rebecca joy

Up and Out

2012-01-21T11:39:00.000-08:00

It's January 21, 2012, and I am no longer sitting in sunny Quito to update my blog. Our three man clan is a little West of home, but home nonetheless. The flight went surprisingly perfect, all things considered (all things being 2 stop overs, a 9 month old, and 19 hours of travel time).
And now here we are, 21 days into the month of January, with a Christmas shindig, a family wedding, and a whole season of Survivor under our belts.

It was sad leaving Quito. We had such an incredible time getting to know the people, the culture, ourselves, and our God. Some of my friends came over the night before we left to throw a party in our honour. It was pretty cool to form such close bonds with people that we had only known for a short 2 1/2 months. They are people with generous hearts, and although a lot of them don't have much, I was spoiled with gifts and food and hugs and a pretty sweet little goodbye party. I miss them.

But being in Vancouver has been good. A little hectic with Christmas and wedding plans nearly colliding, but there has been a nice amount of family time, and it is always a treat seeing James in his natural habitat-- namely, in B.C with Brian. They share a very unique, florbily type of humour, and although Ali and I have our moments of questioning WHO we married, exactly, they make us laugh.

Jesse took a good week to adjust to a host of changes in his little life, and was a bit of a grump butt to everyone. I can understand that a new country, new foods, new faces, new bed and new teeth can be unsettling, but it's been difficult letting him cry it out at night with a house full of people. He'll get there.
James and I were reading up on the 9 month stage, and were pleased to see Jesse developing according to the standards set by a total stranger on the interweb. So, he is figuring out the pincer grip to eat his cheerios, pushing his highchair around the kitchen, climbing up and down stairs, standing unaided for 5-7 seconds, waving hello and goodbye, understanding the word 'no' and experiencing mild stranger anxiety with his Oma :)
The article cautioned parents that now certain things can freak out a baby, like hair dryers etc, so be sure to calm him with a cuddle. I learned that interesting tidbit a little late... my cure for vacuum cleaner freakouts was simply vacuum Jesse until he realized it was fun. And it worked. He now has another toy to add to his repetoire of spatula and turkey baster.

Another bit of good news is that James got his first call to supply teach at his old middle school.
Yay! I'm pretty pumped about it, because James wants to work, and this is a great opportunity for him to try his hand at teaching. It might make for a long day holding down the fort, but I'm getting used to this now, and Jesse IS entertaining. 9 months is a good age.
PLUS my mom and dad are coming out on Wednesday, which is awesome! It took some persuading--we definitely dangled Jesse as bait, but it worked, and their flights are booked.
It will be so good to see them and to show them around this beautiful province. Here's hoping the rain holds off and the sun shines brightly.

We are still unsure about how long we will be here, where we will live, and what we will do, but we are sure God knows, and that is enough.
It is good to be home.

Jesse's 8 months!

2011-12-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

Time to size up: he's outgrown the 12 month sleeper..

I will now take a moment to sum up Jesse.

Cute.

On top of that, he now has 4 teeth, and chews everything-- the most popular item being a turkey baster.

He successfully climbed up the entire staircase, stopping midway to wave both his hands in the air while balancing on his two stumpy legs. My blood pressure levels fluctuate.

Noise is essential to his existence. Favorite surfaces to bang on = alluminum hottub lid and glass coffee table.

Outside remains his sedative. He doesn't make a peep when he can stare at the trees.

Favourite foods: 5 grain cereal mixed with guayaba. Papaya, banana, and mango are close seconds, followed by bread (he's a huge fan of actually using his new teeth these days...which has not boded well for my pointer finger)

He loves Ginger- the Jonkman's cockerspaniel/poodle-- but the two have regular skirmishes over Ginger's blankie and leash. Neither let go in a 'tug-of-war' situation, even though Ginger inevitably wins.

Jesse knows what's bad for him- such as light sockets, dog food, glass cups, boiling tea, t.v. remotes, open hottubs--- and makes a beeline for them. Discipline is underway.

He does not "play strange" with strangers, and the Ecuadorians love him for it.

He has proven to be a very social kid, and it's hilarious watching him interact with other babies and toddlers.

Despite a few hiccups (due to teething, colds, flues, rashes, etc.) he is now in a healthy routine with 2 naps a day, and a full night of sleep. It's been wonderful.

Jesse-- you are such a joy to watch. You are a strong, curious, coordinated kid. You know how to protect your head when you fall (besides the bloody nose you gave yourself today :) and I can breathe a little easier as you pull yourself around the house. We love you!

And now, a glimpse of the past week or two.

English class "clothes relay". Topic of the day: Winter and what I will wear when I return to Canada. I had to raid James' closet to make this happen :)

Our church: lighting the Advent candles
Ecuadorian tradition: Candy bags for Christmas. Arlene, Erin and I stuffed about 150 bags for the church kids. A tradition to take home...
Jesse playing us a little jingle before we head to church.
Home school group's annual Christmas party. They had a parrot, and an amazing porch swing. And we sang Christmas carols..in ENGLISH!

Playing memory at the end of English class.
Papa James and baby Jesse--bonding time.
What a dude.
Coffee and Christmas cake at Sonia Liliana's place, with our buddy Joel Bron.
Church b-ball court.
Church Bazaar. Huge success-- raising $665 for the new building project!
Pincho's were a hot commodity-- sausage and 'platino' on a stick. Delish.

James and Fred, facing off.

Ricardo manning the popcorn /guacomole dip station. Very cute.
Jesse and James caught up in the Christmas spirit :)

That's all for now! Only two and a half weeks until we are wrapped up in B.C Christmas lights :)

Quininde

2011-12-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

We survived Quininde. It's Saturday, 7:13 pm, and Jesse, who has been up for the past 7 hours and 13 minutes, has finally gone to sleep. So I am free to write.

The trip was an eye opener. The team, consisting of Jonkmans, Harskamps, and three Canadian missionaries left early Thursday morning with the objective of exploring the various mission projects Dr. Jenny is involved in in the tropical, humid, poverty stricken town of Quininde. The drive was a beautiful three hour trek through the mountains heading East toward the coast. It was also windy, and a little crowded with a squirmy kid that needed to be held because car seats are not part of Ecuadorian life. James also got car sick.

On arrival, we dropped the mens' things at El Refugio, and got down to business. First stop: Cesar Proano-- an afterschool child sponsorship program where three times a week children get fed, tutored, and mentored. The area is barren, the building simple, and barefooted children scamper in and out on a continual basis. We arrived, were served a very filling lunch of potato noodle soup, rice, beans, and platinos, with coke as the staple beverage. There was no way I could finish.

As we ate, children in blue T shirts began to fill the building, taking their seats expectantly for the noon meal-slash-swarming Jesse's stroller and touching his very white skin. Our team had the privilege of serving 100 kids their lunch, which was the same meal and portion size as that of the adults, and which posed no problem to any of them. Satisfying work.

After lunch, we cleared tables, talked with the kids, "helped" with homework, and watched the teacher led tutorials. A pretty neat operation, and quite obvious that the kids absolutely love the attention.

After Cesar Proano, we headed to the next site in Malecon-- and what I would consider the ghetto of Quininde. The project lot is situated in a very poor black neighborhood. It's on a dirt road that is lined with houses that line the river. These homes have no electricity, no running water, and worst of all, no bathrooms. The river serves a number of needs-- bathroom, shower, and laundry room. Prostitution is also rampant here, and the need to begin the project is obvious. So far, they have bought the lot, which came with the start of a building. Apparently the previous owner had tried, unsuccessfully, to build his home here, but could not continue due to theft, and eventually he was forced to abandon the project. From the stories we heard, God definitely had His hand in the purchase of this property, considering the former owner almost sold it to become another brothel house. Thank God it went to San Lucas instead.

But aside from a thriving banana tree (producing 500 bananas in a year!) the place looks like a bit of a rubble heap. But it has serious potential, and once construction starts, it will be an oasis in Malecon.

By now it is late afternoon; our son is getting antsy, and his parents tired. But-- on to the next project. This one needs some real vision, consisting of 2 acres of palm trees. They bought the property 5 years ago, and have been saving funds to start construction on a wall. The estimated money needed is 60,000, and the idea is to start a clinic, begin some minor industry (so that they can become a self-sustaining institution) and some educational programs to teach proper nutrition etc. Jenny is a visionary. (She really is amazing. Arlene told us a story of how a 'bridge' of two planks across a river terrorized Jenny to the point of rallying her neighbours, collecting funds, and building a proper bridge for motorized vehicles. Who does that?!)

Jenny explaining the future vision of the site.

By this time, Jesse is really ticked. We were advised not to let him toddle around on the ground, because the bacteria in the dirt could get him really sick, and this didn't go over well with him. He's an active creature. Unfortunately, we had no option but to hold him all day.. which didn't suit any of us. We were definitely getting antsy to head to Jenny's, and call it a day.

But, the group needed to eat, and the general consensus was to go to a restaurant. James and I opted out of this arrangement, and decided we'd rather go hungry than hold Jesse for another minute. So, we were dropped off on Jenny's palm tree plantation--a 30 minute drive over rocks and potholes that finally soothed our son to sleep, and created back spasms in the rest of us. And here, the adventure's really began.

I should start by saying James and I are a couple that compliment eachother, most of the time. Our differences often balance out our relationship.

However, there are times when they don't.

The coastal region of Ecuador has a lot of bugs. There are big beetles, bats, wasps, frogs, centipedes, frogs that can kill you, moths the size of your face... things that might not be so bad if you grew up in the country. If you are from a suburb in Surrey, however, these things are bothersome. In addition, if you are accustomed to sanitary conditions, like you might find, for instance, in a biology lab, life in the tropics would appear alarming. A bucket for a shower, dead bugs on the floor, live bugs on the wall, bats- affectionately termed 'night birds' in the dining room, a wasps nest IN the living room, geckoes in the bathroom, and the ever present threat of malaria from the mosquitos, which are all but welcomed into the home by the one functioning light and a sloppy screen cover that works more as a door for night time critters.

ALL of this to say that James has an eye for detail, and he noticed it. All of it.

I have to say that in this situation, I am glad that I am more of a 'big picture' person, or just plain unobservant. My ignorance in sanitation is bliss, and Jesse can just thank his lucky stars his dad was on the alert. However, this was a night when I needed to feel some security, and my balancing counterpart was having a hard time offering it in light of his bug phobia's, and preoccupation with sanitation.

ANYWAYS, we got dropped off here, at night, with no instructions but to enjoy ourselves because they would be out late.

Ten minutes later, the power went out.

Black does not describe a power outage in the tropics. James disappeared. Jesse disappeared (and I was holding him). There was just-nada. Until Jesse started crying.

We made a consecutive decision to deal with the blackness by going to bed and closing our eyes (yes, it was 7:30) After a long, tiring day, devotions and sleep sounded good. Neither was really possible with an upset baby. He was thrown off by his mosquito net, and felt the urge to pull it down and wrap it around his stumpy body. I decided it was OK if he got malaria, as long as he fell asleep. 30 minutes later, mid-prayer, the power kicked back in.

Praising God, I jumped out of bed and headed for the living room, only to see a bat spastically fly across the room. Gross.

10 minutes later, I tried again. With the bat out of site, James joined me in the living room, where we began twiddling our thumbs. I am not a dependent on technology by any means, but a house with no phone, T.V, music, or internet is a rare thing, and it leaves you feeling quite vulnerable. Especially when a strange man walks up the stairs, past you, and into the kitchen.

At this point, my nerves had had enough.

We figured out he was just dropping off groceries for Jenny, but after living in Quito behind locked doors and fences, the 'open' concept idea takes some adjustment, and I did not feel safe. So, back to bed we went, tucked safely under our mosquito net. Until I decided to plug the fan in to combat the humidity. "Electrocuted" might be a bit strong, but a white flash of light and a tingle in my fingers convinced me to leave the temperamental outlets alone and just go to bed.

I was out like a light.

This was our first day in Quininde. Had our mission work been located in this lovely area of the world, we may have only lasted a week. I think God still has a thing or two to show us, the obvious thing being an awareness of how spoiled we are.

Thankfully, everything ALWAYS looks better in the morning, and nothing could be truer of this place. Jenny and her husband live in a tropical paradise. Their house has a huge rectangle window (no glass, just open) allowing for an unobstructed view of the river, palm trees, tropical birds, and all the smells and sounds that go with it. Lovely.

Add to that a breakfast of fresh mango, and you can take on the day.

I will leave it at that for now. This is getting lengthy.

Very precarious bridge.

Mango for breakfast.

Burro in the backyard.

Wild tropical flowers.

The house!

Jesse's rocker

Swarming the stroller

Homework

The teacher's group

A pink chick. I have no idea...

Women's Retreat at Papallacta

2011-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday morning Arlene and I packed the car, said goodbye to our men, and made our way through the mountains to Papallacta. Jesse and I had the privilege of attending the church's annual women's retreat, and it was such a blessing to be able to tag along. I've come to a few conclusions during my time here.

Conclusion # 1) Mountains sparsely populated are far more inviting than the ones jam packed with trees. I like to see mountains that look penetrable.

Conclusion #2) If I could purchase a big plastic ball, I would take it to the top of a grassy mountain and have the ride of my life. I would do it, because the mountains here are just that inviting.

So we spent roughly 2 hours winding up mountain roads, snapping some photos of Cotopaxi-the highest active volcano in the WORLD, and enjoying the beauty of road tripping. I love road trips, especially when Jesse sleeps through them :)

Cute picture moment.

We arrived at the mission house that can comfortably sleep about 30 women at around 2 in the afternoon (we took our time, having stopped for a very cheap and enjoyable lunch platter of sliders, onion rings and chicken wings-- worth mentioning)

Papallacta is a small 'pueblo' right in the mountains. The view from the dining room window was spectacular, but the highlight would have to be the natural hotsprings about 5 minutes up the road. Cheryl, Arlene and I went up to check out prices, and I thought we had stumbled into a 5 star resort. Thatched roofs, hot springs, beautiful flowers, a rushing river, wooden bridges--I can see why this is a prime retreat location. Not to mention, it cost $3.50/person for the entire day.

Conclusion #3. This country has no clue how to price things appropriately.

Another picture moment.

Sonia Liliana in the icy river

And so I spent Thursday to Saturday with a group of women that began as strangers (somewhat) and became a lot less strange as the retreat unfolded.

Conclusion #4 : Women do not get lame with age-- they just need an opportunity to step away from everyday life for a time to recover how fun/funny they actually are. Arlene has told me a few things about Ecuadorian women, and there just seems to be so much suffering. But for a brief women's weekend, they find their therapy in the Scripture, in cooking, and in eachother. For example, on Friday night all of the women decided to go for a late night 'hot spring' dip. The place is open until 11pm, and it was only around 8:30, so we went for it. Jenny said she'd drive the pick-up truck, and without blinking, 26 women attempt to get into the truck. Obviously, no amount of people stacking would make that possible, and so I moved along with the overflow into the back of the pickup. 11 grown women wedged in the back made for one hilarious night time drive. At one point, we hit a serious bump and almost lost Estella. Everyone screamed, then laughed, and out of the Spanish phrases being whipped around I hear Elda say in crystal clear English " I have a pain in my ass". This sets her off into hysterics, as we continue to zoom up the mountain side, in pitch blackness, under the briliant stars, with a stray dog chasing after us up the gravel road. Memorable. Very memorable. And then, considering it was freezing, the hot springs really hit the spot :)

(Elda, Rosita, Alex, and myself)

So it was a weekend of good food, great discussions, bible studies, hiking, swimming, caring for Jesse, and worship. I experienced a few more Ecuadorian dishes like cevicha, soup with popcorn, more choclo con queso, and then something that I'm sure was tasty but gave me a nasty case of food poisoning that lasted through the night and into the next day. I won't dwell on it, but it did leave me exhausted, and ready for home (so James could nurse me back to health, or at least watch Jesse while I tried to recuperate). Rosita (the Jonkman's maid) roomed with me, and she was an awesome help, taking Jesse at 5 am while he cried and I visited the bathroom. I'm sure our friendship will only grow stronger :)

We ended up having to leave early anyways because it was the weekend designated for Catholics to make their pilgrimage to some holy virgin statue. The roads would close at 3 leading to the Idol, and we wanted to book it out of there before getting stuck in too much traffic. From what I hear, this is an annual pilgrimage Catholics will make, and when they can drive no further, they park their cars and walk a ways, and then the last leg of the journey is done on their knees. They fast throughout the day, and when they make it to the virgin to pay their dues, they celebrate by breaking their fast and getting wasted. A true religious experience...

Anyways, we made it home earlier than expected, and it was nice to be back 'home' with James. Here are a few more pictures of the retreat.

Rosita unpacking the limes.

Hot springs!

Jesse involved in our Bible study

Prayer group outside

Beauty.

Early morning walk on the 'road'

At the top!

Playing outside

The Group

Some house in Papallacta

Boy walking his sheep

And a boy walking his donkey.

Hasta luego.

2011-11-14T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sights of Ecuador.

At the market!

Exploring our options for our future home. The nice thing about this is you can roll through the walls in case of a fire. Worth considering.

You're fire place also serves as an oven and stove top. Very economical.

An amusement park at the base of teleferico. If you look closely, there are kids in giant plastic bubbles floating in water. Their turn is over when they run out of air.

My husband.

Guinea pig on a spit is a delicacy among the indigenous. It didn't sit well...

A 3 hour soccer match--youth vs. elders in the church. James and I both brought our A game--which meant we didnt' kick people in the back and still scored goals :)

7 months!

2011-11-12T07:52:00.000-08:00

He's got character :)
Looking down into a community that has been built in a volcanic crater.
At the top of Teleferico. Stunning view of mountain and city.

My baby is 7 months old today!

When we arrived in Ecuador, Jesse was 6 months old. He could hardly sit up on his own. He cried 2-3 times a night. He sat in a laundry basket. He did not eat solids.

The 7 month baby report : a whole new Jesse

We have Arlene to thank- full time missionary/part time baby coach. Having raised her own 6 kids, I was in no position to object to any of her suggestions regarding Jesse's lousy routine. It took about 1 week to train him. I may not be a 'routine' person, but I am now. I've figured out that I do enjoy sleeping for extended periods of time at night, and so does Jesse.

Now he goes to bed at 7:30, and he wants to be there. He grabs his blankie, curls up in a little ball, and sleeps. It's beautiful.

He proceeds to sleep until the sun comes up (5:30-6 am). I'll take it.

He eats a big bowl of oatmeal cereal with fruit--- gone are the days of acid re-flux, and loads of laundry.

He plays/crawls like lightning around the house, under tables, into cupboards, occasionally pulling himself up to a half-standing position and knocking his head on objects that get in his way.

When we sit down for breakfast, he squeels at our heels until he is pulled up into a lap to watch what goes on up there. Eating is something he is very interested in, and so he gets a few scraps to gum and gag on while we eat.

By 9:30 am, he's put in his time, and he's ready for bed. He'll be out until 11:30 (that gives me another 15 minutes to finish this post :)

He'll wake up, cry a little, get fed, and play around the house until 2 ish. Second nap-- and we can count on that lasting at least an hour.

By 7, he's washed, fed, and waiting for 7:30, so he can assume fetal position with his blankie.

Routine? He loves it.

This is probably old news for most moms, and a bit of a 'snore' report. My apologies. But it is news to me--great news-- and the future is promising.

Turns out, all Jesse needed was a trip to Ecuador :)

So, our family is doing well. God is blessing us, and we are doing what we can to be a blessing to others. The ESL classes started up last week, and we had 20 kids show the first day! It was so much fun to get up and teach again. I have missed it. James has found a new passion in his life in the form of web design, and plugs away diligently in his task of creating 4 of them before we take our leave. This coming Thursday I will be going on a women's retreat up in the mountains until Saturday. Their will be good food, good fellowship, and natural hot springs.

