Household bits of Holiday Cheer

Here are a few pictures I took from around the house. We haven't decorated very much at this point, but we do have a few festive touches around the house.

A wreath to welcome you when you come in..... we're hospitable around here.

A few cards on the sill. Some people like us. Hooray!

We even have a little Pere Noel in the bathroom. He smells good.

This guy's so cute. Look at the way he is smiling, even though part of his nose is missing and pretty soon we are going to light his head on fire.

This is how our tree was for a few days. We didn't get to decorating.

Notice how I changed the lighting for the effect, so the second one looks all soft and dreamy. Yeah that's what you are supposed to do for make over pictures.... make sure the first one looks as unflattering as possible. And then enhance the second one with what ever artificial methods you can. Actually our tree does look nice, soft lighting or not. I like it.

Merry Christmas All!!

cold night warm glow

Almost bedtime here, sniffling, sneezy head, I need to rest kind of night.
Today was sunny outside, it's been colder these days, and some days pretty foggy. No snow but definately winter.
It's nice and cozy inside though. We just put up our Christmas tree the other day. No decorations on it yet, only white lights. That's almost enough in itself, it makes a warm glow.
Ah yes, I love Christmas.

Mildred Madalyn Johnson by Fernando Ortega

Mildred Madalyn Johnson
Born in the autumn of nineteen hundred sixteen

A shy, pretty girl from East Texas
Religious and restless
Humble and kind as a person could be

She loved to sing in the choir
Loud and inspired
Her head tilted down, keeping time.

And tell stories with friends after supper
ignoring the hour
a calico cat fast asleep at her side.

And she loved to drive
her big red car
though she couldn't see over
the hood very far
She'd back out the driveway
And point that thing down the road.
We'd say, Oh there she goes.

Her hair was silver and messy
She walked in a hurry
Worried about wasting the day.

Some nights she sat at her dresser
composing long letters
Falling asleep with a pen in her hand.

And she loved to drive
her big red car
A scarf round her shoulders
Her foot to the floor
Down to the grocery
She'd wave good-bye
And we'd pray
Lord, bring her back safe.

Mildred Madalyn Johnson
Marvelous woman
I was so lucky
To call her my friend.

2004 Cerdo Verde Music

November 30th, 2002

For those of you who don't know, the couple mentioned in the post below are my older brother and his soon to be wife. We are thrilled for them, and I'm looking forward to hearing all the delicious details of the when, wheres and etc...

Now, it just so happens that today is an anniversary of sorts for us. On November 30th 2002 M and I got engaged. We celebrate this day, when we remember. One year we sorta forgot...

It's 4 years ago now, that M told me, "dress up on Saturday night and I'm going to take you out to a nice place." Immediately my spidey sense was tingling. I was pretty sure he was going to propose that night, and I was really nervous. More nervous than him. For sure. I don't know why. Even now, I don't know why I was so nervous.

Anyway, we got in the car, it was a sunny but cold early evening and we headed over to a restaurant with a bright yellow lit up awning. It didn't look like a fancy restaurant. In fact, it's proximity to the Husky Gas station there at that time sort of made me wonder what kind of restaurant we were going to. But when we got inside, it was indeed one of the nicest in town. It was called "The Victorian." I had never heard of it until that night, it was nice, decorated in victorian style, and serving some very good food.

As we were eating, we were both startled by the waiter who said "K, these are for you!" He handed me a bouquet of a dozen red roses wrapped in plain brown paper and twine. Beautiful. We were both startled because the waiter said my name, me because what waiter calls you by name? And M because he had forgotten about dropping off the flowers earlier that day and asking them to give them to me!

So, then I thought, here it comes.... but instead M just said he wanted to take me out to let me know how special I am. So we proceeded to have a great discussion over shrimp and lobster tails.

As supper was nearing a close M asked what I wanted to do, I didn't know.... so he suggested going to a wrestling tournament that was on at the University. Ok, sure I thought. Why not? It was kind of fun to be spontaneous, so off we went... and at that point I thought we were just hanging out, and maybe it wasn't the night for a proposal.

When we got to the University, there was no wrestling, only a volleyball tournament.... his information was wrong. So, he asked if I wanted to go to the games room on the other side of the University. That sounded like fun, so we headed over there. On the way there, M said, "Hey let's check out the observatory", so we went in. Now, M had been carrying around this mysterious piece of cardboard under his arm all night. There was a link between the trip into the observatory and the mystery cardboard but I wouldn't find that out till later.

Inside the observatory we were surpised to find about 20 people all waiting in line to see the stars and planets. At the point we got there, I think they were looking at Jupiter. We got a glimpse and then left pretty quick. It was a bit cold. We headed over to the games room, us and our piece of cardboard.

Our relationship is pretty playful, we like to do things like challenge each other to a few rounds of air hockey or other games like that. So, we had a good time. We ended with a game of pool, and as we were close to finishing, m asked if I wanted to go for dessert with him, and I really couldn't bear the thought of eating a bite more, I was still so full from supper. So, he then asked if I wanted to go for a drive.... ok let's go.

M had this favourite route that he liked to drive on his way to my house, so that's where we drove, it was along by the river. As we came to one particular spot over looking the river with the old Besbourough Hotel on the other side, he stopped the car. It was a beautiful view. And that's where M proposed and I said yes. I don't remember exactly how everything went but as we were sitting there looking out, he pulled out the cardboard. It was actually a folder. Inside there was a star chart, and he told me that he had had a star named after me. When we were at the observatory he had wanted to show me the star but we didn't realize that the observatory actually had programmed viewing, so his plan was thwarted a bit.

