random thoughts

First there are a million things that I should be doing right now. Probaby more. But here I sit, piddling time away on the internet.
Now, I have to share the line that a trucker used on my yesterday. It made my day! Ok, he was sitting at our coffee counter which was my section that day and right from the get go I was giving him a hard time(For those of you who have never eaten at a Flying J, that is simply how it is done, we are loved for our harrassment and abuse). So this man, after a couple minutes of my being difficult, he asks if I have a boyfriend. Normal question where I work, so I don't think twice about it. So I tell him no. Then he says to me "Thats too bad, I haev a sympathy card in the truck that I was going to give to him" Funniest thing ever!
Work has been really fun these last few days, even though I don't think I have ever seen it so dead. It's bad. But I love it!
And finally the point of my message.
Have you ever had it where when you are talking and start saying one word and then switch to another one half through the word? Well, I have heard/said some lately and have come to the decision that I love these words and I believe they should be more mainstream. SO, I am going to share mine, and if you have some or ever come up with some, PLEASE let me know!

Borgeous
Spabulous
Squinney

Ok. there are three to start. Any guesses on what they mean? Let me know! And seriously, MORE WORDS LIKE THEM!!!
Talk to you later. Happy 2 days before CHRISTmas!!!!!!

The Week Before Christmas..

So I am returning home tomorrow morning. And I am really excited. I just called my mom to make sure she would be there and we have plans to do laundry, and MAKE PEPPERNOTEN! and pretty much just hang out. I work again on Tuesday, so it will be like the Saturday for my week. I can't wait to live somewhere that is clean and has real food again!
It is already weird to be without my roommates. There is now just Jen and I left, and I love Jen don't get me wrong, but she is definitely one of the quieter ones, AND she is still writing take home finals, so although I distract her alot, I feel really guilty for it and try not to do it often... Oh well, thats life.
I went Christmas shopping with a friend from high school yesterday, Brandon. We talk randomly on the phone, but other than seeing him at the bar for his birthday(which he might not remember too well) I havn't seen him since grad. I thought we were going to get his family stuff, but when we got to the mall I found out he was almost finished shopping, and two nights before I discovered that we weren't drawing names in my family but buying for all the siblings. That is alot of shopping. So it ended up being that we did my Christmas shopping and it was awesome! I had a really good time, hes a fun guy to hang out with, and I got almost all of my presents in one trip. That NEVER happens! Crazy stuff.
In a week from tomorrow I leave for Ontario for a few days and I am starting to look forward to it. Gonna be good to see Becca and her Booys (not a mispell) and the Billialds. And besides that I can't believe that one week from this moment I will have been to a Christmas service, eaten a Christmas dinner, sung Christmas carols, and opened/given Christmas presents. Crazy how time flies!
Anyways, off to throw out all the stuff in the fridge so it doesn't smell when I get back. Talk to you later this week!!

and the results are in...

Ok. They arn't actually in but they might as well be. I am finished my semester! Completely! I am so excited you have no idea! As of right now, I am really not feeling the return to school and am seriously considering other options. Things other than returning to classes, and jobs other than the Flying J (although, considering how much fun I had on Saturday, a 15 hour shift, it would maybe not be so bad to return full time...).
The finals went alright. I expected extreme torture from Bio and didn't quite get it. So that is good. Not necessarily expecting a good mark, but I think(hope) that I passed it at least. And English was actually good. Both sections (well the 2 of three that I chose) had one topic that I was really comfortable with, and that is a very good sign. So no complaints!
Otherwise things are ok. Tomorrow is a day off from everything and then Thursday starts my 10 work days straight. I have about 15 people I am supposed to visit with in that time so if I forget you, please don't take it personally! I am working on it and next semester, since I wont be in school probably, then I will have alot more time!
Peace all! Good luck on finals!

BBBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK. SO I HAVE TWO FINALS TOMORROW AND I CAN NOT STUDY. I HAVE zero ATTENTION SPAN AND CAN NOT SIT FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES! IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY! (short trip I know). BUT SERIOUSLY. DON'T WORRY ABOUT ENCOURAGMENT, I WONT READ THIS AGAIN BEFORE I WRITE THEM, I JUST DON'T KNOW TO TO FOCUS!!! KINDA GOING CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
On a brighter note, after these two finals I am FINISHED WITH SCHOOL, and the more I think about it the less sure I am that I am coming back. It is more like 85% chance of NOT coming back... and fast climbing towards 90%.
CAN'T HANDLE MAKING BIG DECISIONS RIGHT AROUND EXAMS! CAN'T HANDLE STUDYING! CAN'T HANDLE EXAMS! CAN'T HANDLE SCHOOL!

Final Stretch

Ok. Did I mention that I finished my Dutch test? No? Ok. Well it is over, thankfully and I really couldn't tell you how I got what I got. There were 33 english and 33 dutch sentences and one by one we had to go in and orally translate 10 of each. Well I stumbled over alot of them, forgot my words, and the ones that she tried to get me to do just confused me even more. She told me like 6 or 7 times I would get half marks and I became convinced I was finished! Well, after the ordeal was over, I got up to leave and she informs me that I got an 85%! Really not sure about her math, but who am I to argue?
Bio poster got in on time, and I think it was pretty good. I felt like it was good, maybe a little more color or more pictures but for the most part I was quite happy with it. And the essay that was due Wednesday? Well, I got another extension and will have it in by 10 am or so tomorrow (Friday) morning. Ps. Did I mention that to get the first extension I had to write a paragraph with either regionalism or postmodernism? Well, he gave prizes to the best excuses, and I won for the best regionalism excuse! Sweet deal!
Finally, one of my roommates and I are thinking that we might attend the Panorama Ski Trip that my church is putting on. I wasn't going to go because I can't snowboard, but all of a sudden I really wanted to go. So hopefully my friend from work, Marty(hi Marty! Wish you were still on days) will have time to teach me to carve before January 19. Otherwise, it will be a long and interesting weekend!
I think that is all...
Oh ya. I went and sat in my buddies hot tub last night, Jack and I went, and wow. I think Theo and Layne are quite literally my heros. So thanks boys. Otherwise, pretty much this is my excuse to procrastinate some more and not finish my paper, not sure when I will post over Christmas since I wont have anything to put off... Terrible. Hopefully things are swell, I have to go pretend to work for a while! :P