Rosi, a friend of mine from the church, invited me over for lunch the other day. She was cooking tortilla's de papas, (potato stuffed with onion, cheese, and garlic) and wanted me to come try out some real Ecuadorian cuisine. I am excited that she will be going on the retreat.

Last night, Ashleigh and her friend Jedidiah came over, bringing with them some Sangria and a pie. We played Euchre, ate pie, and sat in the hottub. We could have been in Canada.

That is to say, we are no longer settling-- we are settled. We are doing our best to soak up this experience, because it will be over in a flash. |
It is nice though, to feel home.

Tremors.

2011-10-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

The Equator line at "Mitad del Mundo"

Jesse has been in both hemispheres at the same time. Rad.

Driving here is an event. When Pico y Placa ends, and all license plate numbers are once again allowed on the street, the roads sprout cars and the city bursts to life. And people get killed.

Arlene says Ecuador has the highest number of traffic related deaths in the world. Now, add earth tremors to the mix, and you've really got your hands full.

We felt it on our way to church this morning. At first, I thought the engine was making the car jumpy. And then we noticed the taxi in front of us bouncing around. James thought someone hit us from the back. All very plausible ideas, until Arlene let us know it was an earthquake.

Our first earthquake in Quito, Ecuador!

What an adventure! That said, let's hope it stays our first, and our biggest issue remains ignorant drivers and a disregard for any possible road etiquette.

James has already pointed out that my driving skills would fit right in here. He isn't wrong.

The info session for the English classes was supposed to start at 9 am. That was to ensure we got started by at least 9:45 am. Turned out, a 9:45 start time was a bit ambitious, so we pushed it to 10. And still someone showed up at 11:30 am. It makes me wonder how much a "2 hour" class will allow us to cover. If people are accustomed to the "trickle in" approach, I can't imagine we'll get past basic intro's. Being a teacher from N.A, but living in S.America, I am torn by what "rules" to adhere to. Am I to enforce a start time, regardless of non-existent attendance? Or, do I go with the flow, start an hour late, and get through only half of the material? A lose- lose at this point. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Yesterday morning I had a real cultural experience, making roughly 200 "guagua de pan" treats for this Sunday's Reformation day service. An indigenous tradition, involving the making of bread children for all saints day (or, the day of the dead) which is celebrated at the start of November. We drove to the church, picked up Rosi, Rosita, and Elsi, and made our way to Mariasol's home outside the city. This was my first visit inside an Ecuadorian's home. A great first experience. I love that these people love colour. It literally boosts my spirits to walk into a house and see yellow walls. Add fresh bread to the mix, and a pile of women around a table jabbering what is mostly nonsense to my ears, and I am one happy camper. I believe I was assessed to be the youngest and possibly the strongest female present, and was appointed to knead roughly 8lbs of dough until the perfect consistency was reached. Failing at that, grandmother willow (Mariasol's mom) took over, and I watched in awe as bread children practically formed themselves in her experienced hands. For about 2 hours we kneaded, formed, decorated and baked bread for this upcoming Sunday service. And when the last tray was set to baking, Mariasol served up "choclo" (ecuadorian white corn) con queso y leche. I guess the thing to do here is boil cheese and milk and drench your corn in it. It's something to write home about.

Once all our little bread men were baked, we packed up, set off, got lost, re-routed ourselves, and eventually made it back home. James and I were supposed to meet up with a friend near the Alliance Academy, but we ran out of time. Instead we opted for a date night at the theater-- a good opportunity to get out of the house and try our luck with a cab. It was a big step for us. Arlene gave me two instructions. Tell the driver where to take us, and make sure he sets the meter. Well, he didnt' set the meter, and when I insisted he set the meter, he got good and pissed off. I told James to get out, and as James opened the door, he said he'd get us there for $1. 50. Price settled, we re-settled, and made it to the mall without being charged extra. It was too bad we had to go and upset him though.

My set of instructions for the return trip were similar, and things would have gone without a hitch had we known how to get ourselves out of the mall. Apparently, they shut down every door leading out of the mall except for one after a certain hour, and that pops you out into a garage -of all places- where you can't help but feel completely exposed as trucks whip in and pick up gangs meandering across the lot. That's right- gangs. (Completely kidding-- they were probably 14 year old boys who needed their moms to come and get them. But to the eyes of a foreigner at midnight, 'gangs' will suffice :)

Anyways, not knowing where to go to even get a cab, we called Fred. So, mission only half accomplished. We will definitely have to try again to get the full experience.

Arlene has helped us out in the 'experience' department, taking us to Mitad del Mundo to experience the sensation of standing on the Equator line. My body has been in both hemispheres at the same time. I feel like a changed woman.

At least, I did, until Arlene informed us that all the work the French did about 100 years ago to figure out the exact location of the equator line was trumped by our friend, the GPS. Turns out, they were a few hundred meters off, but the museum was nice.

We are enjoying the subtle differences of Ecuadorian life. They have supper at lunch time, and a meal is not a meal unless it is served with rice. Fruit is primarily blended to make juice, and I believe it is better that way. "Kilol" has yet to kill all that is wrong with my stomach, but it sure sounds like the right approach to a stomach bug. Shoes are worn at all times. If you take them off, you will somehow manage to make the floor very dirty. My footprints get everywhere.

People sell fresh fruit on the streets, and with avocados now in season, lunches just got that much better. Dishes are not washed in a sink full of water. They find our technique disgusting and unsanitary. A tub of Avox, some rubber gloves, a course sponge, and an endless supply of running water is all you need. Recycling is not done by the homeowner. Food, cans, clothes go in one garbage can. Poor people come 3X a week to sort it as a source of income (I don't enjoy that one, but I did always suck at recycling). You do not shake hands here--you touch cheeks and kiss the air. Personal space does not exist here, and greetings are intentionally personal. Roses cost 3$ a bunch. With kids, language barriers don't exist.

With time, let's hope language barriers won't exist...

This is my pal Patito. He's 1 years old and understandably couldn't keep his eyes open during the Reformation address on the life of St. Augustine. Neither could I, for that matter...
This is a bubbling cauldron of Colado Morado. A traditional Ecuadorian drink made up of herbs, cinnamon, and a bunch of fruit, with a type of corn starch used to thicken it up. It is made once a year at the start of November. You drink it with a spoon.
Mateo, Lenny and I playing on the slide at church. I was the only one brave enough to go down it (it's a fast slide for a three year old).
The women's bible study group at Mariasol's house making guagua's.

Kneading that 8lbs of dough.
One of Jesse's many admirers.
Both boys raring to go on our 7am walk.
Jesse and I at the doc's awaiting Jesse's 6 month immunizations, and a surprise measles shot. Apparently an epidemic started on the coast and the first few cases have been spotted in Quito. Better safe than sorry. He was a champ.
Ashleigh Dellos-- a friend of a friend-- lives only 15 minutes away from us! She came down for a visit and then met us at the doctor's office. She gave us a tour of the Alliance Academy where she went to school. Very cool building. Very cool girl. We hope to see more of her before the trip ends.

Impressions

2011-10-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

1/10 of our trip has slipped away into the Andies. We are not sure how a week has passed already, but the time is rolling like the hills we live in. Speaking of which, we got a closer look at these 'hills' on Thursday, when Arlene took us up to El Refugio, a youth retreat camp about 30 minutes from where we we are staying. The missionary couple that runs it has been away in the states and Arlene and Erin are currently 'on call' to exercise the horses. James and I thought a ride through the Andies would be kind of romantic... so we caught, combed, saddled and mounted our steeds, and envisioned a lovely stroll in the hills.

And then Espanola bolted and all chaos broke loose.

She went straight up (and I mean straight up) the mountain, and in about 3 seconds, our 'meandering' notion was shattered, Erin was out of sight completely, and we just sat there like idiots wondering what the heck just happened to our leader and her horse.

If there is one thing I would like to have recorded, it would be the look on my face.

Anyways, we didn't really have a choice but to follow, or at least attempt to, and so with a kick of the heels, we too began the ascent.

Needless to say, the horses carried us proudly across their terrain, stopped to let us take photos, and once we reached the summit, briskly brought us back home. Except for James' horse. 16 years old with some sort of hobble in his step... they took it easy in the homestretch.

Some photos.

Jesse, I wish you could remember being 6 months old.

Erin, leading the way home ( she saved the easy trail for the return trip)
James, Dakota, and an Easter cross at the summit overlooking the town below.
I think Mars had a skin condition, which resulted in his need to scratch his head on anything and anyone. Myself, in particular.
James, getting acquainted.

Jesse and I on the front porch of the Jonkman's. Yellow hibiscus are now my favourite.
Second game of bball for James. Both lungs and attire more suited for the game.
Guagua de pan for 'dia de muerto' (all saints day) An Ecuadorian tradition involving bread, icing, and a group of people who want to eat something tasty.Women's bible study. That's Arlene standing up. She's discussing the upcoming women's retreat and trying to get volunteers to do the groceries :)

That's all for now. More "impressions" coming soon :)

Adventures in Ecuador

2011-10-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

We are here! There were moments last week when I had my doubts we'd ever make it, but God has been good.

Despite Jesse's last minute throat/ear infections, my bout with what I imagine to be mastitis, and James'body struggling with being over 9000 ft above sea level, the Harskamp family is alive and well in Quito, Ecuador.

The next few months will certainly be an adventure.

I think I, in particular, am going to have to adjust to life behind electric wires, gates, locks and alarms. My time in the D.R, and South Africa exposed me to this, but it still doesn't sit well. Despite the walls that are dusted in shards of glass, the Jonkman's home is warm and welcoming--and large. It is suited perfectly to their ministry, considering how many events/groups they host, and we are happy to be settling in so easily. Considering it is typically safer inside rather than out, the yard consists of a nice square patch of grass, and beautiful potted hibiscus plants (and others, that I don't recognize). Jesse and I have spent a few sunny afternoons walking around that patch. Jesse and I are outdoor people.

The first few days here have been purposefully low key to help us adjust. Yesterday was our first real outing to church, which lasted from about 9:30- 2:00. I love the structure of their service. They begin with Sunday School for all ages. It's more like an hour long Bible study. After that they grab coffee and snacks and socialize on the grounds (a beautiful, LARGE grassy area overlooking the mountains). After that, the service starts up, which lasts another hour or so. Yesterday they had to do some voting for elders and deacons, which they did on a whiteboard in front of the congregation. Interesting approach, and definitely might make a few men squirm back home, as the votes are tallied right in front of you :)

After church, we had a few hours to relax, and then the bible study group came over for more study, prayer, and food. The idea of serving coffee and cake in the living room is not welcomed here. If you eat or drink, you do it around a table. I like it.

I have a lot to learn in the Spanish department, but I enjoy the one on one conversations (more like clipped dialogue) I have managed to have. In large groups, I prefer to sit quiet and just listen. The tongue will loosen up eventually, I'm sure. It always does :)

Anyways, today James did a lot of computer work for both Fred and Arlene, as I tagged along with Arlene around Quito. I especially enjoyed Pollo Supremo. A chicken butchery where you get cheap chicken-- a foreign concept in Ontario. We also picked up an excersaucer for Jesse from the church, and his little legs have never been happier.

In the next few weeks I will be beginning to teach ESL to whoever cares to learn some basic English. I am looking forward to it. It's been awhile since I've been able to teach, and I have to admit, I do miss it. Again, the language might prove to be a barrier, but that's all part of the experience.

And so the next adventure begins....

Adventures on Aberdeen.

2011-09-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

I never thought that meeting a hungarian shepherd would have such an impact in my life.

That was James' contribution to the blog.

In less than three weeks, James, Jesse and I will be on our way to Ecuador. That is soon. And between now and then, there appears to be a lot on the 'to do' list that James created, such as

-- try to make enough money to get there,

-fix the 'lost wallet' situation by getting all new cards from all over hamilton

-socialize with anyone who wants a coffee

-pack up our home

-trip shop

-get our shots

-get Jesse his shots

-hand sew a protective cover for James' ipad (please note the sarcasm, James)

-visit my sis, and her adorable kids

-make sure James applies for teachers college

-attempt to finish my online TESOL course

-teach myself how to sleep train a 5 1/2 month old, teething, strong willed, forever hungry child, because if it doesn't happen soon, none of the above will get done, and October 13 will truly be an unlucky day for the Harskamps. But, James reminds me that since we are not superstitious people, the # 13 has been redeemed, and is now the blessed day of our departure, and whether we get sleep or not, we will in fact board our flights and leave all chaos behind us.

The future looks bright.

And now, an update on J- balls. Yes, the unfortunate nickname coined by his uncles has stuck, and I will refer to him as such, at least for this month's update--which, I admit, has been neglected to the point that our son is now almost 6 months old, and in which time he has sprouted two very distinct snaggle teeth, learned how to sit on his size 4 diaper for an apt amount of time, and tasted his first sweet slurps of lukewarm rice cereal with applesauce. He is a very good eater. It is not a stretch to say that food excites him, and so I am seeing a blossoming Harskamp take his place in the world, and at the table, and I will no doubt one day be surpassed in the kitchen by my boy. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later. I hate cooking. That's right-- let it be known that I both dislike, and suck at it, and nothing is ever further from my mind than what I will eat for dinner. My sincerest apologies to the foodies in the family who take offence at these blasphemies. I will learn, someday, I hope.

Back to J balls.

He is a joyful chore. Last night he joyfully awoke at 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6. AM. I followed suit, a lot less joyfully, and James made it out for a few choice time slots... those a lot closer to the sun.

This is OK, considering he isn't equipped to handle all of Jesse's needs, but I am definitely getting ready for the next phase: bottles, pablem, and a place that at least has one room with a solid, soundproof door. Not too much to ask.

But all in all, we are growing into parenthood and loving it. Jesse brings a lot of joy to our table, and we love him.

And so, we are preparing to take our little baby abroad. Weird that he won't ever remember this place. Can't say it'll be the same for us. I won't ever forget it. Where James and Rebecca first built there home, and introduced it to a brand new person. It has been such an awesome adventure. But the pages keep turning...

2 & 4

2011-08-08T12:35:00.001-07:00

Brad and Brielle got married this weekend and James and I felt incredibly privileged to be on the guest list to experience that wedding. A beautiful, quirky, musically brilliant couple-- and the day was likewise. That's James and I with mustaches.

My man Jesse.
It's bumbo time! He's a bit twitchy in this thing... I think it pinches his thighs. There should be instructions on how to extract babies from these things.

Camping at Kill Bear with Doug and Vaness. Jesse was a champion-- a true outdoors baby. I forgot what fussing was, until I came home.
James and Jesse in Georgian Bay.
Cute.
Another reason why I've missed Katlyn :) I've decided that anyone who loves babies is welcome in my home. My reading list is growing, and so is Jesse's neediness, which is hampering my attempts to read. So, my friends, you are welcome any time to come and play with my son. Please.
We think he's getting a tooth. Either that, or his new fashion statement includes drooling profusely. Gotta love that face.
James' morning birthday pounce. I can see this becoming a tradition :) James turned 24, and I thought we'd honour the occasion with a good cup of morning coffee. Since I melted the base of our old coffee pot on the stove, and then proceeded to launch it across the kitchen by accident, it just hasn't been the same. Apparently some of the parts that snapped off were needed to make a good brew... so I bought a new one, and put a bow on it. Mornings have improved significantly.

Our little man is almost at the four month mark. That means his next round of needles are coming up, and luckily his thighs have retained enough chub to take the blow. I'm curious to know his weight. James is pretty sure he pulled some important muscle tissue in his arm just by holding him. I think James needs to toughen up.

My guess...18 lbs.

2011-07-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

He is 3 months old. And his Pooh bear is his cue to chill out. He's hooked. Grandma's attempt to fit his butt in her kitchen sink for a bath. He's not convinced it's a good idea.
But she's getting it done.
James took Doug and I on an awesome hike up the river to Tews Falls. It was a hot day, and I would venture to say I would take this over a pool any day. You can't really tell from the photo, but it was hard to stay put long enough for a photo in the current. Love it.
Eagerly anticipating a swim. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the actual falls. The rest of the hike required us getting very wet, and I left my camera on a rock before we set out. Believe me, it was gorgeous.
My friend Heather came back from Korea, and before she hit the road for the great out west, we snagged her and made her eat with us and our pal Ryan. James nailed that dish :) No surprise.
I dropped Jesse off at a friends place, and then Heather and I spent the afternoon at Niagara-on-the Lake. It was on Heather's to do list before taking off-- actually, "French onion soup" was on her list, and it just happened to be here in Niagara. And this is why I love Heather. She has an insatiable love for the small and simple things that life has to offer, and I learn a lot from that.

All in all, a great afternoon.
My baby-- growing fast.

You only get one shot..

2011-06-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Not true. Jesse had to get two- one in each chubby thigh and he screamed bloody murder. Immunization time= 2 months into life. Jesse has reached that checkpoint, and I'm told he is surfing at the top of the percentile chart, weighing 14.12 lbs, being 62 cm long, and blah blah-- whatevs. Yes, he is a big baby. I have no choice but to put him in 6 month clothing if I want to get him out of them again, and as much as my dutch nature wants to shove his butt into the remainder of his size 1 diapers, the laundry that results just isn't worth it. SO, size 2 it is, and I will stack up yet another bag of clothes he's outgrown.

Being a mom is getting easier. My baby now coo's and "talks" to me, and I feel somewhat validated in my role. Plus he's really cute. A smile from a fat baby is like mood medicine-- I learned in 1st year psych that if you force a smile, no matter how upset you are, the act of smiling will boost your mood. Jesse's smile is contagious, and it just plain makes me happy.

Back to immunizations.

Immunization= sore muscles, red lumps, cranky baby

= less smiles and more teary looks of betrayal from a 2 month old.

What does he know about health and well being?! I shouldn't have to feel so guilty.. :(

Anyways, he's doing alright.

Father's day is coming up-- so I hope James is getting stoked. He gets a whole new 'holiday' this year. My mom is also turning 50 tomorrow. 50. I hate to say it, but that seems very old all of a sudden. I also hope she is getting pretty excited. I know after 25 people generally don't like getting older, but man, I love birthdays. Embrace age people. It's a gift.

Speaking of age, life, and embraces, James and I are seeing a wee bit of a cracked door in the direction of Ecuador. That's funny. When I said we had to see what "doors" God would open for us, I never thought we'd just have to add a few letters to the front of that to crack the code. BUT, nothing is for sure yet, and so I'll keep it vague.

The weather here has been cool, but lovely. The vegetable garden is doing well, minus the bush beans. They are sucking. Also, our zucchini hasn't come up, which might be a blessing considering I don't really like zucchini. Everything else looks hopeful, and I even have a nice pile of mixed lettuce rinsing in the sink for tonight's din. That sounds really nice, fresh lettuce. The reality is, that's all we will have to eat tonight, unless I get off this couch and buy groceries. There's my hint. I'm out.

2011-05-31T05:51:00.001-07:00

A few blogs back, I mentioned that James had an interview, and we were excited to see what doors God would have us walk through in the near future. Well, that's not one of them--- but while this fall does not see James working at the Redeemer lab, it might see us dipping our fingers in missions overseas. I say "dipping" because it would be short term (to start), and I say "overseas" because it's vague enough to get the point across, without having to know where "overseas" actually is.

But it's exciting! Especially for me, because when Jesse entered our lives, I sort of reformed my ideas of what our future would look like, and missions sort of picked up and parked in the nosebleeds-- almost out of sight, but not quite.

And now it's back on the table.

So, we are praying, and searching, and discussing different options. And while we do that, if anyone out there knows of any missionaries/teachers/principals that we could possibly contact, we'd love to hear about them!

Other updates: It's very warm now. Warm enough that open windows no longer cut it, and the AC is effectively turned on full blast to keep this place livable.

Our flower gardens are thriving, and so are our veggies.

We had some of my old friends over for dinner, and James made a couple new friends :)

Yesterday evening was an evening for a walk to DQ with the boys from Bold.

Jesse fussed his face off for an overwhelmingly long stretch of time, but Matty B got him to sleep.

