What's this? A post?

Right. So I have this blog that I never update.

Too bad I'm now too addicted to the O.C. to post something of worth.

Just kidding, I'll take a little break between episodes on this Friday evening spent converting my husband from OC-basher to OC fan. I think I'm about halfway. We've watched at least 4 episodes tonight, and he only complains when something sad or deep is happening. I think he's as much a fan of Seth aka Adam Brody as I am. I'm pretty sure if it weren't for him, he would've been YouTubing long ago.

So aside for my recent addiction to the OC, I've also become strangely preoccupied with Sudoku. I don't know, something about counting to 9 over and over again seems so lame, but it's kind of satisfying when you find a number that fits and things fall into place.

Christmas was great, busy, you know. It's hard to post an update when you haven't written in months. But here's the point form:
-Moved back home.
-Fleas had already moved in.
-Didn't love the new job.
-Got a new job.
-Got a new place.
-It doesn't have fleas. But it does have a dishwasher. And a fireplace. And free internet and cable. Score!
-Got a haircut. It's inverted.
-Got glasses. I can see.
-Saw (with said glasses and sweet seats) the SPICE GIRLS. A moment in history never to be forgotten.
-Love my new job. Like, get-up-in-the-morning-and-don't-mind-going-to-work kind of love.
-Took the ol' Suzie Sidekick off the road. She'll be getting fixed up soon and sold. We carpool now.
-Christmas came and went so fast I'm still debating as to whether I was there or not.

And now I'm here, looking back on 2007, which was crazier even than 2006 - if that's possible. And looking forward to 2008 with more hope and joy than ever. It's been a tumultuous journey this past year but one that has caused more spiritual and mental growth than ever before. I can't wait to see where God takes us all next. Happy New Year!

A Note

I'm here.

I'm alive.

I'm not blogging much.

I wish I was.

I also wish I had the internet at home to make said blogging easier.

Maybe this weekend.

Happy Fall!

Have you missed us??

So my last post I was thinking of all our ups and downs and crazy adventures God's taken us on... well we're about to embark on another one. Here it is people, all official:


WE ARE MOVING BACK.


Yes, that's right. 4 months later, after unpacking my closet (finally), I have to re-pack it and move back. Don't get me wrong people, I'm quite happy to do so. Basically J's job was not working out (not sure if I wrote about that or not) but for the last 2 months he's been looking for engineering jobs. There's been nothing. No calls. No openings. Rejecting at every turn. So we decided just to check out the listings for the lower mainland. And there were pages upon PAGES of advertisments for exactly what he's qualified for. It only makes sense.... there's nothing holding us here in Kamloops, the housing market was super cheap when we first were looking into moving here, but from then until now it has boomed insanely and now is really close to the same as Maple Ridge, etc.

All I know, is I am SOOOOOO EXCITED because I've missed everyone like crazy. I hate being homesick. In a way I'm disappointed things didn't work out for us up here, but in another way I'm glad we still took that leap of faith, and gave it a shot anyways. And very glad to come home.

So now it gets crazy. We have to find someone to complete our lease (until December), find a place in Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge to rent (2 bedrooms - if anyone hears of anything, pleeeease let us know!!) and both of us find jobs. Mine at least isn't too hard to find something... J's applied to a ton so far, so please keep him in your prayers!!

LIFE IS CRAZY!!!!!

A Year Ago Today...

...I said "Forever" to the man of my dreams. I can't believe it's been a year already... it's been a year of ups and downs, of learning, but most of all discovering how amazing God is, and growing in Him. He's taken us through a lot, and through it all we've had to learn to lean on each other and our faith.

I'm excited for the next year together, and then many more after that!

A whole lot of Nothing.

Planned Nothingness so far has been awesome... we've just been hanging out and taking life as it comes. Friday night we went to watch a friend play soccer, and unfortunately hurt his ankle in the process. Afterwards we went to a restaurant for 2 for 1 appies. We had a smorgasbord of food between J and I... I ordered spring rolls and garlic ribs, and J ordered Shrimp and Crab Kisses (mushrooms stuffed with cheese, shrimp, and crab, and seasoning of some sort) and Sweet Thai Chili wings. My favourites were the Shrimp and Crab kisses and the garlic ribs. So tasty!

Yesterday we took a drive up to Barriere... We drove up one road until it turned into a dirt road, and then took the McClure ferry across the river. If any of you have been to Belize, this ferry is like a slightly more high tech version of the Belize ferry on cables that you wind across. This one has a small motor, but it too is on a cable to guide it across. It fits 2 cars. That's it. You drive down a dirt hill, over some wooden planks onto the small wooden dock and onto the boat. It makes Albion look positively glamorous. Good times!
Barriere is a really small little town, about 35 minutes north of Kamloops. We just wanted to check out some houses up there, although I don't really want to live out of town. Anyways, you really realize how big that fire was a few years back... The hillsides are all still black, I can't imagine what it was like when fire was ripping through those forests. It would've been very scary.

Today we didn't do a lot... We went to a church service, which unfortunately today was a little disappointing. The music wasn't nearly as good as it has been in the past, but at least the sermon was pretty good. I ended up having a nap in the afternoon, I was really tired for some reason. Then we had a couple friends over for whiskey and mountain bike videos. Ok, so I didn't actually have any whiskey, I made a couple pina coladas for me and the other girl that was there.

Jason and Andrew getting ready to drink straight whiskey

Post-whiskey faces

Our girlie drinks

Our post-pina colada tasting faces. Note the happiness.

And now I shall go to bed, and sleep in, and have a fantastic day, and GET PAID FOR IT! I love holidays. :)

Happy August!

Ok, so July was a slack-off month but this month I'll try to be better. We are booked almost solid every weekend from now until September... This coming weekend however, is planned Nothingness. We considered making plans because it's the long weekend but decided to just chillax around Kamloops and get some stuff done. I like that idea. 3 days of sleeping in, and just hanging out sounds fantastic to me!!

Today was a nice day, pretty warm as usual... about 34 degrees today, so not as hot as it has been but still hot enough... I was a little depressed as I was supposed to be in Vancouver tonight for a concert but opted not to go to save some money. A wise choice, but depressing nonetheless.

J is applying for engineering-type jobs, which is pretty stressful... He needs to find something this month ... his current job has him on with the expectation that he's going back to school in September. So either way, he's done at the end of the month. Please keep us in your prayers that he can find something asap and we can just get settled...

I'm off to bed, hope you all have a fine Thursday! :)

Bad Blogger - July update

Ok here are some pictures of our July thus far:

Camping on the Canada Day long weekend with friends

Visiting J's parents for his dad's 50th

Crazy thunderstorms and dust storms (this pic was taken during what was said to have been the worst thunderstorm in a decade. It doesn't do the storm any justice, that cloud was a huge black ball of dust, and I saw 4 lightning strikes at the same time. The wind was crazy too.)

There have also been a couple digital scavenger hunts through the young adults groups we've been going to, as well as a few bbq's and pool parties... It's been warm, but last week was much cooler (the coast was rainy I heard...) we were sitting around 25ish usually. It was a nice, comfortable time, and even when it was cloudy I didn't mind. I felt more at home maybe?

Had a couple down days this week, I've been missing home a bit and worrying about financial stuff. I was hoping to come down next week for a concert, but decided against it as it would cost too much, especially since I'd have to take time off work.