an official member

Well, I am now a member of www.facebook.com . I signed up a couple days ago, was warned that it was addicting, and am already aware of the fact that it is gonna have me hooked in no time. You should all check it out, it is huge in the States and growing in Canada. Pretty sweet.
I am super annoyed with school. My last two projects arn't going well and I am seriously considering just not doing them. Big percentage of the final mark, but still considering it. I hate school so much right now and as of this minute I don't want to come back next semester. (For those who don't know, I am registered in 3 courses next semester, only 2 days a week, I'll work the other days). But not coming back would mean working full time and I definitely don't want to do that at the Flying J again. Not for a pernament job... Frustrating. I have to figure out where life is going. Anyone got pointers on how to do so? Because I have absolutely NO IDEA!!!
ok. Just thought I would procrastnate for a bit. Back to work again. See ya later, and please, pointers on figuring out what to do in life... I hate these restless moods...

and we have finally decided...

Ok. It is official. I am NOT going to the Netherlands in the coming summer. For those of you who don't know, Jack and I were talking about going and have been talking about it since last march or so, pretty much since we became friends. But after alot of thought we have finally decided we arn't going. And, for those who know about my 10/10 record for being top three that I posted about a couple months ago, and if these same people know about the beliefs that all of my friends had for why I wouldn't be going, you are all wrong. The trip has not, I repeat, has NOT been cancelled because of a boy in my life.(Which is what everyone thought would happen). It has been cancelled because life got in the way.
I got to thinking about things and really, what kind of big sister would I be if I missed the grad of not one, but two of my little brothers? A pretty sad one to say the least. Never mind that I don't have hardly any money and that my grasp on the Dutch language, which I was expecting to have grown this semester considering I took Dutch and all, it definitely is not much of a grasp. So, these things, and others, have factored in and we officially decided yesterday that we are not going...
Its a big thing to get out of the way...
Got my lab final back, kicked butt in it! Couldn't be much happier about it. Wrote my Dutch midterm, it was alright. Less sentences than the last one, so we'll see how it goes. (Ps, sentences are a very bad thing for me when they are in Dutch). The next 6 days are wholly dedicated to my English Essay and my Bio poster presentation. No problem!
But off to sleep, I get my stitch(yes, just one) out tomorrow and have about 1 billion errands to do before the big banquet, so I must get some sleep to prepare for a day of racing around. Take care, thanks for visiting, and I'll talk to you again soon!

HIV/AIDS

We just had a chapel on HIV/AIDS. I am not going to claim that I am an activist or anything but I do wonder why more people don't pay closer attention to this disease. We had a speaker who was infected with HIV/AIDS something like 20 years ago and he made a point that really sticks with me. HIV/AIDS isn't like Cancer, or Diabetes or any of those diseases. Sure they are all illnesses that take the lives of millions of people world wide every year, but HIV/AIDS is different. Ya it takes lives. Did you know that in 2006 alone (and remember that we still have a good month to go before they year is over) there have been more than 6 million people who have died from this virus. 6 ooo ooo ooo. Do you realize how huge that number is?
And do you ever think about the ripple effect from the deaths of all these people? Most people living with HIV/AIDS are women and children. They are helpless in having it because the children get it from birth, and the wives are often left with the choice to be replaced by another woman or to have sex with their husband even though he is infected. They are completely innocent. And many of the people infected are living in poverty. The people who most need help and assitance in this world and they are left to fend for them selves with a disease that even we can't control in North America with all of our technology and medical advances. Its disgusting.
As each person dies as a result from HIV/AIDS they leave others behind. Dying mothers leave their children, orphaned and alone in a cruel world. Communities have to care for those who are sick and for those who are left behind. The loss of each person is tremendous to their families, to their communities, to thier countries, and to the world.
I know one person can't change the world. But I do know that one person can try to help raise awareness. If you get the chance ever, watch the movie "A Closer Walk". It is narrated by Glenn Close (of Cruella deVil fame) and Will Smith. It is a movie on HIV/AIDS and its entire purpose is to raise awareness. I know that it is a documentary and most people don't like documentaries, well neither do I. But this one is so powerful and teaches you so much about HIV/AIDS. (If you are interested, I believe Kings is showing it Friday sometime... it might be during the day but if anyone wants me to find out, let me know)
So I guess I just plea that people be aware. That we know what is going on. That we come to the relization that this disease is completely preventable and shouldn t be ravaging our world like it is...
ps. if you want stats from that movie, let me know. I ve got tons of them.

