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Title: YMO Outline and Calendar Paper Toys
Date: July 18, 2007
As you probably already know, the
new YMO Outline and Calendar brochure is out. With the new
brochures out, it means that last year's are done. But what
can you do with that 2006 brochure? Have you thrown it in the
recycling bin? If not, here is a list of ideas:
1. Toss it into the paper
recycling bin.
2. File it away with the
rest of your youth ministry "stuff". Or, as a lot of
YMs I know, put/leave it in your car trunk where the rest of
your youth
ministry stuff is.
3. Keep it for posterity sake
because your image is probably somewhere
amongst the pages.
4. Keep it in case you want to
use it as a reference for the layout design of
your ministry promotional tool.
5. Get out the glue and
scissors and start making fun paper crafts!
I
have recently become intrigued with making paper toys. When we
received our brand new brochures for '07-'08, there were still a few
2006 copies in the cabinet. So, I began thinking...Other than
putting them into the recycle bin, there's got to be something else
we can do with the colourful glossy paper. And so I created:
Send me
a picture of something you create from your 2006 brochure and I'll
post the picture here in my blog!
Title: A Frog, Some Seeds and Faith
Date: June 5, 2007
 Last
week, I got a fun gift from my daughter. It’s not a Chia Pet, but
something similar. It’s an egg shaped frog that grows grass from
it’s head.
It comes with grass
seeds (rye grass, for all you grass enthusiasts!) and a “growing
medium”. All you have to do is water it and keep it in good light.
So, of course, the first day, I watered it, put it next to the
window, on top of my gigantic 400lb computer monitor and waited.
Nothing happened.
Well, Duh! Grass
doesn’t grow over night!
I’m totally excited
about this little project I’ve got going!
So here’s a summary
of what transpired last week (not including all the work I usually
do in the office… really, I did do some work! Ha-ha!)
·
Day
2, Tuesday: The next day, I looked at it and it was a bit dry. I
checked the simple instructions that came with my new project and it
said to make sure the seeds keep moist. So, again, I gently watered
it (being careful not to over water).
·
Day
3, Wednesday: Nothing was happening, so more droplets of water were
added.
·
Day
4, Thursday: Still nothing was happening & I was starting to get a
little worried. Did I over water? Did I let it get dry back on Day
2? What’s that brownish colour that’s developing?
·
Day
5, Friday: My Froggy was still “bald”, no grass in sight. I
faithfully watered it again to ensure moisture and then something
happened in the afternoon. I checked to make sure it was moist and
was concerned that I won’t be able to keep it moist throughout the
week-end. I thought to myself, “What if it’s a stifling hot
week-end and it gets too warm and completely dries up? It may die!
(Unless it’s dead already, in which case the heat wouldn’t make a
difference.)” So I added a little more water (taking a chance that
I might over water <gasp!>) and while doing so, I noticed a little
tiny sprout. Or at least, at the time I thought it was a sprout.
It was very pale green and about the size of the tip of a .5mm
pencil lead.
 When
I came in on Monday morning, the first thing I checked was
the frog. I was delighted to see some progress!
Surprisingly, there was a LOT of grass! Yippee! The tallest blade
of grass is about 5cm high and now my frog has hair. It’s so fun!
So now, I can cultivate the grass.
While taking a
moment to admire the grass, I was thinking… this is kind of like my
faith life. Occasionally, God presents us with new projects or
directions in life. Sometimes the results are instant and sometimes
it takes some work, patience and prayer. But in both cases, it
takes faith in our Lord that he will guide us in the right
direction. It’s all part of God’s plan. Now, the challenge is
keeping the faith alive and being diligent. Yes, the “grass” will
grow where there’s faith and self discipline. With that and God’s
love, all things are possible
(2Timothy 1:3-8).
And for that, I am thankful. Furthermore, we are called (in the
words of Mike Patin) to be Faith Horticulturists. Not only do we
nurture our personal faith, but it is our mission as Catholics to go
out and nurture the faith in others. “We are called to be
INTENTIONAL incubators” (See Mike’s blog
here) I love it
when my daughter cultivates my faith! (Even though she doesn’t even
realize it yet.)
Update:
June 7 (9:13am) Grass is now 8cm tall and very thick.
June 15 (1:11pm) I mowed the lawn today. The grass was about
10cm tall and I cut it down to 6cm. It's so lush... I wonder
what this grass would be like if it were an entire soccer field.
June 21 (2:35pm) The grass is a little bit dry today...
don't worry, I've watered it! But now Froggy looks like he has
a bad perm.