Speaking of work, I love it! It's a blast! Ok, well most of the time I love it, but last Thursday I was beat up by a 5 year old (kicked in the face, scratched on the hands, etc) ... He's normally a sweet boy but has an... interesting side to him when he doesn't get his way.

I'm also not loving the nasty virus going around work. We actually shut down the centre last Friday to disinfect EVERYTHING. We spent our shifts Viroxing every inch of our room, as well as mopping the gym floor and cleaning the walls. It's a particularly nasty virus. To make matters worse we've now been informed of a case of hand, foot, & mouth disease. Splendid. Let's just say my best friend has been my hand lotion to help with the increased amount of handwashing I've been doing!!

Anyways, off to bed I go to get lots of sleep to help my body resist nasty germs. I'll try to be a more faithful blogger. But it's summer so I'm allowed to slack off I guess.

Discovery!

Today was a mere 41 degrees.

I was hot.

I was cranky.

I was sweaty.

And then I discovered (after two months of living here and dealing with a hot dwelling place) that we have central air conditioning.

Felt like a tool for not knowing that, but at least I'm not boiling anymore. BEST DAY EVER!

It's Hot...

... and I'm tired. And although I have things I'd love to blog about, like the long weekend camping trip, and my week's happenings, I just don't have the energy. Today was only 34 degrees, but tomorrow's supposed to be 38 or higher. And it's so DRY here. It's time for sleep in front of our tiny fan...

My Weekend in Point Form.

Ahh what a weekend. I'm glad I didn't have to work on Monday because as of last Friday I had come down with the nasty cold going through the daycare. (I thought I'd last longer than a week but apparently my immunity has worn off.) After the crazy weekend, complete with its lack of sleep, excessive dancing, and social madness, I was wiped out.

Friday:

-Off work at 3, picked up new hot dress for Saturday's wedding from mall, went home and gathered everything. Got dressed and 'hottied up' for Erin's birthday party.

- Jason came home at 4:40, jumped in the shower, and we were in the car headed for the coast by 5:10. Don't know how we did it.

- Drove straight into town and to Roosters for Erin's party. Made it in time to avoid the lineup and for the guest list to still work.

- Lots of fun and country dancing. Discovered new way to get rid of annoying drunk guys trying to dance with me. Flash 'em the bling! Erin had to talk her way out of dancing with a few guys (even with her boyfriend there), but all I had to do was flip them the finger - the ring finger on the left hand that is - and they were gone! Ah, I love being married.

Saturday:

-Woke up at 8:30. A whopping 6 hours after going to bed. Jason went to Ikea and I went on a quest to find a black shrug for my dress. Nothing like last minute shopping.

- No luck, had to stop at Haney Place on the way to the wedding to see if Bryan's had one. They DID! phew!

- Witnessed our good friends Tyler (J's best man) and Jenny tie the knot. It was beautiful and the rain even stopped for their outside ceremony. They had an open bar, and I had a delicious margarita in a "Fun Cup" (as the bride referred to them - only 3 were available!) They even had their little pug Mrs. Wiggles (Wiggy for short) come out after dinner for some dancing!) I'm so happy for them and wish them all the best!

Sunday:

- Woke up early to get to church, again after going to sleep very late. A fantastic sermon dealing with some things I had been dealing with prior to and after the move. It answered a lot of questions, and made me feel a lot better about myself. I let some people make me feel bad about my choices, when my choices were entirely God-centred. And God knows that.

- Went to lunch with my dear friend Heather, who I hadn't seen in a long while and missed terribly while she was away. Caught up and heard a bunch of her tales from afar.

- Drove home, and yet again after the toll booth entered the land of Sunshine. I like it here!

Monday:

- Had the day off work to start at second job, but had decided over the weekend to stay at this job full time, as it pays better and has many great possible opportunities coming in the future. I'm excited to see what happens. I'm very interested in continuing with schooling to get my diploma (only 6 more courses) in special needs, and then after that continuing possibly to get my bachelors (over a long while, as I would still need to work and pay as I go. EXPENSIVE) in Child and Youth Care. But that's a bit off topic.

- Very glad I stayed home, as my cold caught up with me and I needed this day to rest. I slept almost 12 hours that night, and then went for a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

I'm feeling a bit better today, but unfortunately it was a crazy, insane, every-child-off-the-wall kinda day. Very draining. We had 9 infants today, 3 of which screamed almost the whole day (it felt like a Tylenol advertisement) and most of which only had 30 min. naps. 30 MINUTES?! They usually sleep an hour at least, sometimes 2! Needless to say, it was a busy day. But I still came home loving my job. :)

What A Day!!

So I had an interview today at 10am. Went to that, was basically offered another job. (That brings the total of offered jobs to 6) I told her I would get back to her as I had another interview tomorrow and needed to mull it over a little bit. She wanted me to work a 6:30am shift, which I'm not entirely crazy about, but I do need a job so I said I'd get back to her. I have not been to an interview yet where they don't want to hire me immediately. Great for the ego, bad for the decision making process. Until the rest of my crazy God-day happened...

Let me go back a day to Sunday morning. We went to a church for the second time (I'm quite liking this one, it reminds me a little of Burnett...) The first time we had gone, a girl who runs the children's ministry (whose parents GO to Burnett... small world!!!) had said she was looking for someone with ECE. At this time of course I was trying to find something that wasn't ECE. So I didn't think much of it. Anyways, I wanted to go touch base with her and find out details. So as we're leaving the auditorium, their interim pastor who had just given the message says to J and I "Hey, I don't know you, who are you?" (How's that for a welcoming? haha) So he's chatting us up, and asking what we do. I tell him I'm currently looking for something and that I have my ECE. At this same moment, a lady is walking through the door and overhears this. She says "I know someone looking for ECE!!" and gives me her card to tell the daycare owner she referred me to her. Same time as all this, the young adults pastor (who we met last time) approaches to say hello and gets involved in this conversation. He runs to his office to get the daycare's card so I can phone. Apparently she is proposing to lease space from this church to open a second daycare in this part of town, and that's why he had her card.

Ok so back to today. I came home from my morning interview, made myself a glorious cup of coffee and called this daycare. She asked if I was available to come in today and drop off my resume. I finished my coffee and headed out there. (It's a 20 minute drive, but that's the farthest drive you'll get in Kamloops) So I go in, and after talking to the lady for a while, she asks when I'd be able to start. I tell her "as early as tomorrow" because I'd really like to start work asap... For some reason, I decide to take this job. All of the stuff from the day before seems to make this fall in place, and an added bonus - it pays more than what I was making in Maple Ridge. (Very rare in these parts)

So during the interview, a staff member comes in an informs the owner that she needs to go home because her son is quite sick. Now the centre is very short staffed... So I offered to start then if she needed the help! She said yes and I spent the afternoon mostly in the Infant/Toddler room, and then later with the school aged kids.

I've set a new record for myself.... Set up an interview, had the interview, got hired, and started my job - All on the SAME DAY!!!!

And the best part is, if the business proposal at the church goes through, I will be the first to move to that centre - and it's only a few blocks from home!

God certainly knows what He's doing. Right down to my sudden urge to make myself a cup of coffee... He knew I'd need the caffeine!!

Update

Ok so the reason I was trying to post daily (or close to) was because when I don't, I feel like I have too much to say when I finally do blog.