Then as I was ewwing and awing about how incredibly sweet and stunning it was to have someone name a star after you, he said, "But that star is too far away, you need one for your finger" and he pulled out the ring box holding a gorgeous diamond ring. Then he proceeded to tell me some things he appreciated about me and asked me to marry him. And I proceeded to say yes.

And so, we'll celebrate today. Just a little. If you get a chance to gaze at the stars, mine is just to the side of the constellation "Lacerta".... it shines it's brightest every year right around November 30th.

Happy News

Congratulations Lorne and Kerrie!

We are thrilled for you two, and wish you many years of wedded adventure and bliss!

Can you believe this little peanut is getting married?

Congrats to you both!

Things you can't do when you're not in the pool

Pass me my minies, sonny!

I have a bottle of multi vitamins from Canada that I want to start taking. First, I've been trying to finish up a bottle that I bought here. It's taking me forever to finish it. When I bought it I thought, "well, it looks like a bottle of Centrum or something and it has a whole list of the vitamins and minerals on the back- must be fine." So, I picked them up.
Today I offered some to a friend, (who speaks and reads the language) and she informed me that it is actually a bottle of vitamins for seniors. I'll still finish it off, I'm sure i need a lot of the same kinds of nutrients. I do find it funny though. I wonder what else we've been eating that isn't what we think it is.

The View from My Porch Window

I've said before that one of the things that I love about living here is the social aspect. People gather in little groups all over the place. There are two groupings in particular right outside our house.

Everyday there are people who gather around the entrance to the store, and also at the ice cream stand. They play games, cards is a favourite. They shoot pool. (although that is less now as it is getting colder so the outdoor tables are covered.) They gab. They laugh. They share life together.

We aren't really a part of any of it, we just kind of come and go and say hi when we can. Of course there was the night we went out and hung with the one group until the early hours of the day... see below. But really the time I feel most connected to them is when I am making supper.

That might sound strange, but we live on the first floor, and our stove is in a porch. So, when I am making supper then whole neighbourhood can see me in there stirring the soup, or the veggies, or flipping the pancakes. And, I can see them.

My favourite people to watch (well, not in a bad way, but they are RIGHT there! I can't help it!! Besides, it's culturally acceptable here to stare at people, so there) are the people from just upstairs. I'm most familiar with the Grandpa and Grandma- they log hours and hours hanging out at the store, and walking to and fro in front of our apartment. Usually they have their little 2 year old grandson with them. He will almost always smile for me.

For awhile when it was warmer outside, when I was making supper, they were almost always just outside the window. They would give him a little snack at the cement bench or lift a pavement brick back for him to play in the sand underneath it or let him ride on his little plastic thing -a -ma -bob with wheels.

Then others would come home from work greeting each other outside, stopping to chat. And the funny thing- as soon as it got warm here last spring, all these babies popped up everywhere with their grannies. So, the little two year old from upstairs has little friends to play with now.

Anyway, all this to say, yeah, I enjoy the part of life here where people are out, living life in the presence of each other, in the presence of their neighbours... and I love my little view of it through my porch window!

My 100 things

When many people hit their 100th post, they celebrate. I hit 100 a little while ago. I didn't notice. I guess that is in keeping with my style. Belated but well intentioned.
In honour of surpassing the magic 100 posts, here's my list of

100 things about me:
(if you don't care, then scroll)