Update on my crazy week

Update on my crazy week?
Big english essay, still no topic, still no idea what I am doing for it, but I wrote my paragraph and now have till next week to do it! Sweet deal.
Bio poster? Have a topic, even done some research. Wrote her to ask for an extension, no response. But in class today I am 90% sure that she said we, as a class, could just hand them in on Tuesday of next week. In otherwords, I got an extension.
Bio Lab final? Just finished it a couple hours ago. We were given 2 hours and I was out in just over one, and I felt pretty good leaving then. There were some questions that I could tell you right now I have wrong, but a large number felt like they were right... Hopefully it turns out as good as it feels and I can maybe bring my mark up a bit.
Dutch 'quiz'. We get our study guide tonight and the next 48 hours will be CRAZY!!!!
Other than school, I am pumped about the game tonight. I don't believe it deserves quite the hype it has been getting, but I do love Oilers games and Chris Pronger is a star... too bad I am in class and the game is on PPV.
This weekend was fun. Hit up 3 house parties in two nights, Jennie had friends from Dordt crash for a couple nights and...
I LEARNT TO SPIN DONUTS!!! A friend has been trying to explain it to me for a while, so Sunday night I went out, with Jack(ie), and practised/learnt for 30-45 minutes! It was super fun and I can't wait to go out and try again to get even better at it!
Also, I am signed up to take SPANISH!!! Next semester for credit here at Kings. Super pumped. AND, it looks like I might be taking a for fun ballroom dance class via the UofA with some friends as well... Pretty pumped...
Thats all...
[Happy Jess??? =) ]

Oh the Stress

I can't believe how close to the end of the semester we are. In something like 3 weeks I will be done classes and quite possible done my exams as well. But before that there is WAY TO MUCH going on. Take next week for example. Tuesday I have my lab final along with the last lab quiz. That is also the day that my dutch prof is going to give us a study guide for our last midterm(yes mid term when finals are in like two and a half weeks). Wednesday I have a research essay due, a more than 2000 word paper that I havn't started to the point that I don't even know what it is supposed to be on. Thursday is the aforementioned dutch midterm- the one that we get study notes for a mere 48 hours earler, and due Friday is a big bio poster project that, yes I have picked a topic, but that is all I have done. So I am in three classes, and over the course of 4 days next week I have 4 HUGE assignments. Got to love crunch time!
I wont lie to you though, I am definitely going to ask for extensions on both projects. And I will ask with no shame. The only way I will be able to pull off either of them is to get more time for both. Otherwise it'll be hopeless.
So thats my vent. Gonna be an interesting week and a bit, thats for sure! Hope your end of November is going better than mine!

When It Rains, It Pours

I wonder if perhaps I could put out a request for pray. My family, immediate and extended, is going through alot of crap right now and prayers always help.
My little sister recently up and moved out of our place. We don't know exactly where she is going to live or what she is going to do or if she is even going to let us help her much, but we do know that she is 17 and as lost as you can be.
My sister-in-law, who lives in Denver with my oldest brother, has been sick for some time now. It took awhile but they have now diagnosed her with Gastro Paresis. It is scary because they don't know yet if it is a short term illness or a long term, becuase there are two forms of the disease. There have also been struggles along with this illness. Problems with getting medication, and issues with doctors being stupid and giving her reason to worry about thing she shouldn't be worried about. It is not a fun situation.
And last, but definitely not least, my moms best friends husband- whom I consider an uncle- was diagnosed with brain cancer about a year and a half ago (maybe a little more). They operated and radiated on a few tumors(two or three of them) and he has essentially been fine since. His 2 month check ups have been clear and finally he got cleared to take 6 months before that next check up. 6 months would have been in this coming January or February, but his family noticed something seemed a little off lately and he went in for an unscheduled CAT scan and MRI's... When the doctor returned with the results they learnt he didn't have a tumor but 6 actively growing tumors. With such a high number of tumors they are unable to operate and remove them and unable to use radiation, so pretty much there is nothing that modern medicine can do. Way to go technology... (do you sense that note of sarcasm, or should I find a way to make it more obvious).
So, for those of you out there who pray, please keep my family in mind. We are dealing with it all fairly well right now, it is just stressful, heartbreaking, and painful. Thanks in advance for the prayers.

Pics from Vernon

So, our big trip to Vernon last weekend, the pics are on the computer and I figured why not post a few.
On the trip there, we stopped at Frontier something and took some pictures. The snow flakes were huge and we had fun. Jennie is catching the snowflakes.












So, Jennie and I then jumped in on this picture, she is the cowboy and I am the one with all the curves... good times...









No trip to Vernon is complete without a visit to my grandparents. It was really neat because I have never been there without my family or a ton of other people around, so it was the first time that I have sat with them and really talked. Learnt alot about them and had a really good, four hour visit. They rock!











So, in an unusual move for me, I didn't take alot of pictures during the weekend, so this is actually the only one of my and Jeff, my cousin who had the birthday and was the reason we went there in the first place.










And now of our trip home
The three of them figured they would go walking for a while during our 2 and a half hour wait. They came back completely drenched! It was pretty funny. This is Jennie, our roommate, and her two friends who we picked up in Calgary. They are all from Vernon and surprised their families by showing up for the weekend.










The accident, as we passed it, I only managed to get one picture of it and to be honest I felt a bit like a weirdo taking even this one picture before we saw the worst of it. But, it was pretty bad.










After the accident we were passing cars waiting to drive by for the next 15 mins or so. All just sitting there, waiting to drive on. It was crazy. This isn't even a fraction of the cars that we passed and the line of cars goes around the bend in the road. Never mind the lines of them we drove by before getting to the accident, cars that had been let through already. If anyone knows about the drivers of the semis, like if there were fatalities or whatever, I would apperciate hearing about it...











And on a brighter note... Right after we passed the accident, the weather cleared up until Golden, so for a little while we had beautiful scenery of mountains and forests freshly covered with snow. It truly was a beautiful sight...













Thanks for looking! Take care and I'll talk to you later!