I am now on my way to meet Katrina at the Bread Bar for some hang out time, and I'm really looking forward to it.

2011-05-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Me and my boy.
Yesterday, my sister, her kids, and some childhood "sister's" of mine made the trip to Marineland. I love Marineland. Any amusement park that boasts a kid's section that actually gets an adult's adrenaline pumping is doing a very good thing. I would even say that a few of the kids rides were legitimately more appealing than those in the adult section. I mean, how lame was that octopus? Anyways, we went for the kids. Joc and I just happened to abandon ours on occasion to ride the dragon, and the coaster :)

On that note, it was so fun to see the "kid" come out of everyone. Mine didn't need much coaxing, but I have a feeling that some had been repressed over the years, and I'm glad they got a chance to play.

The last time I've been to an amusement park with this crowd was in grade 6 or so, when the Brouwer girls took Michelle and I with them to Florida. Bush Gardens. My first ever amusement park. Marineland, obviously, can't compare to that day, but it was cool that 15 years later, we could relive those memories.

Anyways, here are some whales. A lousy photo, but proof of our daytrip.
Levi, being swarmed by "goats".
Our entourage. A lot of strollers, a lot of fun.
Joc and I, living up to the "Sky Screamers" name, and screaming our heads off.
Shannon. The baby whisperer. Morgan on a leash, double fisting some babies, and no doubt planning to capture Levi, who has managed to escape Michelle's iron grip. The day wouldn't have been the same without her :)

Me and Talaina, with co-ordinated outfits.

Jesse. Oblivious to everything but being fed-- every 2.5-3 hours. Thank goodness he can down a bottle. He might have held us up :) Giving the old "pouty lip". Definitely gets that one from James.
And that's it for Marineland. An awesome day, that will hopefully be repeated. At least, it better, because we all paid the extra $5 for a summer pass.

But the May 24 weekend leading up to Marineland is worth mentioning. Back home in Hamilton, I discovered the Royal Botanical Gardens, and James, Jesse, Ryan and I spent our Saturday morning exploring it. Gorgeous. Later on in the day, James and I grabbed some vegetables, turned over our plot, and planted. This summer we hope to bring in beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, zucchini, and cucumbers. Already anticipating free produce.

I also tackled the front garden of our house. Even though I hand selected the perennials for the garden last summer, I still managed to mistake some for weeds, and out they came. The result? A very empty flower bed.

I was able to snag a few replacements from Maple Leaf, and after about an hour of sweat and toil, the garden was planted. It definitely felt good to get out and get to work. Now we just need to figure out a watering system that doesn't involve a rain barrel and a couple lousy buckets. I was under the impression that we lived in the 21st century...

But anyways, the idea was also to get out of James' hair so he could get some thesis writing done. He didn't, thanks to Jesse. Speaking of which, that's us, at RBG. The rest of the weekend was packed. Crepe breaky with the house, bbq at the HAAA, bbq at Kristina's, bbq at Doug and Vanessa's-- exactly how a weekend ought to look when you are on the verge of summer.

Tummy time with pops. And the rest are random photos of James and Jesse, because that's who I take pictures of these days.

Classic. Tuckered out after a night of sleeping :)

A month and change

2011-05-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a memorable month.

Jesse was born, and I learned a thing or too about caring for him.

James got sick, and I learned a few more things about caring for him.

James went to San Diego, and mom took us in for the week, and we were cared for.

Jesse got a throat infection and thrush, and still, we were cared for.

There were three weddings this month, all very different, but all involving the same promise-- that partners would care for eachother, and we, the church, would do likewise.

This month I have experienced the care of God.

We have had to turn away meals because our mouths cannot keep up and the freezer is full.

Our son is thriving-- packing on pounds-- and learning to smile.

James had an opportunity to try out for a job at Redeemer, and I'm excited to see what other doors God may want us to walk through in the next couple months.

I just went to a baby shower, thrown by a church we are not yet members of, and received gifts from people whose names I don't even fully know yet.

I have reconnected with old friends because we share a "mom bond"

I have reconnected with friends that don't have kids, because I crave conversation that doesn't revolve around kids.

Letters and gift cards come spilling through our mail slot-- providing no shortage of date nights, and teaching me a thing or two about generosity.

This past Sunday was Jesse's baptism.

As a kid, I didn't quite get it. I snored through the forms, watched the awkward hand-off from grandma to dad, and hoped the baby would scream or something to spice things up. Then I grew up a little, and it began to mean something. Then I became a mom and it really hit me. The forms took on fresh meaning, I hoped James wouldn't drop Jesse during the awkward hand-off, and I really hoped Jesse wouldn't ball his eyes out. Standing there, making a promise to care for Jesse, hearing the church make the same promise, and watching the water pour over Jesse's head and into his eyes, I felt the powerful, inconceivable love of God. God cares.So much so, that He chose to make a covenant with a handful of grimy sinners, a covenant that we can't even keep, so He keeps it all. Jesse has a Parent that knows his needs more than I ever will-- it's a humbling and a reassuring thought.

And so it has been a memorable month.

But not everything has been peachy, rosy rainbows. A more rounded picture of the month would include Ree getting pooped on, multiple times.

Pulling out her back-- also not so great.

Coping with the insecurities of being a mom who can't make her kid stop crying.

Figuring out what a date should look like with the backdrop of a squeeling, squawking infant. Feeling unproductive, despite the full time work of keeping my son alive.

Learning some unpleasant things about myself-- and not liking the learning curve.

The list goes on, but I'd rather end on a high note.

Although it's been raining for about 2 months straight, the sun will come out eventually.

Although Jesse is a "fuss-butt" he smiles for his daddy ( who has coined that term of endearment :)

I just finished an amazing book, "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. A must read.

Although I'm home alone, I am cared for. This family is cared for.

God is teaching me things, and I am ready to learn.

Week Two

2011-04-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Jesse has been in our life for two weeks and he's growing like a weed! Six days ago, he was 8.9 lbs . Today he weighed in at 9.8. The good thing about this is that he will most likely be a chunky baby, and chunky babies are cute. The not so good thing is he wants to nurse almost every 2 hours, which puts a real dent in the social calender, considering I don't exactly want to feed him in public.. yet. So, what's it like being a mom?

First off, it's amazing how much I love my son. I am not a baby person, but he's my baby, and it makes all the difference. Secondly, it's a transition. I feel like I'm on holidays from my job, but this "holiday" has me employed full time. I have to tell myself I'm not going back to work in a week or two, and I'm adjusting to that. I kind of like having a schedule that plans out my day, and now I'm finding the schedule is completely up to me-- but more accurately, it's up to Jesse.

I think this next chapter in my life is going to teach me a thing or two about selfishness and selflessness. Sure, being married introduced me to the concepts, but not to the same extent. Jesse poops, pees, pukes, and cries whenever he feels like it-- and that's where I come in, whether I feel like it or not. It's definitely an adjustment, especially because he seems to know when James and I just need to hang out, and chooses those opportune times to ball his eyes out.

Another thing is anxiety. I am not an anxious person, but having a kid has slightly changed that. The midwife thinks he might have a heart murmur, which I'm told isn't uncommon, but it still makes me anxious. A baby's heart seems like a very delicate organ... and then someone tells you it might have a hole in it. Yikes. But aside from that, it's a little overwhelming to suddenly have this little life in my arms, and realize that he is now a permanent part of our family, and it's James' and my responsibility to care for him... for a very long time. I'm excited, a little nervous, and definitely learning my new role as a "mum".

That said, I do love it. Really. And I am getting the chance to catch up with a lot of people and enjoy a slower pace of life.

This next week will be interesting. James is heading to California for a conference, and as much as I love spending time with my boy, it's wonderful knowing that James is around to share the love. I can't say I'm looking forward to him leaving for the week, but I'm thinking I'll pack Jesse up and spend some quality time at mom's. Grandmas love that stuff :) Here are a few more pictures of Jesse-- similar to week one, give or take a few ounces.

A bit ambitious, but here's hoping :)

Jen Geleynse knit Jesse one killer sweater. What a stud.

Jesse Michael Harskamp

2011-04-20T09:30:00.001-07:00

He's here! After a fierce, 15 hour, drawn out battle, our son finally conceded--gave up the warmth of being in utero, and emerged as an 8 lb, 1 ounce jaundiced butterball... with his father's nose :) I won't go into the horrors of labour, not here anyways, but I will say that the word has taken on new meaning, and I will now sympathize more fully with the millions of women giving birth every day, and I cannot help but blame Eve, just a little, for the repercussions of her actions.

Anyways, enough rambling. Here are some photos of Jesse and the Harskamps.

James, thinking this is some kind of joke :)

He actually pinched a nerve in his back, and contemplated sharing the epidural experience with me. He made it through the experience without the drug-- what a champ.
And 15 hours later: 12:29 am, April 12, 2011--our son Jesse.

Mom and Dad Harskamp: pretty stoked to now be "Oma and Opa" for the first time. We were so blessed to have them come and stay in the apartment below us. They cooked for us, coffee clutzed with us, and mom did her fair share of snuggling Jesse so I could snag some sleep and recover. Not to mention James had strep throat all week, so they were able to pamper two babies :)
Foot shot. Obviously.

Jesse and his cousin Savannah.
We definitely have some time before making the crib purchase. For now the bassinet is perfect.

A good feeling.
5 day old hands--already losing the newborn look and becoming pudgy. Sweet.
My two favourite ninos.

And there he is--a little glimpse of our week-old son. He's awesome.

Spring!

2011-03-23T12:02:00.002-07:00

So I was all ready to write about the arrival of spring, and then I got a phone call at 6:30 this morning.

Snow day.

And what a snow day. It's 3:00 pm, and it hasn't stopped snowing since this morning. Actually, there have been intervals of pelting ice, but the brunt of it is heavy, driving snow. The perfect day for James and his friends to drive to Detroit to watch a Canuck's game.

Not quite.

I have to admit, I'm a little worried. For one, the roads are bad, and there are bad drivers on bad roads. It's always a little dicey taking on the highways in weather like this.. not to mention the drive on a good day is roughly 3 1/2 hours.

I am also 9 months pregnant. IF I go into labour today, the cards are against me. My husband is gone, the roads are a mess, and even if they weren't, I would have to walk myself to the hospital because the brake lines in our car rotted out, and our car was towed away to Larry's shop.

Despite these minor concerns, I'm in good spirits. Simon and Garfunkel is playing, I just finished a great book, I have an extra day to relax and prep for classes, and Katrina is on her way over for a cup of tea.

My baby is also rolling around a lot. Fortunately, my gut tells me he's quite content to stay inside for a while before braving this balmy climate. Good choice buddy. Stay incubated.

On this note, I should mention that my amazing friends threw James and I (that's right, both of us) a baby shower. I really enjoyed that both genders were present. Typically, it's all women, and I've experienced some awkward baby showers as a result. I suppose I'm not really the type to fondle every gift as it circulates around the room, making all the appropriate ooh's and aahhh's over pampers and huggies in a room that is all together way to quiet, because, of course, the focus is on the mother to be. That's been my experience anyways. This party was different. For one, James IS one to ooh and ahh over baby gifts, and so he opened most of them. We were spoiled rotten! Danielle even made a two layer giraffe cake! I was so impressed by how grown up and fancy everything was. Girls, this is a shout out to you and all the work you did to make that party so wonderfully special. We loved it!

My good friend Kristina also threw me a baby shower, no boys allowed, but fantastic nonetheless. Some people know how to throw quality parties and my friends are that type. This party also almost killed my mom.

My mom is the kind of woman who likes to be involved. Kris was pretty good at letting her know that she was not in charge of this one, but my mom is persistent. Finally, Kris told her she could bring the cake.

So, mom decides to order a nice cake- two tiers, nicely decorated--it felt about 10 pounds.

She wanted it to be a surprise, so I was not able to help her carry it into the house, because then I wouldl see it, and the cause would be lost. She got Benjamin to help.

He's five.

My sister and I were sitting in the other room, listening to mom dictate orders to Benjamin (mostly to get his fingers out of the cake) when we suddenly hear a bang and a string of curses coming from "grandma". Mom had stepped on a case of Sprite in her heels and wiped out-- seriously wiped out. She had smashed her knee on the tile, banged her arm, and smoked her head on the woodbox, all the while balancing the cake above her head. By some miracle, the cake settled perfectly on the tabletop. My mother is a phenom.

Mom needed a few minutes to recuperate, despite our assurances that nothing was as "ruined" as mom kept saying it was, except her sunglasses. They snapped in two after she knocked her face on the woodbox.

So, with a bleeding head and a bum knee, mom made it to the shower and I was the cake carrier.

Mom-- you are wonderful, but sometimes I worry about you.

Thanks again to everyone for spoiling us. We are so blessed!

Perhaps my next post will see an addition to the family--my gut says April 5.

Snow Day!

2011-02-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Finally.

February 2, 2011.

A Snowday.

I have to say, the hype for the winter storm that was coming our way, having originated in Texas, had me thinking James and I should stock up on groceries and nestle into our apartment, where we would be trapped for at least a good 24 hours.

So, when I woke up at 5:30 am and jumped out of bed to scope out the conditions, I was sorely disappointed to actually see the road. Thankfully, most schools had made the call the night before, making the snowday official. This was a good thing, because it meant James and I could maximize our Tuesday night activities, (Settlers at Doug and Vanessa's, then watching the Fellowship of the Ring until midnight) knowing we would be scott-free on Wednesday.

Knowing that, we were promptly up by 7:30 am to maximize the full potential of our snowday. James and I were out the door and shoveling by 8:00 am, working up our appetites for a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, hashbrowns, tea/coffee/and OJ.

Since we were going to be making this delicious food, we thought we'd give some friends a shout to join us. By 10:00, Ryan, Tim, Jordan, Danielle, Matty B, Doug, and Vaness were cozily sitting in our living room while James and I worked our magic in the kitchen :)

I can appreciate cooks/my mom a lot more after that. Making food for large groups is a gift that some people just have. I'm going to keep working at it.

After breaky we settled two games of Settlers, and then people headed out. Overall, a fantastic way to spend a snowday morning.

I could say more, but I am sitting in an awkward position on this couch, and I'm noticing that it is getting increasingly more difficult to get comfortable at 7 months pregnant. No matter how many pillows I stuff under and around my back,, I can't quite hit that sweet spot.

Forget it. Time to move around.

a long weekend

2011-01-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

James and I decided to head into St. Catharines this weekend to hang out with mom and dad.. and Sam. I have to include Sammy, because I know I always get a little bit excited when we pull into the driveway, because my loyal, loving dog is always there to greet me. It's amazing how unconditional a dog's love is. No matter how many times I "leave" him, he doesn't care. He just loves. And I love that. I suppose I can say the same is true of my parents, but it's a lot cuter coming from an aging cockerspaniel :)

Friday night, after being euchred (?) twice, I have to mention that Vaness, mom and I still pulled off the win in a very intense game of 6 man euchre against James, Doug and dad. It had to be put in writing. I am still savouring the victory.

Saturday the plan was to go snowmobiling with our friends from Hamilton. However, turned out we only had one available machine, which was at the farm. We went for it anyways, and James and I braved the roads to get it from A (the farm) to B (mom's house) realizing on the way that it did not have any brakes, or steering. I drove cautiously.

The friends from Hamilton didn't make it out, but the nephews came down, in full gear, ready for some snowmobiling. Dad tied a tube to the back, and proceeded to whip my 2 and 4 year old nephews around the yard, mistaking their cries of alarm for cries of delight. They returned as little snowballs, now fully terrified of the demonic tube.

My mom, not impressed, thought it would be fun to take dad for a spin--her behind the wheel, dad on the tube. I cannot get the image out of my head of my dad being whipped inches from a tree, almost out of view as he transforms into a snowball, and my mom, not looking back, just laughing her head off.

After that, we went in, warmed up, ate up and headed home for the evening. On Sunday I ate my last meal, pea soup and a panini, until today. Tuesday morning--a single solitary muffin.

I don't know what hit us, but James was up at 3 am, and I followed closely after. The flu.

A full 24 hours of misery that I would not wish on anyone, ever. At least we were in it together. A small comfort when you feel like you want to throw yourself out a window. Not to mention that for whatever reason, the flu bug seemed to stimulate our active little baby. I believe he did not stop kicking my already tender stomach for about 4 hours straight. A personal record. I had James' sympathy.

Anyways, after 18 hours of "sleep" I recovered, planned some lessons, and went into work. I came home wiped, but excited to eat again.

Having stomached a classic broccoli/potato/chicken dinner, along with a fruit smoothie for dessert, I would venture to say we are fullly recovered. And now it's time for bed again.

B.C. Christmas!

2011-01-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

Walk in Whistler

Harskamp Family Photo Shoot on Granville Island

Science World!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

I am savouring my fleeting holiday, and learning to appreciate the fresh wet reality of B.C Christmas's. Snow and ice are in short supply, which means noone wastes time thinking about pond hockey, but squash courts are easy to come by, and James and his bro's spent the morning playing squash and having male bonding time. James' mom (whom I will now be referring to as just plain "mom" ) and I had our bonding time while knocking off all the items on our lists at the nearest mall. It was fun.

Today has been the first sunny day, and on our way to pick up Ali from the airport, I fell in love again with the beauty of snow capped mountains, which had been obscured by cloud and rain up until now. The boys' capitalized on the weather, and the recent dump of powder on Mount Baker, and are currently spending the day skiing/snowboarding, and I'll venture to say carrying on their male bonding time. The girls (Leah, mom, Ali, and I) took a drive to Steveson (?) to take in the sites of a bustling harbour/fishing town, and to grab some fish and chips at the Blue Canoe. A very cute restaurant overlooking the water.
I've come to the realization that you simply cannot go wrong with fish and chips.

Although Christmas day is officially over, I feel like the party is just getting started over here. I consider Christmas more of a season anyways, which, fortunately, will not be over until I step back into my job on Monday morning. Until then, I am entitled (and expected) to eat frequently, play a lot of games, watch episodes of MadMen, and deliciously curl up at any time of the day to just read. It's a beautiful thing.
Tonight is family Christmas with the immediate Harskamp clan, which is going to be a lot of fun. Apparently there are some home videos of the fam worth watching, and I have to say, I'm excited to see what my husband was like at 5 years old. Something tells me not so very different. I say this from the experience of my own home videos, where a mini Ree at the age of 5 is incredibly telling of the person I am today. I find this very amusing. How is it that education and conditioning and being 20 years older still can't iron out my 5 year old mood swings?! I'm no emotional roller coaster or anything, but I'm still the Ree I was at 5. That's a fact.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to the next few days, one of which will be spent having a family photo shoot downtown Vancouver and going to Science World. That's right. I married a scientist, and this is the price I have to pay :) But I am really looking forward to it.

And now, I am looking forward to my book.
Merry Christmas everyone!

2010-12-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Bowmanville slumber party

Niagara Falls--free B & B!

Bears!

James in hockey equipment. Hot.

2010-12-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am close to the end.

Two days until I am deprived of my "2 job" status and lumped in with normal people who work one job full time.

A moment to reflect:

Columbia International College was awesome.

Things that were awesome:

Teaching students from Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Senegal, China, Vietnam, Russia, and Korea.

Learning how to say "hello, how are you?" in every one of those languages.

Having my eyes opened to my student's realities, and what life is like for a foreign student

Reading Romeo and Juliet for the first time

Hearing my students heatedly debate the rules of war

Student papers :) (broken English cracks me up)

Getting a good taste of this career

Tomorrow is a study day, and Thursday they write their final exam. Then they move on to Grade 11 English and I never see them again. I don't get to see if they ever change their minds about the importance of money. I don't know if they ever go back home again, or if they end up settling here in Canada. Which ones will make it into their top universities? I have my guesses, but I'll really never know.

Strange to be so involved in a kids life every morning for 9 straight weeks, and then they drop off the face of the earth. I know it's just a part of life, and not really all that unique to teaching, but I think that because the volume of people that come and go through a classroom is higher than most other places, it seems like a bigger deal.

