Merry Christmas!

I realize that Christmas day is past, and we have now moved into "Boxing Week", a celebration of collective consumerism; however, I would like to share holiday greetings with my cyber friends. I hope that you were able to experience a little warmth and cheer this Christmas season.

I am heartily enjoying my holiday with my family in Kamloops...curling up by the faux fireplace, going for walks in +9 weather, drinking my dad's lattes...

In preparation for the new year, I have a couple of confessions I need to express:

1. My dad and I went to the Apple store on Christmas Eve and now I am dreaming at night about the macbook air...Such a slender frame with a lovely glossy screen. And the weight! A mere 2.7 pounds! I need the macbook to help me round out my image as an artsy, indie nerd. I got the dark framed glasses and the awkward, quiet persona...so I'm almost there!

2. I created a profile on EHarmony. What began as a silly joke has turned into a passionate pursuit for my one true love. Seriously.

3. My parents usually go to bed at approximately 8pm, hence I am left alone in the evenings with my book, the remote control, and a box of chocolates. Last night I watched Sarah Palin's Alaskan Adventures on TV whilst eating coconut ferrero rochers. Anyway, it's a pretty great show. Action, family dynamics, and kids with really strange names.

4. The week before I flew home I went to the gym 4 times. This phenomenon is mostly due to the encouragement of my friend Angie who used to be a personal trainer. She says nice things to me, like "Go Jennie! Pump that iron". However, I'm pretty sure I reversed any muscular progress in a mere 24 hours.

In all seriousness, I wish you a mug of relaxation, with a dollop of adventure and a sprinkling of new perspective.

Above all, may you experience the awareness that you are loved this holiday season.

A glimpse into my head

Scary title I know...

I was reading over my journal this morning, and came across an entry that I wrote almost exactly a year ago...Reading it renewed my thankfulness for the passage of time, change, and particularly the fact that I am no longer in school.

Prepare yourself...it is honest and slightly depressing:

An Excerpt from Jennie's Journal
Listening to: The Acorn
Mood: Exhausted, pensive, troubled, sad…too many words needed to describe my emotions tonight.

I am exhausted and don’t really understand why I am awake. Just need time to sit and think and regain my sense of self. Feeling pretty out of sorts lately. Like nothing is going right. Had some hard stuff happen this week. Maybe I will feel more motivated to share about them on a different day.

A busy week. I wrote two papers, prepared for a presentation, went to class, went to work, went to practicum, missed my bus, spilled chai tea all over myself and the floor...

Tonight I watched Anne of Green Gables with Bethany and laughed at how things just seemed to happen to her (just like me) and she could see a lot of the negativity, when in the end things worked out really well.

I hope things start turning out well for me.

I hope I can find 2200 dollars by Monday.

I am scared to hope.

Thank you for music and friends and family.

Sigh. I can’t help but cling to the fact that things are going to get better. They are right? Please? Gasp. I am so tired. I hate writing papers. I hate going to practicum and feeling as though I am completely inadequate.

Reading some Henri Nouwen.

In case you cared.

Learning about the power of fear, and realizing that the thing I fear most is rejection. Ouch. It hurts, it stings, it stays with me for a very long time. Just when I think I have gotten better, stronger, I find out that I am still a teenager in my obsessive self-disregard. I care too much about what people think. And it hurts.

It hurts.

I forgot to order the decaf

I went to Starbucks with my friend Janna tonight and I totally thought that I had ordered the decaf Gingerbread Latte. It is clear now that I didn't.

I love coffee.

I also love sleeping.

Sigh.

On the positive side, I don't have to work tomorrow.


I'm listening to ol' Corey tonight, sitting in front of my heater, and applying Burt's Bees lip chap every so often. This is indeed the good life.

Shine on the ones I love

I see the moon the moon sees me
Down through the leaves of the old oak tree
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love

Over the mountain over the sea
Back where my heart is longing to be
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love
Please let the light that shines on me
Shine on the ones I love

I kissed the rose the rose kissed me
Fragrant as only a rose can be
Please take the kiss that comforts me
Back to the ones I love

Stuff

* I think I would like to go to the Bodies Exhibit.