Went camping Friday night with a young adults group we've been going to. It was a ton of fun, except right at the end when we were playing "aluminum foil baseball" (ball was made from all the aluminum foil off of about 20 corn-on-the-cobs we had on the fire) ... By the time I got up to bat this thing was extremely compact. Think of a snowball compressed so much that it becomes an ice-ball. Similar concept. So anyways, I hit the ball, ran around the 2 bases (we had a very small area to play with, no room for a third base) and I got home! Clearly I was safe. 2 minutes later, I very unexpectedly received a blow to the face with the ball of metal. It was painful and I'm just hoping that it does not turn into a welt-like bruise as this coming weekend is full of birthday parties and weddings down in Maple Ridge. Other than that I had a good time and no I do not hold the girl who threw the ball responsible for my injury. She's a very nice girl, albeit perhaps with no aim.

1 wheelbarrow of wood = 5 dollars

Filling it up as high as you can and hoisting it on and off a pickup truck = priceless.

Biggest swingset EVER!

So other fun stuff from this week....... Wednesday was my first day of work at the furniture store. It was NOTHING like I expected it might be. It's hard to explain it all, but basically I picked up a very weird vibe in the way people talk to each other and about each other and about the owners. The lady who had hired me had said in the interview I would be starting full time... but when I started she told me I'd be part time for a while. She had also said in the interview that the I'd most likely be Monday to Friday because that's what the customer service people work... when in fact, the lady who was training me works very regularly Tuesday-Saturday. I wouldn't mind working a Saturday now and then, but with family out of town and such, I'd like to have some weekends available for visiting.

So anyways, I got home and was in tears out of disappointment. This was not how I was supposed to feel on my first day!! The next day I went in with an optimistic attitude, but alas, it was quite the same, only this time with the realization that I was going to be yelled at every day by irate customers. I decided that this was not the place for me. I prayed the whole day that I might be able to find a way to talk to the lady who hired me alone and not have to approach her and her parents (the owners) or other staff members. Sure enough, at 4:30 (I was off at 5) she comes to me and says she would like to see me during the last 15 minutes of my shift. Well that was an answer to prayer if I've ever seen one... So I went to talk to her and she informs me that I've been hired so that they can fire the lady who's training me. But they're not going to tell her until after she's trained me, with her thinking that I'm just hired as part-time help. I'm sorry, but this was the icing on the cake at this point... I did NOT feel right about any of this so I told her I was sorry and that I would not be returning.

I should've been listening to God all along. Of course I would feel burnt out after leaving Pitt Meadows - I was working 12 hour days with no breaks between my two jobs... But I've come to realize that I belong in Early Childhood Education, at least for a little while longer. And I've got a renewed excitement about it too! I've already picked up a part time job with a lady who runs a daycare out of her home but is looking to lease or buy space to open a centre. Of course I will need to supplement my hours in the beginning so I called about 5 or 6 daycares and I think only one of them is not hiring immediately but will be soon. Apparently up here having your ECE certificate is like carrying a Golden Ticket. So basically, I'm not worried, and from now on I'm SO going to listen to God...

I'll keep you posted... I have several interviews this week...

I cannot believe some people are like this. *Rant.

So I decided I would participate in this radio contest where you create a Facebook group and see how many people join it. The person with the most number of people in their group by July 3rd wins $5000 ... Now I didn't make my group with any slight thought that I had a chance of winning, more to just see what would happen if I did try. Because you can't win if you don't enter right? Well, I found out how to check the "leaderboard" for this contest and I'm nowhere near close to the first place entry, although I was impressed at the amount my group grew in less than 24 hours. There are people out there who care enough to join my group, and for that I am touched. However, if it comes down to it, I will tell everyone in my group to transfer their "memberships" to another group, especially if it helps that person win. Because when I saw who was in the lead, I was disgusted. This guy has 989 people and on his "info" section, he put "Screw Money. Lets Spend it on BOOZE!!!!!!!" I am so against someone like this winning... and it has nothing to do with the fact that $5000 could really help us, because I know for a fact that $5000 could help a lot of people. Which is why I'd rather it go to help people somehow. I have no control over this, but I just don't think it's right to spend such a huge amount of money on a booze-fest.

So anyways, I'm just ranting on here because I think it's disturbing how many of these groups had a similar angle to get people to join. What happened to compassion, and the desire to help people who might actually need the money? The girl in second place wants to donate 100% of the money to cancer research, and so if it comes down to it, I will try to get people to join her group instead.

Toronto had a similar contest, giving away $7000 ... I hope the outcome for Vancouver is as heartwarming as theirs. It definitely made me think differently of Torontonians. The winner of that one had a young girl with a disability and her mom wanted to send her to a special camp, but it cost $10,000 to go... Well, she won, and the radio station gave her the extra $3000 to make it happen. Now for something like THAT I would join.

Ok I'm done my rant now.

The Candyman can 'cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good!

Who needs to go for a run when you can just clean a bathtub?? That's what I did today and I think I'm more sore from that than my one hour run yesterday. Let me tell you, this was a project and a half. It gets very dirty very fast when you are married to a mechanic who brings home half a litre of oil and grease on his body every day. yuck.

Speaking of yuck, my spider bite is really gross. I'm not sure what's happening with it, but I had to promise Jason that I wouldn't look the spiders and their bites up anymore because I was worrying myself literally sick by it. (You go Google "Brown Recluse spider bite" and click on the Images tab... mine's not like a lot of those but I was freaking out that it was going to turn into that... you'll see why I was worrying) Anyways, it's starting to hurt now, and I've started my antibiotic pills (4 of them every day) along with the cream. I just want it to get better.

Tonight I went to a young adults group and we ended up in a coffee shop/cafe called Zack's. This is now officially one of my new favourite places here. Half of it is a cute independent coffee shop, and the other half is a gelato and candy store!! And it's all old fashioned, with jars of candies behind the counter, and drawers you can open that have Nerds, Fizz-Pops, Blo-pops, Big League Chew, and a ton of candy I can never find up here in Canada. They even have the strips of paper with candy dots on them!! We used to wrap presents with that back in New Hampshire when I was in elementary school!! I love that store. I bought Jason a Pez dispenser that looks like a truck! It's awesome! I mentioned to some people that I felt like I should be singing a Willy Wonka song. :)

Well, off to read a bit before bed, I will be seeing you all again this weekend!! It's been too long! hee hee

Where'd Summer Go?

It's been raining for 3 days now... What is this, the Lower Mainland?! I thought I moved to the desert. But it stopped raining for a while so I went for a glorious run! It was about an hour long, but I didn't run the whole thing. Seriously people, Kamloops is full of hills. Last summer I took up running on the dykes in Pitt Meadows (this year I guess I'd need a boat) and was able to run non-stop for anywhere between 30-45 mins. Not here. I get a good rhythm going and then suddenly I'm going uphill again! So much work!! So I alternated. But all in all, a fantastic run. And I discovered that it's much easier to run while listening to music! For some reason, my favourite stuff to listen to while running is Hillsongs. (Maybe because of all the hills here??!!) It's just so praise-filled and clappy and when they're clapping to the beat I kind of feel like a football player running onto the field through the crowd of cheerleaders. And that gives me energy. And makes me feel tough when I describe it like that. haha

Tonight we went to a couples' bible study. We've been once before, the people are really great. Tonight I found out that two of the gals there mountain bike as well! So that's pretty exciting. It was a great night filled with coffee, cookies, and chatting. And weird small world story: Some people were talking about Belize, and I mentioned to Jason that I had received an email from Kent and Marion to pray for their country... and this one guy says "Fuller??" He totally knew them from way back when! He lived there for a while, and was helping put cabinets and stuff into the mission house!! So weird.