Oh well.

Good luck to them all!

Only two weeks until Christmas holidays!!

Christmas Ramblings

2010-11-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

The Christmas decorations are UP! Stockings, lights, candles, garland, eggnog, and Christmas music= one lovable apartment.

Things still to be desired--a live Christmas tree, presents under said tree, pointsettias, and Christmas baked goods. And Christmas day. But for that, I will be patient. The rest we'll get next week or something.

Anyways, I'm just glad I was up for the home makeover after a morning of stomach flu, sporadic vomiting, and 5 wasted hours of daylight due to napping. I don't nap. But I'm over the flu :)

Other exciting things that have happened this week. Savannah Joy Dykstra. My beautiful, healthy, chubby new niece. I love her. So do her brothers. Speaking of the nephews, James and I thought we'd take them off my sister's hands for the day so that she could just relax and we could just have fun with the boys. We took them to grandmas and made crafts, Christmas chocolate molds, and spent a good chunk of the afternoon outside running around. A lot of fun, but I am definitely glad that the way you start a family is with ONE, immobile, possibly quieter infant. Baby steps.

I'm onside with that.

Alright. The flu put me off my game, and I have a pile of essays just itching to be marked. Here I go.

A Good Feeling

2010-11-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. Our baby has all it's limbs, organs, and attitude.. and it was squirming and karate kicking my bladder during the whole ultrasound.

So, it's most likely going to take after me.

We are pretty pumped that the baby seems healthy, spunky, and REAL. Pictures can work wonders :)

So, I'm getting my "baby bump" and to avoid embarrassing "fat" questions from my students, I let the cat out of the bag and put them into shock. Now everyone that I come into contact with on a daily basis has been informed, and I will have to resign myself to the fact that people first look at my stomach before they meet my eyes.

Anyways, school is awesome. I love it. High school is definitely for me, and I am going to soak up the joys of it until I move on to phase 2 of the joy train. That means when teaching is replaced with baby love and diapers.

I'm already becoming that person who talks too much about babies. I'm referring to those moms who can only talk about their kids, like they themselves don't actually do anything. I'm hyper aware of this condition, however, and so I am promising myself to avoid it as much as possible. I'll start with my next blog and "other" happenings in my life.

Deal.

A familiar feeling

2010-11-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

I'm antsy for things that I can't put my finger on. Like I want to go do something or be somewhere, and somehow I am still sitting here. Typing. The time is ticking before our little time bomb goes off in April, and then my world will change forever. I'm under no allusions here. Motherhood is going to be very different from "wifehood", which was very different from "singlehood". If these aren't words, they should be. I had this anstsy"ness" before I got married, because the "time bomb" was going off which meant a life change was about to happen, and so I had to do something crazy in the time I had left. Yes, "had left". If you gasp here, and think " what a horrible way to think of it.. time left'" then I think less of you.

Of course the start of something new means the end of something old. It's accurate.

Right now, I am thinking the "new" will involve great things, but in and among the great will be the reality of a dependent child. A tiny, little infant, who poops, and cries, and demands that I care for it (he/she) constantly. An awesome, scary, real responsibility.

And before I buckle down and get serious about being a mom, I am just letting you know that I am feeling antsy. I have four months left.

The feeling is not a new one for me. I know that. I'm a restless person, and so I learn to cope when I'm in these moods. Time to review my inventory of past coping strategies, so I can take my pick for the night.

1) Puddle jump

2) Run--fast.

3) Play a game of "21 up"

4) Go to South Africa

5) Go to England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy

6) Come home

7) Pull out my list of "dreams" and add to it

8) Get lost in a good book

9) Go to Petland

10) Climb a tree

11) Build a fort

12) Tackle James

13) Yell and make noises

14) Go outside

15) Drink a pint.

Ok, so there's a few on the least that aren't all that feasible. I think I'll just go grab my book.

2010-10-07T17:57:00.001-07:00

After an afternoon downtown with my ESL class, and braving the city bus to get there and back on a time schedule (totally against my nature:), and then an afternoon/evening driving to and from Stratford with my grade 11 class, I'd say I'm just about ready to have my husband home, and a good relaxing Thanksgiving weekend.

That is all.

And either the baby is growing, or I'm eating too much. Pants are starting to wonder what's up.

2010-10-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Cold, wet, drizzly days= Ew.

Yummy treats, hot drinks, nice conversation, pad thai dinners, casual mall shopping, and basically being completely spoiled rotten = mom.

I love when mom visits. Especially on cold wet drizzly days. With James gone it seems like my social life is on the rise, and I didn't think we were lacking one before. So this is interesting. It's nice to know that people are looking out for me though; and not just people, but the people I love and care about the most.

On Sunday Trine came over to hang out, eat soup and help me get caught up with school stuff.

On Monday Ryan had me over for dinner, and Doug and I met up at Starbucks to get work done ( an idea that never materialized, but it was nice to just hang out anyways :)

And Tuesday--today-- mom came. She's wonderful.

She brought me a rust-coloured fall mum, and promised to baby my tropical plant back to health. I was sort of just starving it to death, having decided a while ago that it wasn't worth my time. (Don't get the wrong idea, I'm sure that callous side of me will rub off by the time April hits :)

Then we had coffee, and just hung out, and I realized we were on that level of "your my mom, but you're my friend" in a way that is not supposed to be sappy or lame, but in a way that makes me happy to be at a stage where we can talk about life and finally understand eachother.

Anyways, that was articulated poorly. All I want to say is that I have an incredible family here, friends included, and a mom who I very much hope to be like in so many ways.

unknown territory

2010-10-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm in it-- the unknown territory of pregnancy. I suppose I should say "we're in it"-- considering it took two of us to get to this point, but it always rubbed me the wrong way when a woman says "we're pregnant". That's just not possible. Boys will never be part of that club, so why pretend?

Anyways, I'm in it. I suppose this explains my former blog entitled "Tiiiired"-- one of those little unknown facts about the first trimester. For a person the size of a bean, he/she really knows how to sap your energy.

So, tiredness. Not something I'm used to, nor can say I particularly like. As much as I love my bed, it is something I consider untouchable until my bedtime hits. So roughly 10-11 at night, it is acceptable behaviour to go to bed.

And yet, during those early unknown months of pregnancy, I was breaking a lot of my bedtime rules. This did explain my trouble staying awake on my 30 minute drive to and from Maple Leaf. I thought it was just because Trine was no longer there, and so conversation was minimal, as in nonexistent. But no, I was pregnant. And naps were glorious.

And then that urge to puke. What's that about? For those first "unknown" months (when in complete denial) , I actually believe that it was my will power alone that held things at bay. I would not throw up. If anything, I would get nauseous, then take a little walk to talk myself out of nausea.

I must say that once the undeniable facts were in, I puked. A little lesson on the power of the mind.

Getting hired last minute to work two teaching jobs was a huge blessing. No more nauseating drives to the farm. Now I had the wonderful opportunity to teach in a multi-cultural school, and take in all the wonderful ethnic food smells.

No one really tells you that your sense of smell is heightened when you get pregnant. What's interesting is that the things I'm not supposed to have I seem to naturally now find disgusting. Coffee, beer, sushi, soft cheeses... not on my priority list at the moment.

The typical pregnancy thing-- craving foods--- has not really hit me yet. My thighs thank me for this. However, I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I hear the second trimester's a real treat for that sort of thing.

James has been so incredibly wonderful in all of this. We are both pretty pumped to be parents, although I know it will change our lives completely. But, being fully on side with change, I think it will be pretty cool, and James- well, I know he'll make one amazing daddy for the "little princess" that he thinks we'll have. To be honest, I think we are both hoping the first one takes after papa James. Every parent loves the shy obedient kid. We are hoping my personality kicks in around number 3 or 4. It's healthier for everyone that way :)

All in all, life is very good.

2010-10-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

So I left off marking 40 essays all weekend, and now it's Sunday night, and the task still awaits me. I should have got them done Saturday morning, but sleeping in is a luxury that only comes once a week. It couldn't be wasted.

And then there was the annual pioneer day in Jordan Station, and no one should turn down something "annual" because they'll regret it for a year. Plus, the nephews loved it.

I thought I might get some work done at mom's, but it's just not possible. Between hot chocolate, snacks, conversation, bouncing nephews, and all that jazz, the papers sat untouched.

Of course my back up plan was to just get it done at Michelle's, where James and I would be babysitting on Saturday night, but at the last second I changed my mind, because James' was heading to Boston on Sunday, and I wanted to hang out with him. So we hung out with the boys, watched Winnie the Pooh, put them to bed, ate chips and ice cream, cuddled on the couch and watched Titanic. Classic.

Now I'm home, in our apartment, but James' isn't here and I'm just not feeling motivated. Might be the head cold/ husband being gone. Or maybe I'm just pregnant. I'll go with that one. Because I am, due in April, and feeling a bit nauseous. Time to eat some soup.

moon cakes

2010-09-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently, back when moon worship was all the rage, a holiday was formed in China to celebrate the harvest and to celebrate family. I think it's a pretty big deal, considering my students were outraged at the price of "moon cakes"--$24.99 for four-- and longing to be eating cheaper, undoubtedly better, mooncakes under the moonlight with their families back home.

A few of my students, probably thinking they'd earn extra credit, brought in some interesting tidbits about their festival. I eat this stuff up, and so should you.

It starts with the legend of Houyi, a great archer and architect, and his wife Chang E, whose "beauty was surpassed only by her curiosity".

So Houyi goes and saves the world by shooting down nine extra suns that had suddenly appeared in the sky. For this he was rewarded with a pill containing the elixir of immortality, but with strings attached--he must fast and pray for one year before taking it.

His wife screwed everything up, she found the pill, swallowed it, and found herself inconveniently soaring to the moon. Upon reaching the moon, she coughed up the pill in dismay, which turned into a jade rabbit that, day and night, pounds out a celestial elixir for the immortals.

But she's not up there alone. Another permanent lunar resident is Wu Kang, a mortal who happened to piss off an immortal because of his laziness. As punishment, he was sent to chop down a cassia tree on the moon, an impossible mission. For, as we all know, a cut in cassia tree heals itself within a day, and so Wu Kang is still up there chopping... for eternity. You'd think he would have died by now, but that's because I forgot to mention that he learned how to become immortal from his immortal master. Obviously.

So, that is why on the 15th night of the eighth lunar month the moon is brightest and the harvest is celebrated. An inspirational date.

One of my student's brought me a most coveted mooncake, which ways about 100 pounds, and tastes like a mixture of peanuts and honey, with a cool design on the top.

Now it is Friday-- I can't believe the weekend is already here, and with it, no plans. One thing I don't want to do is school work. One thing I must do is exactly that. Boo. I was hoping for a trip to Wonderland.

2010-09-18T06:40:00.001-07:00

Hot chocolate with 2 marshmallows, crackers and cheese, a comfortable couch, and a good novel on a Friday afternoon. This has to be one of the best combinations on the planet. Nothing to prep for Saturday and a chance to escape into another world with a steaming drink and a filling belly. The most delicious comfort-- something I used to do all the time when I came off the bus growing up. Mom would have the popcorn popped, the tea made, and I would read my favorite book on the big green leather couch.

I haven't actually gone back to that routine in years, but now I am back on high school schedule, which finds me home at 4:00, with one beautiful hour to myself to make a snack, and snuggle up with my favorite book. It just can't be beat.

This morning James and I woke up at 7:00, and went for an hour hike through the Bruce Trail. This is my favorite time of day. It's fresh, and quiet, and chilly, and beautiful. Fall is here, the leaves are turning, the river's are chilling, and swimming this morning was an option (we found and followed this river which brought us to a fantastic waterfall) but the shallow pools only accepted me up to my thighs, and I couldn't bring myself to go under. Would have been worth it though.

We made it back on time for our traditional pancake breakfast with the whole house, which is such a great part of the weekend. We live with some truly wonderful people, and coffee/orange juice and blueberry pancakes are a great way to start the day.

I am trying to get a hold of my brother so that I can go to apple fest today. Besides tea/popcorn and book, fall apples are my next favorite thing. It really doesn't take much to make me happy in the fall. I can't wait to get my apple crisp on :)

Overall, life is great.

Tiiired.

2010-09-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

My schedule:

Wake up: 7:00

Leave house: 8:00

Prep: 8-8:30

Teach at Columbia International College: 8:45-11:35

Eat something..

Hamilton District Christian High: Get there before start time--12:24

Teach: 12:24-3:00

Columbia Tutorials: 3:30-4:30

Groceries: 4:30-5:00

HOME: 5:00

dinner... etc.

You get the point...

A pretty normal workday, I'd say, but for some reason-- I'm POOOOPED.

Maybe it's because the evenings are no longer free.

They seem to involve a lot more planning, and a lot less socializing.

Snooooze!

Anywhoo, what can I say? I love teaching, I love my students, and I love learning. It's a win win, except for the fact that I'm still poooped, and it's time to make dinner.

For those of you wondering what I'm up to, I hope this helps.

2010-08-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, after being stuck in dead stop traffic for over an hour, James and I finally made it to Jon Horlings wedding in Holland Marsh. We were an hour late, but fortunately, so were the photographers and other guests, and we didn't miss a thing. Thank goodness. Because what we witnessed will most likely go down in wedding history. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding at Harm's Farm (Jon's dad's place), and the backdrop was a beautiful sloping forest on the edge of the river. As Jon seated his "moms" and awaited his bride, firecrackers went off in the woods, and a golf cart turned pirate ship flew onto the set. Jon's grooms"mates" were decked out as pirates (Brian Harskamp included) and they proceeded to attack Jon in a very intricately choreographed fight scene drawn up by Jon himself. They all had swords, but Jon managed to fight them off. (I think my jaw was dropped during this entire event, while James was trying hard not to pee his pants). Eventually, they outnumbered poor Jon, and given a few last words, he said he was going to sing to Kimberly, the love of his life--his bride to be. So he did, and the pirates wept, and let him go, and then Kimberly and her girls all came down, normal wedding fashion... like there had never been any pirates at all.

Bizarre.

And very very entertaining. Considering Jon is a theater guy, I think everyone was sort of expecting this wedding to be a little different. I am just so glad we were there to witness what that looked like.

Then we ate pig, corn on the cob, salads and cupcakes, watched fireworks, and square danced. Overall, a very inspirational wedding.

Well, I am procrastinating. Time to go over some lesson plans for tomorrow's classes on short story. Columbia International College is proving to be an amazing place to teach so far-- I am so glad God had this in His plan while I fretted uselessly throughout the summer. What a blessing it is to go to work and use my talents!

Grandpa turns 75

2010-08-16T17:28:00.001-07:00

The Sikkema clan is now pushing a 80 + people, which doesn't work so well if you want to get together to discuss politics, but it happens to be the perfect amount for birthday parties. My grandpa turned 75, and the party was epic. You might not think so, this being a birthday party for an "old guy", but my grandpa is the man, and I'm telling you, it was a good party.

First there were potato sack races. We ran several different heats, and I have to say, I dominated among the female cousins/aunts. However, due to a mistep due to exhaustion (the distance was WAY too far!) I, and my lung, collapsed right before the finish line.

Next we had three legged races. Again, I must say, Alaina and I were destroying when my Aunt Fran and Aunt Renee decide to cheat on the distance. They had this brilliant idea that they wouldn't go around Jim-- they would just sort of turn around midway. Of course we just smoke them, head on, and my hip nicely pile drives Aunt Fran's skull into the grass. And there we lay in a crumpled heap.. a cool runnings moment. I blame Fran.

The next game was a bit more tame. 25 plastic bowls were laid in a line across the grass, and the kids were told to lie down, hands behind their backs, in front of a bowl. Of course, it didn't end up just being the kids, but my uncles, brothers, dad, and of course, myself. Anyways, the bowls have 8 jelly beans at the bottom, which are covered with a pile of whip cream. First one done eating the beans wins.. simple as that. Of course it just ended up being everyone throwing bowls of whipcream in ppl's faces.... which was also very hilarious.

Anywhoo, just a shout out to the Sikkema family that I love them all and their intellectual craziness. Such a great combo. And of course, a happy birthday to my dear grandpa.

2010-08-07T07:39:00.003-07:00

I am realizing a lot about myself in this whole marriage business. . I can't escape typical wife stereotypes. I am that person who nags about beard stubble in the sink, smelly garbage in the kitchen, and heaps of dirty clothes (mine included) lying on the floor.

Love continues to play its part however, and we are only getting better at it. A year is coming up fast, and I can say it has been absolutely fabulous.

Example: I come home from work to a meal of stuffed zucchini, freshly made guacamole dip, and a bouquet of beautiful flowers of my favorite colours. What a guy.

A word on our apartment. It changes weekly, if not daily, due to my recently discovered OCD (self diagnosed) and a love for thrift stores and garage sales. Cut outs from Mexican coffee table books are framed with love and hang happily in our bathroom, recovered bricks proudly hold a slab of barnboard and our slick Samsung tele, a world map souvi from Montreal educates our living room wall, and plants that refuse to flower but maintain a waxy green shine give our house that special feeling of HOME. Having James in the house to laugh, fight, cuddle and cry with also has that pleasant effect.

It has been a great year so far.

In the school department, I can say with calm uncertain happiness that I am no longer a student, and job searching has been easy. The OACS website/ google have made it so, and I thank them for that. Finding a job has proven difficult, and I'm not yet sure who to thank for that.

Maple Leaf has had my spot reserved for it's 12th consecutive summer, and I'm not ashamed of that, though it does answer some questions about my ability to find another job. A concept as foreign as our migrant workers, who by the way, have in their own special way helped employ me through their keen desire to learn a second language with me as their instructor. Class update: "TH" is proving difficult, and we need to review the definition of "punctual".

Marineland is a blast. The whales get you wet and the sky screamer does funny things to your stomach. Everyone loves that place. You feed bears corn pops and experience death camps at the animal level in the form of "deer petting zoos". Some questions I brought away from my marineland experience.

1) How can a sea lion balance a ball on its nose while riding down a slide?

2) Why does Levi insist on riding every ride when he cries on every ride?

3) How can a complete summer pass cost only an extra $5.00?

4) How did my 2 year old nephew get lost?

Our vegetable garden is on steroids. We have cranked out an astronomical amount of f zucchini dishes, with no end in sight. I enjoy that zucchini gets my creative juices flowing, when the thought of an art class didn't, but our fridge space is limited, and so we are becoming a charity couple. If we like you, you may find a zucchini on your pillow.

A lot of our friends our now in the hood. Trine, Ryan, Tim, Brad, Jordan, Danielle, Brian, Alli, Steve, Jen, Rob... to name a few. It's like we never left Redeemer campus, and at times it gets me excited, and at others --reclusive. Weird combo. I'm just learning this about myself now, interstingly enough. And I've decided I'm OK with it. I think it comes with having our own place. In dorms you can't get territorial, because they are built for everyone's communal use. It's just different now.

Community is pretty huge for us, and we are loving the doses of it that we are getting here. There is always something on the go.. church, bible study, disco dingoes, bbq's, hikes, fam, etc. However, we may have OD'd a bit on the C word this summer, which is why B.C was so refreshing.

The trip out west put the wind back in our sails, so to speak, giving us the time James' and I needed to spend time together and reconnect with the Harskamp clan. Alberta was just plain fun.

After my brother's (very amazing ) wedding, we packed our bags and headed West, stopping in Alberta for a few days to go to another wedding, dance the lights out, climb the hoodoos, explore the coolies, and say my goodbyes to my pal Robbo. Mom and Dad Harskamp scooped us up out of the prairies and took us through the Rockies to Mermaid Motel and hot springs, then to the ferry, then to Shuswap cabin, then "home". A true treat.