* I received 2 marriage proposals yesterday. Both from married men. Both from men over 80. One of the gentlemen remarked, "Where you go, I will go". I hated to point out that this was one promise he would not be likely to keep.

* I booked my flights to go home for Christmas and I'm bringing my little brother back to Winnipeg with me for a visit.

* I had a terrible dream two nights ago, and it involved several of the elderly residents and I in prison together...it wasn't pretty. There was vomit and fistfights.

* I now have a little heater in my room, and it is making my world a happier place.

* I have already managed to loose my mittens, and it hasn't even snowed yet. This is probably a record, and yet somehow not surprising.

* I have been listening to Aqualung lately.

Autumn Tunes

Do you ever look back on your life and connect certain life experiences to the music you were listening to at the time? As Autumn is now in full swing I thought I would share some of the music that I have been enjoying in this season of my life.

1. Arcade Fire: I have been greatly enjoying their lastest album.

2. The National: I just love his voice. Sigh.

3. Jordan Klassen: I keep playing "Harvest March" over and over. "Where oh death, is your sting, is your victory?"

4. Peter Broderick: Pure, contemplative beauty.

5. Passion Pit: They warm my heart.

6. Freelance Whales: I feel creative just listening to them. I love watching them perform as they are constantly switching instruments.

7. Noah and the Whale: They sing to a certain part of my soul.

8. Said the Whale: I think they are just such a nifty band. Plus they are Canadian. Plus they are from BC.

9. Vince Vaccaro: He is so dreamy and cool.

10. And lastly, the 2010 FIFA World Cup music. I don't talk about sports on my blog very often. Perhaps because I have so many embarrassing moments associated with them in my past. However, soccer is the sport that I stuck with the longest, and is the dearest to my heart.

Here comes the bombshell...

"If you look at the horizon
there is always something ducking out of sight
When you’re looking at the treetops
and they’re scratching out their patterns in the sky
Look up, open the clouds
Here comes the bombshell
On the way home…"

Isn't my sister pretty?

This picture was taken at Eat! The restaurant in Aqua Books, which has delicious food as well as Manitoba Rooibos, which is a beautiful tea.

They also have cool tea pots.





























Chuck was also at Eat!


Funny stories from the nursing home:

Male resident sitting in the dining room chewing on his breakfast toast exclaims to no one in particular: "Excuse me! Umm, I think I have the wrong teeth."

A male resident is sitting in the dining room, having just finished his lunch. As I passed by his table, I asked, "Hey, how are you doing?" To which he responded, "I'm fed up." I was surprised because usually this particular gentleman is quite amiable and happy, so I asked, "What's the matter?" The resident responded, "I just ate lunch." I paused, and pondered whether the lunch was particularly bad that day, until my brain finally caught up. I love puns.

A female resident in a wheelchair leans towards another male resident sitting in a wheelchair next to her. She asks gently, "Excuse me, are you going to the dance tonight?" To which the gentleman responded, "Well, I suppose so." The lady asked hesitantly, "Well, would you like to accompany me? We could have a lot of fun. I'll give you my number." I looked at the male resident, curious as to his response to this invitation, and discovered that he had fallen asleep.

Sidenote: There is not a large selection of available men at the nursing home, and I am quickly learning that this poses a slight dilemma for the women who are, well, looking.

It's windy.

Confession: I have a strange personal satisfaction with reading comments of CBC news articles and agreeing or disagreeing with them. It is almost as satisfying as voting. Which I did, at exactly 7:59pm tonight, one minute before the polls closed. After I had turned in my ballot I celebrated with a fist pump and a "YES! I made it."

Sam Katz won by a 20,000 majority....but I have been consoling myself by disagreeing with all the narrow minded comments on CBC.

Have you noticed that I have just expressed a rather blatant political opinion on my blog? Usually I avoid controversy and stick to the middle ground. Jennie is growing up.

In other important news, I found out that Halloween costumes are mandatory for work on Friday. I am thinking of ideas for a cheap costume that has a creative element, and does not scream status quo. It's a tough road.

