The Cool Jazz Winnipeg Festival

well, i've just returned from the jazz festival with kimberly and my parents. oh, what a time it was. there are three things that are really important about the jazz festival for me and my experience.

1. the music is excellent

2. the different varieties of people that come out is astounding. rich, poor, big, small, culturally diverse, facial hair, families, young, old, guys that have no rhythm but decide to dance anyway, guys with their shirts wide open and their huge bellies coming out, cops, security, first aid, the homeless, the beer garden folk, and pretty much every single stereotypical sub-culture (see - jocks, hippies, cowboys, emos, metalheads, homies, hardcores, beauty queens, etc), who you wouldn't think would be into jazz, but are, are there. this is a testament to how accessible jazz can be to a large smattering of people. as i sat there looking around at how much jazz brought all these people together, and nobody had a problem with anybody else, even though we're all from extremely different places, it reminded me how much God loves all people no matter what...and it made me smile.

3. i'm not huge on worship music, mostly because i wouldn't normally listen to that genre, and maybe i'm an immature Christian for saying so, but sometimes it's the way i feel. let it be known that i do think worship music, hymns and choruses are a fantastic way to allow people to meet with God and worship him. that's wonderful. usually when i'm in a situation where there is musical worship i'm singing and really analyzing the words, and trying to get into that space where i can meet with God on that level. anyways, the reason i'm talking about all of this is that a lot of times when i'm at a secular music performance i'm able to worship God a bit easier than with worship music. why? well, when i'm at a live show, whether it be an orchestra, a jazzy outdoor concert, or even a hardcore show, i'm amazed at how proficient the people are at their instruments, and i'm also amazed at how beautiful the music is that i can get lost in it. it is at these times that i can worship God through music. i liken it to how people say, "i see God's beauty in nature, and i can worship him through nature." music does it for me. that's not to say i can't or am unable to worship God with "worship music", it's just a little different for me.

...oh the jazz festival...lovely...

The Grueling Odyssey

well, i finished the marathon, and i'm still very sore. here's a little bit of a rundown of the whole thing...

here's us looking very happy and surly before the race began. both gareth and i did the full, mom did the half, and joel did two marathons in two days. we have no idea what we're in for!

here i am at the starting line on my way to sore legs and saltiness!


so, i started out pretty good, but probably too fast even though every body was ripping past me. the first cheerer i saw was tyler petkau, which was really strange and welcome because he was my roommate first year at cbc. he cheered well. at about mile 6 i saw a sign that said "Go Jonathan". I saw it and was encouraged, and was planning on making a joke to the cheerers that my name was jonathan. then i realized that my sister was holding the sign. at about mile 7 i finally took a drink. i finally caught up with gareth in assiniboine park. i saw him popping out of the bushes with some toilet paper. you'll have to ask him about that one!!

(obligatory paragraph break)

then i had the wonderful experience of having my wife cheer me on at around mile 13. yaaa!! minutes after that the wiebe's lifted my spirits with some high 5's. after that i kept running, and at about mile 18 i thought, hmmm...maybe i should've been running more than twice in the last six weeks, because i was getting sore. so, after mile 18 i walked and drank every water station. at mile 20 i saw my family again (they are supportive), and at mile 23 i walked the whole way. soon enough a cop on a bike stopped and asked how i was doing. i said "hungry". not, "i'm hungry", just "hungry". he proceeded to give me a peanut butter powerbar, which i appreciated, but could only get half-way through because 1. i don't like peanut butter, and 2. i was feeling pretty gross by then.

the last 3 miles i was running pretty consistent, and the last 2 miles i cruised despite my aching everything.



so, after all of that, i feel, hmmm...i kind of want to beat my time for next year...we'll see...

so good job everybody!! good job mom, joel, gareth, roslyn, and anybody else i know that completed their goal!!!!

Sweet Sweet Heartbeat!!

Tiny Toews is quite the active swimmer, and is most likely working up quite the appetite!!

Scooter with a baby side-car?

I think we should get a scooter. Jonathan started his new job at McIvor church last week and we have hardly seen each other since then. It has been difficult at times to figure out who gets the car (somehow I think I have managed to take over it for the most part). Jonathan has taken the bus (45 min), the car (25-35 min), and today cycling (40 min?). It was so convenient for him to be so close to work before. To work and back he used to walk a total of 15 min, now it is 90 min on a bus. Perhaps we should try a scooter next. Who knows?

We have met some really nice people so far and look forward to meeting more. And, I think, Jonathan has been enjoying it so far. This last weekend he was at a Sr. high camping trip and had a lot of fun.

I'm 14 weeks pregnant as of today, we think. We heard the baby's heart-beat about a week ago. It was very exciting! This friday I have my 2nd pre-natal visit with my aunt, who is my midwife. And, my ultrasound is coming up June 27. I'm not "showing" yet, but my tummy is a little bigger and softer.