Home

It appears I might have jumped the gun just a little bit.
An hour after I wrote that post, one of the Tims employees who I had talked to a couple of times, a dear older lady, comes to our table and informs us that people had just told her they were opening the road soon. To say the least, we were out of there, in the car and on the way as fast as possible to avoid being stuck behind all that traffic. We drive for a couple minutes and then come to a line of stopped traffic. Listening to the radio we find out that they would be opening the road at 12 30 and be 'alternating single lanes of traffic'. So we wait for an hour, a wait that included a short snowball fight with soaking wet snow, meeting the people in the car behind us, and getting splashed from a car turning around.
Finally, a little after 1 (thats about an hour and a half of waiting in the line for those who are counting) they opened up and starting letting people through. I am pretty sure we were near the front of the line cause it sure wasn't to bad of a wait, but the drive to Golden was ridiculous. It took about 3 hours, driving 60 km an hour on roads that were slushy and it was snowing, on a road that usually is about an hour and a half(Revelstoke to Golden). On the way we had to wait at the accident for another 30 mins and Jack took over driving. As we passed the accident I couldn't believe my eyes. It involved several semi-trucks and what we saw included two trailers in rough shape and the cab of one of the trucks was crushed so bad that it looked like a piece of crumpled up paper. It was heartbreaking just to see.
From the accident to Golden it cleared up and no problems. After filling our tire(did I mention one of our tires had a leak, so on top of everything we had to keep that in mind to while driving) and grabbing some mac donalds, and cleaning the windows(no back windsheild wiper either), we were on our way and it didn't take long to start snowing. And wow did it snow. From Golden to just past the sign annoucing our arrival in Banff national park was one lane traffic, no one passing, everyone driving 60 or less, and the constant hope that the car in front of you would stay there so at least you would know where the road was going.
Just outside of Banff it stopped snowing and from then on the going wasn't nearly as bad. After filling the tire and cleaning the back window once more, we were on our way to Calgary where we spent the night. Our drive from Vernon to Calgary, usually about a 6-7 hours max drive, had become a 12 hour ordeal.
Spent the night at my aunts place in Calgary and returned home Tuesday. Those roads were fine too, until we actually got into Edmonton, where it had snowed alot over night and none of the roads had been cleared yet. Fun!!!!!
But I suppose, as my dad said, if nothing had happened there would be nothing to tell. At least now it is a story that we will remember for the rest of our lives.
And on the bright side, the time spent in Vernon (and kamloops and Kelowna) was definitely worth the drive to get back!
See ya

Stranded!

Leaving Vernon, getting out on time. No problems. Our plan was to leave the Vegts at 6 30, and at 6 37 we pulled out. Pretty good says I. After a quick stop, we were on our way, out of Vernon and on the highway by 6 47. Things were going ok until half hour out of 3 Valley Gap when it started to snow. It was fairly thick, but by driving slower and keeping my wipers on it was no issue driving. Pulling into Revelstoke we have to wait in a line of cars and then eventually get our turn to talk to the construction lady. No through traffic. It will be a 4-5 hour wait. An hour and a half later I got to check on things and now we can't get out of here until 3. That works out to more than 6 hours from when we first got here.
I guess there was an accident furtherup the road, between here and Golden. They have to get that cleared up and then get the roads plowed. Trouble is, even if we get out of here at 3, there is going to be SSOOOOOOOOO much traffic leaving from here. They have been stopping cars since like 7 30 or earlier this morning. It is now 10 30 and we are here till 3 still, so many more cars are bound to pull in... gonna be a ridiculous drive thats for sure. But on that note, I've got to get some homework done. Since we are now crashing in Calgary at my aunts place, there i even les time for me to do my homework. Got to get it all done while sitting in a Tim Hortons in Revelstoke... darn weather...

British Columbia

Hello from vonderufl vernon... Ok, bad joke but I couldn't think of a 'v' word that means wonderful... Anyways, I am in Vernon for the weekend. Jack and I, along with Jennie and two friends of hers that we picked up in Calgary, came down to visit some of my family for the weekend. It was my cousins birthday on Thursday and that was the initial reason(Happy birthday Jeff!!!) and then it is always fun to visit with my grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins in the area. We spent about 4 hours at my grandparents today, Jack and I. It was really fun, we got to hear all about how they met and what it was like coming to Canada and all of that. I had never really talked to them about it since I had never sat with them when no one else was around so it was pretty sweet. They are really cool grandparents, we couldn't believe how long we had been there!!!
Otherwise things are sweet, we are hanging out with Jeff alot and then my couins Jason and their good friend 'cousin' Trevor too. Always alot of fun. Right now we are waiting on themt o come and pick us up for their hockey game tonight. Jack and I took some time to relax in hot tub with a couple of coolers. Stressful weekend I tell you... :)
Tomorrow we will probably drive the hour and 15 minutes to Kamloops to make it to the churhc where my uncle preaches. Only problem is we have to be there at 9 30 in the morning and hockey doesn't start till 10 15, never mind that we are going out afterwards. Oh well, thats life. And who knows what is in store for us after that early morning service. But on that note, I have to finish getting ready for the boys, and I'll talk to you all soon enough... I hope!

hello from me

One of the longest days of my life is now over. (Or almost over, I have plans for this evening but they will be more fun then the day will be). I had not one but TWO midterms today. Bio Lab and Dutch. Now, bio lab was only 5 % of my final mark and dutch 10% so take a guess what one I studied more for? Now guess how much more? I think I spent a total of like 15 hours or more on Dutch, because her 'quizes' are not 'quizes' they are longer and more packed with information than some diplomas I've written! (ok. Might be a bit of an exagerration). But I don't think I have ever studied so much IN MY LIFE! Meanwhile, biolab got about 45 minutes of studying and a bunch of that was during Bio class right before hand(no mom, I didn't just admit to not listening in class).
Now, I'll be honest, the lab test was way easier than i thought it would be and although it certainly didn't go perfect, it was way better than the last one. As for dutch... at least I did my matching in the right colum so I wont get 0/53 on matching again. Although there was another big mark page that I almost did all wrong. Again. But other than that, the sentences and the random words that I completly forgot, it felt like a pretty good overall test too... We'll see what the prof's say.
My advice? If you are ever thinking of taking Dutch at Kings with Mrs Richardson, DONT!!! Unless of course you don't want to learn how to speak it, just how to sound it out and write choppy sentences... No bitterness, I swear... :)
Anyways, time to go see 'Step Up' with a few of the girls, have to finish my long day on a good note. Take care out there, and remember, I'll be in Vernon on Friday!

