21 on 21

So I started this thing last year where I write a post on my blog about wonderful things that happened in my life since my last birthday. Last year I turned 20 so I wrote 20 things, and this year I turned 21 so I'll write 21 things. So here it is...

21 Wonderful Things that Happened in my 21st Year of Life

1. I successfully completed my first year of university AND a session of summer school. Go me!

2. I got to be my best friend's maid of honour in her wedding last November.

3. I got to be in the bridal party when TWO of my great friends got married to each other in June.

4. I started going to a really great college & career group in the city.

5. I actually made a handful of friends this year, whether it be at school or through the wedding parties or through C&C.

6. I went to a concert with one of my closest friends in May, where we got to swooned over Dallas Green and his loveliness.

7. They introduced the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who and I have to say, from what I've seen so far, he is really good! I like him!

8. On that same note, they had the 50th anniversary special of DW and it was EPIC.

9. I got an A on the very first university exam that I wrote. (Hopefully that'll happen again this year.)

10. I became a gold member at Starbucks. (And even though she probably sees 1000+ students per day, the lady at the university Starbucks remembers my name and order.)

11. I've passed every chemistry course I've taken. (I really suck at chemistry, that's why it's wonderful.)

12. I've added 3 more penguins to my collection of stuffed penguins. (I think that makes 10.)

13. I got a Jets sweater for Christmas. Go Jets go!

14. In February, it marked 50 years since The Beatles took America by storm, so they had a great concert tribute to them on TV where the two still living Beatles (Paul and Ringo) reunited!

15. I read 25 great books! (7 of those books were the Harry Potter series.)

16. I went out and had a super fun night at The Keg and coffee at McDonald's all dressed up and fancy with a whole bunch of friends in February to celebrate three of their birthdays!

17. Jackson and April got married on Grey's Anatomy. (Yes, that's wonderful. I've been waiting for it for about 2 years.)

18. I attended my very first University of Manitoba Bisons game! (We won, of course.)

19. My older brother preached in church last November and it was fantastic!

20. I went back to volunteer at Cedarwood THREE times and I went on a retreat there TWICE. And I had incredible amounts of fun all five times I was there.

21. The Canadian women's hockey team played a stellar game for gold in the Olympics and they won in overtime! The most intense game ever. (Oh and the men's team won gold too!) We are winter.


I wonder what year 22 has in store for me!  

50 Things I'm Thankful For

In the spirit of American thanksgiving...


1. Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Lord

2. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ - even if they are frustrating at times

3. Fantastic friends and family

4. The funds to be able to go to school

5. A house to live in and food to eat every day

6. Coffee - because, yeah

7. Intelligence - even if it is not utilized at all times

8. Laughter

9. Music

10. My cats 'cause they are so darn cute (Izzie, Lennon, Ringo, Harrison, Max, and Chase) - I may be a crazy cat lady...

11. Thai food - because, yum!

12. The Beatles - even if they are only 50% alive, they are still 100% awesome

13. STARBUCKS

14. Books

15. Health, for the most part

16. Airplanes - because they take you back to homes far away

17. Jimmy Fallon - for providing a study break every night where I can spend the entire time laughing

18. Adam Young - for being awesome

19. Wealth - though being a poor university student, I am still rich in the things that matter

20. Challenging lessons

21. Freedom

22. Lactose-free milk - so I can still drink milk w/o feeling sick!

23. Funny neighbours - who clearly like Dr. Who b/c it says BAD WOLF on their car...

24. Lord of the Rings memes - for being, like, the only reason I still go on Pinterest

25. Sitcoms  

26. Puzzles

27. Twitter - which is way better than FB, I've officially "jumped on the bandwagon"

28. Cookies

29. Roommates who bake things :)

30. Extremely goofy roommates!

31. Memories

32. Weddings - even if they seem to be coming by the truckload nowadays...

33. Professors that hand out candy in class

34. French people - because they are hilarious

35. OneNote

36. Pen pals - even if I forget to write them back or vice versa

37. Summer - so I don't have to wear shoes

38. Weekends

39. Blogs, bloggers, and blogging

40. Pie

41. The fact that Jackson Avery is still on Grey's Anatomy and they haven't killed him off yet because that show kills off so many characters...