This week's funny story at the nursing home:

While playing Bingo, a rogue resident wheeled herself around the tables during one of the games, and pulled a tablecloth off the table, which in turn knocked the dishes onto the floor, fully disrupting the exciting Bingo game. The dedicated staff worker that I am, I engaged the situation with attempts at bribery and begging, urging the resident to give back the tablecloth which she had tied around the arms of her wheelchair and connected to a chair. The resident began pulling the chair behind her in noisy semblance of delight. Despite my pleas for the resident to hand over the tablecloth, she denied my request with an air of stubborn indignation and a few words that will not be repeated. After exhausting my list of reasons why this lady should give me back the tablecloth, and to no avail, I had an inspiration. I admitted that I was interested in the tablecloth for business related reasons, and that I would be very interested in undergoing a trade for the tablecloth. The resident responded that such a trade would only be acceptable if she were able to see the item that would be given in exchange. I faltered. But only momentarily, for I remembered where the hand towels were kept. I offered the resident a crisp, white hand towel, freshly laundered, and still slightly warm. The trade was completed successfully, and the tablecloth was returned with no bloodshed, and only a slight prickle of sweat, and trickle of tears. On my part.

I need to clean my room

I'm cold despite my long johns and wool socks. I suppose this is a foreshadowing of future cold evenings in Jennie's bedroom. Sort of romantic in a depressing, Jane Eyre sort of way.

I need a heater.



I am enjoying my job.

This week's funny stories at the nursing home:

Two elderly residents both with Alzheimers have a particularly close connection with one another, although both are married to other people. The female resident whispers to a staff member in a dreamy voice: "____ has been very attentive lately, I think he may propose marriage, although I need to make sure that he gets baptized first."

A staff member is showing a resident to her room, and the resident remarks, "My, what a nice street this is. I'm so glad that I live in this area of the city."

I am thankful for my family.

October's got those orange eyes...

I had a dream of giant red sunflowers the other night. They were tall and looming and beautiful...and then I realized that they were growing in the middle of a swamp, and the only way that I could pick them would be to swim in brown, murky water that had steam rising from it. I tried to google the meaning of this dream...but alas, red sunflowers do not occur very often in dreams apparently.























That was random.

Don't fix my smile...

Went for a walk...

"Everything dies, they say,
Everything dies,
Their colours pierce the branches."
-Margaret Atwood-







"This is 'poetry', this song
of the wind across teeth..."
-Margaret Atwood-

Bringing in the Harvest

A Snippet

I have a sucky camera, sometimes it doesn't work. When it does work the batteries often decide to die. But I try and bring it places anyway to capture wee snippets of my life and the people in it.

Renee-the-roommate and I getting groceries at Superstore


















Katie and I went to the dog park by the University of Manitoba. Here is Katie and IV playing fetch.
























And last, but not least...my sister and soon-to-be niece or nephew. I got to feel them kicking, like 5 whole times! It was incredible. I've already read "Snuffy the Dog" to the stomach and I think we are ready to try some Jane Austen next.

Storm after the calm.

I just started working as a recreation facilitator at a nursing home. I am only a casual which means my hours are generally unknown, although I've been spending a lot of time the last couple of weeks getting to know the residents (there are over 150) and learning what each one likes in their coffee or tea. And for some, their preference changes quickly, like the gentleman who always asks for sugar in his tea, and then proclaims moments later that it is too sweet and he would like a fresh cup.

I've quickly been gaining a collection of hilarious one-liners from certain residents at my new job...here is a small sampling:

Male resident whistles at me.

Me: "Did you just whistle at me?"

Resident: "No"...(Long Pause)..."I whistled at your rear-end."


Male resident states that his pants are falling down
Another female resident nearby responds: "Oh Goody, a bum!"

I just realized that both of these one-liners refer to the butt....next time I will try and have more variety.

I am thankful for this job.

Being busy with work has been a refreshing if somewhat exhausting change from my lovely hiatus. It has also been a wee bit stressful, and my body has succumbed to a germ and as a result I am sick and cankersore ridden. I am also grumpy, which is an even less endearing quality, but in the spirit of honesty and vulnerability, I feel like sharing.

Grumpy, sick Jennie crawls under her fuzzy green blanket and thinks about how nice it would be to live closer to her mother, so that she could have tea made for her, someone to tuck in the blankets and remind her to gargle with salt water.