my big purchase

Ok. So I did it. I bought it. I spent the money and am now making the necessary changes to fit it in. I. Bought. A...... MINI FRIDGE! Super pumped, as you can tell I assume... Thats all, just thought I'd share that with you. :)

todays big discovery

I made an unfortunate discovery today. I have recently decided that I am definitely not meant to be an english major, so after checking out different programs at other Universities, I had decided that I wanted to attend NAIT, for the broadcasting program- focus in radio or television.(My back up plan was GMac's Journalism program). Well, registration deadline is tomorrow, so today I sat at a computer with the intention of applying, if I got in I could decide yes or no, and if I didn't get accepted, no big deal. Well, I didn't apply. I learnt that I have to do a 'career investigation report' a couple pages written on 1)why I want to be in that program, 2)interviews with people in that profession, 3) spend a day with a 'buddy' in the program, and 4) talk with admissions and cousellers at the school to figure out if it is for me or not. I may not be much for math, but even I could figure out that there is no way I can have that done by tomorrow. Then for Journalism, you need unpublished articles that you have written. I don't have those either...
Well then. It looks as though I shall be returning to Kings for another semester of classes- with little to no intention for a degree, just classes to get credits and learn stuff... Productive... it'll be an expensive experience... thats all. My Big Discovery.

so. i ll try keep it short

Long week.
Last Thursday night at like 10 30 I started eyeing up my bed, I had to work at 6 30 and figured it would be good to sleep a bit. Before going to sleep I figured I d check my email and be asleep withing 15 mins or so. Well, while checking my email one of my roommates comes running in asking if I know how to get to the hospital. It seems one of our other roommates had fallen down the stairs. Long story short, we were at the hospital late, despite her wicked bruise it was a pretty entertaining experience.















Friday night consisted of the finals of the Kareoke contest. I didn't win but it was really fun. Saturday was a big day. Emmanuel Home put on an amazing race style fundraiser- 23 teams of 4 people each participated in the Race Against Time. It was tons of fun! I have never run so much in my life, all over Edmonton, up hills down sidewalks, over bridges, from buses and LRTs... To make it even better, my team got 2nd! Out of 23 teams! It was really awesome. Our prize? We EACH get a $500 gift certificate for VIA Rail. Super fun!
Heres my team










That night was another hockey game with Ian, Red Wings at Oilers. Now, Ian is a Wings fan so it made it pretty interesting. When the Oilers(who won by the way) scored, he wouldn't cheer with me, and the two seats beside me were empty, so I slapped fives with a couple older/middle aged men behind me. Next goal, I had barely finished jumping out of my seat when they tapped me on shoulder and I had to slap fives with their group of 6, and the 2 men on the other side of the empty seats. It was pretty entertaining. After the game, you know. Down to the club house. Meet Dick Tjarnqvist and Joffery Lupul.











The rest of the week was less eventful. I was super sore for a while from Saturday's race. Tuesday night we did name that tune again, when we got there, Thom and one of his roommates were already there and their team name was 'Canucks'. As a proud Oilers fan I just couldn't join them, so we girls started our own team and played girls against boys the rest of the night. They got 6th or lower. We girls, the Homewreckers, tied for third. Not bad for starting late. They are changing their game hours and last call though, so we won't be back there.
On Thursday was a great surprise. Ashley showed up. Unfortunately it was sad circumstances, she was in town for her grandma's funeral, but having her here for that one night was awesome! I love you Ashely J!











Halloween is coming up. The SA put on a dance Friday night, it was super fun. There were some pretty sweet costumes. Went shopping with Jack yesterday. We had a great time, I love her. Spent a ton of time and a ton of money. Loved it! Last night was a party and that was a pretty good time. So overall, life is good. Busy but definitely good.
Side note, my sister in law is feeling better. I think I mentioned she wasn't feeling well. They finally got her on medication that is working. Darn American doctors. Took them long enough! But ya, we were really glad to hear that. On that note, I've got to go and pretend to do some homework and figure out what school I am going to next semester... Sounds like a fun afternoon! Ok, well, see ya later!

Oilers...

Now here is that exciting news I promised yesterday. On Tuesday night I went to the Oilers game with my brother in law Ian(thanks again Ian). Before the game we were watching warmups when a friend of mine stopped by to say hi and gave up passes to the clubhouse, so we went down to the clubhouse and got to watch the team as they left their locker room through the big Oilers sliding door and walk across to the ice to start the game. First thing I want to do is show you that video...


So the game was pretty good, Ian bought a vintage Oilers jersey.











I am convinced we'll have him converted from the Wings in no time, and after the game it was back down to the clubhouse(like I do after all the games) to try get another autograph. Well, eventually we got one, a new one for my collection, Brad Winchester #26.













He didn't have time for a picture unfortunately. Usually, after one player leaves, they send everyone away and no one else comes out, but after Winchester walked through the *authorized personal only* doors, they didn't send us away. So, we stand there waiting and you wont believe who comes out next. My favourite Oilers, the amazing and wonderful... Jarret Stoll! Now, I absolutely love Jarret Stoll and haved hoped in the past that he would come out and sign some autographs, but never actually believed it would happen. I was pumped to say the least! Naturally I got his autograph on my jersey(his is one of the 11 on the jersey in the picture), I got his autograph on my Oilers shirt...