I don't think it's a stretch to say we were treated like prodigal children that had returned to feed off the fat of the land. Three bbq's, a gift to the condo, and multiple hangouts, and James and I were feeling truly inspired to flee from Paradise lost and reclaim Eden. That's to say James could see us moving to Vancouver and saying goodbye to Stelco. I am still holding out for a better Eden--N.Z-- which cannot, unfortunately be attainable this January.

Wow, this is dragging on.

This is the newest post of old posts.. just saying it how it is, and letting you into a sliver of myself that only comes out in letters.

2010-08-07T07:39:00.002-07:00

Love continues to play its part however, and we are only getting better at it. A year is coming up fast, and I can say it has been absolutely fabulous.

Example: I come home from work to a meal of stuffed zucchini, freshly made guacamole dip, and a bouquet of beautiful flowers of my favorite colours. What a guy.

It has been a great year so far.

1) How can a sea lion balance a ball on its nose while riding down a slide?

2) Why does Levi insist on riding every ride when he cries on every ride?

3) How can a complete summer pass cost only an extra $5.00?

4) How did my 2 year old nephew get lost?

The trip out west put the wind back in our sails, so to speak, giving us the time James' and I needed to spend time together and reconnect with the Harskamp clan. Alberta was just plain fun.

Wow, this is dragging on.

It's a wrap.

This is the newest post of old posts.. just saying it how it is, and letting you into a sliver of myself that only comes out in letters.

2010-03-08T17:24:00.001-08:00

2010-03-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

2010-02-06T07:01:00.000-08:00

Who is hording all of Hamilton's snow?

Last night we actually pulled crazy carpet's behind Ally's car down a path of snow and gravel...mostly gravel. Robyn's knees were not impressed, but I commend her for her spirit.

James is gone in Peterborough until Sunday, so last night we had a girl's night and tore up our knees then went to Danielle's for hot chocolate. Then I slept in my old room in 333. My first slumber party since before my wedding!

Fun- but I miss my husband.

2010-01-09T07:23:00.000-08:00

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T.S Eliot

I appreciate this.
I have been stabbed by a very sharp assortment of "swords" and am feeling a tad drained.
Kuyper's Cafe, Bible study, Stephen Lewis, pancake breakfast debrief, Church, Church in the box, personal devo's, blogs, and a lot of riveting conversations ALL of which have criss crossed eachother on the issue of social justice.

And the issue is not new, but horribly real. And when the veil of affluence and comfort is lifted and you catch a glimpse of our world as it is: murder, rape, child soldiers, sweatshops, poverty, earthquakes, death tolls exceeding 200,000--bad things happening somewhere out there---- it kind of gets you thinking.

What is the problem? Why can't we get it together? I feel drained because I KNOW there is a problem, and I am told I AM IT.
OK. That may be. Maybe my purchasing of mangoes is impoverishing someone, somewhere. Maybe drinking coffee is enslaving someone, somewhere.
Maybe I need to seriously examine where my clothes come from.
And if I discover that my living standards/habits are contributing to the greater problem, then by all means, I must adjust them.
In good conscious I will say this, knowing it will be next to impossible to thrive here as a monk, but willing to do whatever it takes to set things right.
But I need to know that that really is the problem. THEN I can start to get thinking on a good solution.

However, the problem, more accurately can't be just me. The problem has to do with the state of our world. Sin-filled. And, until Christ comes again, it is an impossible problem to eradicate. And with sin comes corruption-- a complete disregard for God, God's law, and a proper understanding of justice. So the world really is a miserable place and yet the entire world is rallying to "save" it.
So.. solutions?
The Green way? Compost, recycle, reduce electricity use, bike.. etc. etc.
Or what- give money to a hobo on the street? Send money to Haiti? Sign up for a mission trip?
Or boycott superstores, protest migrant workers? Stop global trade?
Move? Remove yourself from the structre/system you are living/dying in?

For a non-christian, (and a christian) this may sound feasible, possibly attractive.
But I think Christians need to offer more. I don't think we can blame the "toxins of north american consumerism" for all the world's evils. ( And I would like to argue this rampant idea of "toxic" consumerism further..but later.)

I also don't think we can't act in isolation. The emphasis on individualism in this culture is debilitating and counter intuitive to how we are meant to exist.
We need to live in community.
We need to work together to honour God first, then our neighbour. Our community.
Out of the Christian communities we have got to start seeing/making a bloody difference. So, perhaps we should start getting along so that we can start to shine as a light, and remember who we are giving glory to, and who we will have to give an answer to when we are asked just how we took care of our God's world.

I think recovering a firm foundation to stand on will get rid of the "rubric" of "some" "considerable" and "high degree of" care that we want to enforce or encourage others to follow and allow people to exceed the mandated expectations to REALLY make some change in this God-forsaken country.

Great Recall

2009-12-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely flashback last night, while driving home, of my road trip in Australia. It was quite vivid actually, involving my friend Kerri and I about 2 hours into our road trip with our recently purchased station wagon- Old Faithful- a 1988 white, rusty box on wheels. I remember a certain amount of coaxing on my part, going into the purchase. Kerri wanted something a bit more reliable.. but reliable meant $3000 and Old Faithful meant $1600.. and she came with blankets!
So, we went for it. She was perfect. And she ran beautifully for just over two hours.

Then things started smoking and bubbling, and making noises, so we had to pull over and find a mechanic who knew what all the tubes meant under the hood, and could explain to us why they had to stay attached to things... YES. That is STILL all I know about engines three years post-trip. Get over it.

$50 later and we were in good shape. The only problem with a little tantrum like that is that try as you might, you can never really trust her again. We watched her temperature gage like a hawk for the 3000 or so remaining miles, steering clear of the mountains to avoid any back spasms, and staying just around 110 km to avoid the shakes. She had it easy.
And here's where my little theory comes in. If you hold a grudge against your car for being temperamental, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There was one time after all this pampering, (maybe 4) where we required a favour. A simple climb up an unavoidable mountain on highway one. And as we climbed, so did her temperature, until we found ourselves pulled over on the curb, enjoying the scenery through the haze of exhaust and overexertion . Man, what a blast.

BUT, back to my flashback from last night. Here I am, driving our car (I wish she had a name) back from school after a torturous 10 hour day of seat work. And I'm enjoying the scenery. People have their Christmas stuff up, lights are everywhere.. including inside the car, specifically the ones that have lit up around most of the gages, saying crazy things like "change oil" "low coolant" "low tire pressure" and "service engine soon". All of this would not have concerned me, if I hadn't then noticed that little gage that I used to watch like a hawk in Australia, specifically while climbing mountains. And yes, it too was climbing, right into the red zone, while I frantically recalled what overheating can do to an engine.
Ah yes. Cook it.

Luckily, I remembered something useful as I approached the peak of the mountain (the escarpment, to those of you who might have the wrong idea because you know what a mountain really looks like) and I cranked the heat, and for extra good measure, popped the car into neutral and cruised the remaining five miles down the "mountain" (still averaging 65 km/h I might add).

Well, we made it home. I shamed the car with sound verbal abuse, then picked up James at a gas station, where he was waiting in the rain with a bottle of coolant. Unfortunately, it was the wrong type, so I braved another trek out to school this morning without the coolant, which probably was not smart, but I had a test to write.

Our car is now being serviced. And I am trying to avoid holding a grudge. I am thankful for the flashback though. Time to re watch some old videos ( I definitely caught Old Faithful's geyser on tape... as Kerri frantically tried to pop the hood and colorful fluids rushed down the highway. Oh boy. What fun :)

2009-12-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

Things I love about life on Aberdeen

1) I am in walking distance to the library

2) I can see and be comforted by the forest on our 'doorstep' and the city at our backdoor.

3) The convenience store

4) Early Saturday morning breakfasts at "West Town"

5) Starbucks after Vindaloo

6 ) A brother-in-law who can pop in for sloppy Joe's and a slice of custard pie

7) That James enjoys public transit

8) That I enjoy our car

9) The city-sky line in the morning, with the church spires set against a red sky

10) Being three floors up, with an enormous amount of sunlight to keep me warm and smiley

11) I can spot a boneless chicken breast special at the local deli, buy it, and go on with my clothes shopping down the street, swinging a bag of thawed, floppy chicken

12) Diversity

13) Styles that I didn't think existed, that exist on Locke Street

14) Hearing children run through this old house

15) Communal pancakes with the house mates

16) When Rachel brings up leftover spinach rolls

17) Dumping my recycling in the neighbor's bin across the road, because ours got picked up already

18) Being only 10 minutes away from our friends and fam

19) Open windows in November

20) Christmas coming and taking our house with it

21) Being married!

2009-11-22T18:47:00.001-08:00

Dr. Seuss
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

Classic.

Of course, I agree with the Grinch. But I admit, I'm excited for the ribbons, tags, boxes and bags. Maybe it's having our own place, and the freedom that comes with that. We can get our own tree, make our own decorations, bake our own cookies, burn some sweet CD's, have our friends down for some caroling, stuff our own stockings... I'm just really excited for that "stuff" that has really nothing to do with that "little bit more" , but a lot more to do with a festive, fun, relaxing holiday from the day to day activities of being a student/ student teacher.

But along with that, I like the lovely reminder from G.K Chesterton

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?

The beautiful thing about all of the above is that it's from God. A Holy God.

And amid all the clatter, clutter, and clamor that surrounds the holiday, the Voice of God holds our world captive. Christmas can never be isolated from that fateful moment in history when the angels sang the truth about The Christ. The reason for Christmas.

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year -- and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority.

Thanks be to God. W. J. Cameron gets it. We get it. The world better start getting it.

Strike

2009-11-13T12:14:00.000-08:00

I think all the swine flu hype has made people forget just how horrid the plain flu is.
I wouldn't be surprised if the two are in league together. The swine creates a name for itself, instills a nice dose of panic and recognition in the populace, and then the normal flu comes and starts knocking people down like bowling pins, sending them into a panic.
I imagine the two high five each other, then play another round.
It's a fierce cycle- this flu business- and being one of those pins, I've been knocked down since Monday.
Brutal.

It started at school (for no particular reason, because I faithfully hand sanitize) as a slight headache. By the time I was in the car, moving my eyes was more than a little uncomfortable.
By the time I was in the house, I felt like someone with a grudge had somehow, without me knowing, cracked a baseball bat on my head. By the time I hit my pillow at 2pm, I was out for the next 5 hours.

Waking up in the evening is always a bit disconcerting, because you think it's morning, but it can't be, because your husbands not there, and you don't know why you are wearing jeans. But, with a little time, coherency gives your head a knuckle rub and you start to make sense of your dark surroundings.

Ooh...the flu...

So that was Monday evening. James came home about 7:30, and my 5 hours of afternoon unconsciousness had worked wonders. We ate chicken soup, we watched a movie, we took it easy, and then I got a fever.

I had forgotten what the hot and cold chills sensation was all about. A reminder's always nice, I suppose, if you are one to get nostalgic over memories like that. But I'm not, and so the reminder, which lasted from sundown to sunup, was as unwelcome as the idea of two flues conspiring against me.
I survived the night, which at the time was certainly questionable, to me at least, and entered a new day deprived of both sleep and my chicken soup.

Breakfast is something I look forward to. It just has this way of starting the day off right. So to go without breakfast forebodes a day that will just not be right. That, my friends, is an understatement. The problem is, my head is telling me it wants all the lovely things stocked inside our fridge. My hand agrees, and grabs the food. My mouth agrees, it chews the food. Even my throat agrees, and swallows it. So, it would seem we are all on the same side here. The stomach however, which has been granted ultimate authority on the issue, throws a mini temper tantrum. It would seem his new friend- The Flu- has migrated south, and has gathered the reins for the time being.
So, food is out.
So, apparently is water.

Without the essentials, I again feel myself in the clutches of death by flu and dehydration, until James returns from the corner store with ginger ale. This, my stomach has no choice but to tolerate, and I treasure it like a bottle of wine over dinner. Eventually, I introduced the soda cracker, and finding no reaction, settled back for a swift recovery. That was Tuesday.
Today is Friday.
And, I still am dealing with the unwelcome virus.
There's no need to go into further detail. We all know what the flu is capable of, I'm sure. I just guess I'm disappointed that my friend- Immune System- has been so manipulated. I mean, is it just letting this thing tromp across my whole body? What was that whole fever thing even about? I thought that was a good sign, a sign of battle being waged on the enemy, my troops of white blood cells lining up like good little soldiers and harpooning the enemy without mercy.

Well, I suppose I'll have to explain my poor infantry to my advisor. I only have a week left of teaching placement, and this week out of commission will reflect poorly on my review. I am not sure what the policy is, but I may have to make up some time once all this is over.

Props to a weekend, and the hope of recovery.

a few ramblings

2009-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

I keep returning to this blank screen, trying to keep it up to date, writing half finished blogs and saving them, for who knows what. I don't post them, because they are just ramblings on books I've recently read, or thoughts I write, and think twice about before sending them into the public realm.
So I will try again.
My schedule in teacher's college so far is not too demanding, allowing me a very long weekend, but an intense mid week to make up for the slack.
Tomorrow will see me up at 7:00 am, and home by 7:00 pm, but that is as busy as I get.
Until next week. On Monday I start practicing my career choice as a high school "facilitator" as the college wishes me to describe it, which means I will be teaching civics to a grade ten class for about a month.
Hot Topics to cover in Unit three are global issues, Canadian heroes, the UN, etc... but we'll save that for next week.

And so like I said, I have days like Monday and Tuesday to do as I please while James puts in his steady 8- 5 workday in the lab, five days a week, quite faithfully I might add.
I don't quite operate the same way, keeping a tentative schedule in my head of what needs to be done up to two days max, which can be rearranged at my leisure at any given time. This gets interesting around crunch time, but something to worry about when "crunch" actually hits.

But I like being home.
This place is always up for my constant pampering- putting up with yet another new throw rug, a few more holes in its brittle walls for the sake of new candle holders, IKEA computer desks for a much desired work space, and of course the odd burnt appliances, or plastic singed to the oven rack after my attempt to preheat the oven with a loaf of bread inside for cozy storage. It even helped me dispose of a stubborn disagreeble plant, which I carefully placed on the window ledge after a brief watering, only to discover it gone a few moments later. Luckily noone was walking on the path three stories below.
But anyways, our home is a work in progress that has a small portion of my mind constantly occupied.
"How bout painting a chalk board right to the wall? Where could we string our orange hammock? Maybe we could have a swing, instead of bar stools for the kitchen counter.."
..you know, those types of ponderings.

So what I am saying is, James and I love having our own home. And with that, our own rules. I'm fine with hoisting my laundry basket on my head, hopping out the bathroom window, and winding down three flights of stairs, multiple times, to do the laundry. So long as James heads out the other door and takes care of the garbage. But chores aside- flexibility is key.
James wants pizza in bed? Why not?
We feel like dancing on our new rug? Sure!
Wine while cooking? Excellent :)
Squirrels got into the kitchen garbage? Ok...

Speaking of squirrels, I have a hunch that several million are living on our roof. It doesn't help that the neighbor, who not only sweeps her trees, also spreads birdseed across her entire driveway morning and night, providing a feast for lazy squirrels. But on top of squirrel seed, they live on our deck, stealing my 150 sun dried chestnuts right off our chair. And if THAT's not enough (I presume it's going to be a hard winter) they managed to get into our garbage, in the kitchen, and made off with half its contents, spilling the other half all over the unlucky tile.

I'm not sure how I digressed from life at home to the squirrel population, but there's a tidbit of info for you on life with the Harskamps. And life is good.
It's 3:15, which means I should start getting ready for my English class.
I hope to keep this up more regularly. I'm sure my teaching experiences will supply me with more than enough material.

Our HOME!

2009-09-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is James. He and the shower are having a disagreement. Now I'll begin the virtual tour of our cozy little "bachelor pad". After hustling up 2 flights of stairs, you will hang a sharp left and see this. Our "entrance way".

If you make the connection from the previous picture, you'll see the same pot with a lovely green plant in it. Take that as your point of reference. To the left of the entrance way is our living room. Furniture is compliments of my grandma, who spotted these beauties on the side of the road. Excellent find. James is there in the corner setting up our "T.V" which quite conveniently operates as our source of music and emails and everything else a computer lets you do. Genius, really. If James were to stand up in the above photo, and look out, he'd see this. Part of our kitchen, a bit of a book shelf, and his laundry. Now, if that laundry basket would take three steps to my left, it would be in the proper spot- James' clothes closet. To the extreme right is the radiator- which seems insignificant, really- but I point it out because to the right of that we have placed our incredibly comfortable bed- which is represented somewhere below.
Directly across from the kitchen, visually, and about 5 paces literally, is our dining room. We eat three healthy meals a day here, unless we have lunch at our schools, and Audrey Hepburn has faithfully attended each occasion-along with "Heppie"- our wooden Mexican turtle. That's Heppie on the sugar jar, James and Audrey. A tad crowded at times, but for the most part, a really good time.

This is me, standing in front of the kitchen and pointing at my unfinished painting which is standing on my Opa's art easel. I really should finish that soon...

Self explanatory, really. A familiar sight. Also, quite familiar :)Ah, and now we have the radiator to the left, and as I promised, the bed located beside it.

And the disagreement has been resolved.

And there you have it folks. A quick tour of the apartment. It still needs a few touch ups, but for the most part, it is quite livable and lovable. It's quite bright, and cheery, and so far, well visited. I hope that aspect never changes! And now that you have seen it, specifically family in BC, feel free to drop in to say hello! James' makes fantastic coffee.. and my baking isn't terrible. We'd love to have you!

2009-07-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

I can officially say that next month, I am getting married.
Weird.
And incredibly exciting.
But as exciting as all this wedding planning has turned out to be :)I would like to take a moment to share how my summer has panned out since classes ended at my beloved university, and I made the transition back under my parents roof.
I always find that by the time I finish school, I am ready for the grunt labour job that awaits me at my papa's farm. However, I always promise myself to continue educating myself by the means of a hefty reading list, which I make every effort to plug away at over the course of the summer months.
As usual, the reading list gets shelved for the million other things I want to do that demand way more physical exertion- and all things considered,the trade off is worth it. I can read more when I have osteoporosis.
And so I have enjoyed many lunch hours (45 minutes each) of showing off my "home" to the girls I work with, and exploring God's green earth.
And there is no better time than spring.
It happens every year, but every year I am amazed at the amount of wildlife that seems to burst out of the ground and sprawl across my path. Baby birds galore, hills with coyotes packed inside, a bald eagle even! Seriously- just awesome.
And when nature isn't just happening, we are sure to make things happen, because life is always a little more thrilling when you try to live it on the edge. Not right on the edge, but you know, a step away or something.
Anyways, the incredible thunderstorms that bubble up from the lake and spit lightning around metal carts gives our crew that perfect burst of adrenaline to finish the day off right.
And a lunch break on the train bridge, accompanied by said train, is another one of those "grab life by the horns" moments that Robyn described in her blog. Not to mention we're about 60 feet off the ground with a five foot deep harbour to break our falls.
Just beautiful.
So yes, life back home this summer, so far, has been fantastic. The girls are fun and refreshing to be around, the job keeps your hands occupied, and your mind free to wander above and beyond the menial labour your body is bound too, and the money that rolls in is as welcome as the energy injecting thunderstorms.
Complaints are few.

And on a different note, I have picked up my two year old nephew as a roommate, and although he is probobly the most adorable kid I have seen in a long time, he finds his happiest moments to be alive are at 3:00 am. God bless him- and his new baby brother, Caleb Theodore Dykstra, born 23 hours and 45 minutes into Canada Day, 7lbs, 15 ounces, with a load of black hair,and a crinkly newborn disposition. He's wonderful.

Well, there is still way more on tap for this summer before the big wedding day, but I'll post them as they unfold, because that's the right way to tell a story. No sense getting ahead of myself, now is there?