Grumpy, sick Jennie watches Grey's Anatomy.

Grumpy, sick Jennie wishes she had a vanilla milkshake, even though she knows the sugar would likely just prolong the illness.

Grumpy, sick Jennie wishes she had caught the right bus this morning so that she could sit beside the cute boy, instead of catching the wrong bus and having to run 10 blocks to work.

Grumpy, sick Jennie likes this music, even though it reminds her about the reality of Manitoba winters, as depicted below by The Wilderness of Manitoba.



Don't worry. It's still Autumn. For now.

It's a sleepy Friday evening, with gray skies and swaying trees.

I am about to commence a baking spree tonight. On the agenda is a recipe called, "Pretty Little Brownie Bites" compliments of The Pioneer Woman.

These Autumn Days

"It's close to hopeless,
for what I want to say the red-bird
has said already, and better, in a
thousand trees."

-Mary Oliver



Anyone want to go on a nature walk?

The Acorn is one of my favourite bands to listen to during the Autumn season.

I like corn.

I start work in a week.

I watched Whip It the other day and liked it muchly.

I miss Nelson in the fall.

"I am struck by how sharing our weakness and difficulties is more nourishing to others than sharing our qualities and successes." -Jean Vanier (Community and Growth)

Back with a bang.

It was raining yesterday as I made my way out of the airport with bags in tow. I paused to get my jacket out of my suitcase, and then I dashed across the street to catch the bus. The bus came, and I ran, and my shoe went flying, and my knee went bang. I "oooof'ed" as my luggage flew about, and the bus driver smiled sweetly and handed me a transfer.

I recommend Green Tea and Kathryn Calder in a patch of sun...cheap therapy for public humiliation.

It is September 2010. I thought I would dread this day. I thought I would wish back past days. I thought I would want to go to school forever. But in reality, I am thrilled that this year will include paper work that will reap financial stability as opposed to letter grades. My well-wishes for those of you about to embark upon another year of academic ventures. May you fare better than I.

Season Poem

Can it be the changing of seasons has already begun? I sit under a warm blanket with my cup of tea, looking into the parking lot of my parent's new townhouse complex. It is +15 here in Kamloops and I have cold hands. Can you hear the crackle of change in the air? It is frightening and exciting and inevitable. I welcome this next season of life. I look forward to whatever the heck it is that I will encounter. Although I hope that it includes some of my favourite things, such as music and tea, laughter and friends, last trips to the farmers market, harvesting my wee garden, and planting bulbs for next spring's enjoyment.

"I’ve never been the one to shout because I listen
I don’t like to raise my voice
Maybe I should learn to lose my inhibitions
and let my feelings make some noise
You don’t know what I’m going through
When silence is all I give to you"
Jack Savoretti - from "Between the Minds"

Goin' West

I am flying back to BC in two days. Not to my hometown, but to a different city, with different people and far less beautiful scenery. My parents are moving tomorrow, and I am going to meet them in Kamloops to provide some muscle. Don't worry, I will do push-ups on the plane.

This is how I plan to amuse myself while visiting this fair city.


Oh yeah.

"You said this is a used up world
You follow the river and your home is in the mountains
You've forgotten your questions lost your purpose
The beauty is gone
and this house still smells and sounds like you
all your pillows and records"
-Aidan Hawken

*I'm listening to Peter Katz tonight.

*I have cold fingers.

*I am thinking about how much I want a pan of my sister's homemade Nanaimo bars.

Monday morning

Do you ever feel anxious, or uneasy, or uncertain, or just plain out of sorts?

I'm having one of those days.

But I don't want to talk about my blah stomach feeling anymore...I avoid.

Wanna see what I got for my birthday?

Yes you do...

A tea set from Sasha


















A herb planter from Sasha


















A flower pot from Sasha























A Chinese mug from Larisa...























A felted purse that my mom made (please pardon the terrible self-portrait...my camera is on permanent zoom).























*Unpictured: Flowers, a pottery dish, and Donna's soaps that I got from my sister (all of which can be found at the local farmer's market), as well as a Starbucks gift card from Renee.

What lovely people I know.