1. I'm the 4th of 4 children born in 4 years.
2. I'm the only girl born to my parents.
3. Currenly I live overseas in a developing nation.
4. I'm functional in the local language, but nowhere near fluent.
5. I love dancing, especially ballroom.
6. The viennese waltz and the samba are my favourites.
7. Followed closely by polka, foxtrot, rhumba, cha cha, jive and a good ol two step.
8. I sometimes find ballroom dancing pretty cheesy.
9. One of the things that attracted me to my husband was that he was willing to learn to dance.
10. I once won an essay contest, I won a $100.
11. I like baking but hate the clean up.
12. I love to have a good time.
13. I enjoy people who can laugh at themselves.
14. I once represented my school at the city track meet in throwing shotput. (there were other events too but that one is the funniest if you know me)
15. I like people who are comfortable to be with.
16. My husband is very comfortable to be with.
17. I once used the men's room by accident because the picture of a man's head on the door looked like a woman to me. (I discovered I was in the men's room when I was sitting down in my cubicle and heard men's voices outside my cubicle in the washroom)
18. I like a wide range of music. I especially like to listen to worship music. I also like Steve Bell, Fernando Ortega, Casting Crowns, Norah Jones, Natalie Cole, Great Big C, and lots of other stuff.
19. When I especially like a certain dish at a restaurant, I will reorder that same dish time and again with out trying anything else each time we go there.
20. I hate raw onions.
21. I love to eat wraps, vietnamese food, and shrimp.
22. My husband and i both have a weakness for chocolate.
23. I once spent 10 days on a tributary of the Amazon river.
24. I'm thankful to have travelled a lot.
25. By nature I am a homebody, but you would never know that from looking at my life.
26. The first car that I owned was a very ugly, very old, Datsun 510 that I bought from a friend for $1. It was shaped and coloured like a lime.
27. Although it generally had a good engine, my Dad spent a lot of time fixing it for me. (Thanks Dad!)
28. I like people stories.
29. For some reason I get irritated by chewing and drinking noises. And also strangely by the sound of someone typing loudly on a computer keyboard. (only in certain situations...I can't explain why certain situations grate and others don't)
30. I love my brown corduroy jacket. My husband used to refer to it as my Bob Dylan jacket.
31. I grew up living down the street from an out door skating rink, I went skating almost everyday in the winter when I was a kid.
32. I sometimes miss that, and other simple pleasures that I don't get to do very often anymore.
33. I find it difficult to be patient when I talk with people who are more concerned about the correctness of my wording than they are with trying to really understand what I mean.
34. I'm repelled by arrogant personalities.
35. While I think cats are ok, I am really more of a dog person.
36. My husband is a cat person.
37. I love a good joke.
38. My favourite colour is blue.
39. I wonder why there's such a thing as coffee flavoured gum when people often chew gum to get rid of things like coffee breath.
40. I love going to IKEA.
41. I had to have stiches when I was five, it was for a wound on my head. The neighbour boy hit me there, with his teeth. (crazy accident)
42. I like going out to eat.
43. I also like a good home cooked meal.
44. I've had glasses since I was in grade 4.
45. I love wearing contacts, but I seldom wear them when I am overseas.
46. I studied sociology in university.
47. I'm quite outgoing, and really enjoy being with people.
48. There are some days however when I think I could make a pretty successful run at being a hermit.
49. These two parts of me- my people side and my hermit side sometimes confuse people.
50. I was once kicked out of an emergency room for being disruptive.
51. I used to play the saxaphone.
52. I enjoy playing the piano, but don't get to play much around here.
53. What I miss the most from home while I am overseas-- people- family and friends.
54. What I enjoy the most about being overseas- the people.
55. I haven't yet learned how to make any of the local food- I intend to change that.
56. I'm not great with details.
57. A big part of my life is figuring out how to remember details.
58. I have chronic back problems.
59. Because of my back i try to: wear good shoes, sleep on a good firm but not too hard mattress, not carry much in my purse, and try not to lift many heavy things... these things all make a huge difference in having, no pain, some pain, or I can't walk upright pain.
60. When I'm in North America I love going for a drive and cranking up the tunes.
61. The best Northern lights I ever saw was one night in the fall of 1993 (or 94?) in PA. I've never seen ANYTHING like that again.
62. Homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are my favs.
63. I love peanut butter.
64. and cinnamon buns.
65. I took clogging classes.
66. If they were offered here I'd take it again.
67. I went to Bible College for a year after high school.
68. Summer is my favourite season.
69. I love keeping in touch with people but I stink at it.
70. I often find myself laughing when no one else is.
71. When I was a child I was afraid of the grater. (street grater not cheese grater)
72. I once had a gecko land on my head.
73. I like to read various kinds of books- biographies are a special favourite.
74. People often think I look like somebody they know.
75. I love the feeling of clean sheets.
76. I've been married for just over 3 years.
77. My husband is one of the good guys.
78. We have a very "real" relationship, and it keeps getting better and sweeter.
79. Being overseas has brought us closer together.
80. We don't have any kids or pets yet.
81. We do have lots of dust bunnies.
82. I chose to become a Christian when I was a kid.
83. That was a very good decision.
84. When I was in University I went through an intense time of searching out if what I was believing was true or not.
85. I decided it's true.
86. To me Christianity is a relationship with God, not a religion of doing things to earn points.
87. That makes a big difference.
88. Romans 8:38-39 is a very favourite passage of mine.
89. I like a good soft fuzzy blanket.
90. I love Christmastime.
91. I love getting personal emails.
92. I drive the front desk girl at school a little crazy because i ask if i have mail a lot.
93. I love the morning sun.
94. I love the flowers in my parents and parents-in-law's yard.
95. I love a well told story.
96. I like a good game.
97. I like a good beverage. (hot chocolate, tim horton's ice cap, smoothies, etcetc)
98. There are a lot of things I would love to learn to do.
99. I remember when #99 was traded to the LA Kings. I was in Colorado at the time.
100. For awhile there I didn't think I'd make it to 100.

Bad backs and travelling husbands

Well, M is outta town still. He'll be home tomorrow. It'll be so good to see him again. I miss him when he's not around.

My back went out a few days ago, so I spent most of saturday and sunday and Monday taking advil and trying not to move too much. I mostly just layed in bed. In some ways the solitude was nice. Just had some time to think and what not. Be still. I got to spend some good time reading and praying. That was good.

I'm feeling quite a bit better today. Not 100% but much better that before. Sitting is still a bit of an undesirable thing, but I can sit for a few minutes anyway.

Well that's about it for now. Quiet night around here.

The plan for supper tonight was to make some delicious lemon lentil soup from a recipe I found on the "Companies Coming" website. We were so hungry I could hardly wait to get that thing made- umm, lemon lentil! And it would be oh so healthy!

But then, hey, we don't have any lentils! I mean I never cook with lentils, but I was SURE that I had some. Oh well, so much for that idea.

Next big idea- look in the old cookbook I brought from home. There I found a nice pancake recipe with a "v.good" next to it in my mom's handwritting! I was in the mood for nothing less than a "v.good" recipe! So, tonight we had pancakes! They were fast, easy, and we were so hungry we wolfed those things down in 10 minutes flat! We even had some maple syrop to goop on top.