The Good, The Bad, and The Spider

I AM EMPLOYED!!!! I got a call this morning telling me the furniture store wants to hire me! Thank you to all who prayed for me, I am so excited to start this new chapter in my life. I am not sure when I start yet, my new boss said she would phone me in the next day or two to let me know. I'm a bit nervous though, I hope I do ok at this, since it's somewhat new territory.

Also, could you guys pray for Jason? He's got some stuff going on and we're hoping it all works out. Thanks a bunch...

Today I brought myself to the doctor because what I thought at first was a little scratch, then possibly a mosquito bite has turned into a large, itchy mass... Turns out I was bitten by a hobo spider!!!! EEEEWWW. Apparently they can be fatal, but mine's just itchy. I have antibiotics and some cream so hopefully it goes away. Stupid spider. Yuck.

And that was my day.

Pitt Meadows Day

Ahh what a nice weekend! The drive on Friday was really nice, we took a new route to Merritt with lots of beautiful lakes and grasslands. The whole drive I kept looking at Jason with a huge grin, occasionally saying "This feels just like Christmas!!" Seriously people, I know I've been away only just over a month but you guys are just all so awesome. It felt longer. Anyways, we got to the Gregor's just after 9pm, and had a nice visit with them out on their new patio.

The next morning J woke up early for his bike ride with his dad and some other dudes. I would've been all for this had it not been Pitt Meadows Day! I got up too and had a nice coffee, and got ready until Andrea and Lydia came over. We walked up the parade route, but amazingly this was the first year I didn't really watch the parade! We met up with my mom and Justin, and some other people along the way, which was great! We then decided we were very hungry for lunch, so we went to the Lunch Doctor while the parade was still on. This proved to be a spectacular idea, since we finished at the same time as the parade and avoided the mass number of people wanting lunch...

After lunch we participated in the Pitt Meadows Day festivities by getting tattooed up and streaks in my hair. (I know, I'm such a rock star!) McDonald's had free airbrush tattoos, and a hair salon booth had the "sharpie" tattoos and streaks. These ones cost money but it was for the women's shelter.

After a while we couldn't take the heat anymore (I think your heat feels hotter than ours, I felt yucky and sticky all day and it was "cooler" than Kamloops!) and decided it was time to head back and enjoy pina coladas on the patio. This was definitely one of the best parts of my day :)

Fireworks were great as usual, with the traditional Waterfall!

We then ventured up to the Mellander house for more visits until the wee hours of the morning. We didn't mean to stay up until 2:30, but I'm glad we did. :)

Of course I was glad until it was time to get up for church. That wasn't as much fun. But we even managed to get there a bit early (even before the countdown was up on the screen!! That's unheard of!) It was awesome seeing people at church, and being in the comfort of home. I know one day I'll feel that at a church here, but for now I just look forward to the weekends we get to spend at Burnett and with the people we love.

I just don't know how I'm going to survive without Burnett ... until... next weekend.... yes... next weekend. We'll be there again! Haha we joked that we hadn't found a church yet so we've decided to commute. :)

Anyhow, I'm off to watch some TV and hang out with the hubby. Please pray that tomorrow I hear back from the furniture store and that it's GOOD news!! :)

Lazy Day

Guess what I did today?! Next to NOTHING! I didn't even get outta my pajamas until 3:30. It's sick, I know. I was just so hot and yucky and tired for some reason today, so I just went on Facebook (of course), watched a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls Season 1, and vegged out. I wasn't lazy all day though, I did go out tonight to a pool party (haha I wrote 'poop' by accident first instead of 'pool') and bbq with a young adults group. These people are really great, and I feel very comfortable with them. We came at a good time of year too, since summer is just starting up and all the events are social gatherings. It's much easier to meet people that way.

Anyways, off to bed I go, I have a very important second interview in the morning (which I pray may turn into a job on Monday) and then packing to do and then a drive HOME!!! Sooooo excited!! I don't remember the last time I was this excited to go to church!

Look at me, updating again

I think I might try the daily - or close to daily updating. We'll see how that goes.

I got a call back today and I have a second interview Friday morning. Praying is awesome. Apparently it makes things happen!

It's hot here. 33 degrees to be exact. And it's not even June yet.

And best news of all: We're going to be in Pitt Meadows this weekend!!!!! I couldn't bring myself to miss Pitt Meadows Day! haha ... I had to talk J into it though because it means we'll be in town 3 weekends in June... I don't mind particularly, but it does get expensive. Lucky for me though, his dad helped in the convincing with an email invite for a lovely bike ride, which is difficult for J to say no to. So anyways, if you missed us we'll be going to the 11:00 service. And you may see us around if you're in Pitt Meadows on Saturday. I'm super excited!

Prayer Update

I've made the short list for the job I want... I'll be hearing back in a few days about possibly going in for a second interview with the owner this time. Thanks for praying for me, and please keep praying for this to work out!! I need it!

Fun and Games and Church

Well, another weekend to post about... This time I was actually quite busy!


Friday night we went and saw Pirates 3 and it was very good! Afterwards we went to this Irish pub called Kelly O'Bryan's to have 2for1 appies! I tried the famous "Pachos" ... I'm hooked! They were carbo-riffic!! Tasty ... Basically they're like .... french fries ... but not... cut woven-style or something.... with cheese.... and... oh I have absolutely no idea how to describe them, other than YUM!!!


The girls we went with invited me out the next night for a girl's games night! We played Disney Trivial Pursuit (Where I realized I need to catch up on my Disney movies...) and then this hilarious game called Identity Crisis. It was awesome! I need to find it, it was a blast! It was also great hanging out with some girls, they are really fantastic and welcoming. Made me feel like part of the group. :)


Sunday morning we went to the church across the river. Seriously folks, it felt like I had stepped into a time machine... Hello 90s. We sang "The Power of Your Love". Apparently it's not always like that. I might have to give it another chance.


I know I have to go to a church more than once to get a real feel for it, but it hit me how blessed I had been (and perhaps spoiled even) going to Burnett. It really is an amazing church, not just for the services or music, but the PEOPLE! I suppose some of it could be my familiarity and comfort there, but I don't think that's all of it. Burnett is awesome. I'm sorry I wasn't there for the happy celebrations it just had. And I really hope I can find a church half as awesome as Burnett.


This week is the week I should be hearing back about the job I want. Please pray that it all works out, as I reeeeeaally need a job. The sooner the better.

Well, off to my patio to sit and read in the warm sunshine. It's supposed to get into the 30's this week!! Time to bust out the pina colada mix!

Plans and Prayers

Hooray! I have real plans tonight! J and I were invited to go see the new Pirates movie and then out for appies at a popular Irish pub afterwards. We went to a different young adults group (we now go to two...) and the people there are really nice too. It's nice to actually have plans on a Friday night...

