A Tale of Dreams and Chickens

I've recorded my dreams before simply because some of them are just bizarre and most of them are too realistic to be forgotten. Where do dreams come from? Well I heard somewhere that you typically dream about things that you were thinking about before you fell asleep. That would make sense according to my own personal experience and that of a friend of mine.

After pondering about his grandparent's farm where they have chickens, he fell asleep. Upon waking he recalled having a strange dream about chickens...

He said that in his dream he discovered that the happier a chicken is, the bigger the egg it will lay. So an undoubtedly entertaining scene ensued of him chasing chickens* and trying to make them happy so that they would lay bigger eggs. Apparently dream chickens like it when we mimic their sounds whilst holding them and also speaking encouraging words to them. If you imagine anyone doing this, it's pretty hilarious.

My friend succeeded at testing the larger egg theory in his dream, but I did a bit of research and found that it is actually true that "the way that you treat your hens will determine how quickly they will start to lay Large, Extra Large or Jumbo eggs." See link here.

You learn new things every day :).

*Note: I don't think chickens like to be chased. From real personal experience, they freak out.

Manitoba Fall 2016

I went once again to visit my dear Ruth this past weekend. We've made it a "thing" to visit each other at least twice a year since we were roommates at Bible College in 2010. I'd say we are good friends :)

I left rather early on Friday, 4am to be exact, hoping to get to Ruth's by the time her morning class was over so we could maximize our time together. I was blessed by an amazing sky to admire as the sun began to rise around the 6:45am mark.

My Mom always tells me to drive safely but I know that there is always the risk of other people not driving safely that could cause me harm. I met one such person on the outskirts of Steinbach just 20 minutes before I would safely reach my destination. Whilst cruising down a two-way highway, a large white truck turned onto the road in front of me. All was well until this truck began to swerve off the road to the right, creating a giant cloud of gravel dust as it's oversized tires forced it into the air. I thought to myself this person must have a passenger whom they are trying to get a reaction out of by driving crazy because I have done this to other people and have had it done to me as well. I would have not minded the truck's momentary play except for the fact that it continued to swerve over and over and over again, not seeming to care about my windshield as it continued to hurl earth with each swerve. After about 7 or so minutes of this I decided to try and pass the white beast because I did not want to put up with it's recklessness anymore. As I passed I considered not looking at the driver of the truck but I was curious to see the facial expression of the expected passenger. What I saw, to my surprise and concern, was a man at least age 40 driving by himself wearing Elton John type sunglasses, a leopard print hat, and a leather jacket, leaning way too far forward and hunched over the steering wheel with a facial expression that told me that he was either drunk, really amused with his crazy driving, or rather excited that he was driving for the first time. I was very relieved to have passed him but I was concerned for the other vehicles travelling near the white terror. When I got into the city I kept a close eye on the truck in my rear-view mirror and prayed that he would not cause an accident. At the next intersection, crazy driver pulled up next to me to turn left and I felt my heart race. When I finally arrived at Ruth's, I reported the situation to her and she told me I should have called 911 to report the driver. Next time, I will. I was paranoid about white trucks for the rest of the weekend.

Salisbury House was our first outing together for a bite to eat.

The rest of Friday consisted of shopping for various ingredients for cooking and baking as well as relaxing, running errands, and cribbage. Saturday lent itself to a bit of touring. I discovered that the Winnipeg Science Centre is very similar to the one we have in Regina although there were a few different things such as a racetrack for Knex cars...

We also went to the Winnipeg Art Gallery which was hosting a ball that night so there were pretty flower arrangements everywhere not to mention a grand piano! <3

The gallery also features a rooftop sculpture garden.

I thought this piece of art looked pretty nifty.

We went to Marion Street Eatery for supper which was super tasty. I like my fries.

The main reason I chose this weekend to visit Ruth was that my sister's friend had suggested that we (including my sister, her friend, her friend's sister, our mom, and I) go see Carrie Underwood in Winnipeg. So I took advantage of the situation. My brief opinion of the concert was it was ok. I mean, Carrie sang great and the show was entertaining but something bothered me. I compared this concert experience with Urbana 2012 (see post here) where we also had thousands of people worshipping. The main difference between the two events was the object/person of worship. At the concert, people worshipped the music artist. At Urbana, people worshipped God. I resolve to save my time and money in the future for God-worshipping events.

Ruth is Mennonite, which means we make really good food when I'm there. That is real perogies and farmer sausage!

I enjoyed my weekend overall, but it was most exciting and enjoyable because I got to spend time in fellowship with this amazing woman :)

God of All My Days by Casting Crowns

I came to You with my heart in pieces
And found the God with healing in His hands
I turned to You, put everything behind me
And found the God who makes all things new
I looked to You, drowning in my questions
And found the God who holds all wisdom
And I trusted You and stepped out on the ocean
You caught my hand among the waves
'Cause You're the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You're the God of all my days

I ran from You, I wandered in the shadows
And found a God who relentlessly pursues
I hid from You, haunted by my failure
And found the God whose grace still covers me
I fell on You when I was at my weakest
And found the God, the lifter of my head
And I've worshipped You
And felt You right beside me
You're the reason that I sing
'Cause You're the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You're the God of all my days

In my worry, God You are my stillness
In my searching, God You are my answers
In my blindness, God You are my vision
In my bondage, God You are my freedom
In my weakness, God You are my power
You're the reason that I sing
'Cause You're the God of all my days

Each step I take
You make a way
And I will give You all my praise
My seasons change, You stay the same
You're the God of all my days

In my blindness, God You are my vision
And in my bondage, God You are my freedom
All my days

He Calls Me to Trust

"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." - Psalm 9:10

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." - Psalm 28:7

"Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act." - Psalm 37:5

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" - Psalm 56:3

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man." - Psalm 118:8

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." - Proverbs 3:5

"Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered." - Proverbs 28:26

"The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." - Proverbs 29:25

"'Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.'" - Isaiah 12:2

"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock." - Isaiah 26:3-4

"'Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.'" - Jeremiah 17:7

The Very Next Thing by Casting Crowns

I spend all my time
Dreaming what the future's gonna bring
When all of this time
There's a world passing by right in front of me
Set my sights on tomorrow
While I'm tripping over today

Who says big things
Are somewhere off in the distance
I don't want to look back
Just to see all the times that I missed it
I want to be here and now
Starting right here, right now

With the very next words of love to be spoken
To the very next heart that's shattered and broken
To the very next way You're gonna use me
Show me the next thing
I'll do the next thing

Let my very next breath
Breathe out a song of praise to You
With my very next step
Be on a road that was planned by You
Lord, wherever You're leading me
That's where I want to be

Eyes wide open I see You working
All around me You're on the move
Step by step I'm running to meet You
In the next thing