42. French toast bagels @ Timmy Horton's - I'm hooked

43. Having a super smart lab partner this term - which made lab a lot easier

44. Laptops - because handwriting my Anatomy notes this term would've been the death of me

45. JT deciding to return to the music business

46. Boston Pizza - and the fact that they deliver

47. YouTube

48. Chocolate kisses & Mini Reese's Cups - for being my motivation to read my Psych textbook

49. Drano - b/c clogged sinks are super annoying...

50. Disney movies


"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

20 on 20

20 Wonderful Things in my 20th Year of Life

1) I started university!

2) I moved... again! To civilization. No more Menno-ville or bush life, for now.

3) I got a Starbucks card... finally!

4) I figured out the city transit system... for the most part

5) My best friend got engaged, and I can't wait to stand up beside her in 4 1/2 weeks as she marries the man of her dreams.

6) I got to go visit Quebec again!

7) I chopped off a foot of my hair and donated it to Wigs for Kids in Toronto.

8) JT decided to bring sexy back again. Back to music. And it was awesome!

9) Seven of my friends got married.

10) The Hobbit - Part 1

11) I finally read the Great Gatsby

12) Dr. Jackson Avery didn't die in Grey's Anatomy! (Whew. I was scared...)

13) I started writing again

14) Arrested Development returned!

15) Babel with Mumford & Sons

16) Aaron Pritchett @ The Niverville Fair

17) I met tons of new people, and made a few good, close friends

18) I finally had a job that I looked forward to going to during the summer

19) Went to a Jets game with one of my favourite people!

20) I got to reunite with some of my favourite people at a wedding in March!

Against the Wind

When I was a kid, I used to ride my bike up and down the country road I lived on quite a bit. Growing up in Southeast Manitoba, there really wasn’t much else to do. I don’t really remember when I stopped doing this. I don’t really know why either, but at some point in almost everyone’s lives, being active becomes a chore for us. But back then, riding my bike up and down the road was just my typical after-school or Saturday activity.

I remember when I went on these rides, I absolutely loved the beginning stretch to the nearest mile road. I was riding with the wind, and everything was easy. But I dreaded turning around and going back home, because that’s the hardest part. Time to ride against the wind. The wind speed always seemed to be significantly higher than it was earlier, and I always got way too tired to bike the whole mile back. Around the 1/2 mile point, I’d start to walk my bike because walking was a lot easier than biking against the wind.

Sometimes I’d be riding my bike against the wind on the beginning stretch. I’d so be looking forward to turning around and getting to ride home with ease. But, when this happened, it seemed like the moment I turned back around to bike home, the wind direction would change again, forcing me to ride against the wind. Again. At this point, I would most likely slop myself down onto the gravel in the most dramatic way possible and proceed to entertain myself for a while by crushing the ants on the road with my fingers. Or possibly eating them. I was kind of a weird kid.

Do you ever feel like life is that way sometimes? Going with the flow is so easy. Nobody likes being different. Everyone feels uncomfortable with being different. We even feel uncomfortable with around different. (Although, lately with the current trend being “hipster”, we feel a little less uncomfortable with different. But then again, it’s not really that altogether different because it’s trendy. Does anyone else find that to be incredibly ironic?) But we still feel uncomfortable being around people that are really different.

There used to be a quote when I was around middle school age that went something like this: “A true friend walks in when everyone else walks out.” I was always really encouraged by this quote because in grades 9-11, it felt like there were a lot more people walking out of my life than walking in. But that’s not the point. The point is the person walking in in this situation was doing something the world would deem as “unpopular”, or “weird”, or “different”. Going against the grain is hard. Doing the unpopular thing is difficult. Being the one who chooses to speak for the ones who are too afraid to speak up isn’t easy. Riding a bike against the wind is tiring.