In other news, I have had the pleasure of visiting with old friends the last couple of days...in particular, Allie and Evan and their one month old baby girl!

I love babies! I love the natural process of birth and parenting, and togetherness. It's so beautiful.

Sob. Sniffle. Snort. Gulp.

Growth

Check it out...my garden has been growing.




The small, wee carrots...


...are now tall and bushy.


And look! Tomato!





















I, like my garden, am also growing as I celebrated my 24th year yesterday. I'm hoping this is the year that I no longer get mistaken as a teenie bopper.

Listen to this lovely artist who hails from the granola belt of Winnipeg, aka: the Wolseley neighborhood.

I'm planning a picnic today. It is going to be a solitary excursion, as the people in my life all have important things to do today. I tend to avoid important things. Possibly a result of my Phlegmatic-Melancholic personality.

I'm thinking Guacamole, kettle chips, natural root beer, cold chicken, carrot sticks, and perhaps some peas from the garden...Anyone want to come along? Please say yes! I will read Farley Mowat aloud, and force you to listen! It's a steal of a deal.

If I were a tree

NOTE: To watch this video in its full capacity, you may want to watch it in Youtube by double clicking on the screen.

A little ditty by a fella named Will.


Wasn't Will Sturgeon the name of "The Fish" in the Gordan Korman McDonald Hall books? If you haven't read them (I recommend them), they are about two teenage boys, Bruno and Boots who live at a boarding school in Toronto and pretty much get into trouble every day by the principle, Mr. Sturgeon. Did you know Gordan Korman wrote his first novel when he was 16 for a creative writing assignment?

I digress...

According to the The Uniter: Winnipeg's Weekly Urban Journal (aka: the University of Winnipeg's student newspaper) "the class of 2010 might be in for the worst employment climate young people have seen since the Second World War." As silly and as heartless as it sounds, I find it comforting that I am not alone in this predicament.

At least I don't have to wear a dress. Some things have improved since the 1940's.

I feel like a Boylan's Creamy Red Birch Beer would be a satisfying conclusion to this day. There is a certain allure to drinking tree roots in the middle of a thunderstorm.
















"Many times around
I am lost and then I'm found
But i don't know who I am in this world."
-Nicole Reynolds

A mid-summer's eve.

Poetic lyrics anyone? I like this guy. Oh Jeff, come to Winnipeg and melt my cold heart like the sun melts snow in spring.



I was the grateful recipient of a free Cinnamon Dolce Latte at Starbucks tonight, and consequently have nervous energy radiating from my knee caps and oozing out of the strands of my hair.

Too. Much. Caffeine...

One day I plan to build up a sufficient tolerance.

I have participated slightly in Fringe-ing activities, but I do not think I can sufficiently give any kind of review, as I have only attended one show thus far, and hence have nothing to compare it to (save the few shows that I took in last summer). But I can say that I greatly enjoyed the one show I have seen: "The Plank", and recommend it to anyone who enjoys pirates, woman power, and aerial dancing.
*****FIVE STARS *****

Jennie's Current Events, etc.

*I went to camp.
*I touched the bosom of a Famous Five at the Legislative building.






















*I searched for jobs.

*I contemplated working at Subway.

*I read the news.

*I bought groceries and made a yummy salad.

*I got a book out of the library yesterday and read it this morning.

*I realized that indulging my reading habits is good for my soul, but bad for my to-do list.

My mom will chuckle at the eclectic nature of this young Irish chap. His hair sticks out and his eyes scrunch shut, but his music is genuine.


"All the words I mean to say they never come out the right way...there are sides that I could show you, but they'll never come out the right way, cause I've been in pieces."

Last Days

Last Days
Things are
changing; things are starting to
spin, snap, fly off into
the blue sleeve of the long afternoon. Oh and ooh
come whistling out of the perished mouth
of the grass, as things
turn soft, boil back
into substance and hue. As everything.
forgetting its own enchantment, whispers:
I too, love oblivion why not it is full
of second chances. Now,
hiss the bright curls of leaves. Now!
booms the muscle of the wind.
Mary Oliver

A little bit of everything....

I just have to say, I love this picture of my brother, despite the blurriness that is an iphone picture.














