $50 supper at Montana's.

G- Glass walkway.  On our Jasper trip (more about that in J) Greg really wanted to go on the Skywalk so we did...it was scary!

H- Heidi and I started to spend more time together.  I've wanted to become good friends with Heidi for a while and this year was the year it finally happened!  I appreciate Heidi a lot!

I- Infertility.  We are experiencing it, and it sucks.

J- Jasper!  Greg took me to the mountains for my 32nd birthday and it was fabulous!  We went to Malign Lake, the ice fields, the hot springs, and spent the weekend exploring.

K- Kim and Bill.  I got to spend Christmas with my (half) sister and birther in law for the first time in my life!  It was such a good time!

L- Ladies retreat.  I was asked to lead worship at a HHM ladies retreat and it was such a good weekend!  I had a bit of an adventure getting there but once I did it was so refreshing.

M- Mom's surprise birthday party!  It was her 60th and we were able to pull of surprising her with a big party even though she was very suspicious of us.  Also about my mom, she fell down 8 feet of stairs a few weeks before her birthday.  One of the scariest nights of my life.

N- New friends.  I've never been very good at making friends.  I'm very socially awkward and the reality is, most of the friends I have are because they decided I was worth getting to know and forced their friendship on me (which I am so thankful for.)  This year there was a few people I wanted to be friends with so I awkwardly made myself make friends.

O- One year since Cheri passed away.  April 30th.

P- Pregnancies.  Not me, as indicated in I.  A few people close to me announced that they are expecting and it's been this weird place of joy and pain.

Q- Queen City.  Kaylyn and I went to Regina to use her free stay at the Hotel Sask.  Such luxury!  I will never again have a Sunday brunch quite like that.

R-

S- Sea-dooing.  Greg has owned a pair of sea-doos for 3 years now and never, not once, taken them out on the lake!  This summer I made him!  On the first day of summer we took one out and had a blast...until I tipped over and lost my glasses!  We took it out another 3 times after that.

T- Tiny Garden.  I found an old gun rack at my in-laws yard and converted it into a garden box, along with 5 big planters I bought at an auction sale.  I grew carrots, corn, beets, lettuce, radishes, strawberries, brussel sprouts, cucumbers, basil, lavender, rosemary, zinnias, and mint.

U-

V- Violently ill with strep throat.  Right before Christmas I came down with strep throat and it was awful!  Fever, chills, headache, nausea, and of course the glass shard throat.  Ugh.

W- Wondering and waiting about dad's illness.  This summer my dad ended up in the emergency room and then admitted to the hospital for a week.  He has been in and out of hospitals since then trying to figure out exactly what is wrong.  They are pretty sure they have things figured out now.  It's been some stressful months though.

X-

Y- Youth group has gone through some changes.  Some leadership changes, some outlay changes.  I think it's worked out but the future of the youth group is a bit unknown right now.

Z-

So I couldn't think of anything for 4 letters...R surprises me, it seems like thre should be something!  Oh well, I did pretty good :)  2016 was a good year, not without its hard times though.  Looking forward to 2017 and everything that will happen!

The Hoop In My Nose

If you ever see me wearing a hoop in my nose (as opposed to my regular stud) it probably means that I needed a confidence boost that day. Because for some reason, the hoop does that.
Some days, I need to be reminded that I am capable of more than I realize. Some days, I need to be reminded that I am loved and I have friends who care about me. Some days, I need to be reminded that hope is something that lives strong in me.
And I have no idea why but wearing a hoop in my nose does all that and more! It makes me feel like I can accomplish anything, that I am fierce and strong!
I really don't understand it, but I go with it.

Dear Cheri,

I miss you.  I am having such a hard time understanding that this is life now.  I can't imagine a world where you don't call me at least once a week.  I can't imagine a world where I don't hear about your bowling or your job at the dollar store or everything exciting that is going on in everyone's life.  I can't imagine a world where I don't get a bag full of thoughtful gifts from you at Christmas.  That's a hard world to think of and it makes me incredibly sad.