July 18 (10:10am) Froggy's not liking the hot weather and is
showing some signs of heat exhaustion. Still happy though!
Title: The Alley (Vol. I,
Chapter 1)
Date: May 11, 2007
It hasn’t been too exciting in the
Alley. It’s still very noisy due to all the construction going on,
the occasional car alarm going off (hopefully those are all false
alarms) and of course people yelling back and forth at each other
(both friendly greetings and not so friendly greetings).
Today, however, I saw something a
little out of the ordinary. I had a “Forrest Gump” moment: I
witnessed a feather floating by the window. <cue Forrest Gump Theme
Song> Against the red brick wall of the neighbouring building, that
white feather really caught my eye. Judging from the size of the
feather, it must’ve been from a Seagull. Or maybe it was a feather
from the Holy Spirit? I’m going to go with the latter.
Amidst all the craziness that is
our office around event time, I think God is reminding me that He is
always present. Funny how calming, yet exciting a feather, gently
floating to the earth, can be.
Title: The Alley (Vol. I, Prologue)
Date: March 22, 2007
I know. You’re
thinking: “I can’t believe it! Someone (other than Clay, who is
very good at posting blogs) is blogging!” I thought, before it gets
really busy again, I should write SOMETHING!
I remember when I
was in elementary school and high school, we learned about creative
writing and sometimes the teacher would leave the topic completely
open for students to choose their own. We even had special times
during the week where we would write for 10 minutes, non-stop, not
worrying about spelling or grammar. We could just write whatever
came to mind. I can’t remember right now what this process was
called. If you know, you can e-mail me and tell me. When I
remember, I’ll let you know.
Anyway, as some of
you might know, my desk is right beside a window, and out that
window, my view is somewhat limited. There’s an alley and then a 5
story brick building. The windows of that building are not exactly
inline vertically with my window but enough so that I can see
inside. Of course, I get to hear and see all that goes on in the
alley below. I even get to see (with a bit of effort) what is going
on Cambie Street. So what’s my point? Good question.
I want to do more
creative things and writing is one of them. I want to start a
series of blogs about “The Alley” outside the Youth Ministry
Office. Ideally, I will write non-stop, for 10 minutes a week using
that “technique” I described above. OH! I remember now! It was
called “Free-Writing”!! Yay! That was going to bug me the rest of
today if I didn’t remember! Whew! Now if only I can get “Be Lifted
High” out of my head… catchy tune, that one, eh?
Alright… stay tuned
for more from “The Alley”!
Title:
YouthLeader ’06: From behind the kitchen counter (again!)
Date: August 14-18, 2006
We’re back again
from Trip #2 to Latona Beach. YouthLeader was a resounding
success! In the kitchen, it was great too! Here’s a taste (ha-ha,
get it?) of what happened from behind the kitchen counter:
YL06
Day 1:
QotD (Quote of the Day): “I’m full of nuts” – Derek
Stanyer
I got into the kitchen thinking, “I’m ready for the Latona Kitchen
which is usually ‘nuts’”. But to my surprise, things were
completely relaxed, in control and lunch was already underway. I
quickly met the rest of the kitchen people, put on my apron and of
course, washed my hands.
It was an easy day
today, of course we’re feeding 40 less people than at Searching in
the Spirit and there is one extra person helping out. Fr. Mark
arrives tomorrow which means the “circular conversations” start
tomorrow. I can’t wait… but then I can’t wait ‘til Christmas
either.
Good news, my heals
don’t hurt and I don’t reek of garlic or bleach… yet.
YL06 Day 2:
QotD: “I wasn’t thinking” – Fr. Mark Hagemoen
It was pretty easy
again today. By “easy” I mean we weren’t on our feet working for 16
hours straight. It’s amazing how tiring it can be doing less work.
You know when you get a rush from working hard and time really
flies? Well, it doesn’t seem that’s necessarily happening here. I
find there’s more time to think about the hard work. I’m more
sleepy… lazy? No, not lazy (don’t let the “Slacker” name tag fool
you!) The work is spread out among more people and there’s less
work to do this time. At SiS, we were working constantly throughout
the 16 hours without break time. The kitchen staff then was great
and worked hard, but this time it seems different. I’m going to say
it’s because there’s one extra body in the kitchen (no, I’m not
talking about that roast beef thawing in the cooler!) and less
people to feed. We are blessed with awesome volunteers again this
round too. Funny, hard working, creative, tolerant.
YL06 Day 3:
QotD: “I am cow, on your plate. Boy I bet you I taste
great!” – from song the kitchen staff sang before dinner
It’s only
Wednesday, middle of the week, 2 days down, 2 days to go (not
including today). The weather up here has been really great. I
can’t believe how nice it’s been. Every once in a while I get to go
beyond the kitchen counter and enjoy the great outdoors. I think
I’m pretty lucky… the mosquitos around here don’t seem to like me.