Also, I hope to be hearing back about a job I would like to get... It's not ECE, so it would be a step in a different direction, which is both exciting and a bit nerve racking as well. It is at a furniture store (hello, discounts!) and I would be starting as a receptionist and work into a Customer Service role. It pays really well, and has potential for moving up. Prayers for this would be much appreciated!

May Long Weekend

This weekend was a fun one. I had been looking forward to our getaway for a while, especially after feeling kinda down about being "alone" up here. We left Friday evening for Blue Lake Resort, just North of Boston Bar. (I found out during our trip that it's actually owned by a family from Maple Ridge.) We found our site and J's sister and her husband along with our other friends were already there, setting up their tents, etc. I was so excited to see everyone again. I know it's only been a few weeks but they've felt long, and the comfort of being around people you know and love is incomparable. We chilled by the fire and went to sleep.

Or, we went to our tents. Sleep... not so much. I was FREEZING! I kept waking up, probably every hour, if not more often. J and I had zipped our sleeping bags together but because we were each on a twin air mattress, I kept falling into the crack between the two. I decided in the middle of the night that I was going to reclaim my sleeping bag for the next night.

The next day was cool and rainy! I hadn't seen rain like that since before I moved, and honestly, once we got everything set up (tarp, etc) I really didn't mind it. I had a good book and the warmth of a campfire. It was actually a really beautiful sight. However, getting to this point was a cold and wet experience which left me longing for the desert... haha :)

We even ran into some friends from church that were also there with their families! What a bonus! It was really great to see more familiar faces!

The next night was better, although I did wake up a few times very cold. But I think I was more tired from lack of sleep the night before and so I was able to catch a few more Z's.

The next day we went for a hike to the top of a hill that had a great lookout of the lake and surrounding mountains. I love lookouts like that where you can get a feel for the beauty that God's created that we so often overlook or take for granted.

We were going to stay the extra night and head home Monday morning, but after the first two nights and the ongoing coolness and showers, we decided to head home Sunday night. We were expecting visitors during the day Monday so it gave us a bit more time to get ready. On the way home we decided to take a small detour. There was this road we had passed on our honeymoon called "Venables Valley" and we were both very curious as to where it would lead. We decided that ONE DAY we were going to take that road. Well, we found our opportunity. We drove about 5 or 6 km into this valley that had obviously been hit by a forest fire. It's crazy how black and dead the trees can be, and how vividly green the new growth looks in contrast. Anyways, we ventured into this valley to find a crazy place... (I looked it up on the internet when I got home). Basically it's a Hare Krishna community ... or "eco-village" as they refer to it. They live in this secluded valley, away from the city and the 'high tech' culture so to speak. It is a cool idea, although the whole spirituality thing creeps me out a bit. It was a very weird drive, I do recall saying that it felt like we'd found a different world all of a sudden. Creepy! But interesting.

Today brought more familiar faces as my Mum, Lydia, and Captain Awesome (Justin D) stopped by for hamburgers on their way home from May Camp in Salmon Arm. They didn't stay nearly long enough, but it was awesome seeing them. I missed them all a lot. There were good times, lots of laughs, and we even had tasty smores that we had forgotten to eat on our camping trip! (Actually, the best smores I've ever had... we made them with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups instead of just chocolate, wrapped them in foil and put them on the bbq)
We capped off our visit with a trip to Starbucks and hugs goodbye. I must say that I did shed some tears on the way home after Starbucks. I miss them already, especially my Mum.

All of it made me realize how hard it is to make friends... But how great it is when you get to that place of comfort. When you can stop pretending to be someone you're not, or hiding your flaws, and just rest in the comfort of being yourself and knowing your friends will love you for it. How much time it takes to get there. I know I'll get there eventually here with people, and that it just takes time, but I wish it were easier. I wish we were back in grade 1 when you could simply ask, "Will you be my best friend?" and they will right then and there. But it's not that easy. Sorry, I suppose my post is long enough without my whining.

Overall it was a very good weekend. We finished it off with a fantastic 2 hour season finale of 24. Kiefer Sutherland rocks my socks off. And with that, I bid you adieu until next time. Here's hoping this week will be filled with calls for interviews!

More Adventures

Well this week had some adventures... I've had 3 interviews, but yet to get a job. I did get offered one though, but I would be taking a serious pay cut to what I was before, and I'm just not sure if it's what I want to be doing. I've gotta do some praying. And perhaps while I'm waiting, I'll get some more interviews. That would be nice. Because I'm getting very tired of sitting around here.

Church last Sunday was nice, I don't know how many of you were at Burnett when Bruce Christiansen was the pastor (I wasn't, but J was), but now he is the pastor at a church up here in Kamloops. We went there, and it was really cool to see him and J reconnect. I did get kinda sad though, because he talked a lot about Pitt Meadows during his sermon (He'd just been there the week before)

I recently got hit pretty hard with homesickness. It comes and goes, but when it comes it's awful. I've been here almost 3 weeks, and I know it takes a while to really connect with people, but I guess sometimes I just feel so lonely! I really hope I make some good friends before J goes back to do more school in September. I don't know how I'd handle this if he weren't here.

That being said, we have been connecting with people... We went to the Sunday night young adults group, and then a young marrieds bible study (They want to do iMarriage in the fall, I'd love to finish that!) and today I even ventured out all by myself. I went to a Young Adults group at an Alliance church. J was at a seminar for work, so I just decided I'd go check it out. I'm glad I did, the people there seem really nice! I'll be going again.

I've been running lately... almost every day actually. Haven't seen any physical results, but boy do I feel good! I drink lots of water now too (partly because it's so bloody hot and dry up here, partly because I know it's good for me! Oh and partly because my Brita water filter makes it taste much better) I am working on my endurance... J and I have talked a bit about adventure racing. It's kinda like a triathalon, only more 'adventurous'... Basically they give you a map with checkpoints on it and it's up to you to figure out how you're going to get to them. The race involves hiking, mountain biking, and paddling. There's one here in Kamloops in September and Valhalla Pure is hosting clinics to train for it. I'll keep you posted if we decide to enter.

Anyways, I guess I should head off to bed, as I have lots to do tomorrow. We're going camping tomorrow in Lytton with J's sister and her husband, along with a bunch of friends. It's gonna be awesome to see them! And then on Monday my mom, Lydia, and Justin are going to stop in for lunch on their way home from May Camp! A weekend of visits! So exciting!

Adventures in Cooking, Churching (again), and Hiking

Adventures in Cooking:

So last Thursday we went out for coffee with some people from the church we went to last week. One of the girls recommended a cookbook called "The Girl Can't Cook" (And she wants to be a chef, will be going into culinary arts in January, this book was just given to her because it has great recipes in it)

Anyways, so I got adventurous. I bought some salmon to make "Grilled Salmon Skewers on Mixed Greens with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette" (p. 107)

Oh boy, were these ever TASTY! It was really quite simple (except the skinning of the salmon part... that was hard. The recipe calls for skinless salmon but the store didn't sell it without the skin) Here's my finished product:

Adventures in Churching (again):

We decided to head up the street a few blocks to another local church. This one actually kinda reminded me of Burnett, and all the songs we sang I actually knew. "Beautiful One", and "Did you feel the mountains tremble" among others. The sermon was interesting as well. As we were leaving, one girl said to us "I don't think we've met before" ... and we started to chat. Well, I think we keep going to these churches on just the right days. Last week the other church was serving cake. This church, once a month, hosts a lunch for everyone! So she invited us upstairs to have soup with her and some friends. It turns out that her parents actually live in Maple Ridge and go to Burnett!! They are also really good friends with Jason's uncle... Talk about a small world! All in all it was a good time, and they insisted that we take home a package of leftover buns and some soup too. Good times!