Man those pancakes were good.

The Ice Cream of Champions

This last week we were lying in bed trying to go to sleep. It was difficult because there was loud noise coming from outside. We mulled over what it could possibly be. It sounded like a show or something.... was it coming from the stadium? nooo, was it coming from the bath house? noooo... finally my hubs decided to get up and go for a little walk outside to see what it was. I decided to go with him. So we got dressed and went out.

It didn't take long to find where the sound was coming from. A bunch of our neighbours were gathered around a big TV (outside) and it was cranked up. This was right across the lane from our apartment. So, we walked over to see what on EARTH they were watching together outside at midnight.

As it turns out, they were watching our neighbours' daughter compete in a world championship sporting event. Little did we know that they have a daughter who is a world class athlete. We knew the neighbors just from casual interaction, they run an ice cream and water stand on the corner by our house! About 16 or 17 people from the neighbourhood had gathered to see her compete on TV. No wonder it was so loud! It was very exciting.

We decided to stick around too. So there we sat until close to 4 in the morning til we saw it all unfold. She didn't get into the top three that night, but almost.

Earlier that day there had also been a parade in our community! The young girl had won a gold medal in the first part of her competition the day before.

So, after staying up til the wee hours of the night, we were really tired the next day, but it was worth it. It was fun to be apart of something going on in the neighbourhood for once. We are now bonded. And we know the parents of a world champion.

cute - i think it's a sneeze

what do you think of this?

M meets Mr. Drummond

Today a few friends were over, we were talking. M told a story that I think he has told me before but I forgot about.
The whole story summarized into one line is basically... when M was about 18 he met Mr. Drummond. You know, Mr. Drummond from Different Strokes. Arnold and Willis's Dad.

Back then, M was working in his hometown. Gorgeous place. If you haven't travelled around there, you really should. (Just don't take FiFi your pet chihuahua for a walk in the woods....cougars) ANYway... one summer, M was working as a bus boy at a nice local restaurant, it was in fact one of the nicest restaurants in town. French. And, as it would happen, one night, who should come for dinner but Mr. Drummond- or Conrad Baines. (this a long time after his run of fame on the TV show.)

Now, what would you do if a celebrity walked into your place of work? Or school, or hangout spot? Acknowlege or not acknowlege?

M chose to not acknowlege the celebrity factor, out of politeness. He decided to treat him like everyone else. Although today he says he thinks he should have acknowleged the fame factor..... the reason being that he found himself in the men's room alone with Mr. Drummond as M was frantically trying to change the paper towels in the paper dispenser, and it was going all wrong, the towels wouldn't come out right, totally jammed, so when he would try to pull a new piece down only a tiny piece would rip off.... all the while Mr. Drummond was waiting with dripping hands. M said that at that point, it would have been good to acknowlege that he knew who Mr. Drummond was because his hands were shaking with nervousness as he was trying to change the towels, and Mr. Drummond looked at him with this, "I know you know who I am." look. M says that he thinks that at that point it probably would have encouraged him rather than annoy him, because he wouldn't have been interrupting his dinner or anything.

So, what about you, if you met a celebrity in your travels today.... would you acknowlege the celebrity factor or not?

There'll be sad songs

Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. We wouldn't have remembered except for the calendar. It doesn't seem like fall here yet, except that school and everything has started up....but the trees are still green, we were walking around outside in short sleeves today, and this is not a long weekend.
We will celebrate on Monday though. We'll go to a nice restaurant with friends that has a western buffet. It will be a celebration, even if there's no turkey. We'll talk about what we are thankful for. We have a lot.

Tonight, M and I went out for supper, there was live music in the background, piano with violin. They were playing lots of slow ballady songs, which I think put both of us into a sentimental mood. We didn't talk much during supper, which we kind of started laughing about at one point. As we shared what we'd been thinking about we realized that we were thinking similar thoughts about family and friends. I think it was spurred on by the sound of the violin playing some sad love songs.

As much as we were thinking about how much we'd like to connect with family and friends from home, thinking of them makes us realize that we have so much to be thankful for, this will be a good weekend to remember that.

The flowers are back

There was something that I wanted to post about but now I can't remember what it was. It will come to me sometime.

It's been pretty gorgeous around here lately. Last evening I was strolling back to our apartment after hanging with friends, it was great revelling in the fact that I was comfortable walking around in short sleeves. I love summer, so autumn, while beautiful, is always a bit sad for me. It's kinda nice that the summer stretches out here, and the fall is quite warm. In the early evening you could smell some stinky pollutant odor in the air but by later evening the air seemed quite fresh. The walk back was quite invigorating.

A few days ago I was all set to grab my bike and ride over to meet some friends at a nearby restaurant..... then, my plan I was foiled by this sight.....

Yep, that's like 50 or so potted plants that magically appeared overnight (there are flowers now gracing the street corners all over our neighbourhood) .... and you see that green door in the background? That's our back door. That's where I keep my bike. I called my friends to let them know I'd be walking.

And there it is.

I have been waiting on pins and needles to hear the good news from Canada.
My dear friend Jackie was scheduled to have her baby by C-section on Monday, so we have been thinking of her and praying for her for a safe delivery. I just spoke with her husband and all is well, and they have a sweet beautiful baby girl. Jackie and baby are healthy and doing fine.