I could've been better Cheri.  I wasn't always as patient as I should have been.  I didn't come to Edmonton to see you nearly enough and sometimes I didn't answer the phone when you called.  I could've been so much better.  But I hope you know how much I loved you.  I love you so much!  I made mistakes and I am so sorry for them but my love for you was deep and sincere.  I know there came a point where I became distant and I wish I could have explained it to you but it wouldn't have been right to.  Maybe you know now because Jesus has told you.  I hope He also told you that it wasn't just you I distanced myself from and also how powerful redemption is.  I'm sure He did.

We had some good times and I am so thankful for them.  Remember that one time when we were just kids and Grandma was still alive?  We were having a sleepover at their house and were making up crazy stories in the dark, just laughing so hard!  I'm not even sure what was so funny but I hope I will always remember that night and the sound of your laughter.  Another one of my favourite memories is one time you came to visit-it couldn't have been too long ago because I lived in the Villa-and we made apple jelly together.  I'm not sure why but I expected you to know all the tricks of the trade because I sure didn't!  That turned into an adventure!  Didn't I spill apple juice all over the table?  I'm pretty sure I did and you just got a cloth right away and cleaned up my mess.

I will always hold dear our last memory.  I am so glad I got to see you last weekend!  I am so thankful that God gave us one last sleepover.  I am so glad we went for breakfast and went mini golfing (don't worry, you didn't lose by too much!) and walked around the mall and that I got to go to your bowling, I will treasure those moments in my heart.  I wish I had taken a picture with you that weekend-I thought about it numerous times and I have no clue why I didn't.

You had a heart of gold Cheri, you taught me so much about unconditional love.  You taught me to try and always think of others when I'm out doing something for myself, I'm pretty sure that every shopping trip you went on produced a gift for someone in your life and you were always so willing (and raring!) to help others with anything and everything.

You taught me a lot about joy.  That smile of yours seemed like it was always present.  I know you had sad moments in life but you were always able to bounce back from them and continue smiling- which is the real definition of joy I think.

You taught me what it looks like to be accepting and to include everyone.  You were able to meet some of my friends over the years and you always just instantly accepted them as your friends too-asking how they were doing and making sure you could visit them when you were up in the area.  You always wanted to make sure everyone was included in everything and I hope I have learned well from you in that.

You taught me about faith.  I know you loved the Lord and you trusted in Him fully.  There were many times when we were growing up that you couldn't contain your love for God.  Thank you for being a good example to me in that.

Like I said, I miss you.  I will always miss you as long as I am on this earth.  Family gatherings will never be the same, we will notice your absence.  I'm so sad that you had to go now, it seems too soon.  But I know you are up in Heaven laughing, having a good time and just so happy.  I will look forward to Heaven that much more because, like I told Jamie the other day, when it's my turn to enter into glory you'll probably be pushing Jesus out of the way saying, "Hey hey!!  Me first!  I have to give my cousin a hug!"

I love you.

Love,
Joni

                                                                       Cheri Wiebe
                                                         March 7, 1983 - April 30, 2015

Instant Noodles and Life Lessons

The other night I went to bed hungry.  This didn't happen because I don't have food in my house, I have a full fridge at the moment and a decently stocked pantry.  I also didn't do this on purpose to gain an experience or learn a lesson or anything like that.  The reason I went to bed hungry is because I was reading a book I just got from the library and I was so into it that I didn't take the time to eat.  When I thought about eating it was already so late that I figured I might as well just go to bed and it wouldn't really make a difference.

Apparently my stomach disagreed.

I could not sleep!  My stomach made me well aware of the fact that I had not eaten that night.  Growling, rumbling, and that "hollow" feeling you sometimes get from hunger.  I told myself to ignore it, I have plenty of stored up fats for my body to glean from for one night!  However, I just could not get to sleep because of the hunger.

2:30am found me in the kitchen, slurping up discount brand Raman noodles, wishing I had whole milk instead of 1% and thinking.  Thinking about the people who go to sleep consistently with a growling belly, nothing inside giving them needed nutrients and strength and no instant pasta to make when they can't take it any longer.  What causes them to finally be able to sleep with the constant hollow feeling gnawing away in the pit of their stomach?  How do they ignore the cries for food happening within their own body?  What gives them hope?

I knew I was fine, yeah I was hungry and uncomfortable and also slightly annoyed that I was still awake at 3am on a work night but I had the security and hope of my full fridge and my pantry supply.  How do you go to sleep at night hungry and knowing tomorrow you might go to sleep in the same state?