And finally, to make my night even better, I got a picture with him!




So, as you can guess, it was seriously one of the best nights of my night. Thanks Ian!

So life just got easier

Ok. So call me a quitter. Call me a wimp. Call me whatever you will but I withdrew from a class today. It is called a 'withdrawl' and not a 'drop' simply because it is past the time where I can get back any money for it. Why did I do it? The simplest answer is that I hate school, but that is a cop-out and I wouldn't just leave it at that. I have realized in the last few months that an English major I am not. I love to read, I love to write, but I sure as heck don't love learning stuff like 'middle ages british literature'. The prof was awesome in that class, so it definitely wasn't anything against her, but the class itself was simply not for me. So, now I am in 3 courses for 15 hours a week. Two of them are night classes that take up 3 nights a week and up to three hours each night, while the other one is a sciencec class and has a three hour lab with it, so it isn't like I don't ever attend classes, it just isn't nearly as often as other people do.
So what am I going to do with my life now that I know English Major is not what I want to be? That is a darn good question. I am nearly postitive I will not be returning to Kings next semester. If all goes well I will still live on campus but I have yet to look into that. I am looking into Mac and NAIT but even that is still really up in the air. Some people think I should just hop on a plane and while that would be alot of fun, it would cost a pretty penny and then I can't be involved in the wedding preparations. So I really don't know. Any ideas? Haha. I just don't want to decide. Anyways, I got to get back to class, so take care, I have an awesome picture to post very soon, I just ran out of time tonight so I'll do it later. Have a great night!

My first attempt at posting a video

So, remember how I was talking about how my friends and I rode the Piler at the potato farm? While, my newest venture is figuring out how www.youtube.com works and then trying to connect that to my blog so that when I do have videos, I can share them with you. So, this will be my first attempt to put a video on my blog. Please bear with me, but if it works, there will be more to come, I promise!
Riding the Piler 1 = Jennie and Amber




Riding the Piler 2 = Britt and Jodi




Hope that works! And if it does I hope you enjoy it at least a portion of how much we enjoyed it!

just a quick note

Ok. I havn't posted in a while and it might be a bit longer till I put up a good one, but I figured I would use this blog to procrastinate a little longer and avoid my homework. It is that season that University students hate, mid terms! Last week, this week to come, and I believe the week after that are jam packed full of mid terms and big assignments due so many things with no time to do it. It is crazy and I am not enjoying it even for a minute!
It keeps me busy, so that when people say I should call them so we can hang out, I add them to my list of like 15 people to. Well, thats not a good list to be on because for the most part it is getting longer faster than it is getting shorter! So, if I have promised to call and havn't yet, please don't take it personally!
Work keeps over scheduling me, so I am not taking any extra shifts for the next few weeks, get into their minds that I am a part time employee, NOT full time(Last week saying I can work my usual Mon and Fri 730am-2pm turn into mon-730-2, wed 8-2, fri-630-230, sat-8-5, being asked to come in that sunday, and twice being asked to come in today).
Outside of classes and work, life is great!Getting out lots, dancing, kareoke, name that tune, coffee... Keeping really busy and meeting even more new people. I love it! Every day is an adventure and although sometimes they arn't the most exciting, it is still better than nothing!
Hope all is well elsewhere. I guess that turned out to be a longer note than I thought. Now I really have to go do some homework(don't worry mom and dad. I am still putting in some effort)
Luv you all out there, hope things are going well. Take care of yourself and remember to look both ways before crossing the street. If the cars are coming, just run faster!

the last couple days...

The last two days have been packed with things to do!
Sat
After watching the girls soccer game(which they won against NAIT, and yes, I watched an entire outdoor soccer game, I've seen a few of them actually. Weird? Ya. I think so too), I return to my apartment to see I have a voicemail from my dad(Hi daddy). So, I call him back to tell him that ARE YOU KIDDING!? YEAH I'LL GO TO THE OILERS GAME!!! Well, just as I am talking to my dad and working out when we would meet, I get a text from Jack(ie) saying she was going to the game with her dad to! I was pumped and told Brit(another roommate and a HUGE Oilers fan) that Jack and I were going to the game and she was really jealous so she convinces Jodi(another roommate) to go to the game. Long story short, we all ended up going and managed to meet up During the second intermission. So despite the sad finish, it was fun to meet up with the girls, and afterwards we went to the clubhouse and got some pics with some of the Oilers rookies. These pictures, the first one is the Calgary fan standing alone, and the second is showing the friends that we are(for those who don't know, thats me with 3 of my 5 roommates. yep, 6 of us in total). The other three are with Bergeron, Stortini, and Jacques. Sweet!





















Sun
We had plans for a BBQ for lunch and were meeting at one, so I headed to a new church with some roommates and was ready to go by one. One o'clock comes around, seven of us jump in a minivan and it was off to Jack's potato farm for a BBQ! The hamburgers were awesome and we were all thrilled to be in a real home. It is amazing how quickly you can grow to miss a house.
After lunch we got a tour of the farm. I really love those tours. We rode a piler (don't ask), climbed in a potato truck, and just goofed off. It was super fun. The pics, first there is us in the van on the way to the farm. Jack is driving and I am riding shot gun. Then there is us eating our delicious burgers. To the left is a pic of Jennie and Amber on the scoop. It, as I am sure you'd guess, scoops potatos and runs them down conveyor belts into trucks.