Welcome to the world little Sophia!!

There's no smell if you fry it

My grammar class is proving to be an interesting time.


So, yesterday, cool guy slipped out of the class a couple times. The second time he left, the teacher asked the girl sitting next to him where he went. So, she told the teacher that he had diarrhea. The teacher began to laugh. And, as soon as cool guy opened the door to come back in the glass, the teacher started laughing loudly with very pronounced "ha ha ha's" and said "So you have diarrhea hey?" I think there may have even been an extended pointing finger. Uh yeah, he was a bit embarrassed.

I find I have to pay close attention in that class. If I let my mind drift off for a moment, I may find myself in an awkward situation. The teacher likes to ask questions. Questions like "What's your eye glass perscription?" and things like that.

Yesterday when we were having said conversation about eye glass perscriptions, cool guy told me that awhile ago, his eyes actually improved, and got better. He suspected it was because he was going through a phase where he was eating lots of fried cow intestines and drinking lots of beer. So that was his advice to me if I want my eyes to improve.

The teacher informed us that she improved her eyes with Laser eye surgery.

I think I'm ok with my glasses for now.

A Tiny but Prestigious University

Today was a rather damp overcast day. Well part of it. Weather is still pretty nice here, but it has really cooled off a lot from what it was.

Had my first few classes this week.

In my grammar class there's quite a mix of nationalities. I'm the only person who speaks english as a first language. That class seems to be a good level for me. Although I still miss most of the jokes. The teacher laughs pretty hard though so I guess they are pretty funny jokes.

There is a guy who sits at the back of the class, he's the cool guy. He's the kind of cool guy who talks loud and exageratedly trying to be funny and likes the attention when everyone looks at him. When we all read together his reading drowns out the rest of us. Sometimes that kind of cool guy is also the "annoying guy". So far this guy hasn't crossed that line. He's not annoying. (But if he keeps up the reading thing- that'll get old pretty fast.) So far he makes the class a bit more lively. He's probably about 21 or 22. What I found the most entertaining about that guy today was that he was wearing a sweatshirt that said "Teeny Tiny Teddybear University" with with a picture of a teddy bear in a little outfit. So, while I may have been the only one in the class who didn't get the jokes, I was probably the only one in the class who got to enjoy just how funny that sweatshirt was.

update on some of the small things

I'm back. So you didn't know I was gone? You just thought I was a lame-o poster. Well, let it be known that I am a woman of mystery. You just never know where I am going to turn up. For now, let the mystery be dispersed... I am back in my little apartment, after just over a week away. So, for those of you wondering why I haven't emailed. Sorry about that.

So here it is. I am back. A few small but notable things:

notable things:

Favourite moments of the last few days:
-hiked up a small mountain with some friends, then sat on the grass of a plateau, enjoying the sun and the breeze and the company. Also had a short but enjoyable worship time up there. Whose heart wouldn't swell singing "How Great Thou Art" while perched up on a mountain overlooking the ocean?

-Shared a few jokes with a girl from another country while speaking the local language, well she inserted some key english phrases that made the meaning oh so clear. She is a fun friend and a bonifide crazy woman. I appreciate that.

-Celebrated my hubby's birthday while we were away. Always fun to celebrate him.

Least fav moment of the last few days:

- at a rest stop, my foot got wet when I flushed because the flusher blasted the water out like a fire hose. Who wants gas station toilet water on their sandalled foot?

Interesting notable from the last few days:

I went to the store with the talking birds yesterday. The birds were talking and making other sounds... I was looking at something in my hand when I heard the sound of someone hoarking, and I cast my eyes up to the birds and I thought , "no, it couldn't be!" and then, the bird made a loud hoarking noise again! Ay carumba. Yes people here hoark, a lot.* It's not considered rude. So they hoark. I'm pretty used to it. I don't cringe like I used to..... but it's not my favourite thing that's for sure.

Unexpected notable thing:
While hiking down the little mountain, I fell twice in short order. Both times I put down my hand to stop myself. Kinda hurt my one wrist. What I didn't realize at the time was that this was a good thing. You see, I have a thing on my wrist called a ganglion. It sounds gross, but it's not that bad. It is a bump under the skin, I won't go into what it is... but it's pretty harmless. However... today is the second day after falling and the pain is gone in my wrist, and the bump has become much smaller. (it was filled with fluid..sorry if that's too much detail)... but now, my wrist feels great. In fact it feels better than it has for years. I think that the bump was putting some undue pressure on my wrist that I didn't realize. Now I can lean on my wrist without any discomfort. When I fell I guess I broke the bump open, for the most part it drained and relieved pressure.
Now I'm going to stop talking about drainage... but you get the point.... I'm quite happy about the whole thing.

Most wasteful thing:
Made apple crisp. Might have been the first time I ever made it in my life. Unfortunately I used some of my precious "from Canada" brown sugar, but it didn't turn out very well. The apples were too old and therefore not juicy enough, and I over cooked it. I have realized that the timing of an apple crisp is the key. Then if that weren't enough of a waste- dry apple crisp.... I forgot to bring it with us on our trip so it sat in our fridge for a long time. Bah.

Ok, that's the latest.... how are things with you all?