I’ve seen a lot of bites the last couple of days but wow, you
should’ve seen some of the wasp stings that came back after “the
Hike” with Fr. Mark! Afterbite is a great thing to
have. Aaaahhh.
Tonight’s dinner
was yummy with a capital Y! We had: (imagine the kitchen staff
breaking into song here)
I am cow, on your
plate
Boy, I bet you I taste great
All snuggled with the carrots and the spuds
In the gravy we are swimming
This is only the beginning
We’ll be soup, we’ll be soup
In the morning!
I really
enjoy the community time the kitchen staff gets to share at the end
of meal service. We all try to get out of the kitchen, sit down at
a table and share the meal we prepared. The conversations are
animated and entertaining. You really get to know the people you’re
working with. Of course, when you’re doing the mundane job of
prepping veggies, there’s plenty of time for “getting to know you”.
YL06 Day 4:
QotD: “Invite me to Gmail!”, “Invite me to Gmail!”,
“Me too!” – Derek Stanyer, Jessica Tennant, Faye McCreedy (Lilia and
Sheena were already with Gmail)
Another really busy
day, but there was opportunity for lots of rest in between hard
work. Even the major end-of-the-week clean up went really well.
Father Mark made his famous wussy/kickin’ Caesar salad for dinner
tonight. Yup, you guessed it: that pong of garlic is coming from
my hands. With all the bleach, cleaner and hand washing that I do,
I still can’t get rid of that garlic on my hands. It’ll be gone in
about a week, but still…who likes that lingering garlic smell?
No sleep tonight.
Paul Romein gave us all a tour of “Gmail” and all its glory.
Imagine this: Derek, Jessica, and I are all online chatting with
each other while sitting right next to each other in the mess hall.
Hmmm… over-tired? Perhaps. New “toy” syndrome? Perhaps. Weird?
Definitely. It’s almost like Clay and I in the office when we send
e-mail messages back and forth. The only difference is that in the
office, the messages we send back and forth have purpose.
There’s no TV up
here but we have the next best thing. Paul’s been sharing his video
creations with us and he has some really amazing stuff. By the way,
Paul is the camera guy that takes footage at a lot of big Youth Min
events and does the promo videos for Spirit Day, Youth Day and
Summer training. The YouthLeader 2006 Highlight Video is on sale
now! (Shameless plug!)
Tomorrow we go
home. I miss my family.
YL06
Day 5:
QotD: “Your face is going home!”
That’s it. We’re home from Latona and what a great week it was!
Things ran really smoothly today with lunch being ready about an
hour and a half early, packing up everything, the last minute
cleanup/sanitization in the kitchen, loading the boats (about 1 hour
early), and getting to Horseshoe Bay on time to meet up with our
families.
I think I’m going
to miss all the banter back and forth, the laughter, the peeling of
carrots (okay, maybe not the peeling of carrots), the crazy music
and the community building in the kitchen. If there’s one thing
I’ve learned this summer, it’s that hard work with great people
around you is a wonderful thing. Oh, and the other thing I learned
is that garlic has a life of it’s own and it continues to give in
ways you don’t always expect… even after you think it’s “gone”.
Title: SiS06: From behind the Kitchen Counter
Date: July 10-14, 2006
Note:
This is posted in anticipation of another week at Latona! I’ll post
another blog when we get back from YouthLeader. But for now, enjoy
reading what happened last time I was there!
I’m back home and
in the office again. Wow, what a week at Latona Beach! I took a few
moments to write down my thoughts everyday. Keep in mind I did a
lot of this writing after very long days in the kitchen. It was a
whirlwind week so please keep your hands and feet in the vehicle at
all times and no flash photography. Thank you… here we go!
SIS06
Day 1 – Monday a.k.a. “Welcome to the Jungle”
I got up pretty early this morning, packed some extra stuff, woke up
my husband, dressed the kids and we all piled into our van. We were
off to Horseshoe bay and my excitement escalated the closer we got
to the dock. Or maybe it was that morning Starbuck’s coffee (Grande
Caramel Macchiato, extra sweet of course!) that woke me up.
Although I was excited, I knew I was embarking on a very busy week.
I don’t have a lot of food service experience but I do have my
FoodSafe Level I certificate. I’m sure I’ll be applying FoodSafe
practices all week.