Next we have the pictures from the 'bin', where they store the potatos. We are climbing onto a piler(the green thing. And you guessed it, it 'piles' potato's!) We would be in big trouble I am sure if her parents found out, but we rode the piler to the top of the pile of potatos (See the other picture). It was awesome! We had so much fun and if was technologically advanced enough, I would post the videos of it. It was super fun!! Next there is a picture of the seven of us and Jack's little sister. We are tucked in between the boards between bins. Following that one is the fork lift. When you see a piece of machinery, you play on it! Or we do. So of course, we had to take a moment for another photo op. After the fork lift we moved on to faster machines, the quad! Now, I'll be honest, it is broken and w=we are just sitting in the shop on it, but the second quad picture sure makes it look like we are driving fast, doesn't it?

Finally, as any trip to the farm should, we finished our visit playing the the trucks. Inside the back of the potato trucks and pretending to drive other large trucks that were sitting around the barn yard.

Finally, with a visit to the headless tractor man(Jennie is posing behind it) and a 50lb bag of potatos in the trunk(way to go Amber!), we returned home to rest and relax from a busy couple of days. See ya!

and the next one married is...

Ok. So I know in my last post, I wrote half a sentence that my brother got engaged but that is hardly enough. So let me announce it properly.
My brother got engaged! He has been dating his girlfriend(nay, fiance) for about a year and a half and once we figured out what her name was(which no joke he made us guess) and got to know her, we all loved her and couldn't figure out what she was doing with my brother. But, they are happy and in love, and are fixing up a house together and have set a wedding date. On April 28, 2007 I will get another sister!
I am super excited for this wedding because not only am I getting an awesome sister(who has no sisters of her own) but I get to be a bridesmaid again! Just a bridesmaid this time, which is sweet(not that I didn't have a good time at Shelly's, just nice to experience something a little different). And, Shelly and I are going to be singing while they sign the marrige license!!! Since I love to sing this is awesome, and that means I have been the entertainment while all of my siblings sign the license- First I played the flute, than I sang in Spanish, and now I get to sing again! Wow, I am super excited and can't wait!
Congrats Dale and Mar!!!

i can't believe thats all it has been!

I moved in two weeks ago. Classes started a week and a half ago. I can't believe that it hasn't been longer than that. It feels like we have been in this apartment for ages and like I have been in class for years. Most of the time I mean that in a good way.
Classes are going awesome. I think that it is going to be a really good semester so long as I keep putting in the time and effort. And the apartment, I love it! The girls are wicked and I can't wait for the end of the month for Jack(ie) to move in completely too. The last couple weeks have been such a blast and I am still grateful for the decision I made 8 months ago to move into the residence. It had to of been one of the best choices of my life!
On a more somber note, my sister-in-law is temporairly in the Denver Hospital. She hasn't been feeling well as of late and it finally got to the point where she had to be admitted to the hospital and hooked up to an IV. If you could keep her in your thoughts, I would really apperciate it. We have absolutely no idea what might be wrong.
Finally, to finish on a more humorus note, my friends and I were talking the other day about weddings and stuff and decided to each guess what order our group of eight would get married. Nine of us did lists, without discussing them, and when the results were read, two people were in the top three on every list. I just happened to be one of those people. Apparently with my sister just getting married, my brother getting engaged(oh ya. Did I mention my brother got engaged?), and my personality they are all convinced I'll be one of the first ones married. Scary thought says I. Very scary!
But off I go, we are in the process of figuring out what to do this rainy Friday evening, so have a good one. I'll catch you soon!

I know its been two weeks... but here are some pics

Ok. So after much harrassment from my honorary roommate in Abbotsford, I have finally got pictures from my sisters wedding. There is a large number of pictures, so I am just going to post a few highlights, save you all the trouble of looking at tons of pics! So here goes...

The Happy Couple

The morning before their wedding and I think they were ready to get it over with. The next 36 hours were busy, hectic, emotional, joyful, fun, entertaining, loving, and perfect... What more can a couple ask for on the weekend of their wedding?
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The Bride
This is our lovely bride, my sister, the day before her wedding. We spent a large part of Friday setting up the hall, but despite the time it took, it looked absolutely beautiful afterwards and was worth every minute!
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The bridal party
The whole group of us met on Friday. Here we are at the rehersal, waiting for our turn to goof off down the aisle. Honestly, if all bridal parties were that much fun, the world would be a better place to live. Everyone just clicked, and acted completely natural around one another, despite being relative strangers. It was awesome!
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The bride and her bridesmaids

So. It is the morning of your wedding. What do you do? Well, if you are my sister, you have about a dozen girls sleep over, make a big breakfast, do hair and makeup, and enjoy your last bit of single girl time. It was a really fun morning!

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In bed with...

Enjoying some last time in bed together before her bestfriends would have to give her up to a man. Good thing it is a guy like that, makes it easier to give her up I would say.

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First man to see her?

Daddy of course! I took this one right as she came around the corner and he saw her for the first time.

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I promise, moving on to a couple ceremony pictures now...

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Walking with her proud pappa

There she is. She looked absolutely beautiful!

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The celebrated couple

If you have got good eyes you can see the smiles on their faces. A wonderful ceremony and no it isn't just cause I was involved:)

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Finally, what you have all been waiting for...

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A picture of me:)

Now, because I already posted so many, there will be none of the reception. If you want to see some, let me know, I'll do another post, but for now, lets leave it at that. It was an awesome day and I was proud to be a part of it. There will likely be a larger number of photos on my msn spaces within the next few days. Take care. Congrats, Ian and Shelly!

here i am!

