Day 13 - Commute

Day 13 - Your Commute to and from Work/School, etc.

Well, I don't go to school and I don't work outside of the home, so this one's pretty boring.  So, let's give a bit of history.....

After I graduated, I went to university downtown and lived in a tiny basement suite of a couple from our church.  I took the city bus or walked to school and to the restaurant I worked part time at.

When we got married and I was working, I continued to take the bus to work as long as we lived in the city - so for 2 years.

When we built our first house in our small town, I started car pooling to work with a few fellow employees.  Had a few interesting driving experiences with one particularly crazy driver.  The two of us in the backseat joked that car pooling with Brad was good for our prayer lives.

After having kids I went on maternity leave and then stayed home with them.  I currently do volunteer work at church and school (drive the van), as well as do the bookkeeping for Nathan's home building company.

We live close enough to the elementary school that our youngest 3 walk to school, and we live just far enough away from the high school for our oldest to take the bus.

Day 12 - Laugh

Day 12 - Two Words/Phrases that Make You Laugh

"Is it you or is it me?"  This is a total inside joke but there was something hilarious that happened at a funeral (I know!) and that phrase came up.  Now, every time we say that phrase, we're reminded of the "incident" and start laughing all over again.

I love to laugh, and it's pretty infectious, so there's a lot of things that make me laugh.  It's good for the soul!

Day 11 - Current Relationship

Day 11 - Your Current Relationship

I have been married for Nathan for almost 20 years.  We met when I was 17 and halfway through Grade 12.  We married the summer after I turned 19 and he was 20.  Which means we've got some big birthdays coming up that I'd like to ignore :)

Nathan is an amazing husband and father, and I could not have chosen more wisely!  He is a servant leader, always looking for ways to make my days easier or better.  He is a good provider, a hard worker, and has a great sense of humour.  He's definitely a man's man who enjoys sports, etc, but he is also a great communicator.  Does he have faults?  Of course he does.  So do I.  We're all human after all. Though he is not perfect, he's perfect for me.  And we're both determined to give 100% which is the only way for a marriage to work, and to keep Jesus at the centre of our relationship and home.

I'd marry him again in a heartbeat.

Day 10 - fruit

Day 10 - A Fruit you Dislike and Why

I love fruit!  Vegetables on the other hand....

My favourites are strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, grapes, bananas, pears, kiwi, mandarin oranges, the list goes on!

Fruit I dislike - unripe bananas.

And tomatoes, if they're considered a fruit.

Day 9 - Ageism

Day 9 - Your Feelings on Ageism

As a Christian, I believe that every human life has value - not because of what we can do (either for ourselves or for others), but for who we are - people created in the image of God to glorify and enjoy Him.  Our value comes from who He is, and really has nothing to do with us personally.

From the moment of conception to the moment of our final breath (as determined by God not man), we are valuable and should be treated as such.

With all that aside, elderly people have much to offer us. We can gain much wisdom from taking the time to learn about their life experiences.  The Bible speaks to this as well....

Proverbs 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.

All in all, it's quite simple really.

Love God.  Love each other.  At every age.

Day 8 - Books

Day 8 - A Book I loved and One I Didn't

Surprisingly, this is a tough one for me.  Mainly because I read so many books that the titles/authors all tend to blend together somewhat, and it's not very often one jumps out as being way better than another, or, for that matter, way worse.

The Bible is the easy, Sunday School answer, and it is true.  But for just "regular" books....

One of my favourites is Angie Smith's I Will Carry You.  It's a heartbreaking and inspiring true story - if you read it, have kleenex at hand.

About the book: In 2008, Angie Smith and her husband Todd (lead singer of the group Selah) learned through ultrasound that their fourth daughter had conditions making her "incompatible with life." Advised to terminate the pregnancy, the Smiths chose instead to carry this child and allow room for a miracle. That miracle came the day they met Audrey Caroline and got the chance to love her for the precious two-and-a-half hours she lived on earth.