Adventures in Hiking:

Since we moved here I've been trying to get into better shape. Every other day I've gone out either walking, jogging, or biking. Sunday afternoon the College and Career group we went to last week had planned a hike. We met up with them at the church and headed out. We went to a mountain called "Sugarloaf Mountain" Well, no one told me how steep some of it was going to be, and boy did I feel outta shape. I was in the back of the pack the whole time (of course I just said I was making sure the boys in front of me kept the pace haha) ... It wasn't too bad, but it was a really hot day, had to be in the 20s ... About halfway up, (when there was no turning back) the leader said to us "Oh and I'll remind you that right now is PEAK TICK SEASON so make sure you check yourself thoroughly when you get home." .... Peak tick season?!?! Uuuugggghhhh so gross!!! I wanted to turn and run at that point ... but I didn't of course, because who wants to be known as 'The Girl Who Runs Away Halfway Through A Hike"? Lucky for me, I got home tick-free and with only a scratch on my leg... A mighty scratch actually from when a large boulder decided to give way when I was standing on it. And some girls on the hike have decided to go on weekly hikes, which I have said I'd take part in. Only next time I'm going to be more prepared, with Deet in hand and a hat and anti-tick vibes. Should be great. I'm also gonna step up the training regime and try to get myself in shape faster. :)

Adventures In Kamloops!

Adventure #1: Save on Foods

Ok so Save on doesn't seem like a very adventurous kind of place. And I guess it's not really, we were just amazed at the quality of grocery-carrying devices! They have the traditional basket, as well as a slightly larger basket on wheels with a larger handle to pull behind you! (Like those backpacks and luggage...) Then, when we realized that this crazy basket wasn't going to be big enough for our shopping trip this time, J came back with what he called a "Fancy-Pants grocery cart". This thing had a cup holder!!! At one point I did hear Jason say "this thing drives like a dream!"

Adventure #2: Church

We decided right away that we didn't want to just sit around the day after we moved in, and that we'd start our church-hunt that Sunday with a baptist church just up the road from us. It was strange, and a little overwhelming, walking into a room full of people you don't know. We sat in the back. I must say, at that moment, I really missed Burnett. But I didn't want to cry in front of a bunch of strangers so I bit my tongue. Anyways, so apparently that day was "Congregation Appreciation Day" ... they had cake and everything! (We so picked the right day to go!) The service was ok... I missed the fantastic music of Burnett... and afterwards we picked up a 'welcome' package (free pen!!) and hung around. When no one talked to us we decided to take matters into our own hands and introduced ourselves to the new worship pastor and his wife, who then introduced us to the couple that heads up their College and Careers group. We ended up going to their group that night and actually met a bunch of nice people! All in all, a good experience, and we got cake.

Oh, and that worship pastor called us up last night and invited us out for coffee tonight with him and his wife! I'm excited to have real plans and not just a date with Keifer Sutherland or a trip to Stars Hollow. Real, live people plans!!!

Adventure #3: Our Neighbourhood

We live on a giant hill. But up this hill we noticed an entrance to a park. So we decided to go for a walk (The pictures I'm posting show us on bikes, but that's because I forgot my camera the first time so we went again a couple days later)

This park is flippin' amazing!!! It's called Peterson Creek Park. First you're riding up a road with houses all around you and then when you turn into this park you're in a place that's so quiet and so peaceful that it's hard to believe you're still in suburbia.

Yep, we live in a desert. Those are cactii.

Adventures In Moving!

Well, we're here! Finally! Lots to blog about now! Let me start at the beginning:

Thursday morning:

Got up really early to finish the packing we still needed to do. Went and picked up the truck at 8am. We were aiming to be on the road by noon at this point.

Packing the truck took way longer than anticipated. Garret overslept and didn't join us until 10:30 or so, but he was a HUGE help since my muscles just aren't cut out for our heavy furniture.

So 1:00pm rolls around and we're finally ready to go. We couldn't fit everything without risking breaking things but we figure we'd be ok with the number of cars that were going up Saturday. Anyways, of course we weren't able to leave right then. Take a look at the second picture. See the mattress? Well, behind that mattress is our china cabinet. Do you see that black strap holding the mattress against the china cabinet? It was in the worst possible spot. I looked back through the little doorway/hole thing in the cab of the truck while going through downtown Maple Ridge, and to my dismay the top half of our china cabinet had fallen over. Thank goodness for the mattress though, nothing was harmed! But due to this crazy fiasco, along with a tire with low air on the truck, and an accident on Lougheed, we weren't on our way until 2pm.

After about 4 hours and lots of hills, we got there! Finally! We even saw a bear on the way! (I tried taking a picture but it just looks like a black speck) Unloading at J's cousin's house was exciting, as the two crazy cousins decided it would be fun to ride our office chairs down the metal ramp and into the garage.

We unloaded everything and headed home. Dinner in Merritt, and we were home at almost 1am. I was exhausted. The next day I had lunch with Dad and we packed up the vehicles for our next big move, the Official move.

Saturday morning: A much earlier start... We were on the road by 8am. I was nervous, as I'd never driven this far. Luckily for me I had my sister as a passenger/DJ. Our convoy was made up of myself and my sister in the Vibe (I took the nicest car), J in the Suzuki, my mom, and J's parents. The deal was to meet up at the first rest stop after the toll booth.

I must drive like a superstar, because we were so the first ones to arrive! (Hence, the picture) J was second and my mom was right behind him as a close third. J's parents arrived about a half hour later. (In their defence they had to drop off Gizmo at the grandparent's house and so they took the long way to Hope).

So we ended up at our new place at just after 12:00 noon. Unfortunately, the previous tenant had not moved out yet. We asked her how long she might be and she said "at least another couple hours"... We went to Boston Pizza for lunch in hopes that she might've disappeared by the time we got back. This was not the case. She said it was ok if we moved in as she moved out. Kinda frustrating, but the poor girl was moving all by herself... She'd had a final exam both Thursday and Friday and I guess her roommates had moved out before, so they weren't helping her either. We offered to help her but she said no... Anyways, she wasn't even out by the time everyone who came to help us left. I think she ended up finishing after 7pm that day. Craziness!!

Our place is really starting to come together. That first night as we were unpacking, people downstairs were out on their patio jamming... Lindsey - you would've loved it - there was even a didge!!!!!!!!! Along with an acoustic guitar and a djembe drum. It was a sweet way to unpack!

So those were our moving adventures... Stay tuned for Adventures In Kamloops!!

I just LOVE moving...

At this point I don't really know what to say, but since I'm moving in 3 days (kinda 1 but I'll explain that in a minute) I felt I needed to post. I've had lots on my mind that I could post about but whenever I sit down to write anything it all disappears.