Fond Memories

2009-04-20T07:54:00.001-07:00

I have whipped off my last paper, whether or not I have done it successfully is yet to be determined by Ben Faber, but it is done. That, folks, was the last paper of my undergrad. And as gruelling as it was to write on Northrop Frye's theory of archetypes, the feeling of my brain being stretched and strained is as rewarding as an eight minute abs workout.
But I still feel somewhat sad. Maybe it's the rainy weather, or Nabi Loney's music, but I have a hunch it's the overwhelming sense of finality creeping up and threatening to put an end to my undergrad. I'm pretty sure that's it.
See, with the abs workout, there's always a looking forward to the next one. With a final paper--there's no next paper to dread, or anticipate.

I think I'm afraid that I'll fail in the years ahead to push myself like I have this year. As much as I have been equipped with the tools to educate myself, I am stepping out of an environment that I love.
And so I'm torn between the love of being a student and the reality that I can't be one forever. Unless I'm Doug.
But so it is. Time moves on...a series of ends and beginnings, and we roll with it because we've been made to. There's no time to stop, and besides, I don't really want to.
A few days ago I said goodbye to my Opa. He died a week ago today--the first death in our family. I can't describe what it feels like to lose someone that's been a steady presence in my life. I know the right answer--that I should be happy, but my mind still can't make sense of the finality of it.
There's something very sad about it, even if I know that I, like my Opa, am moving on. And people tend to try and remedy my sadness by resurrecting fond memories, or by anticipating new, better ones, but it doesn't really work.
Thinking back makes you remember days that are gone, and looking forward only reinforces your awareness that you have to leave.

House 333, with Robyn, Trine, Ally, Kristin, Erin and myself, marks my family of fourth year. Ally left yesterday--the first 'breaking of the fellowship' and my Opa left last week. And it won't be the same again.

That's why I grieve. I know that I can still be happy, and I'm sure the future holds even more happiness than I've ever been aware of before, but that step involves leaving something, or someone behind that I hold very dear.

I'll miss them all, but I'll thank God for the fond memories.

Invisible Children

2009-04-04T18:26:00.001-07:00

Check out www.invisiblechildren.com and join the rescue on April 25 in Toronto.
This is a huge chance for us to be a voice for the thousands of children abducted in Uganda and turned into child soldiers in Africa's longest running war.
The video can explain what's going on a lot better than I can, so check it out. It's worth it.

2009-03-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

I just want to graduate.

2009-03-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Some people write better when they are pressed for time. Take Katrina. She can have a substantial assignment due at 8:00 am, not start it till 8 pm the night before, and pump out a fantastic paper by making herself a few cups of coffee and working till the sun comes up. How does she do this? We're not sure.

Me--I take a long time to commit to words. There are a lot to choose from and I want to get it right. Post midnight, words just start to do their own thing on my page. They slip out of me, unchecked, unregulated...and I can almost hear their squeels of delight when they do it, especially the older ones, because they've waited a long time for this moment. To catch me off guard, and be out in the open, splatted on paper so that they can actually validate themselves in the big wide written world.Curse words are known for this.

Self respect. That's what it's all about. And when I blog past midnight, with a laptop battery that only has 25 minutes to go, I see two problems. One- I am not a Katrina. Time crunches hurt my abs. And two: I write about nothing. I write because my laptop is on my lap, and my fingers are on the keys, and I'm so comfortable in my mass of pillows and blankets that it just seems like the right thing to do. And I don't have a clue what to say, other than that my battery is fading about as fast as I am, and yet I'm still here.

It's because I'm in that cozy phase...the one everyone loves and hates because it's the pinnacle of comfy, or at least it could be, but your mind keeps poking you annoyingly, because it wants bed.

Low Battery signal is now poking me. I'm altogether too uncomfortable now to even write about being comfy. Already a thing of the past.
And one point goes to the words that escaped me on this little random post.

Baaaahhh

2009-02-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

Since the conference hosted at Redeemer at the beginning of this semester, I have become more aware of the gap between the church calender, and the one hanging on my wall in all its academic glory.

We've entered the post reading break buzz-- where you literally walk through the Redeemer halls and catch snippets of individual conversations that somehow blend into a united chorus of the student body- screaming "I'm BUSY". It's bazaar, but I almost wonder if I stood in one place long enough, if the student body might actually burst into rebellious song- like some sort of fantastical high school musical (with some slight choreographical tweaking). HA. Wouldn't that be funny.

I just wonder why the busiest time of the school year lands itself in a time where it seems we are least likely to deal with it. A week off, a sun that has snapped out of hibernation, and the smell of a thawing world is not exactly conducive to excellence in academic performance. But I speak for myself. For those incredibly self-disciplined, the sight of green grass and running water might have the opposite effect. But those people live in libraries.

The general consensus seems to be that the season of Lent also brings a season of stress and hyper academic activity. I simply wish we could align ourselves a tad more appropriately to the church calender- so that as Easter approaches, our minds might not be so frazzled, but rested and refreshed.

But until that day of calender co-habitation, I will continue to drink coffee and meet deadlines.

It is still a joy to be alive.

2009-02-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

I am sick of being inactive. Today was supposed to be the day that I finally pulled on some snow pants and played outside. The vision was there, and I just didn't perform.
Instead I watched my brother and his highschool basketball team take the championship in the Christian schools tournament. It was truly a moment in history for Heritage, being a tiny school that has yet to put out a championship team in much of anything. Props to Matt and his cronies. It was excellent basketball.
The closest I got to getting any sort of excercise was shooting around with Doug during half time (trying to recreate my own past bball endeavors) and then starting a mini- dance party with Robyn to Africa King- a Latino dance song on par with the Macarena.
That was fun.
Anyways, homework is lame. Latino music is not.

Awesome

2009-02-07T18:27:00.000-08:00

Deer Mice,

2009-01-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Mice are becoming a problem here in 333. I understand they are cold, hungry and displaced due to the perma-construction going on, but if I were squatting in someone's home, I'd at least clean up after myself. I can't believe how much poop we gather on a daily basis from the refugee mice living in our walls. It's disgusting.
And so, for sanitary purposes, we set traps in our food cupboards. Robyn gets the most suprises. Three pretty strangled mice in three consecutive days. And that's a record, because in all the other locations they seem to be smarter.
It's a bit humiliating, being outwitted by a mouse. But the word is that these are not ordinary mice. All indications point to the potential that they are deer mice. And so now, we are not only concerned by their intelligence, but by their unique abilities to carry strange diseases that are fatal to humans.
But we won't be beat. Poison was our next resort, which we strategically layed beyond the traps. What's interesting is that the mice, in their eagerness to poison themselves would actually step on the trap, thus sparing themselves from the slow and aggrevating process of blood thinning for a more quick and easy eye bulging experience. And so, we think we are winning the battle.
And yet, we aren't quite so sure. The poison continues to disappear (good thing) but the mouse poop continues to appear (bad thing). I'm hoping they are storing our offering for some special occasion, wherin word will spread to the surrounding mice communities within our home that there is a feast prepared of blue pebbles- a gift from the humans. At this point, they will sit and eat and die.

Really?!

2009-01-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

I used to seriously wonder if I would be the drifter in my family. You know, that crazy single aunt that is never really around because she bought a camel in Namibia or hunts kangaroo for a living.
But these thoughts would always be tagged with the nagging question of "but who the heck will do this with me?"

You never know, really. You hope, but that's about all you can do as your dreams pile up and you frantically snatch at the opportunities that bump you on your way to school, then skip ahead so you can chase them. And then BAM- midstride- you meet him.
The mysterious guy that you have thought about off and on as you've grown up, speculated about with your friends, and formed in your mind as the "perfect guy" at all the birthday parties, and you have to check your stride and ask, "really?"

And you ask yourself that, not because you're disappointed, but because you've been caught up in the excitement of other things- getting that degree than booting off to New Zealand to "start your life"- that you've sort of forgotten the possibility that your life might just have better plans... like it wants to 'start' a bit earlier.

And that's what happened when I met James. He came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting him, or sure of him (there had been certain warnings :)but I was caught midstride and asking myself "really?"
And that's the beatiful mystery of it. Somehow, we fit. I don't think I've met a man more opposite to my personality ( I do NOT see us hunting kangaroo) but so similar in convictions. It is an interesting dynamic that not only has me excited but committed.

The honest truth is, after almost 2 years of dating, I can't see myself with anyone else. And the best part is, I haven't altered a single dream--I've just found an answer to that one nagging question...

I guess love will do that to you!
James' already mentioned that we're getting married. He proposed, much to my surprise January 9 and the wedding date is set for August 21. Seven months to plan a wedding and buy a camel!

Piece of cake :)

2009

2009-01-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of pressure in writing the first blog of the new year. I'm not sure why, exactly, but there are all these 'shoulds and musts' that float silently around it, forming these odd, unwritten rules to go by. What's really odd about it is that I'm the one making them.
Hmm...
Anyways, forget all that. It's info time.

This Christmas holiday has been fantastic. On the 17th, James and I hopped on a plane, and two movies later (I watched Wall-E and Sound of Music, for those interested) we were in Vancouver. James' parents picked us up, then dropped us off at Stewart's rehearsal dinner, where we met the bride to be, and ate a lot of Chinese food. James was pretty busy with wedding stuff for the first few days, which was to be expected (he's a bit of a planner) but this was all right. I had three good books in my back pack, with nothing but time to read them. Glorious.
That being said, post- wedding time made for a much more relaxed, proper beginning to the holidays. Surrey got dumped on with snow, which made for excellent snow shoeing conditions in the mountains, and sledding behind Mark's truck in the subdivision.
James knows I naturally like to be outside, but when in B.C, this casual 'like' turns to love and it's been a blossoming relationship :) I love it there.

On the first morning, James' and I were both up before the sun came up so we could go for a walk in the snowy streets, and knock on Dan's window to say Hi. That first early morning started a trend in my sleeping habits, and I was usually wide awake by5:30 am . Not ideal.

But honestly, the 10 days spent in B.C. are a blur. I recall everything being very enjoyable, but flying past. Now I'm home, and the pace has slowed. Considerably. Work on the nursery in negative degree weather can do that to you. Time passing tends to correlate well with sluggish, freezing body movement. We have had weird weather over here with a few major wind storms resulting in fallen hoop houses and ripped up poly. Repairs were in our hands, because my brothers and I actually need to make some money, so we'll have to see how things stand when the next storm rolls around.

But home is good. It usually is. It's the place to be before heading off into a new year, so that you can get rested up and pumped up for the next leg of the journey at school, and then who knows where.
I hope everyone is having enjoyable holidays! That's all from me. Happy New Year!

2008-12-16T21:12:00.000-08:00

I know I've been blogging a lot lately, but I just can't bring myself to end this semester with "Snow Goose, Call of the Wild"- sets the bar too high for next year.

There's a lot happening tomorrow. For one, I'm flying to B.C. at 2:00pm with James Glenn Harskamp, where I will be spending the holidays. Woop woop!
This marks the first time in my life that I will not be home for Christmas, which makes both me, and my mom, a little sad. Not to worry though, with a little pre-planning, we were able to pull off our traditional family gourmet dinner last night, and it was spectacular. Sixteen of us around a table, only about half of us actually having a bit of a clue about tasty dishes (myself not included) and a lot of singing.
Gold. But I am excited to head out West.

It's now 1:00 am and whatever I thought was so pressing to blog about has left me, no doubt for a better writer. Good Riddance.

And good night.

2008-12-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

three french hens

2008-12-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

I want to start this blog with a big list of regrets
1) no pictures.
2) we did too many things and took too little pictures
3) the fact that I can hardly recall what we all did this semester because I have no pictures to jog my memory.

End of list of regrets

But here's a list of some good things I remember
1) Karaoke with our house
2) Purple van man
3) Sauble Beach!
4) dancing downtown
5) "what's new with you" England parties
6) free movies on demand thanks to Ally's LIES
7) Moppers!
8) Irish pubs
9) Sex jokes with the married friends
10) Wine and cheese party at the boy's house
11) Polka dot party
12) Under the Sea shabang
13) Tim's gig/ Allasaurus concert
14) Montanna's for drinks- just like old times
15) Waxing my legs with Robyn on the kitchen floor :) horrifying.
16) 'my heart will go on" on the Wii American Idol- (just for the record Robyn- I won. Nailed that last note)
17) LENNY! Our lobster prank that almost cost me my relationship
18) 2008 Tacky Sweater Christmas Party
19) Hike through Fall
20) Kuyper's Cafe: spellbound by Craig's genius
21) Zebra muscles ( that one was made up)
22) Firecracker prank on the boys front step.. gold.
23) GREAT meals with the house, and our adopted boys. (James, Ryan, Tim)
24) Sunday soup bonding hour. Priceless.
25) pillow fight in our underwears. aaaaaaaahahahhahhah
26) Trina took to sewing, cooking, mending, and cleaning house for pay. What a woman.
27) Robyn got a tattooooooooo!
28) suprise flowers from James (a personal highlight, in case you're interested)
29) cooking time with Robyn- always a reason to hit the "sauce" a little early :)
30) Half- made fort. I love forts.
31) BIG MAC AT 3 a.m, after forcing Trine to get up and drive us. Again, what a woman.
32) Getting woken up by James at 8 am, walking to Timmies for breakfast, and being there long enough to hit up lunch. Fantastic
33) Danielle's birthday. Which got a little out of hand, thanks to Ryan Geoffrey Gelense. But memorable nonetheless.
34) EXAM TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
35) you know the list is too long when Exams make "memorable moments"

The end.

keeps me sharp

2008-12-08T12:10:00.001-08:00

"I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but that I see everything by it"- C.S. Lewis.

Brilliant.

I'm in the middle of exams, and I am noticing something that I find fascinating. In all my classes- Ref Theo, Human Sexuality, Creative writing, Tolkien and Lewis, even Enviro 101-- the "christian myth" plays out.
I didn't say this was groundbreaking.
I simply said it was fascinating.
Of course, this is what a Christian university sets out to do, but it has only just begun to sink in that it's working. I am convinced.
I can hardly read anything anymore (let alone James' evolution textbook) without seeing God's fingerprints. He's in everything I read- whether the author is Christian, Jewish, or Atheist.
Lewis says,
"[God is] basic Fact or Actuality, the most concrete thing there is...too definite for the unavoidable vagueness of language and the source of all other facthood"

I find this a refreshing reminder when education tries to get the upper hand in the "fact" department. I also find it particularly helpful in an environment where subjectivity swirls around campus like it owns the place.

The truth is that there is a reality that goes beyond all predicate, a doctrine of objective value.
This is what governs our instincts, what provides the basis for our approval or disapproval of whatever it is we approve or disapprove of in the classroom.
It all points to an objective order, a Creator that has designed this world, a God who goes far above and beyond us and our limited faculties.

It amazes me that despite the diversity of topics my classes deal with, not one of these are exempt from that focal point of the gospel story. It is all-pervasive. It is the stone that sharpens my mind, keeps me alert, makes me ever aware of the story I am living in.

And now I should study.

2008-11-19T22:24:00.000-08:00

So I've recruited myself to the Guild in order to get work done. Only Tim and Jared were around today, and as much as I find them entertaining, I can zone them out quite easily in the office, which I've realized has all the essential elements for creating the perfect work environment.
1) It doesn't have a bed. Perfect
2) It has a big bay window that lets in loads of sunlight, which at least gives me the illusion that I am outside, enjoying the fluffy snow and sunshine
3) It overlooks the road. I'm not sure why, but I enjoy looking out at the constant activity
4) It's warm
5) It's Christmasy. James and I spent about an hour hanging lights, stockings, garland and snowflakes. With soft Christmas music playing, it's superb

These are the essentials. They may change with the season, but for now I can say that today was one productive day.
On top of that, I spent the evening with my family, then went to my grandparents to play Rummy Cub with my grandma and my cousin Janelle while James and Ryan discussed the finer points of theology for over two hours with my grandpa.
It's so easy to forget the due dates pressing around me when I'm home, or especially when I'm at my cousins for a sleepover and we've just finished watching the most beautiful love story between Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blithe.

What else matters after that?

Small things

2008-11-18T13:33:00.000-08:00

Cinammon bread, Macintosh apples and hot apple cider. It's that time of year that I start to give Bennett's the attention it deserves, in appreciation of locally grown produce that still pumps out tasty treats, even in light of hail damage.
I really wanted to sit down and say something brilliant for once. Just give people a small taste of how educated I am. Cocky, I know, but the proud corners of my heart (or brain?) want to think that I have got something to say. Really.
But all that comes to mind are the mundane things around me that don't really matter, at least to other people.
Like my macintosh apple
Or a twenty three minute nap
Or a great sound track playing while I work
Or talking with Robyn about nothing at all around a kitchen table scattered with books and papers and coffee mugs while Ally is in the kitchen cooking up chicken pot pie for dinner.
Little details are too easy to write about, and they are too distracting. I get no work done in this place.

Quizznos

2008-11-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

How is it November? In six weeks I'm in the clear, and into Christmas, and I'm just thinking I'd like to hit pause for a while to enjoy the sun. Today was incredible.

My dog Sampson has been adopted into my Hamilton home, and I have become his mom. He shadows me everywhere, like this big black fuzzy ball of fur with eyes- but then again, you can't even see his eyes, so he's just a black fuzzy ball. I love him.

Other than being a mom for the time being, I guess you could say I'm busy with school, but it's a vague sort of busy. I know I need to do things, but the dates are about as fuzzy as Sam. They too, shadow me everywhere. What an analogy.

This weekend was memorable. Friday night was not only Halloween, but Timot's chance to shine with his guitar at a coffee shop downtown.. He did well. In fact, he was amazing.

Then Brad and Evan turned the coffee shop atmosphere into a night club, which was equally as amazing. On Saturday we had our forever talked about wine and cheese formal party at the Guild. Girls in cocktail dresses, boys in suits, attempting to sound educated and refined over a glass of $9 dollar wine and some heated charades. Another good night.

Sunday brought James and I home to my lovely Lincoln region, and an amazing home-cooked meal. The nephews were delightful, particularly with James. At any rate, they're adorable.

My dad turned 48, and his nose and knees are still intact. I am amazed.

The cap-off of my memorable weekend ended with a big furry spider on the dash board of the car and a "visibly upset" James- to quote him directly. The situation was handled with calm maturity, while my cousin casually pulled to the side of the road and dropped a ten pound bag of dog food on the spider, crushing the spider before he could make his next move onto James' lap.

Phew.

As for life in general, I am learning. And I hope it keeps up, or else I'll never keep up with how much is always going on, how time just keeps on pressing on.

Well, time to study about air pollution, and acid rain. Quiz starts at 8 am. It's 10:30. You can understand why I'm procrastinating.

Purple Van Man

2008-09-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

Note to all boys in the world that if they are trying to start a widespread panic in any girls house, they just need to make a phone call that says there is a creepy purple van, complete with creepy man, who is slowly cruising near the house. Thanks James.

I understand the concern one might have, if there is a suspicious looking van loitering on Springbrook, but honestly. Some people have 8:00 am class, and sleep doesn't look promising when news like that gets around. After the fits of shrieking and panic, and the occasional intentional scare from me and Robyn (sorry, but it had to be done) we hatched a game plan in case any crazy man did try to get into our place. Much to our embarrassment, it got as far as 'call the boys and tell them to come protect us'. Which is what we did, and what they did. I don't care what girls nowadays try and say- I'm happy to have men in this world that we can trust to keep us safe. This comforts me.

That was last night. Tonight we decided to bolt from the house for a while, and bond with the girls. Karaoke and bonding go hand in hand, and so we went to Boston Pizza (Wednesday is Karaoke night) and sang our hearts out. It was fantastic. On coming home- Ally led the way into the house, only to find the door wasn't closed when she pushed on it. Of course, this led us into our second house panic, and so I grabbed an old pair of crutches and we stalked through the house, checking bedrooms and spare rooms, and under the beds. On finding no crazy intruder, we had a celebratory dance party. And that is the brief update on the last two nights at our place. It's been fun.