As far as least favourite, I would say that it's books that are theologically inaccurate.  Two that I have read would be Heaven is for Real, and A More Christlike God.  For an interesting read, check out this article - "Christian" Books Every Christian would be Better Off NOT Reading

Day 7 - Tattoos

Day 7 - Tattoos

Well, this is going be pretty short and boring.  I don't have any tattoos and I don't think I'll ever get any.  The only ones I've seen on other people that I'd consider getting are Olympic rings or a name in memory of a child that died.  The former will never happen, and hopefully the latter won't either.  So, I'll probably be tattoo-less for life.

30 Day Writing Challenge - Day 6 - Someone Who Fascinates You and Why

Day 6 - Someone Who Fascinates You and Why

This may be the "Sunday School answer" but it's also true - Jesus.  There will likely be no limit to the questions I'll ask Him when I get the chance!  The why is pretty obvious - there's no one more fascinating than God.

And if I have to pick a regular person, instead of God, it would depend on if that person was supposed to be alive or dead.

Dead - it would probably be someone from the Bible - Joseph, Paul, David, Solomon, Elijah, the list could probably go on and on!

Alive - maybe Joni Eareckson Tada.  If you don't know her.... a diving accident as a teenager left her a quadriplegic. Currently 66 yrs old, she has become an internationally known speaker, vocalist, radio host, author, and an advocate for disabled person.  The why seems pretty self-explanatory.

30 Day Writing Challenge - Day 5 - A place you would live but have never visited

Day 5 - a place you would live but have never visited

My husband wouldn't want to live anywhere else - basically because of the Jets.  And family.  But mainly the Jets. :)

I would be hesitant to move anywhere else because of family.  Although, every winter I could probably be persuaded to move - ha ha!

If it wasn't for that there are many places I would live.  Of course, I'd have to learn more about them to be able to tell if I'd actually want to live there, but a few that come to mind are Australia, England, and Switzerland.  In Canada, I'd say somewhere in Alberta or BC (mountains!) or PEI.

30 Day Writing Challenge - Day 4 - 10 Interesting Facts About Yourself

Day 4 - 10  Interesting Facts About Yourself

I'm not sure if they're necessarily all that interesting, but here's 10 facts about me....

1) I have had 3 last names.  I was born with the last name Dueck.  After my dad's death and my mom's remarriage to my new Dad, I became a Friesen.  And then when I married, I became a Reimer. Mennonite all the way around!  (We've also got Rempel, Thiessen, and Koop in our blood)

2) I've been blessed to be loved by two dads and my heavenly Father, and a husband that is an amazing dad to our 4 kids.

3) Nathan and I have built and moved into 6 new houses in the past 17 years.  The longest we ever lived in one house was 4 1/2 years.  The shortest was 8 months.

4) I've been pregnant 6 times.

5) Nathan and I have been on 8 cruises and are planning our 9th.  The best part is that they've all been free.

6) I switched schools several times in my early elementary education, and then stayed put the rest of the time.  Preschool was in Calgary, Kindergarten in Winnipeg, Grade 1 in St. Adolphe, and Grade 2-12 in Niverville.

7) I went to U of W for one year in the Faculty of Education (it was the last year Education was a 4 yr degree).  I was planning to become a high school math teacher.  I no longer have a desire to teach high school math. :)

8) I am currently learning how to play hockey for the first time in my life!  I started this past spring with a 12 week session, and am continuing once a week now from October through March. I never took skating lessons, or played hockey or ringette as a kid, so this is a new and fun experience for me!  I'm not sure if the kids think it's more hilarious or awesome.

9) I have a weakness for chips.  And freshly baked cookies.  And cinnamon buns.  And chocolate.  But not ice cream.  Unless it's a Rolo revel.

10) I have exercised between 4 - 6 days a week for the past 17 years, including right up until delivery with all 4 babies (I took a bit of time off when I was really sick during pregnancy).  I've done everything from the TSN Caribbean workout, to Slim in 6, to Insanity, to training for a 10K, to P90X3, to Insanity Max 30, to various Jillian Michaels DVDs, to PiYo, to Body Beast, to the Venus Index, to Chalean Extreme, to 21 Day Fix Extreme, to T25.  There's a couple more oldies I did way back when that I can't remember.  Ooh - I just googled it - I also did Buns of Steel, Tae Bo, and Body Moves.