Now the question is, so what?  What do I do with all these thoughts that came to me as I sat at the kitchen table.  I am well aware that people everyday die from starvation.  I am well aware that people in my own community sometimes have to make the choice between rent or groceries.  So what do I do with all this?  Do I continue on the way I've been living.  I haven't ignored the issue.  Or is there something more I can be doing?

Single Girl Cooking: Chicken Bread

I am a single (as in unmarried) girl who lives alone (don't feel sad, I enjoy living alone) and I love to cook!  I don't always love to cook for just one person though, it's a learning process.  Thus beings a new segment in my blog:  Single Girl Cooking.  You can expect poor quality pictures, 50% off ingredients, lots of cheese, vague directions, and hopefully delicious recipes!

Chicken Bread
Ingredients:
Garlic Bread
Chicken (either cut up chicken breasts, cooked and shredded chicken...whatever)
Veggies of your choice
Cheese
This is really a "do whatever you want" type of recipe.  I use meat from either a whole chicken or turkey that I've cooked, taken apart and frozen for multiple use.  My veggies of choice for this are usually red peppers and mushrooms.  You can use whatever you love most!

 

 Take your veggies and fry them bad boys up until tender

 



 I like to add in my chicken for a few minutes, even though it's almost always pre cooked before hand, I just like to crisp it up (if you are starting with raw chicken cook it in it's own pan until done)

 

 Now take your garlic bread and put it on a baking sheet, I suggest spreading the garlic butter aaaaall over, leave no corner unbuttered!

 

 Pile up your chicken and veggies onto the bread

 

 Add some delicious cheese, don't be stingy!  Cheese is magical.

 

Put it in a 350 degree oven for as long as it takes to brown the cheese and crisp the bread (Maybe 20 minutes?)

 



Delicious!  Kind of open faced sandwich meets pizza type hybrid.  And makes more than one meal as well, which is important to me because cooking everyday is overrated yo!

The Promise of Spring

The other day I went and I laid outside on a trampoline.  The sky was blue, I could hear birds singing, the air was fresh and the sun was shining.

But let's face reality for a minute.  I was wearing sweat pants, mukluks, a hoodie, a winter jacket and a toque.  There was still snow on the ground and the trees hold no leaves yet.  It was cold!

But I stayed out there and I looked up at the blue sky and I knew that the promise of spring was in the air!  I could smell it in the breeze and I could feel it in the sunshine on my face.  The snow is melting slowly and underneath it new life is waiting to break through the soil.

It's been a long cold winter.  Both literally and metaphorically.  But spring is coming and I am so thankful!

An Open Letter to my Friends who are Married and/or Have Children

Dear Friends,

                Let me just bring some attention to the white elephant that apparently is in the room.  I am single.  I also do not have any kids.  There, I said it out loud!  It’s out there, there is no avoiding it.  So let’s talk about this a little.

                 I’m still your friend.

                Yes, I may not have the same schedule as you do.  I don’t have to factor in a spouse and children every time I make plans, but I am ok with the fact that you do!  I understand that it takes more time to get out the door when you have to make sure everyone has gone potty.  I get that if I’m making plans with you I am also probably making plans with your husband.  I.  Don’t.  Mind.

                What I don’t understand is why I am constantly hearing about all these funs things you’ve done that I haven’t been invited to.  That’s right, I hear about when you all make plans and get together.  And you need to know that it hurts my feelings.  I’m still your friend.  Just because I don’t have a husband or children doesn’t mean I don’t want to be included in the fun with the people who do.  In fact, it means that I really would like to be included!  Sometimes I even need to be included, that’s just the honest truth.  Not all the time, but sometimes.

                I don’t always know when it’s a good time to stop over,  give you a call or invite you for coffee because I understand that you have children with a specific schedule or that it’s hard to find quality time with your spouse.  If it’s not a good time please just be honest with me about that, but also please tell me when a good time is!  I really am willing to work with the circumstances of your life.

               Once again, please, please, please!  When you get together with other families (who are also my friends) invite me as well!  Nothing hurts worse than reading a facebook status about an awesome day you’ve had with all the people I love.

I’m still your friend, singleness and childlessness doesn’t need to change that.

Love,
Joni