It was easy getting
everyone on the boats and to camp. Nice ride to Latona beach; I
stood outside on the boat deck with the wind in my hair and the sun
on my face. This was the serenity before the storm that is the
Kitchen. Last time I was at Latona was for SIS04 (Yeah Pink Jello!)
and that certainly was a different experience from what I’m doing
this year.
When we arrived, it
was straight to the kitchen for me! First thing I did (and
something I did a lot of) was wash my hands. Not too sure if I
scrubbed for the whole 30 seconds but my hands were definitely “food
safe”.
Apparently we go
through a lot of Garlic up here. Peeling, chopping/mincing garlic
at home isn’t one of my favourite jobs because of the smell it
leaves on my hands. Between Mary and I, we peeled a lot of cloves
and none of the garlic we worked on is going into Fr. Mark’s salad
for tomorrow. I can just imagine how much garlic we’ll be going
through tomorrow!
Wow, what a lot of
work. Did I mention how much work it is in the Kitchen?
Day 1: done, lights
out, sleep. Tomorrow is longer and more work.
SIS06 Day 2 –
Tuesday a.k.a. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!”
Early rise again! Yipee. Showered then back into the kitchen.
Pancakes this morning. Fr. Mark and Pat started the process,
discussed a strategy then Devin and Jan took the reigns and pumped
out enough pancakes for 140 people. All this before 8:45am!
The pots today were
stubborn! We had to boil and soak the pots from the spaghetti meat
sauce (Monday’s dinner). This morning was a lot of scrape scrape
scrape scrape scrape….
When breakfast
ended, mid-day was a total blur. There was much discussion between
Pat & Fr. Mark, Pat got a swift kick and then suddenly it was time
for dinner prep. Dinner went well, the chicken was yummy, Fr.
Mark’s Kickin’ Ceasar Salad went well with the youth and adult
leaders. Chicken is always a bit scary with the whole salmonella
issue. Good thing we have our FoodSafe training. The sink was
“chicken-ized”, then afterwards it was sanitized. Be gone evil
“chicken-yuck”!
We’re now at hour
16, I’m pooped (which reminds me…I’ve got a “10 o’clock
appointment”), my heals are killing me and I’m ready for bed. Just
a few dishes to deal with in the dish pit… and the veggies are
prepped for tomorrow’s lunch. Large hunks of meat are thawing and
waiting to become a yummy source of protein for almost all of the
people here at Camp Latona. Tomorrow will come very quickly but
we’re ready for it! Quick prediction for tomorrow: Much banter
back and forth between Pat & Fr. Mark over the roast beef.
SIS06 Day 3 –
Wednesday a.k.a. “Pat Day”
It was harder to get up this morning.
Today was “Pat Day” just because he’s a great guy who sometimes
needs a break. SLACKER! Just kidding! Hee-hee!
Julie-Anne and I
cooked scrambled eggs this morning using a technique I’ve never used
before. But then again, I’ve never cooked 24 dozen eggs all at the
same time before either!
Another day of
reffing the ongoing Iron Chef battle in Kitchen Stadium: Pat
“Feenie” vs. Fr. Mark “Morimoto”. Well, it WAS “Pat Day” today so
the odds were in Pat’s favour. But wow, those two battle it out!
Sometimes their conversations make sense to me but mostly the way I
see it, it’s all very circular. I wonder if they know they’re both
on the same page. Reminds me of Swindon, England’s
“Magic Roundabout” . But eventually it all works out in the end
and the meal is excellent.
Overall, it looks
like the youth are having a grand time here at Latona. Even though
the weather is a little dismal, the spirit is very much alive! Day
3 is over, no major complaints about the food.
Clay: “Food is
good…”
Youth: “all the time!”
Clay: “All the time…”
Youth: “food is good!”...
...Ok, sure, but maybe not that ground meat gunge I licked. I think
I totally reek of garlic. Yikes.
SIS06 Day 4 –
Thursday a.k.a. “The Big Day”
Fr. Mark left today with a special send off from the Kitchen Staff.
We all went down to the dock and hid in the boat shed for what
seemed like forever as we waited to surprise Fr. Mark with a hearty
good bye. Not a lot of space in that little shed for 5 of us! Pat
waited outside (and apparently a good thing too!) while the rest of
us huddled in with the life jackets. We’ll sure miss Fr. Mark in
the kitchen tomorrow. Now who’s going to discuss things with Pat?
Have my SiS06 reffing duties ended? Who will reign supreme in
Kitchen Stadium?
Too tired to write
anymore tonight. Quick synopsis of the 19 hour day: Got up early,
did lots in the kitchen, hid in the boat shed, baked 300+ muffins,
major clean up in the Kitchen, went to bed. I definitely reek of
garlic.