Basically, I'm stressed. I haven't been this stressed since August 11th. We had a plan A for moving transportation, but unfortunate circumstances have caused us to go with plan B... Which was about 6 or 7 hundred dollars more than plan A. However, J's dad found us a moving truck that is only $79 dollars BUT we have to move on Thursday (aka tomorrow...) to get those savings. We planned it all out - we'd travel together in the truck on Thursday, and then come back to get our cars and still move officially on Saturday as planned. Well, we spoke to our new landlord and the tenant in our place isn't moving until Saturday. So that put us back to our expensive plan... Unless we could find a place to store our things until Saturday. Praise God for families, because J's cousin is letting us store stuff at his place.

So technically we're moving everything we own to Kamloops tomorrow, but we aren't moving until Saturday morning. It isn't the ideal situation, since we technically have to move twice, the first of which is just us two - I should start pumping iron now so I'm buffed up.

Anyways, I'm sure tomorrow will be an interesting day, so I'll try to remember to post. :) Keep us in your prayers as we go through this crazy transition.

You ain't cuz you not.

To the guy in his bright yellow Hummer H2 , dancing like there's no tomorrow to "This is Why I'm Hot"... .... ... This is why you're not.

But they couldn't get the puck in...

Last night the announcer on the horrible Canucks game while the Canucks were desperately making their attempt to get just one goal:

(With much announcer enthusiasm)

"Bodies and sticks flying everywhere!!!!!"

That was my favourite part of the night.

Birthday Wishes!!!

Happy Birthday to my husband!! I love you more than a billion dump trucks full of lovely things like friends and chocolate and spring! You're my favourite. :)

Here's to another 26, and then another after that, and then some more years too, because I wanna live a long time.

No more Grumpy!

Ok I guess I should post so people don't think I'm always grumpy. I'm not, just a bad day... too bad I don't really have anything to blog about...

News... hmmm, let's see... well we've officially moved in with J's parents. Things are going well so far but we are only a week in...

Today is Adventure Day... 7 months of marriage, it's flying by! I'm loving every minute ... ok maybe not every minute, but it is fun being a wife. I'm just waiting for J to get home so we can go for an adventure stroll.

Just over a month until J's done school. I'm happy about that, but the move is looming... Although in talking with some friends on Sunday I did feel the slightest glimmer of excitement, so I suppose that's a start.

There's really not much other than that. I know, I'm boring. Sorry. At least I'm not grumpy today.

Grumpy.

Sometimes I can't wait to move to Kamloops.

My Day at a Glance

I'm really tired tonight so it's going to be point form...

- Got up at 4:24 this morning, went outside to warm up my car, found 6 inches of snow and a frozen door. Had to climb in passenger side to actually drive to work.

- Drive took about an hour, it took about as long to get from Abby to Mission as it took to get from Mission to Maple Ridge. There was practically no snow after Mission.

- Had shift, drove back to Abbotsford to clean house because our landlord was showing it this evening... on the way though, there was a spider on my dashboard and it freaked me out. I had to get rid of it so I reached onto the passenger seat and the first thing I grabbed was the banana peel from my morning snack. I smashed it onto my dashboard. Made a bit of a mess, but I killed the spider.

- Cleaned my house... It was a disaster, but I managed to clean every single room in the house, AND keep things organized for the move, all within 2.5 hours. I was impressed. And sweaty, housecleaning is a workout!!

- Drove back to Maple Ridge for the rest of my shift. No snow on the road anywhere this time, and it was sunny.

- Saw a tree with 7 or 8 bald eagles. In the one tree! I've never seen that before.

- Worked. It felt long.

- Had a good talk with people close to us. I think things make sense now.

- Went to Bible Study and learned how not to be complicated. It was good.

All in all, a long but decent day. I'm happy I don't work at 6 tomorrow though. I get to wake up at 8!!! That's 4 extra hours!! Praise God!!!

Thank You!!

I just wanted to say a big thank you to whoever left the save-on gift certificates on my car the other day. The last two months have been really hard, but what a reminder to have faith! And even when my faith lacks, God still takes care of us. Why do I worry? As J says, it's a waste of time to worry when you could be spending that time having faith that things will work out. So to you, whoever you are, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts (and our stomachs, since we won't have to eat kraft dinner this week) It truly meant a lot to us.

Praise God! :)

Weekend

My weekend showed much promise - a trip away to Pender Island in a nice, quiet cabin with some close friends and family. Last time J wasn't able to go but he was able to this time and I was quite excited to spend some quality time with him, since it's always go go go during the week and we really haven't spent much time together. Unfortunately the weekend didn't exactly go as planned.

Friday we got to start our weekend off with some bad news. J isn't getting E.I. like we had hoped. He had gone to the office in the beginning of January to ask the obvious questions, basically asking "Am I eligible?". They assured him he was, even with his situation and so he applied. A month and a half later they tell him he's actually NOT eligible due to some new rule or something. Anyways, point is, he asked them a long time ago and if they had told him no then he could've found himself a part time job. Anyways, I've really been trying to have faith that everything will work out, and I know it will, it's just that things keep getting more and more messed up.

The weekend was pretty fun, had it's down points with J being sick the whole time and anytime he felt up to doing something he was usually reading for a test he was supposed to have on Monday (but didn't end up having)... The drive home was spent with someone who doesn't think it makes sense that we're moving to Kamloops and thinks we're both super happy and excited about it. For the record, we're excited to see what God has in store for us, but we're not excited to say goodbye to the people who mean the most to us. I don't want people thinking that we can't wait to leave. If I had my way we'd buy a house in Maple Ridge and raise our family here, but as Pastor Derrick said in a sermon a few weeks back, we have to factor in the "Divine IF". IF it's God's will, maybe we'll be back in Maple Ridge someday. But right now it seems that God wants us to go to Kamloops.

Anyways, so the big news is that because of our new financial situation we'll be moving in with J's parents as of March 15th. We're very blessed that they are able to have us, but of course I have mixed feelings about it. I know lots of people do this at some point in their lives, and it's not for a very long time - just 6 weeks - but I still feel kinda crappy that it came down to that. We were really hoping we could've made it through these 4 months, but I guess, again, God had other plans. Plans to prosper, right?

So enough about that, today marks the first day of Lent! I was thinking about giving up coffee, that would be stinkin' hard though... but maybe that's the point. Is anyone else giving up anything?

Valentine's Day

Alright, where do I start? I haven't posted since Valentine's Day, so how about I start with that. I wanted that night to be special, since it's our first Valentine's as a married couple. I worked until 5 so I didn't have a really long time to get ready and I wanted fancy hair. But of course I took too long and missed the appy's... Oh well, my hair was hot! Our table was really fun, 3 out of the 4 couples were newly married so we ended up winning for the table that had been married for the least amount of time. 31 years, but only from rounding up!! At first we weren't allowed to count half years (ex. if you'd been married 20.5 years just say 20) but when Pastor Steve came back and we asked him if that meant we can't count ourselves into this he went back up and told us all to round up. If we didn't round up we would've had 4.5 years between 3 couples!

Then... well not then, as in immediately following, there was quite a wait actually.... we finally received our food. Mine looked like this:















Looks fancy, but picture pulling that out of the fridge and eating it without putting it in the microwave. Yep, it was cold. Although the asparagus was luke-warm... I would describe my rice-can but I think Scott's face says it all...
















All in all I had a great time at the event, I laughed a ton!

Unfortunately my DH was sick that night with a bad fever so we left right away, and he has been sick ever since. So Valentine's Day itself wasn't exactly what I expected or planned, but it won't be one I forget anytime soon!

