Thursday, December 31, 2009

Goodbye 2009 --- Hello 2010!

2009 was a good year, full of good stuff.

- Youth Retreat
- Guardian Angel Kick-Off Event (Variety Night)
- I got a sister-in-law
- Mexico Missions Trip
- Jazz Trip to Kelowna
- Final concerts
- Graduation
- Hair cut
- Relay For Life
- Nanoose Bay Pre-Teen Camp
- Nanoose Bay Teen Camp
- 18th Birthday
- Shuswap Lake family trip
- Got my eyebrow pierced
- Starting college
- Dyed my hair for the first time
- Consumed 09 - [K]NOW
- Passing my first semester of college
- Having the whole family home for Christmas
- New friends
- New memories

I went through a lot of changes this year. Not just physically, but personally as well. I learned who my real friends are. I experienced things I never thought I would. I made mistakes. I made triumphs. And I learned even more to trust God with everything I have and to just give full control to Him.

2010 will be a good year:

- Adam and Randy leading Thrive
- Olympics (I don't really have an opinion on this, but I guess it's good)
- Youth Retreat
- Variety Night 2010
- Mexico Missions Trip
- Finishing college and earning my Certificate in Social Services
- Nanoose Bay Camp (Pre-Teen and Teen)
- 19th Birthday
- Moving to Victoria
- Working full time, hopefully in a Woman's Shelter
- Starting to pay back my student loan
- More piercings?
- Tattoo
- New friends
- New memories
- And who knows what else?!

I'm excited for what next year will bring. I'm hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. You never know when life is gonna throw you a curve ball, so I just gotta be ready. And I am ready. I'm ready to grow up more. I'm ready to do more. I'm ready for what Life has for me. And I'm stoked.

And I hope the same for everyone else. I hope that you're also stoked for what 2010 is bringing. It's gonna be good!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Farewell For Now - Jason & Kelsey

When I think of Kelsey, I think:

Encouraging
Beautiful
Hilarious
Stylish
Easy to talk to
Role model
Talented
Amazing singer
Great hugs
Inspiring
Unbelievable
Woman of God


When I think of Jason, I think:

Brother
Leader
Encouraging
Hilarious
Talented
Great hugs
Role model
Constant
Handsome
Amazing
Trust
Man of God


Kels & Jay,

You two have done more in my life than you will ever know.

Jay, I've known you for 10 years and you have always been there for me. Whenever I needed someone to talk to or just hang out with, you were always there. I know that I can come to you with anything and you won't judge me. From my parents divorce to losing friends to making mistakes, you've been there to help me through it all. You've been my Leader and Youth Pastor, but you've also been more than that. You've been my brother and my friend and I love you so much for that!

Kels, I've known you for almost 7 years and WOW has it been good! From camp to Mexico to Youth nights to just hanging out, its all been great! I've always been able to come to you for advice, whether it be about God, boys, fashion, or life. You've never judged me and I thank you for that. You have truly been a huge inspiration to me to not let anything get you down and to just keep going.

Both of you have been life changers for me. I'm just so awed by both of your hearts for people and God. You have encouraged me to be more and do more. You've always supported me in everything I do, such as Guardian Angel.

I'm so proud of you for listening to God and giving Him your YES. That takes a lot of courage and faith, which both of you have! It's going to be different without you here, for you and for us. But thats ok. God knows what He's doing.

I just pray guidance and courage over both of you. I pray that you will continue to trust in God and know that He will never leave you nor forsake you. I know both of you are ready for this and with God's help, you guys are gonna do amazing things on the mainland.

And maybe you'll be called back here to Courtenay or somewhere else on the island. Maybe not. Only God knows that and He will let you know.
So just have faith and courage and be excited! I know you are and that's great! I'm excited for you! God has been using you here and even though you'll be gone, your presence will still be here. You're still family and you're still a part of Thrive Youth Church, and you always will be.

This isn't Goodbye..this is just "See ya later"

No matter what happens in life, you two will always be in my mind, prayers, and heart.

I love you both so much and I will miss you!

God Bless and good luck!

Forever and Always,
Sam :) <3



Philippians 4:4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."


Psalm 32:8-10

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you."

Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you.

Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD's unfailing love
surrounds the man who trusts in him."




Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Rejoining the Blogging world!

Ok..so I'm gonna do a quick update since my last real post.

I guess I'll start with Grad.

It was AMAZING! My date and minuet partner was my good friend Percy.
It was a beautiful day! The ceremony was at the Filberg and everything went perfect. It was a sad but happy day.
After Grad was also amazing..so much fun! Full of dancing, laughing, picture taking, and just hanging out with friends.
"The girls are great, the boys are fine, we're the class of 2009"

Relay For Life! WOW!! I entered a team for Guardian Angel with a group of my friends and some family members. We walked from 7pm to 7am and had a ton of fun. It was cold but we found ways to keep warm...lots of blankets! In totaly, we raised about $2000 with Guardian Angel and won Best Youth Team, which was AWESOME!!

SUMMER! Ok...I'll try and keep this short.

Camp was awesome! It's a Christian Sports camp..two of my favourite things!
Pre-Teen: I was Head Coach this year of my team, The Blues! We called ourselves the Blue Bombers. My assistant coaches, Luke and Chelsea, and our whole team (about 15 kids) were so much fun to play with. We came in third place, which is great! We got lots of extra points for team spirit and sportsmanship.
Teen: Ooh Ah Da Bears! I love my team. I've been part of Da Bears for five years and they're like my family. We're the most loved team at camp because of our personality and how much fun we have. Unfortunately we came in last place this year, but that didn't stop us from cheering. AND I won the Sportsmanship Award for my team for the second year in a row! My birthday was the last day of camp and my team gave me a card and the whole camp sung me Happy Birthday. Nothing like having 400+ people singing Happy Birthday horribly out of tune. I could really feel the love!

My 18th birthday party was a lot of fun. Went to the river and then had a bunch of people over for a BBQ.

My parents, my sisters, the dogs, and I all jumped in our Motor Home and drove to Shuswap Lake and back for a family get-together. My sister-in-law, Jen, has some family who own a cabin by the lake so we stayed there for a few days. It was a lot of fun!


The rest of my summer was just full of hanging out with friends and making the most of the time I had left with some people.

School started in September. Woot for being a college student! I'm taking the Human Service Worker Certificate (1 year) in the Social Services Stream. I love my class. The people in it are amazing. I'm the youngest in my class and the next youngest is 25. The oldest is 63. I love it!
There has definitely been times where the work load has been tough. And there have been classes and discussions that were hard to get through. My class is all very emotional..we even have our own tissue box for our classroom!
I just finished my first semester yesterday when I wrote my English final. It's nice to have a couple weeks off now!

I'm stoked for Christmas! My brother and sister-in-law come home tomorrow for the holidays and I'm really excited to see them. We're gonna have a full house this Christmas! Pretty sure I have to give up my bed tho...hmmm...

My mom had surgery last week...got all her baby making parts taken out and had to get her pelvis realigned cause it was hitting her backbone. She's been home for a few days now and is doing really well. She's off work for about 6 weeks.

Well I think thats about it for now. My hands are getting tired! But at least I FINALLY managed to get an update! And hopefully I'll be more consistant with my blogging from now on!

Later Gators! And if I don't get on before friday, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON AND MIK!! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! HOPE YOUR DAY WAS AMAZING! <3 <3