SIS06
Day 5 – Friday a.k.a “Homeward Bound”
Arrived back home safely. Yay! My husband thinks I reek of
garlic. With all the bleaching / sanitizing we did last night and
today, I think I smell like an indoor pool change room and of
course, garlic. Now back to our regular programming… until YouthLeader where we’ll do it all again!
Title: Squish
Date: May 31, 2006
We made our way
out to St. Anthony of Padua Parish for the first of 5 ordinations
going on in our Archdiocese. It was a beautiful afternoon to walk
downtown to catch the 98 B-line bus which would eventually take us
within a few blocks of the church. Just as we approached the bus
stop, the first bus came and the scrolling sign at the stop said
“Second 98 B-line bus arriving in 3 minutes”. I’ve seen the 98
B-line during rush hour before but I had never experienced it.
Wow, was it squishy! Just when you think you can’t fit more people
on the bus, more people fit on the bus.
I’m sure a lot of these people have one thing in common: they’re all
trying to get home after a busy day to rest in the comfort of their
homes.
After riding
the stuffy, crowded bus for what seemed like forever, we finally
arrived at our destination stop. We walked to the church (just a
few blocks) from where we got dropped off and what a wonderful day
to walk in the tree-lined streets on a warm spring afternoon in
anticipation of a magnificent event.
Father Anthony
Ho was being ordained on this glorious day. I waited outside the
church, for my family to arrive (I went straight to the church from
work while Sean and the kids were coming from Grandma and
Grandpa’s). I saw all sorts of people arrive to celebrate with (at
the time) Deacon Anthony. There were priests from the diocese (all
smiles), people from St. Anthony’s parish (all smiles), people from
other parishes (all smiles) and even a non-catholic lady who helped
an elderly catholic lady find her way to the church (both of course
were smiling). Fr. James Hughes arrived with His Grace, Archbishop
Roussin, and Deacon Anthony Ho (HUGE smile!). Then finally, my
family arrived and by that time, the church was PACKED! It was fine
with me to sit at the very back near the door in the event our son
(James – 1 year old) or our daughter (Nicole – 3 years old), get a
little restless. After us, more people arrived at the church, and
then even more people appeared.
Wow, was it squishy! Just when you think you can’t fit anymore
people in the church, more people fit in the church.
We were able to see the altar from where we were so all was
well. The ordination was beautiful and ended with heart warming
words of thanksgiving.
What a way to
end the day. All those people packed into the church were there to
celebrate a wonderful affair.
Walking back to the van, which
was parked about 2 blocks away from the church, through the cool,
tree-lined streets I had a feeling of comfort knowing that our
archdiocese has been blessed with many priests, young and
experienced. There’s something about having 5 priests ordained that
ensures the future. Maybe one day we can look back on this historic
day, be crammed into a church and see our son, beaming from cheek to
cheek being ordained into the priesthood too.
Title: Welcome... Now Get To
Work (please)!
Date: May 23, 2006
This is my first blog here at the YMO as staff. I’ve been here
for a month now and a lot has happened since I’ve started! This
place sure buzzes with a lot of activity and excitement!
So, the first month has come and gone so quickly! I
started on April 20th and launched right into the swing
of things. Krissy did a great job of easing me into the job with
lots of notes and a hands on orientation of the office. We worked
all through the morning and all of a sudden it was lunch time; we
had a good excuse to go to an apparent office favourite: “TP”.
Thanks to Krissy, and 3 intense days of training I have a good
handle on what makes the office tick.
Then, as I start to settle in… BAM! YOUTH DAY! I
found myself caught up in a whirlwind of Pre-Youth Day madness, all
very organized madness I might add. (That would be a pat on the
back for the YMO “Alpha-Female” aka Analyn.) It was an intense two
weeks but we got through it – with some left over pasta too!
Monday morning (post YD) rolls around and in to the
office I go with a much needed Grande Caramel Machiatto, extra
caramel, extra pump of vanilla and a bit more sugar (from Starbucks
of course, see Krissy’s blog
for a refresher). You would think: “Whew! Things will slow down.”
Nope. Events for the week included the annual YMO staff planning
retreat (Thurs/Fri) and Source (Fri. Evening).
The following week we were gearing up for the 3rd YM
Coordinator’s meeting which is also the traditional potluck/meeting.
That all happened in the first month.
It was a truly exhausting first month, but
completely worth it! I love my job! I love the people I work with!
And I thank God everyday for blessing me. But, at this point,
I can’t help but think to myself, when will I get a chance to get
Rob’s stuff out of my space?
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