*I'm sniffing mucous and coughing up a persistent throat tickle.
*I had an emotional day yesterday. Damn you, feelings.
*I am a bad ass because I said "damn" and "ass".
*I went to St. Benedict's Table last night, and was uplifted.
*I got locked out of the house this morning at 7:30 in my pajamas and bedhead. I sat on the front steps for an hour and then I crawled in the kitchen window.
*I am going to be an aunty. And this pleases me very much.



"love!
not just some passing moment
a glance however open
but some deeper compassion
radiating permanency
not some morbid curiosity
some gushing pity
incompetent naivete

the cry of burnt out eyes
wounded bodies
addicted minds
cravings
can only be answered by some deeper love
in which is felt a strange presence of the eternal
a hope
a new security
not some passing glance
but deeper bonds
unbreakable."
-Jean Vanier

These Days

These days I have been floundering a little. Searching for a job has been causing me to search for my existential purpose in life, and I am unsure of the direction I am supposed to go. There has been no sign post, no audible voice, no words drawn in the sand directing me. What did I want to do with my life again? I forget.

Despite the lack of an occupation...and the subsequent worries that co-exist with this type of lifestyle, I have been keeping busy with little adventures that I have been longing to do the past two years and couldn't due to the daily horrors of studenthood.

Adventures:
1. Trips to the library...I like to sit at the tables in the back on the fourth floor. The sun streams in, and the smell of musty non-fiction is more enjoyable than I remember it being. Perhaps because the context is different.

2. Gardening. Aside from my daily garden adventures, which include pulling up dead Boxwood that has roots the size of a refrigerator, I have been to two gardening workshops at Sage Garden Herbs, a local greenhouse that is the delight of my heart. The last workshop I went to was called the Summer Solstice Workshop, and we learned about magical herbs, and danced around a bonfire of burning embers. I made a pot with a strawberry plant, marigolds, a sunflower, a pepper plant, a flower called Midnight Candy that blooms only at night and smells spicy sweet, and some other plants that I can't remember. Here is a picture of my pot. Please note that it is in cauldron. How else are magical plants to be grown?




















3. Reading. I just finished The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. Here is a sampling of the poetic passages that are in this little gem of a book: "The woods will have their own way even with those obvious dandelions. In a little while all that obtrusive yellowness and complacency will be gone and we'll find here misty, phantom-like globes hovering over these long grasses in full harmony with the traditions of the forest."

4. Cooking/Baking...actually this is just a prelude to the actual action of cooking. Today I want to make The Best Coffee Cake EVER, and Macaroni and Cheese.

5. Doing the Bikini Blast Workout video with Kim. "Blast away that fat, and get ready to have a bikini body all year round." Oh yeah.

6. Dreaming about traveling to the East Coast. On a train.

7. Walking. Walking around the neighborhood. Walking and listening to the ol' Ipod. Walking and reflecting. Walking and swatting mosquitoes.

Evening News
I went for a walk this evening. The sun was setting. The clouds were flecked with gold and amber. The grass waved proudly in the breeze. Momma duck and her six ducklings swam around the neighborhood pond eating delicious bugs for dinner. The pavement stretched on in endearing patterns of possibilities....

...and then...

...To my great horror and dismay, a small bunny rabbit ran in front of me, bounded across the road, and was smushed beneath the wheels of a car. Smoosh. Squish. Squelch.

It was gross. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera so I could not capture an image of the tragic aftermath. I know, I know. Next time. I promise.

Music News:
I recommend listening to the new Stars album, The Five Ghosts, being release June 22. It is lovely.

Today I went to the Farmer's Market. I drank a mug of tea. I listened to some good music. I checked out the progress of my little garden and discovered that two of my beans have popped out of the soil.

I think themes and motifs are fascinating...So I will subject you to my odd obsession of finding random connections. LOOK! Three bands that start with SEA and end with an animal.

Seabear


Sea Wolf


Seabird

My Little Brother

Please Note: My brother is wearing formal clothing...this is significant.


















Haagen Dazs: The breakfast of champions.


















William successfully ducked out of the classy robe shots.


















Cute. Just plain cute.

Almost there!