2008-09-09T13:35:00.000-07:00

4th year. My final year. So far it has me hitting the soccer field for 2 hours a day- conveniently scheduled during dinner time, and suffering from what I assume to be caffeine withdrawal.
I have finally accepted the fact that I may indeed be hooked on coffee (thanks mom) and being back in the swing of school, and out of my home environment, I have not yet had the pleasure of a good home brew. This may explain the headaches.

But it is great to be back. Our home really is home. Clean, matching dishes, colourful flowers, new curtains, freshly baked zucchini muffins, teal walls, and pleasant company- I am truly in my element. The boys' house is not far off, being quite cozy as well, but definitely lacking a woman's touch. As it should be.

As for classes- I have mixed feelings. English, religion, creative writing= exciting! A three hour lab on water= blaah. This is mostly because I feel hugely out of my element taking a science course, when the last time I even considered something to do with chemistry was in high school.. before I dropped it to take a spare and work for my dad instead. Practical application has room for improvement.

In any case, we had our first soccer tourny this past Saturday- where I managed to squeeze in a goal before I pulled my quad and had to sit out for the rest of the day. But, muscles do heal, and I'm hoping mine gets its act together before Thursday (our first away game). Even more exciting than my quad is the fact that this Friday we are hosting an "under the sea" party. It looks promising.

Well, there's the quick update on life back at Redeemer.

My treasure

2008-08-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I've managed this, but I have organized my room to hoard things. Ridiculous things. Things I shouldn't still have after 5 years, but they are so tightly wrapped up in good memories that I physically cannot bring myself to trash them. For example- I have tight pink leggings that I have worn once in my life, to a decade dance, and I now cling to the notion that if I were to ever put those pants back on, that night will resurrect.
I have letters from high school, old Cd's, a clam shell with sentimental value, a message I wrote myself 7 years ago and jammed in a bottle, diaries starting from kindergarten to the present, endless highschool memorabilia, souvi's from Australia I failed to deliver, memories, memories, memories. And I love it. I love that people can look in my room and see it's nothing special. But if you do a little digging, I have a collection of life material wedged in any little crack, stuffed between books, hidden under my bed, and the most valuable of my life stories are held in an Adidas shoebox from my grade 10 basketball kicks. Those were the days.

So I am thinking of my pack rat existence because yesterday I made myself do a little digging, and then a little dumping. It was a sad struggle, but I did manage to fill 3 bags of things destined for another home, which are now sadly sitting in transition in the corner store's amity bin.
It was tough. Even tougher to explain to James that during the time he vacuumed the whole downstairs and cleaned the entire kitchen, that I was still plugging away in my own little room.
But really, it is amazing what a little room excavating can pull up. I am currently sitting here in a pair of tan pants that I thought were dead to the world as of years ago. And how can you not find old letters and read them? Dusting was simply not a priority.

But anyways, the room is clean, my pile has grown of things I need to bring to my University home, and my inventory list of clothes is still missing 10 much needed items. I think my room has a black hole I am unaware of. But if there is one thing I love about cleaning my room, it's taking that time to re-examine the things I have collected over the years, and see if they still hold that priceless quality. They always do. And the space I make in my closet from tossing out old clothes seems to quite easily adapt to an extra shoebox or two.. thanks to James, and four months worth of letters while I was away. What a guy :)

If there is anything in the world I want to hang on to as I get older, it's that. And perhaps a pair of pink leggings. I hear the 80's are here to stay --and I am totally for it.

2008-07-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

If I was a Disney character, I'd be Mulan. She's amazing.

Two of my close friends have done it. They've made the commitment of a life time, said the words, gave the rings, threw the parties and now it's done. Married. And yes, that first sentence could be taken quite literally, but I wasn't going there. Grow up.
It always amazes me how many months of planning and pay cheques are required to begin a life with someone. Really, the whole ordeal could be neatly wrapped up in about 15 minutes, when WABAM-- suddenly that little utterance, that one little performative, changes your status forever. This only reinforces my sentiments about the power of language.
This impresses me.

And so my weekend involved Vanessa's wedding, and a few weekends before that was Jocelyn.
Tomorrow is my cousin Rachel's, and there had better be dancing. I am not quite sure if one is even able to fully celebrate such an occasion without letting loose a little on the dance floor with the relatives. Not only is everyone in a great mood, but it's the most perfect dancing environment! Clean and wholesome people- like King David in the streets.

Well, work starts at 7:15 as usual, but since my car is parked in Hamilton at this very moment, I will most likely be rising with the sun so that I can snag a ride with my dad. This means I'll be getting up early, which also means I should be heading to bed. Life without an alarm clock can be so demanding.

Advice for the day. Stay away from what you think is oatmeal, and then what you think is cream of wheat, and then what turns out to be gluten free creamed corn. However, if you do manage to get your hands on it, be warned that one minute in the microwave is not nearly enough.

Good night folks

Ticks

2008-06-18T18:40:00.001-07:00

I would like to know who frightened the men in this world, so much so, that even the word "dance" results in locked knees, damp armpits, and that priceless look of terror/stubborn resolve, as the hands instantly clamp their seat like a vice-grip. --as if the chair is going somewhere.

Fear shmeer everyone. Weddings with dances should mean the men and women dance and be merry. It's a celebration! So you look a little silly-- does anybody really care?

On a different note- I picked off 7 ticks from my poor helpless skin- 2 of which I'm fairly certain were in my hair. EW. I can't even explain to you how nasty that is. Even as I sit here, I have a sneaking suspician there is a small regiment of ticks planning their next attack. They are probobly heading for my exposed toes. Shooot.
They befriended me on my walk with Rob and Trine through an open field. The grass is really tall now, so they (the girls) were hiding, and Sam and I were trying to track them. You'd think the girls rolling around in the meadow would be the easiest victims, but I suppose these things get some sort of twisted pleasure in challenging themselves. Somehow, the one bounding through the grass- (that ould be me) contracted a small colony, while Rob and Trine got off with one or two. Ticks are stupid- with claws of steel.

I am still disgusted. I feel like the kid in grade school that is singled out for having lice. How aweful was that. And everyone knew it was them, because they had to go home. The worst.

Anyways, the rest of the evening saw a brilliant red sky, a relaxing hang out with the girls- an effort to pin point where we will all be a year from now, and then a viscious scrub in the shower to rid myself of unwanted company.
Overall, life is pleasant.

Bloopers

2008-06-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

If I could somehow arrange it, I'd attach a small videocamera to my left shoulder and make one sweet movie of Maple Leaf bloopers during the work day. Last week was a winner-- it would look something like this

- a golfcart careening down a steep hill- brakes already locked and proving useless- with Robyn and I smiling in the front seat, and a hysteric Katrina dangling off the back as the self proclaimed brakes in an effort to spare us from being dumped into the harbor.

- then our efforts to go back up- Robyn and I still smiling- this time because Katrina has decided to become the 'legs of the operation' and is ineffectively pushing a motorized vehicle up one very steep hill.

- then doing donuts on that very same golfcart, testing Trine's forearm strength as she stands on the back and clings on for dear life

- a Kayak race that involved one kayak and one Katrina. She had to race around the pond in the time I could turn around and race across it. Lesson #1. Don't try to turn a kayak too sharply
Lesson #2. Your kayak will tip. (note- that Robyn has not stopped smiling through all of this)

- Again- on the balance 'note' Trine and I were tagging some emerald cedars on a steel trailer, with her feet planted firmly on the stone driveway, and mine balanced on a teetering fibre pot on the raised end of the trailer. I place a fair amount of trust in my mongoose- like reflexes, which saw me casually chatting with Trine one second, and then flying through the air and landing on my back in the next. Trine found this particular incident fairly hilarious.

-Kristina's motivational speeches to get us to work through break so she can go home. They always fail- but they are quite funny to watch. I think I'd zoom in on her face the moment she sees us hop on the trailer to head in for coffee. Just priceless.

There are many more- but they are censored.

All in all, summer seems to be sprinkled with a fair bit of work and socializing, which, when blended, is the perfect combo. The other night was particularly enjoyable. Since Trine and Robyn live in Hamilton, I am able to snag rides every now and then to see one very goodlooking guy. James- don't worry, every one knows it :) We picked him up at the bus stop, then we all took a ride down to the grocery store, loaded up the car with goods and made an amazing stir fry dish to split between the five of us (Kirk was there too). After dinner, James and I picked up some Timmies for the group, and we just sat and talked around the kitchen table. Very nice. This was followed by a bit of scrubs, and then a comfy bed. Life really is good.

I'm finding my weekdays pretty packed these days- and I don't know if I initiate that, or if plans just have a way of stacking themselves up on their own. In any case, tonight will see Trine, Robyn, Vaness, myself, Hugo, Pablo, Ivan and Tina (our Mexican amigos) taking a trip down to Port to grab a coffee and walk the pier. Hopefully they are all still coming, but if not, I'm excited to just chill with the girls by the lake.

Tomorrow is already Friday, and I have no clue where the week just went.
Cheers to the crowd from both Redeemer and England. I miss you all!

Hoy

2008-05-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

There are some days worth writing about. When these days come, one should write about them.
I woke up early this morning after a quality hottub night with Trine and Robyn, made myself and the girls some lunches, and rolled into work at 7:11. There is nothing particularly amazing about today, (I feel like I set you up with my opening sentence. It's called 'the grabber'.) I just think that it would be a shame not to mention some highlights of the day in general, because most of them had me laughing quite a lot.
For example, Katrina was talking to me today with her lips covered in permanent marker. She had no idea that the tags she was putting in her mouth were freshly written on, and I don't know why it took me so long to tell her. Funny.

Kristina in the tag room. It's like entereing the lair of a pack rat. Quote of the day "oooh, I wasn't expecting company!" But I can appreciate ordered chaos. It's kind of my thing.

Going with Trine and Robyn to get gas. Trine accidentally tripped out of her car and reefed the key out of the ignition. This then bent the key, and in trying to bend it back, snapped the key in half, leaving us stranded at the gas station at 5pm. The car then had to be raised, moved out of the way, and Trine had to try and get a new key cut. The only reason we left work in the first place was to get Vanessa to go home for her suprise wedding shower. We figured the only way to keep it a suprise was to fake that the orders were not actually going out in the morning, and then by driving away. This way, she would see us leave and go home, and we could then return to work. Having a snapped key made that last part a bit of a problem. Also, very funny.

Oy- There's a small sample of my day. I'd love to keep going, but I'm beat. 11 hours on the farm followed by a wedding shower can suck the life out of someone. But there shall be more blogs to come. I don't like this bad habit of blog droughts in the summer. There's your warning Redeemer folk. Take it or leave it.

Goodnight

The Motherland

2008-04-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

Home. Sweet, glorious home.

I am happy to be back. I didn't realize while I was coasting through classes and catching coaches through the UK that the niggling feelings of missing something were in reality the sweet calls of my motherland, and more specifically, my mother. My home is largely so appealing because of mom. (But dad, I love you too :) I don't think anyone can walk through our front doors without feeling a giant sense of warmth and hospitality. This is not to say I did not feel at home in Charlbury (Beccy was a great hostess) but this is MY home. When I walked through the front doors, the love was there- in the form of friends, family, salads, and sausages.

It is so nice to be home.

But let me backtrack a bit, and give you all a brief sketch of what my past few weeks were like. After Heather and I caught our train to the right airport, we made it to Belfast, and proceeded to have 3 fantastic days in Northern Ireland. The highlight for me was our day trip to Derry, sitting front row in a coach bus listening to Josef, our Irish tour guide, go to town on the mike- filling us in on Irish facts, folklore, and using any spare minute to sing his heart out, which was quite obviously lodged in Ireland. My personal favorite was his selection of the Rankin Family "the girl from Belfast city". Brought me right back to my childhood, listening to mom rock out with the vacuum cleaner to that very song. Like I said- my mom is hip.

We had a few stops along the Irish coast which were just breathtaking. Jagged cliffs, bright blue water, and a crisp, fresh wind- possibly gale- that kept us on our toes. Neither of us wanted to have to be the ones to write home saying we fell off the Irish cliffs. The history of Ireland fascinated me. The protestant/Catholic divide is still so alive. You could actually feel it in the gales. Weird.

But, the time did come for us to pack our things and head east. This was done at 4 am, on the Loyalist streets of Belfast, where we had to catch a suspicious bus that we hoped would eventually arrive. We plunked down on the street, and waited for others to turn up, to ease our troubled minds. Well, we got what we wished for, in the form of a young drunken Irishman, who kept us very entertained with ridiculous Irish jokes. Bless his heart :) Then a taxi snagged him up, and our bus pulled in. Before we knew it (literally, the flight was about 30 minutes) we landed in Edinburgh, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. Who else can boast a castle on a hill in the center of their city? (I am sure some countries can, so don't actually answer that). We got to our hostel exhausted, but I was feeling especially dutch, and so I worked that morning from 11-1, stripping bed sheets and making beds, which earned me a total of 7.50 pounds, or (how I preferred to think about it) a free night of room and board. Hooray for a stubborn work ethic.

Then I saw James. To describe it in a word- wonderful. His flight landed right on time, I managed to find my way to the airport with relative ease (considering I have a brain that cannot turn itself into a map) and then I waited, which felt like an eternity, for him to pop out of the doors. Granted, I was facing the wrong set of doors, but I caught him out of the corner of my eye, and then actually caught him as he sprinted over. Nothing like a good bear hug.

The next week was a blur, which saw us touring the city, taking a highland tour, climbing the craigs, enjoying some nice pubs, enjoying some nice company, and taking the overnight bus to London. I must admit, I did not fully put myself into James' shoes, considering I was in full travel mode, and he was coming off of very little sleep after exams, had been travelling for ages, and lost 5 hours in the process. My brilliant idea of taking an overnight bus to save money on a hostel meant that James had to put up with 8 hours on a bus that didn't exactly like long legs and torsos, whereas I have this weird way of falling asleep practically anywhere. However, for his sake, I stayed awake and sang some tunes and told some stories. This was great until the bus driver actually pulled over and reamed me out for keeping everyone on the coach awake. Big exaggeration on his part, but I shut up.

At 6:30 am. we pulled into Victoria station, parked ourselves at a McDonalds and waited for Tim and his cousin Derek to meet us. James took that opportunity to change out of his pajamas in the nearest washroom. The only reason I mention such a trivial thing is that James' before and after face is branded into my mind- heading towards the 'loo' - happy anticipation. Being charged 20 pence and being under the watchful eye of a security guard whose sole pleasure in life is probably derived from rushing people off toilets- saw the reemergence of one angry James. I found this quite entertaining. He saw this as a great injustice, and resolved to get his revenge by stretching his bladder. We found free toilets after that.

Hanging out with Tim again was great. We sat for a few hours in St. James Park, watching crazy birds and catching up. We hit up all the main touristy things- of which St. Paul's Cathedral was a highlight. By the afternoon though, I was ready to get out of the city and set my feet back in my little town. Those few days flew by, and before we knew it we were flying by. I came home to a surprise welcome home party, which was fantastic. I stayed up till about 11:30pm (which is 3:30 am) went to bed still feeling quite awake, then woke up bright and early and headed to work for a good solid 9 hour day. It is now day two- which consisted of a fabulous day of work with my good friends Katrina, Robyn, Kristina, and Vaness, and I have yet to even feel a little bit sleepy. Jet lag is a myth people.

But anyways, it is wonderful to be home. I have high hopes for this summer, and I can't wait till the weather stops creating ice. Until then, I will wear gloves when I weed pots to save my cuticles.

Cheers to everyone from ABU and Redeemer, because I miss you all already! I hope to hear from you guys throughout the summer. It truly was an experience of a life time, and I will never forget you guys!

Scotland!

2008-04-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Travelling with Heather is like a walk in the park. She's a veteran. She knows what she's doing, she's been around the world, she could probobly do this in her sleep. I feel no need to check the map or double check airport locations, because I assume Heather has it under control. And there we have it. That little fatal word. Assume.

Since we took off to London Monday morning, things have been in our favor. Timot, Heather and I spent an incredible day in London, caught our bus no problem, made great time to Glasgow, and found Crystal's house with ease. The day was spent relaxing with Heather's cousin and her son Milo, exploring the sketchy areas of town, and then sitting back and having a pint/the best hot chocolate in the world on a cute little cobblestone road. We were home on time for a fantastic dinner of salmon, rice, and broccoli, then kicked back to watch a movie. I slept like a log.

We woke up on time, had some breakfast, and headed out the door right on schedule. You couldn't ask for a smoother transition from home to bus to airport. Once at the Glasgow airport, I thought I'd be extra safe and ask some lady which terminal Ryan Air flew out of. To which she responded with a very casual " Oh- Ryan Air doesn't fly from this airport".
Shit.

Who knew Glasgow had two airports?! From there things got interesting. We booked it to the nearest bus, caught that to the train station, waited 25 minutes for the train, than crossed our fingers and hoped like hell the train would get us there on time. It was a 40 minute train ride. ( Which we were given for FREE-- and we are still not sure why, but we figured we better not ask any questions). This entire time, Heather is finding the situation incredibly funny- and I am wondering why on earth the airport claims it is in Glasgow, when we were clearly not IN Glasgow. But, I am happy to say the train ride was beautiful, we made it there, and with time to spare. The best part is that the flight was only 20 minutes long! It took us longer to walk to the bus station that morning! Ridiculous.

But anyways, we are in Belfast, and it has been a fantastic day. We wandered all over the place for a solid 4 hours, made it back to our hostel by around 8, and cooked ourselves a mean chicken alfredo dish. We also met two very entertaining Canadians, who added a lot to the general hostel atmosphere. This hostel is fantastic.

Tomorrow we do a tour that takes us up into the hills. I can't wait! Heather is already in bed, but I was unaware of the time and had a coffee at about 10:30. Woops.

Travelling is fun.

Pip Pip

2008-04-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

I was deleting some of the paper's saved on my computer that I don't ever want to read again, when I found this. I'm not sure when or why I wrote it, but it serves as a nice summary of how I felt and feel about this wonderful town.

It’s amazing how small town life can grow on you. At first you don’t know what to think. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible, it’s just different. Then you start to like the “different”, then you start to love the “different” until it’s not so different from what you like, and then there you have it- you’re hooked. Once your “like” turns into “crave”, you know it’s the real deal. That’s how I feel about this place. I’m not sure what it is, maybe the spring air that has brought every possible tree down my lane into full blossom, or maybe it’s the constant church bells, or the girl practicing piano across the paper thin wall, or perhaps the way the town comes alive on weekends. I just don’t know what it is, but my schedule here is consistent. I wake up, I jog around the town for 20 minutes ( believe me when I say this is a small town), I eat muesli, I go to class, and I look forward to getting off that train and re-entering my little home away from home. Tiger greets me every day, having established that we must play together for at least 5-10 minutes a day, I go to my room, I try to tidy it, I fail at that, and then I make myself a cup of coffee and see what the T.V. has to offer.

It just makes me really appreciate this kind of opportunity. I don’t think I’ll have it ever again. Ever. That’s a very long time. I am at home in a complete stranger’s home. I am living in England, with a very cool girl, with whom I just spent a good majority of my Friday evening with at the pub, joking with friends and drinking alcoholic Cider (which I haven’t had back home, and it’s a crying shame) School is not tough, although perhaps getting great grades is, and I am not worried in the least about making it through this course. I am happy. Better yet-I am content. I will miss this place.

2008-04-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, I am pleased to announce that my work in Charlbury is done.

I am not quite sure that sentence is accurate. I'm not really sure if I'm "pleased", nor am I sure if it's been "work". Clearly-- I should have just avoided that sentence all together, because it has now been the cause of three more lines that only serve to outline vague uncertainty, and really tell you nothing. Make that four.

But what I'm trying to say is that today, roughly around the time I finished watching Scrubs, I ran down to the baptist church for my last meeting with the printer. I hate that printer. And that printer hates me. The stapler also was a bit moody- we all have our moments. But aside from these minor setbacks, the thing is done. Two things really, about twenty pages total, and with a poor works cited (that's always been my weak point). But the content is there, and unfortunately not here- so let me tell you what I've really been up to.