There’s a small hill in the road just south of my parent’s driveway. At the end of these biking expeditions I went on as a kid, I’d ride my bike up the hill and then ride back down, determined to turn into the driveway without using the brakes. Bad idea, I know. I think I wiped out almost every time. That’s the only time I liked riding my bike against the wind. It felt so good with the wind blowing in my face, causing my hair to blow back like a supermodel’s in front of a fan. It made the wiping out at the end of the driveway a little more bearable. The hill made going against the wind easy.

I believe that’s how it is with being a Christian. The more people I’m exposed to, the more I realize how much being a Christian is going against the grain. Being a church-going, sold-out-for-Jesus Christian isn’t as popular as I thought it was growing up. We’re hated, we’re criticized, and we’re mocked for what we believe in. Many people don’t even understand how we can believe what we do. Last week, I overheard a conversation at my job. Three of my co-workers started talking about “religious” people. One of them mentioned that she’d read through the Old Testament and just couldn’t understand why Christians could believe in a god so evil. But that’s the danger of picking the Bible apart. It needs to be confronted as a whole, not as two different parts. (Even though, I’m pretty sure that happens more than I’d like to think in Christian circles.) To my shame, I didn’t even interject anything into the conversation at all. I just went along with my work and ignored it almost completely. Talk about a slap in God’s face, huh? He handed me a great opportunity for ministry (and quite an obvious one too) and I just nonchalantly handed it back to Him saying I didn’t want it. Not something I’m proud of. Need to work on that.

Just like the hill made going against the wind easy, God makes going against the wind of society easier. Notice how I said easier instead of easy. It’s still not easy. If it was easy, I would’ve taken that opportunity mentioned above and ran with it! It’s still hard. Having God on your side doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get mocked or criticized, but it makes it a little more bearable because through it, you can be sure that the light of Jesus is shining through. Then you end up not caring as much of what other people think. God is very creative. He can use anything to speak to people. That’s something I’ve learned recently. (But that’s for another time.)

I just have to admit, these thoughts are messy (and as usual, I don’t think they’ll even make complete sense to anyone other than me). I still care way too much about what other people think of me, but I’m learning. This is what God’s been teaching me this week. And I’ve still got a lot to learn and a long way to go, but that’s okay.

Because when everyone else walks out, God walks in.





P.S. Actually, here’s a little secret: He was never out to begin with.       

What's New

Life has changed, once again. I feel like this happened a lot. I don't really mind it all that much, change is good. I finally get to attend my home church regularly again, which hasn't happened in about two years. I'm getting baptized actually. Finally, right?

I'm once again living in my parent's basement. (Although, it's only temporary. I'm moving to Winnipeg in less than three months time.) I got a job. I work at a place called Lilac Resort. It's like a waterpark/campground type thing. Anyway, I work in the concession stand. I take people's orders and make milkshakes and stuff like that. It's actually quite different than what I'm used to in a job. I'm still trying to get the hang of it and honestly, I don't think I'm doing a very good job at it. But thankfully, it's only a job for the summer.

I haven't been doing much in my spare time lately. Yesterday I went to Winnipeg to go shopping and see a movie. I'm not like other girls. When I go shopping, I don't come home with clothes most of the time. I come home with books, and sometimes movies. My favourite store to shop at is Chapters, so that tells you a little bit more about me. The movie I saw was Mud. It wasn't a great movie. It was good, but it's not anything that I would tell my friends and family about. But I now have enough Scene points for a free movie, so that's awesome.

Here's some movies I'm looking forward to seeing this year: The Great Gatsby (no, I haven't seen it yet. I wanted to read the book first, that's just who I am.), Man of Steel, Monster University, Despicable Me 2, Catching Fire (if I ever get another to actually reading the books and seeing the first movie), and, of course, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug! Honestly, the one I'm probably looking forward to the most is the second part of the Hobbit. It's just who I am. I love Tolkien. And Peter Jackson. They are both brilliant.

I'm in the process of reading the Fellowship of the Ring again. (I wanted to re-read the series.) I also just started the Great Gatsby today. I bought it yesterday when I went to the city. It's pretty good so far. I'm not a huge fan of what they call "classics", but everyone apparently needs to read them in their lifetime. So I am. (I'm a fantasy fiction and thriller mystery kind of girl.)

This was a really useless and meaningless post, kind of. But I just felt like I needed to write something today. Probably out of boredom.