*just to give some cultural insight, there are some things that we think are culturally ok, but the people here find disgusting...example: picking your teeth ... they think that's pretty gross unless you cover your mouth well. Just like we think hoarking is pretty undesirable, but it's ok to do here, they think picking the teeth is disgusting, but we are much less bothered by it.

"I foreigner, bring water"

We don't drink the tap water here. At least not unless it's been seriously boiled.

So, in light of that fact, we have to order water. This morning when I got up, I asked my husband: "What are the questions the lady asks you again when you phone for water?"
It's my experience that the people you order the water from talk so fast that some sentances are a complete mystery to me. I can understand "what's your address?" but that's about it.

My husband replied : When they answer you say "I want water." Then they will ask you for your water number. Then you say "I don't have one" then they will say "What? You don't have a water number? Something something something something something something." Then you say "I'm sorry, I am a foreigner. I don't speak the language. My address is .......................please bring 2 jugs." Then they'll bring the water.

You can get away with a lot as a foreigner. As frustrating as it is to not understand a lot of what's going on, in one way it makes life simpler.

A taste of my day

I made a decision today. I decided it was time to make some chili.

In order to do this I realized that I needed some green peppers and tomatos. So, I rounded up my stuff and set out for the produce market. It's about a 7 or 8 minute walk from our house.

As I walked down the lane outside our house I passed a lady with her little black dog. He's the cutest little pomerainian you ever saw. I tried to take a picture but he ran past me too quickly. He was already some distance away from me when I think the owner told him to come back to me to get his picture taken, he came tearing up to me and ran around me and sat down in front of me for a bit of a petting, then he posed nicely like this:

Then, I tried to take a second "better" picture, but he was already already well on his way to his next destination.

The lady smiled, and we both continued on with our lives.

The market wasn't too busy today when I got there. I like going there. The produce is colourful, and there's lots to choose from. Here's a sampling of what I saw today:

More pics from the market

I picked up some huge tomatos and a green pepper. The chili turned out well. Have I ever made chili in my life before? I'm not sure. I made it with a mix, so it was a pretty sure thing.

Another thing I did today that I was pleased with was - wash the curtains. Just the bathroom and kitchen ones. Woo! were they dusty. Here's the sparkling clean new look:

My secret to the bright whites.... it's this detergent I buy here. It works. I don't even want to know what's in it....

Woooops!

Since it is still the International Month of Embarrassment, thought I'd share another little something with you all.



Once upon a time(1996 or so), in a land far away (Saskatoon) I was driving along with my good friend Margie. We were not only friends but roomates(2 among 4 or 5.) It was a Saturday afternoon and we were feeling pretty cheerful returning home after an afternoon of errands at the mall.

As we drove up 8th street, traffic slowed and we found ourselves at a standstill in a traffic jam. So we waited. I was in the drivers seat and as I was talking to Margie I saw in the car next to us someone I recognized. Now I don't know who my brain thought I was seeing but my hand went up faster than my brain could control it and started waving enthusiastically... now this wasn't just a "hey there friend" wave, it was an exuberant, emphatic, eyebrows raised, wide eyed, "it's so good to see you again my very dear old friend, I haven't seen you in ages" flailing arm kind of wave.

Now, that would have been alright had I been waving to an old friend, or a relative, or even a very pleasant aquaintance would have been passable. But the guy I was waving to was our landlord. (cue crack of thunder in background) Now, many people have very very nice landlords. I myself have had some very nice ones, but this guy, yeah, well, not so nice. I'm sure he was nice to his family and friends... but we were.... his renters, and that made us something, well something undesirable, to be avoided like pond scum, or reruns of 3rd Rock from the Sun. He made it pretty clear in his interactions with us that he plain didn't like us. (Hey, we were nice girls! )
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that this guy that I was waving at like a maniac with a big goofy grin on my face was someone that we had this awkwardly cool "relationship" with, even small talk with him was painful.

You might think, "well good for you for being friendly", well sorry, no. A demure smile and a nice little wave of the hand would have been friendly, that would have been a nice gesture.

What my wave communicated was totally disproportionate to what the situation called for. And in the end, he just stared at us, made no response, and then I have no idea what he did after that as I didn't look back. (and we had to sit there next to his car for a bit until the traffic moved again, ugh.) I don't know if he even recognized us (hope not.) I have this little fear that perhaps he thought we were mocking him,(we weren't) because a split second after I started waving, my dear roomate Margie incredulously exclaimed "That's Kevin*!" and then began laughing, no, howling at my stupid gummy grin and frantic waving.

What I want to know is - who did I think that guy was? I still don't know.

*name change

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around. You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy. You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you. How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

TDoTF

I was thinking about which embarrassing story to share with you, and in the end I decided to go with one of my oldest. It hails back to the time I was around 10. Now, please understand the context. I am a woman with 3 older brothers. If you don't have brothers, then please.......don't judge me. If you are someone with brothers, especially older ones, well, you've probably attempted something similar at some point.

Well, it all started one sunny morning at the lake. I was strolling through the living room of the cabin and I spied that one of the bedroom door curtains was closed. I could hear someone turning pages in the bedroom. I knew one of my brothers was on the bed right behind that curtain reading a comic book. It seemed too good to pass up. The living room was empty so the coast was clear. I very quickly snuck up and stuck my behind through that curtain, then in a clear, bold tone I proceeded to forcefully pass wind. Yep, I cut the cheese, and it was a doozy. I then withdrew my behind from said bedroom snickering to myself.