Yesterday I went into Oxford solely because there would be a free lunch, and because I didn't want to stay behind in Charlbury and let a paid train ticket go to waste. The train got in at 11, giving me roughly 2 hours to kill before lunch. (I'm going to get back to that sentence in a minute, because I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the mentality that one must "kill time") It really isn't too difficult to "kill" two hours in Oxford. The city has a lot to offer. So let me walk you through it.
I started off by cruising to the market square, where every Wednesday you can bargain for bananas, grab some vegetables, check out the souvenirs, or make a b-line for the candy table. Everything on this table is roughy one pound, and this table is what makes Wednesday a special day. Yesterday was special. A bag of chewy dinosaur candies for only 50 pence, found on the one pound table. You understand why this makes me smile.

From there, I made my way to "American Street". There is something about this street that just sucks you in- there's no avoiding it. Rain or shine, people perform. I've heard accordians, violins, guitars, harmonica's, and one harp. The harp was yesterday, and the man was there for roughly 10 hours. American Street has stamina. There is a constant stream of people, usually loitering around the McDonalds and KFC (why it's called American Street) and no cars allowed. People-watching is an excellent way to kill an afternoon. But, before I could let myself get sucked into the masses, I got distracted by a tiny mall with a visible escalator. I don't know why, but I had a sudden urge to let it take me somewhere. That somewhere was- no suprise- upstairs. But then I saw another escalator, and was curious what was on the 3rd floor. I couldn't stop there, however, because there was a 4th. Then a 5th. It's amazing how something that appears to be the size of a local mini-mart can turn into a 5 level mansion. And mom, I'd like to say that I was captivated by the latest fashions on display, and made a few trendy purchases.. but let's be real. I was only there to ride the escalators, and then the sunshine was calling my name.

So I was indeed sucked into American street, and spewed out the other end- the more affordable end. "Primark" exists for people with tight budgets, but who still like to look presentable in public. I bought a few shirts.

Then I found a book shop, and the time just flew. It was a good morning.

The group got together for a tasty lunch, and we decided to meet up at 4 to try the C.S. Lewis walk at Magdalene College. And this is where the phrase "killing time" cropped up again, and Tim and I decided it just had to go. Why this idea of "killing time"? Don't we hate to see it go? Does the constant anticipation of something else kind of kill our ability to enjoy the moment? While we chilled out in the botanical garden, under C.S. Lewis' favorite tree- a black pine for those who are interested- lying on our backs and staring at the blue/cloudy skies, I decided to try and eliminate that phrase from my vocabulary. I just don't like it. Now, saying that, I realize I've already used it about three times in this very blog. I'm learning..

After the walk, we met everyone at the Eagle and Child for one last pub meal in Oxford. Talk about feeling the need to reconnect with Clive Staples. The food was yum-the beer was yum, and splurging on a dessert was a great way to top things off. Yum, yum, yum. Clive would be dazzled by that display of intellect, I'm sure.

I'm not sure what happened to me, but after the meal, the walk to the train, the train ride, and the final walk home- I was beat. Beccy and I watched a bit of "tele", and then I was out cold. Gold.

Today was very relaxed. After another Oxford experience, I came home, got my paper's in, and then ran into Mad. I enjoy running into Mad, because she's always got something to say, and I find that very amusing. This time was a bit more strenuous however, involving not just my ears, but my need to convince her that she didn't need Mark and Tim to help her move the giant wooden beams out of her garden, because I was fully capable. Tim and I effectively pried, pulled, and dug out the wooden beams, kept firmly in place by years of gravity, and large spikes. So with shovels, crowbar and sledghammer, we had those beams up and out, and snugly arranged in the neighbour's garden in no time, and in no light. When the sun goes down, there's not much to go by, so hopefully Jillian wakes up and actually thinks her garden looks decent. We did our best, and I got a sense of what it is to work again. Excitement for summer is building.

By now it's past 9- and I realize I'm on lunch duty for tomorrow. So, I ran home and grabbed the money, then ran back to Jillian's, because Tim was there hanging out with Beth. Then we went up to the store, bought stuff, went back down to the church to store it, and then I could finally come home for dinner. Dinner consisted of cold pizza and sour milk at 10:15. Cold pizza- great. Sour milk. Not. Eating after 10? Goes straight to the hips.

It's 11:30 pm. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm fully enjoying the moment.
Cheers everyone- I am done.

2008-04-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

So only 2 of the 5 videos seem to be working. Oh well

Practical Jokes

2008-04-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

WHAT?!?!Yesterday I could have been sun-tanning on my deck, or playing leap frog. Neither of those activities could be accomplished because I was caged indoors for roughly 6 hours writing my final exams. That was yesterday. Today:

I wake up roughly around 8:00. The birds start the band up, the piano chimes in, Tiger stirs...what can I say-we are creatures of habit. So I orient myself, remember that today is Sunday, and that perhaps I will wear my nice spring skirt with sandals. These thoughts are interrupted by a lot of children yelling and laughing outside- so I whip back my curtain to see what's up.

BAM. Sandals are out.

This excites me. So much in fact that I ran in my pajamas to go wake up Heather. She was impressed, but not "sweet! Ya- I'll go sledding with you" excited, so I tried my luck at Sharon and Jodi's. After drilling 5 or 6 snowballs at their window- futile efforts when people sleep like the dead- I broke into their house and woke them up so they could share my joy. I was really crossing my fingers that this would impress them, because if not- I was screwed. Some people really like their sleep.

Again- they were impressed, but it was the "I'm half asleep, why are you here- oh because of the snow- this all makes sense... please take the video camera out of my face" sort of impressed.

Not really what I was going for.

And so I set off to my favorite field, on my own, with my camera. I forgot to mention that I was documenting all of these events. The last video went something like this.." this is my beautiful field transformed" Graceful full circle rotation, followed by a misstep, a leg in the air, two legs in the air, back on the ground.. and video still rolling.

I love the snow.

Fun Never Stops!

2008-03-30T00:56:00.000-07:00

Last night was 80's bowling... and it was fantastic. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one.Timot's a stud. Diamond stud, fohawk, suit jacket, and ripped up jeans- improved his bowling game by at least 32 %I'm not sure how Gabby did it, but her poof was at least three inches high- Best hair award went to her. Best dressed went to Alisha- who we all think secretly teleported here straight from the 80's- most likely through the mystical standing stones- as we all know were constructed for time travel. Sharon was hot. She had a onesie! Does it get any better than a stripey tube top that turns into shorts!? I might have to bring that one back with me to the nursery. Simple and efficient dressing is back in folks. As are florescent tights. Maple Leaf won't know what hit 'em. Best 'leg in bowling balls' shot went to Ree. It was a self- proclaimed award. :)Hair Spray-- great dance moves Girl on left: It is either Beth, or Elaine from Seinfeld. She looked great. Girl on right: Megan- Queen of Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution!

God's Green Earth

2008-03-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

The grounds at Broughton Castle My birthday party!Stourhead on Easter break Stone Henge

22

2008-03-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

How is it that my blogs always try and fail to put into words just how incredible the human mind is? You'd think I'd just give up, but then again, what's the fun in that. I'd rather have another go.

The amazing thing about the mind is that noone else can get in it, and words can't always escape it. What I mean is, I am sure the right words are somewhere in there that will quite accurately describe the sensation of the mind, and yet they are either unwilling, or unable to get out onto the screen. Jerks.

My mind is stubborn. Whatever is on it, whether I want it there or not, will continue to be there until my mind makes up its mind to dismiss it. And if you are thinking this is a fairly detached way of looking at ones mind- that's exactly right. Because that's the other thing... my mind tends to function without me really being present. This is that phenomenon of daydreaming. But about the mind being stubborn? I only say that because while it floats around in circles- it kindly gives me one thing to think about.

So yes- I have become the unwilling servant of my master mind, who has continually been hounding me to write another blog. And so, while I laboriously work on this end, it somehow feels free to wander around a little, starting with this room, picking up the sounds from Tiger, taking a giant leap to Canada, thinking about family, then Redeemer, then my nephews, friends- all quite vague really, and very distracting. But that's alright- then it remembers Easter, which reminds it of occasions, which reminds it that it is my birthday tomorrow, and I'm turning 22.

When wandering, my job gets harder. I write things that fill up space, but say nothing. Like that last sentence. I often worry about what goes on inside my head. For example, this Easter, Mark, Tim, Heather and I were out for a midnight stroll through Stourhead and tapped into our childhood forms of entertainment- nearly forgotten. We turned the full moon into our sergeant hero, the grass into a battle field, marked the manor house as our only source of freedom, and tried to beat the villanous censor lights to achieve victory. At first it was funny- we recognized how absurd we looked creeping across the grass under the full moon at midnight.. but then it became strangely real. When a sudden movement triggered the lights, we freaked out and went sprinting back across the lawn. We strategized. We took painful efforts to reach the mansion. Tim and Mark cut up their hands and knees while painfully crawling across the gravel path to reach the wall. The lights became bullets, a sure sign of sudden death. Call me crazy, but the mind can play weird tricks on you...
But it's a wonderful thing to realize that the art of make-belief is not a lost art. One wonders these things when turning 22. Things like- after 3 1/2 years of university, should my brain be a bit more developed? Do I still think like a child? Is my mind maturing?
My thoughts on this point are inconclusive.

So Easter was fantastic. 13 people in a mini-bus for three hours will obviously be fantastic, and staying in a stable yard surrounded by horses and chickens is also up there. The grounds were incredible, being landscaped to perfection around a beautiful lake, complete with islands inhabited by swans, ducks, and our very good friends- the Canadian geese. The rhodo's and daffodils worked their magic in sprucing up the place with incredible colour, and the sheep, lambs, and open grass fields generated a very peaceful pastoral feel- quite fitting for an Easter retreat. We made a trip out to the Stonehenge on Saturday, but for the most part, we entertained ourselves at Stourhead, which was fine by me. The girls had their own private cabin jammed with bunkbeds to accomodate our party of 10, and the boys had an equally large room for 2. That being said- we fully enjoyed our sleeping quarters, and stayed chaste in the process.

Top few things from the weekend
-Sharon led us in Chapel on good Friday. Isaiah 63. It really hit home.
-hopping around Stonehenge for an hour because I lost circulation in my toes. Heather and I are available if anyone would like coriagraphed dance moves
- Easter Sunday at the Anglican church
- Talent Night!
- sneaking up on baby sheep while they were sleeping, so I could pet their wooly backs
- Easter dinner/ easter egg hunt
- nice drive home with my good friends Simon and Garfunkel

Well folks- it's 12 am in England. I am maturing as we speak. Let's hope being 22 holds as much excitement as the past year- and I really have no doubt it will. Hope for the future holds a million possibilities, and excitement is bound to be caught up in there somewhere. It hasn't failed me yet!

Cheers to everyone back home! Love and miss you lots. Especially today.

I like this picture.

One- because I started a mini stampede by scaring then scattering this small herd-

And two- It captures the ratio of guys to girls on this trip. Redeemer's ratio seems to follow me.

I am lazy

2008-03-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

I just want to direct people who are interested in my life to Laura, Jodi, and Sharon's blogs. They have quality pictures, and Laura has some funny videos from the weekend. That's it.

Have a great Easter everyone! I'm off to Stourhead tomorrow morning- 13 people in a mini-bus for a couple hours should be one heck of a good time- and I'll be back on Monday.

Cheers, and blessed Easter!

Caliban

2008-03-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

The past week has been a blur. Somewhere between fighting with a persistent head cold while trying to wrap my head around Caliban's schizo personality, all the pent up frustration, days of memorizing lines, and carried over exhaustion from spring break spilled out onto the stage on Friday night. How did the production go? Well, the answers vary.

For those of us who like this sort of thing, it was a good night. For those of us who have never acted in our lives, nor ever wish to do so again, just getting through the thing- regardless of cutting off speakers, forgetting lines, needing 9 prompts, and laughing on stage during a final song.. was a challenge. I suppose the difference in attitude was most notable at the end. Those who thrive off drama may have felt disappointed with the few screw ups, tough crowd, and train wreck ending...whereas a few others came out of their singing "Hallelujiah! I made it through alive! Yes, I suppose I could be lumped in with the latter group on that one. BUT, it is over. And that is one more thing I can cross off my list of things I have never done. Wow, singing in public and acting on stage. Scary stuff.

But a week has passed since our production, and I have realized that the only things I remember from the past week are the social highlights with the group. School? Not so much.
I have come to the conclusion that spring makes people want to play. Generally, I love to play all the time, but spring just puts people over the edge. And so the field across the street has become our stomping grounds-hosting one game of American Football, one game of competitive soccer, one hilarious chicken fight, an aerobics session led by Laura Loney, many pre-game warm up laps, and one fantastic game of soccer baseball. All of which are done in the rain- because the rain tends to tag along with spring quite regularly. But no worries. We are told this builds character ( this "character" I'm building seems to be aimed at my nose, with the revival of an old head cold) Nevertheless- believe me people, we have fun.

So the other night was boggle night. Leave it to a bunch of English majors to spend their friday night spelling words competitively. It's great. We met at Sharon's, had a glass of wine, then wandered down to Gabby's place, where we discovered her secret identity as host genius. For poor students, the sight of a fruit and veggie platter is like stumbling onto a gold mine. Mango's, bananas, cantaloupe, strawberries... does it get any better? Then broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, and celery. With dip! Yum.
So along with the food, came boggle, catch-phrase, dutch blitz, a good movie, and a great conversation until about 1:30 am. I won't rehash the conversation, but it was an eye opener to the many view points there are concerning love and leadership. That was a gross generalization of what was discussed, but there's a taste. Very enjoyable.

Yesterday we met at the field again, ran like idiots in the rain, warmed up with some hot chocolate and whipcream at Laura's while watching "I am Sam" then decided we should all get together at Jodi's for a pancake/sausage/bacon/home fries dinner. This was a great idea, until I realized the ingredients were scattered all over Charlbury, which involved me running in the rain for about 40 minutes to round them up, and by the time I made it back to Jodi's with the goods, I was soaked to the bone. The cold is officially back. I don't know how to get the message across that it wasn't missed. But anyways, the meal was fantastic, followed by a night at the pub with my hostess Beccy and her friends.

Fellowship people. I honestly couldn't live without it. Speaking of which, Church starts in 15 minutes, so I better get started with my walk in the rain.

This is a shout out to everyone back home that although I'm having a great time, I still love and miss everyone back home!! (Hint to my mom to keep me updated on family news! And the same hint goes for the friend department too :)

These are for you mom, to give you an idea of where I'm living, and what the house looks like :) Here's Tim and Tiger in the kitchen
Living room- below is dining room Kitchen Laundry room/ complete with everything you need to make tea/coffee and bagels The Lane I walk everyday to get to my house!The backdoor to the house One of the beautiful views of the Cotswold countryside- about 2 seconds from my housePeeking over the wall to watch some little league soccer
Hope that helps! Cheers!

2008-03-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

This is the Vatican- where the Pope comes out and addresses the masses. Unfortunately, we just missed him. This was meant to be a "where's Ree" picture. I didn't blend with the foliage as nicely as I'd thought

Another one of those "where.." pictures. Haha..I'm such a loser.

This is the site where Julius Caesar was murdered. I'm not sure why, but the place has become some sort of safe haven for cats- there had to be at least 50. Ew.The Mouth of Truth: as legend has it, you put your hand in there, and if you tell a lie, your hand will be bitten off. Clearly, Laura felt she had nothing to worry about.

2008-03-06T14:42:00.000-08:00

Last night in London before the group split up for Paris, Scotland, and ROME!

St. Paul's Cathedral...just massive.
We made it to Louton Airport, picked a cozy corner, and caught a few hours of sleep before catching our flight outta there. This is Laura, deciding to wear more clothes, including her towel, so she could fit everything into one bag. She ended up just checking some luggage. Wise decision.

Laura and I- feeling pretty smug after our hike up the hill for a breathtaking view of Florence.

Laura and I, enjoying some Italion beer after a long day of walking

This is the prison where Paul and Peter were held when they were arrested by the Romans. Crazy.Laura and i tossing our coins into the Trevi Fountain- thus ensuring we will one day return :)Enrico- our Italion friend, posing with us on the Spanish Steps
A sunny day at the ColosseumThe Vatican!One great view of FlorenceThe Roman Forum-- very fascinating Roman ruinsThe Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

View from inside the Colosseum

Pisa!Palm treesA drizzly day exploring the Roman Ruins

Just call me Frodo.Our friend Felipe- a brazilian, who spoke Portuguese, and was studying English in Dublin. Also our walking tour guide for the day. Excellent.FREE STYLE!

Pizza on the Spanish Steps.

"Home"

2008-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

So our last night in Rome was memorable to say the least. After a full day of hiking around Rome with our Brazilian friend Felipe, we finally felt secure that we had seen enough. Time to head back to Free style, relax on our beds, fill our stomach's with wine and pasta, and meet up with Megan and Gabrielle. That was the game plan.
Unfortunately, when we got to our hostel, our beds had been taken over by strangers, and we were mistakenly bumped off the list due to some miscommunication. Although we were once again homeless- by this point taking to the streets was our second nature.. and so we did.

However, we did talk Raz into getting our free meal out of the deal, and our new hostel was only one block over. Not to say that wasn't frustrating, but hey- at least we weren't back at Eden.
Things began to look up once we finally met up with Megan and Gabrielle. The four of us met up on the Spanish steps for one last icecream and sing song-along with our new Italian friends. Unfortunately, the singing was put on hold because the place was crawling with cops who were attempting to chase away the guys trying to pawn off cheap souvenirs. Although no singing was delivered, they came with pizza, and Italians are generous. This made Laura and I both very happy. We followed them on their "tour" from the steps to the Trevi Fountain, and then decided it was best to head home. I hate to generalize, but Italians have this way of getting very comfortable very quickly around new friends- not to say I felt unsafe, but after Laura was picked up and twirled around like the little poppet that she is- I think home was a good decision.

After a measly six hour sleep, I was not prepared for the 13 hour trip headed our way. It was a bit ridiculous actually, looking something like this
7:00am- meet the girls at the Termini
7:10- boarded bus that would take us to Ciampino airport (now, this was almost a 2 hour trip on our way to Rome.. so the fact that it only took 30 minutes this time not only gave us a lot of extra time, but made me realize that paying 8 euros as opposed to 3 does have its perks)
7:40- 10:40- waiting in the airport
11:00- board plane
12:45- land in Luton (lost an hour)
1:30 ish- board another bus that will take us to London
3:00 ish- have to get off the bus before the proper station, because the roads are blocked up, which meant we had to find the subway. This annoyed me for two reasons: 1) we had already payed to get to Victoria, and now we had to pay again 2) Sewer rats
4:00ish- we get bus tickets that will take us to Oxford, and we use them to get on the bus- obviously.
6:30- we finally get to Oxford. Note- this bus ride should have been an hour. I have only the Muslim protesters to thank, who we saw lining the streets in London, flogging themselves with chains. I have never seen anything like this. There were hundreds of them chanting, beating themselves in the cold, some of them with their shirts off, and some of them little children. I can't really describe how that made me feel, but I was suddenly very cold. This made for an interesting discussion on the way home, effectively jolting us out of our own realities and shifting some things properly into perspective. Makes you wonder what the future is going to look like, and how you can allow yourself to get bent out of shape by something as trivial as paying a few extra pounds for a bus fare. But I'll leave off on that, and wrap up the last few legs of this crazy day
6 something- get to Oxford, walk to the station, purchase our last ticket. Golden
7:30- walk into my house - 31 on the Green- and it's never felt better

That my friends, is the complete wrap on my spring break adventures. Pictures will come when I find the time ( Today involved meeting at the church at 9:00 am, and going hard until 4 pm with our drama productions) I am beat. I have dinner at Madelaine's in one hour, until then, I must sleep. Kind of odd that after my 10 day vacation, I could use another one.

Ciao