Warning: Rant ahead.

Ok seriously people.

- Is it really necessary to sit in the left lane going the exact same speed as the person beside you in the right lane? Quit the slow race, move ahead or behind person on the right and let the person behind you pass.

- If the person in the left lane IS in fact attempting to pass the person on the right, please do not come up to within a metre of my car and flash your high beams at me. I'm going faster than the slow lane, give me a chance to pass.

- When merging, is getting in front of me but behind a whole row of slow cars worth risking your life and mine? The answer is no.

- Tailgating is annoying, it won't make me go any faster, in fact it will make me slow down just to annoy you back. So Back Off.

- They invented a signal for a reason. USE IT!

I think that's it... I just love driving 45 minutes to work every day.

For R...

87.9


Have a great Monday!

Ok, because you asked.

Alright alright, Amelia thinks 10 days is too long to go without a blog, so here I am. Not really even sure what to blog about...

I'm coming down with something. I blame Mike - ok only because of his last post... truth is I think I was getting sick before I even saw him this week.

Being sick and going swimming is a gross mix. Especially when you constantly have to be within arms reach of a child who thinks it's funny to try to get away from you.

I'm at a lack of things to watch on tv... I'm all out of 24, and I've watched a whole season of Dead like Me because my sister owns it. I guess I should take this time and get things organized... but I'm sick.

Still trying to deal with all the changes in my life... Last Sunday's service I just cried and cried through the whole thing because it was totally directed at me. It was talking about changes within the church, but there were a lot of things that rang true in our life. We know God wants us to move to Kamloops, but it doesn't make it not painful. Our family is here, our church home is here, and the "unknown" in Kamloops is the scary part. Oh, I'm sure we'll make friends, find a new church home, but I think it's because I've always been afraid of being alone and being forgotten that I'm nervous about this change. I've moved so many times, I should be a pro at it.

Anyways, enough of that... other news... hmm... went out for birthday dinner last night (I think this is the never ending birthday this year) but this time it was because my Dad was in Ontario for my birthday. We went for Thai food in Pitt Meadows with his new girlfriend. She's really nice, more down to earth than ... well, another. She remembered a conversation we'd had at Cafe o Lei about how I wanted to make an Ikea trip before I leave for Kamloops, and that there are these cute little mirrors I liked... She got me 6 of them! It was very thoughtful.

Well that's that I guess... I'll think of things to blog about this week ...

24

and no this post isn't about Jack Bauer... not totally anyways. 24 years ago today in Toronto my mom was listening to Supertramp as she waited for her first daughter to arrive. Hooray, here I am. And I'm beginning to learn that the older you get, the more birthdays become "just another day".

I worked a split shift at the daycare, which meant getting up at 4am... no special treatment for the birthday girl, she still needs to bring home the bacon, as lean as it is. (ha ha)

Anyways, fairly normal day I suppose. Came home, ordered sushi, watched 2 episodes of 24, not sure when I'll be able to watch the next two, hopefully soon.

So onward I go into another year of my life. Hip hip hooray.

Mission: Accomplished!

The goal as of back in October: to start 24 Season 1, and continue until fully up to date before Season 6 started. (January 14) I'm proud to say that as of tonight, we are finally up to date! It's been a long, suspense-filled journey, but we made it. We've laughed, we've cried... Several of my favourite characters are now dead and I'm not impressed. But Jack's still alive. As the guy at the end of Season 5 said, he's "too valuable to kill". I agree.

So anyways, I'm excited for Season 6 now, like every other 24 fan, although those fans will watch the season premier before me. We decided since we have no cable (we can get the show, it's just a bit fuzzy) and we've watched 5 seasons on commercial-free dvd, we're going to wait until Jan. 16th and buy the first 4 episodes on dvd. Then I will spend my 24th birthday watching 24! How appropriate! It's funny too, since we don't have a lot of money, that's my gift to myself because I have a wal-mart gift card that I'm giving to J to buy for me. I'm excited!

So for now, I have a week hiatus from 24, and might fill my nights with other things... what shall I do? any suggestions?

Welcome to 2007!

Alright, so we've been in 2007 for about a week now and I haven't blogged. Oh, I've had the best intentions to blog, came up with various topics, wanted to do a 2006 recap, but hey, apparently I had better things to do. Like play Guitar Hero. Or lose track of time on YouTube. Look, I don't judge you. But I'm here now.

Today was an interesting day... we wanted to clean up around our place, which meant getting rid of the Christmas tree. In front of the tree was an upside down plant pot. Inside this pot was the biggest, nastiest wolf spider ever. We'd (Jason) trapped him in there a couple days ago but we (Jason) hadn't gotten rid of it yet. With a slipper in one hand raised above his head and his other cautiously holding the pot, he slowly lifted the pot, prepared to pounce. No spider. He looked inside the pot - there he was, crawling not too quickly towards the top, but quick enough to get Jason's feet moving. He opened the door to our place and instead of maybe shaking the pot to get the spider out, he throws the whole thing up the stairs! It bounced and made a racket and somehow the spider ended up on the wall. I handed him his sandal and that was the end of the spider.

Not 10 minutes later we decided to bring the tree up to the car so J could bring it to the compost place. I carefully steadied the tree as J undid the screws in the tree stand. He then instructed me to go open the door. He lifted the tree (I wasn't looking) and when I did look I didn't know what to say for a few moments. The tree stand was still stuck to the bottom of the tree. J didn't see it. I watched as all the water left in the bucket splashed all over our floor. I finally yelled "Stop!!" and he put the tree down but by then the pot was empty. We had a trail of pine needles all the way out to the car, and a huge puddle in our living room. Needless to say, I laughed a good laugh right about then. And then I cleaned up. A lot.

Later we decided to unwind by taking a little stroll over in a little park area we always drive past. It's a pond type thing with trails all around it. The thing is, the trails are basically the same level as the pond in a lot of areas. Did anyone happen to notice how much it rained the other day? There were huge puddles all along our route. But we were determined. Jason rolled up his pants at the first puddle, I hopped on his back and off we went. It was cold but only a few feet long so we figured it would be ok, it was an adventure after all.... Well I don't think J was singing the same tune around the end of our walk. We went through maybe 6 or 7 very large puddles, the biggest being maybe 20 feet long and up to J's knees... I stayed dry, so that was ok. I may have felt a little bad though, as we're (again, Jason) wading through a puddle and he's in pain from the coldness of the water, and I was just laughing hysterically in his ear. It only took him ten minutes or so of standing in warm water in the bathtub for him to feel his feet again... Anyhow, it was an adventure!

I got to finish off the day with J's sister and her husband, they came over tonight which was awesome since we aren't coming out to Maple Ridge much with our budget cutbacks... We watched Garden State - they'd never seen it and it's one of my favourite movies! Good times were had.

This is a long post already but I need to share this one picture with you...





This is my Sarahmaynard plant. I call it that because she recommended I get one of these because I wouldn't kill it. (that and I have no idea what it's actually called) And she was right!! Check out at the bottom, that light green thing. It's the opposite of dead!!!! It's growing!!! That wasn't there when I bought it! I was so excited when I discovered it that I decided it needed a celebratory drink. (of water, before you ask) It's the first plant I've made grow! Hooray!