I thought it was pretty hysterical, until the only response from inside was "oh..." and at that moment the smile disappeared from my face as I realized that I'd made a grave, grave error. It wasn't one of my brothers in there, it was my brother's friend! UGH! Totally different situation! My heart sank in horror.
What was I going to do? I mean, you can fart in front of your brothers, but you can't fart in front of your brothers' friends! How embarrassing! So, I did what any mature 10 year old would do, I took off as fast as I could, and never made mention of it again.

That guy and my brother are still friends, and even to this day I don't know if that guy knows it was me or even remembers "the day of the fart." But I do, boy do I remember it, but I'm not embarrassed anymore, in fact I laugh audibly when I think about it, even if I'm by myself.

International Month of Embarrassment

I am a person who knows embarrassment. There are different kinds of embarrassment of course. When I say I "know" embarrassment, I am referring to just your everyday "something stupid just happened" embarrassment. For some reason, I am just one of those people who seems to have the faulty zipper, or who mistakes people's identities, or says something a little too loudly, or walks in the wrong door etc etc... you get the picture... I have also been known to let out the occasional snort when I'm laughing.

I sometimes have wondered why these things happen to me. I always end up trying to give it a positive spin by thinking "It's because I enjoy life!" But truthfully, sometimes it has nothing to do with enjoying or not enjoying life. Maybe it has more to do with hastyness, or being unobservant, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time....but sometimes, yep it has to do with enjoying life. That's usually where the snort comes in.

A little while ago I was trying to recall various moments of embarrassment, and I decided that it's worth sharing some of them. Why let them go to waste? So, I hereby dub August- "International Month of Embarrassment." I will share some of my embarrassing moments with you starting tomorrow.... are you excited? Ok, see you tomorrow.

I'm going to go watch a movie just now with my husband...

No no no

We arrived back in our city last night. It's good to be back. Last night and today we have been unpacking and cleaning up, and getting things organized. I went for groceries today. I went to a big grocery store. That store has the stickiest produce bags around. I find them incredibly difficult to open. My first stop was the produce isle, I could not get a single bag open, at least not before one of the produce attendants would come over and open it for me. It was amazing really, they could open those bags with one swift motion. After the second attendant came over to open a bag for me, I began to try to look casual so as they wouldn't feel the need to come over. Well, 3 or so bags later I had my own personal produce attendant. He just stayed with me. He was actually quite helpful, he began pushing my cart for me, and giving me advice on which potatos to pick. My favourite part was when he said "No no no!" when I picked up a potato he didn't think was up to par. Ah the life of a foreigner.

The Accidental Haircut

When I say "accidental haircut", I'm not talking about the kind like my oldest brother gave me with his jackknife when he accidentally spit his gum onto the top of my head when I was 10. No, I am referring to the haircut I got the other day, when I wanted one kind of haircut but accidentally got another.

Now, I am no stranger to this kind of thing. It has happened to me on other occasions, and whether it has happened because of my poor description of what I wanted, or because of my not understanding what the haircutter was suggesting...or whether we have a different understanding or what a "layer" is, or even what "shoulder length" means I don't know. My suspicion is that it is all of the above, perhaps with some creative license thrown in by the hairdresser. This is one of the reasons while overseas I rarely get my hair cut. And I almost never get my hair cut in my usual country of residence.....because all of these factors PLUS a language barrier, well it's just too risky. I'd rather just be perpetually "growing my hair out."

Well, I got my second haircut in almost a year the other day. Also a colour and hilight. It was a very interesting time. My head looks nothing like what I asked for. But I like it. The colour isn't too far off what i wanted, I'm a little blonder than I've ever been before but that's ok. It's kinda fun. But the style....how to describe it... my hair before getting it cut was longer, just past my shoulders, pretty close to being all one length. and i said "just cut it above shoulder length...but please don't make it triangle shaped." (Because I hate looking like a character from Dilbert)

I actually think that the triangle comment was what threw it off. He asked if he could "put some soft layers in"...sure, anything that will prevent triangle head. Well, it just took off from there. He just went off on his own creative streak. I can't even describe what my hair is like. But it's definately not triangle shaped, and for that I'm thankful. Perhaps that hair dresser - the whole time was being chased by fear that at the end of all his work I would look into the mirror and declare "How horrible! It's triangle shaped!" Maybe he was doing everything in his power to avoid the horrid triangular label. I don't know. He just kept snipping away, and thinning and snipping... and now I have short hair. But as I said before, I like it, and my hair seems to be taking to it. I think that he did a pretty skillful job. It's a good cut.

You might think it's shallow but I actually prayed for a good haircut before hand. And, I know compared to other problems in the world, it's a small thing, but I am thankful for it just the same. And maybe it wasn't so accidental after all.

Another Day in Paradise

I was saying to M the other day that coming here to this place is our version of "Going to the Lake." Where I'm from in Canada in the summer many people "go to the lake." It doesn't matter what lake, where, they've just "gone to the lake." Our church tends to empty out and you know it's because most of them have "gone to the lake." Summer is short in Canada, but beautiful, and the lakes are a wonderful refuge. Generally. The place we are staying right now, is by the ocean, very beautiful. But what I like the best about it is that in the evening the little Bay we are near calms down and reminds me of a lake in Canada. The lights come out and twinkle as the restaurants get rolling for their supper business.