An update:
-It is raining tonight.
-One of my favourite things to do right now is mow the lawn...especially while listening to The Shins. Dunno why.
-Bethany and I are planning a trip to Home Outfitters to "buy wedding presents" but really we are going to try out their massage chairs.
-I can hear frogs.
-I love my green, fuzzy blanket.
-I miss being able to drive 10 minutes to get to the lake.
-I love worms.
-I am trying not to eat wheat or dairy right now...and failing miserably.
-I forget to take my Chinese medicine daily.

Because I can't convey my heart and soul in a musical confection...

...I would love to share some people who can.







Jordan Klassen
-Good music if you are in a contemplative mood, it is both relaxing and inspiring.

Zaac Pick
-A bit outdoorsy sounding. Makes me wanna go for a walk.

Pat Lepoidevin
-Music that makes me feel like I would like to be a man. Not really sure why.

The Good Lovelies
-Some really cool girls.

Corey Isenor
-I like him. Vulnerable and approachable. I feel as though could have a conversation with this person.

Dan Griffin
-I don't remember why I liked him.

Caracol
-Who doesn't like some good French music every now and again?

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
-Ha! laughter and art coincide in a foot-stampin' good time.

Tilly and the Wall
-I am cute and vivacious music that lingers in your soul.

Land of Talk
-Occasionally melancholy. I needed a tissue.

Brag, Brag, Brag...

My mum has an artistic side and I love to brag about her abilities! Here is an Etsy page that features some of her art, along with the creations of her co-worker and co-worker's daughter. She made some of the felted figures and jingle balls.

Growth

"Sometimes our life reminds me
of a forest in which there is a graceful clearing
and in that opening a house,
an orchard and garden,
comfortable shades, and flowers
red and yellow in the sun, a pattern
made in the light for the sun to return to.
The forest is mostly dark, its ways
to be made anew day after day, the dark
richer than the light and more blessed,
provided we stay brave
enough to keep on going in."
-Wendell Berry

I hate to brag, but...

...I have good genetics.



My dad has to put the siding on his house in a month. By himself. Here is one corner he has started so far. Go dad, go!

I would just like to say that my parents have the busiest, craziest life ever, and they withstand the chaos with grace, patience, and much prayer.

My heroes.

Searching

I'm searching for a job. The past five years of post-secondary have been preparing me for this fateful day, and it is time to face the "real" world and begin to emerge from my warm, safe nest of studenthood. "I'm sorry I just messed up your life, its because I'm still a student, and I haven't learned how to help people yet" can no longer be uttered from my lips. Neither can the phrase, "I'm glad I could help you today, Mrs.so and so, I just started my practicum here and I am still learning...no need to thank me...competent, me? For a student? Really, you are very kind."

Gone are the days of encouragement and reflection as a student who has a reason for not knowing. Gone also are the months of hard work with no monetary compensation.

To fill in the rest of these long days of sweat inducing labour (aka emailing resumes), I am working in my garden, going for long neighborhood walks, and currently spending time with the ol' sister and brother in law in Otterburne. It is blissfully quiet in the country. The Rat River rolls by between green, waving grasses as birds dive bomb with ferocious whim.

Today I...

...walked in the rain.

...drank a chai latte and pretended to be trendy with my journal and reflective posture at Starbucks.

...cried some tears.

...felt alone.

...prayed that the story of my life could be one of love.

...felt the presence of God through the understanding and wisdom of my family.

...cried some more.

...remembered that there is a hormonal component for my emotional turmoil.

...read L.M. Montgomery and reflected upon the beauty in the world.

...felt blessed to walk beneath a canopy of green trees and damp clouds.

...curled up on the couch beneath a warm blanket.



“Let me be the one you’re running to.” The Acorn

"She wanted to be alone - to think things out - to adjust herself, if it were possible, to the new world in which she seemed to have been transplanted with a suddenness and completeness that left her half bewildered to her own identity."
— L.M. Montgomery

"Some people think only intellect counts — knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion, and empathy."
-Dean Koontz

My mom and I had a date

We went to the local greenhouse.














So many flowers to choose from...


















Isn't she cute?



















Isn't she buff?
















Mmmmm. Compost.

















BEFORE


















AFTER