In honor of my first morning waking up in the apartments, I thought I would post a hello. I am moved in, and mostly unpacked. By 4 am this morning, 4 fo my 5 roommates were moved in and the 5th one is in thee process of it. So excited to be living with these girls!
Last night, as we were trying to wait up for the 5th girl to arrive, we decided at 1 in the morning to go to a park here in Edmonton. I had been the night before and the view from this place is just magnificent. So, we throw on our pajamas, grabbed a few blankets and away we went. Well, the view didn't disappoint and the girls stopped complaining about being dragged out there, but while we are there, a cop pulls into the parking lot behind us, drives onto the field, slowly drives around a nearby school, and then drove up behind us. Do you have any idea how bright the lights on a cop car are???
So the cops get out, bang, one, bang, the other. They walk up on either side of our bench(although we didn't notice one of them) and starts talking. "Have you girls been drinking?" "No" "What are you doing here" "Just looking at the view, we are waiting for a friend to get into town and figured this was a good way to pass some time" "Its a good thing there is four of you" "Why is that?" "Well, this is just off the river valley, and I sure wouldn't want to be here alone at this time of night. What with the drug deals that go on around here. Have a good night girls, be careful"
Well, to say we were a little freaked out would be an understatement. We definitely didn't stay too much longer!
But ya. On that note, its off to Safeway and Walmart to better stock our cupboards, so I'll catch you later. Here's to cops scaring the snickers out of you!
(ps. wedding post coming soon, I need to get my pictures first)

Here I go!

Ok. I promise to write about the wedding, but for now I don't have time. Here I go. Moving out. My car is loaded, I did one trip yesterday and this one (plus a couple large items in my moms mini van). My room here at my parents looks barren, and most people would probably still figure it was full, and I am actually excited to get to set up home base somewhere else for the next 8 months.
Hung out with some of my roommates yesterday and it was awesome! I didn't want to leave for my last night at home, and am now more excited than ever to be there officially, full time! SO...
Here I go. Off to my new place!
(I'll write on the wedding later)
WHOOT. Here's to an exciting year!!!!!

Monday

Monday. My 20th birthday has come and gone. I am more than a little pleased to have the 'teen' removed from the number corresponding to the years I have lived, because I honestly believe that saying you are nineTEEN and saying you are TWENTY is a huge difference in the eyes of the listener. So I am glad to be out of the teens, all growed up and stuff;)
I spent the weekend in Kananaskis, camping with 17 other people through my church and we had a really good time. We went on a hike (I did the short part of the hike, only 17 km... yes. that is the short part), played in the river, sat in the hot tubs, played some tennis, and lots of time sitting around the fire just hanging out. It was a good weekend.
And now on this monday, nearly all my thoughts and attention is focused on the finish of this week, the big bang to finish the summer off, my sisters wedding. As the maid-of-honor, I have not quite got everything figured out yet. I still have to write a 3 minute speech, and essentially my whole week is devoted to her, if she needs me to do something, I'll do it because my position in the wedding party, my blood relations, and my desire to do it will command that I help in any and all ways possible. No, I have not yet memorized the song for the ceremony, I am working on that yet. I am at least learning the right song now, so that is a good start. No, I have no idea what I am going to be doing as a mistress of ceremonies. They haven't told me what they are looking for, and I am lost as to what my duties are. I have no jokes, and am uncertain about what stories to tell, or what gags. So if anyone has ANY ideas for jokes or gags or dinner order or anything I would love to hear it!
I am slightly concerned about the weekend because I got super stuffed up over the weekend and am sneezing all the time, and sniffling even worse. Hopefully I am clear headed by friday or saturday.
The only other thing that my focus is on is moving. Sept 1 is the big day in which I will move alot of my stuff out from home and into the apartment. I have not yet started packing, and to be honest, I don't remember a time when my room was a bigger mess, but somehow, in the next two weeks, while working a few more shifts, helping with the wedding, visiting with friends, catching up with family in town for the wedding, and shopping for things for the apartment, I have to pack. It will be an intersting couple weeks, thats for sure!
BUt I must be going. I have things to do and no time to do it. Have to be at work in 3 hours and have many things I was hoping to accomplish first, things that are getting nowhere the longer I sit here, wasting time. So if you have any ideas, let me know, I would apperciate it. Otherwise, take care and don't fall in the river...

Pics from my trip to surrey

Ya. I know it has been a few weeks since I got back, but I finally have found some spare time to put up a few pictures from my trip to BC.



I made the drive to Kamloops on my own. This picture is taken with my camera timer, as it rests on the roof of my car, propped up by random items from my bag. It was a sweet drive and I loved being able to stop and go as I wanted to.























The first wedding we attended was in Surrey. The groom was room-mates with one of my brothers, and most of my family was involved in the two of them meeting. It was also really neat because we knew 5/6 groomsmen. Sure is fun to see them all groomed and done up! And of course, the Bride was absolutely beautiful.

Hanging out at the beach. We took a gazillion pictures and it was alot of fun. It was so awesome to spend some time with Ashley outside of the walls of the tower. This is me touching the ocean. It was the first time in over a decade that I had touched the ocean in the Northern Hemisphere. (Yes I played in the Ocean in Chile, but that was the Southern Hemisphere. Hard to believe that it is technically the same body of water!)

This is later that night. We went to a beach with Ashley's brother and Mikey. In this picture we are waiting for a train to come and squash some pennies. Have you ever actually tried that? It is very exciting and I highly recommend it. We spend the night collecting shells, taking pictures, and just hanging out. It was a really good time!

There are the other two. We took pictures with everything from this sundial to totem poles to sitting on steps to some random car. It was super fun cause sometimes the boys got into it to, as you can see. Thanks for taking the pictures for us Justin and Mikey!

This is the last one I'll post from my time in Surrey. We had a super duper good time and I would do the trip again in a second. I spent two nights in Surrey and honestly, if that had been my whole holiday, it would have been worth the long drive there on its own! Can't wait to go back again!