The Year of Independence

Well, another year has come and gone. 2012 is out and 2013 is in. I have to admit, 2012 was a pretty great year. But 2013 is gonna be better.

Here's something pretty random about me that you probably didn't know about me: I name my years in January. I've done that for the last few years. 2010 was the year of finding God. 2011 was supposed to be the year of restoration, but it turned out to be the year of new beginnings. And 2012 was the year of restoration. I've decided to name the year of 2013 as the year of independence.

This year, I'm determined to figure out who I actually am. Many people who know me seem to think that I'm pretty comfortable with who I am and where I am in life, but the truth is... I don't have a clue. I'm 19 years old and I'm still learning things about myself. I still surprise myself with some of the things I feel. So I want to spend this year figuring out who I am. Who I am as a person, who I am as a woman, who I am as a Christian, who I am in the world. It's gonna be an interesting year...

Today, one of my friends Courtney started a "30 Things" series on her blog. Basically, it's just 30 random questions that you answer in 30 blog posts. I thought it was a really good idea because it fit into the theme of this year and because lately I've been lacking in the knowing-what-to-blog department. So I'm going to do it too! You're supposed to do it in 30 days, but I won't be posting every day for 30 days. I think I'm going to try to answer two questions per week.

So here are the questions I'll be answering in the next few months:

1. List 20 random things about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What's the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have.
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24. Describe the 3 best books you've ever read and what you like about them.
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What is your love language?
29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

Kids

I'm a woman. Society tells me that I'm supposed to be really good with kids (including the Christian society, might I add). Why am I not good with kids? Some women just have a natural mothering gene. No such gene exists in my body. It's kind of discouraging.

Just had to get this out of my system.

10,9,8,7,6... Things About Me :)

Hi hello, this is Janessa Friesen. I am embarking on an adventure to Capernwray Quebec in 9 days and I would just like to invite you to come along with me through this blog. As a little bit of a "let's get to know Janessa" thing, I came up with some lists and things to get to know me a little bit better. If there happens to be anything else you'd like to know about me that is not included on this list, please don't hesitate to ask.  Here are some random things that you may or may not have already known about me:

10 Things that I love:

- my pet cat Dorian

- my stuffed penguin family

- the smell outside after it rains

- the song Reign In Us by Starfield 

- sweet chilli sauce

- Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory TV show

- the TV show House

- the theory of evolution (I DO NOT believe in it, but the "science" behind it I find fascinating)

- my church family :)

- British people

9 Things that I hate:

- spiders

- rude drivers

- Twilight (because of the obsession around it)

- people who update their FB statuses five million times a day (ok a bit of an exaggeration… but you get the point)

- thunderstorms

- 30+ weather

- stick-thin girls who complain about how fat they are (actually pretty much every girl who complains about how fat they are )

- outrageous gas prices

- people who lie to advance in any area of their life

8 Bible verses that have impacted my life:

- Psalm 18:6

- Jeremiah 29:11-14

- Ezekiel 36:25-26

- Psalm 63:3

- Colossians 3:12-14

- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

- Philippians 4:8

- 1 Peter 3:4

7 People/Couples who I look up to in my life:

- My parents

- Kris Duerksen

- Mo & Karen Friesen

- Abby Peters

- Missy Kroeker

- Missy Bartel

- Nicole Dyck

6 People who inspire me:

- Jesus Christ

- the Apostle Peter

- Taylor Swift

- Max Lucado

- John Lennon

- Bono

5 Favourite Single Music Artists:

- Ellie Goulding

- Ingrid Michaelson

- Taylor Swift

- Colbie Caillat

- Jack Johnson

4 Favourite Musical Bands/Groups:

- Marianas Trench

- Shane & Shane

- The Band Perry

- Death Cab for Cutie

3 Favourite TV shows:

- House

- The Big Bang Theory

- The Vampire Diaries

2 Favourite Movies:

- Life as We Know It (with Josh Duhamel & Katharine Heigl)

- The Proposal (with Ryan Reynolds & Sandra Bullock)

1 Favourite Author:

- Ted Dekker