I've noticed that it takes me a good 2-3 days to actually become relaxed enough to enjoy a vacation. I'm glad that we are here for a week. I don't know why it takes me time to chill out. Maybe I notice more that I am feeling stress when on vacation because I know I should be relaxed. Maybe it's because we are watching lots of "24". (haha. joke. some of you know that said I would not watch 24 anymore, but this season we are watching is not as violent....)
Well, anyway, I am just entering that part of our vacation where I am destressed, and liking it.

And, I am happy to say that we haven't run into any serious health concerns or biting things during this trip. (Although a baby Praying Mantis did land on M's head on the bus trip here- it didn't hurt him at all. I don't think they bite, just creep you out.)

Now what are we going to do today? Whatever we feel like. Maybe swim later this afternoon. Probably watch some 24. Skip lunch because of the huge breakfast we had.... take some more pictures, exclaim a few more times about how beautiful the butterflies are and what an amazing creator God is, laugh at some stupid jokes, and I just may write a postcard. I have a book with me "Death By Meeting" that I'm tempted to read more of, but I am becoming more convinced that it doesn't belong on this here vacaction. But I do have a pilates DVD that I may break out and do this afternoon. May. We may also go exploring to another area, just to see what's there.

Well, there you have it, with all that said , I'm gonna scoot. Will update again later. If I feel like it. :)

doing nothing in particular

So, I wrote a post yesterday, I really did, but after it was published it didn't show up on the blog. What's up with that? I felt a little gyped. After actually going to the trouble to actually write something, then it couldn't be seen. I dont' know why. Hopefully this will work.

We are still away from home, currently we are in a very beautiful area, and have a week to relax, so relaxing we are. It's been nice so far. Although it's the rainy season, it's been quite sunny this week. There is also an abundance of butterflies that flutter past the place where we are staying. So beautiful. Today while we were sitting in our lawn chairs, we saw a bird that looked like a toucan but in black and white. That was cool.

I'm writing this from an internet cafe, and finding it hard to write because of the people that keep coming and going and how small it is.. nobody cares about what I'm writing but I do feel a lack of privacy, which leads to a lack of creativity. So, I will stop there, also I'm not sure if this will publish correctly... talk to you later!

Happy anniversary!

July 12th 2006 has come and gone. It is not forgotten though. It marked 3 years of M and I being married. Happy Anniversary to us! It has been a great first three years. We've learned a lot and laughed a lot, grown a lot.

To celebrate our three years, we went out for a night on the town. First we hit a nice little restaurant with western cuisine. He had the grilled chicken, and I had the Greek salad in a pita, sans onions- accompanied by an A&W rootbeer. ( we are on a bit of a food holiday here as we can get stuff here that' s harder to get in our usual country..) A friend of ours that we bumped into at the restaurant paid for our meals (unbeknowst to us) We were SO surprised!! It was such a nice treat!

We then attempted to go mini golfing, but when we got to the place it was closed down. So, we just went over to the large night market and strolled around there. It was such a nice evening.

Before we went out, M had given me a card and some flowers with chocolate. He got this great bouquet, he tried getting the same colours as our wedding colours but the flower place didn't really have that many in the right shades. It was still very beautiful. He also found some bird of paradise flowers growing along the road which he snipped for me! I thought that was fun too! And he had these other flowers and flower petals that he decorated the room with that had fallen off a tree in the courtyard. I don't know what kind they are but they are beautiful, and smell amazing. Did I ever tell you I married a romantic?

Thanks M for 3 great years!

Pubs, head butting, and night markets

For the last week we have not been at home. Nor are we at home right now. In fact we are in a different country all together. We have some things to do here, then in a few days we'll have a week of vacation! Yay!
Tonight, I am thankful for old friends. While we are here, there are also some old friends of ours that are in town. It's great. We've had a chance to spend some good time with them. We went out to a restaurant tonight called "The Pub"... I had some pea soup and eggs on toast with fresh squeezed lemon juice. Pretty good.... then we crowded around the tv to see the replay on the guy who head butted the other guy in the World Cup.
Afterwards we just went down to the night market, and strolled around. It was nice, very relaxing.
That's my report for tonight.

To Purple Girl, Dog Lover, Karaoke Queen, Tickler Extraordinaire, and The Little Curly Haired Girl;

I love you all, and will miss you!

You rock! woo WOO!

And the Winner is.......

Twinky!

Voted Cutest Dog in the World (by me)

Twinky also earns an honourable mention for being extremely skittish and a gold medal for being flexible. (When she's afraid She can crawl along the ground like a commando.) What a cutie! We all love her!

Last night, hubs and I were over at a friend's house for supper (homemade pizza with homegrown basil on top.) It as a good time with good people. When we left around ten pm, I was unprepared for the nice surprise awaiting me when I stepped out the door of their apartment building. It was beautiful, it was light, it was oh so refreshing, ..........it was a wiff of nature. I could actually smell something that smelled natural. (natural from the environment, not referring to the natural smell some humans pump out- just to clarify) It smelled like trees or shrubs or some such greenery. And when we looked up the sky was clear, you could see the stars. It was good to be alive.

You might think, yeah, those things are nice, but what're you making the big to do over?

Well, here in this city, until recently there hasn't been a lot of "nature" around, just mostly concrete and pavement. Things are starting to shape up, they are planting lots of trees and bushes, and flowers. All very good ideas in my books, so that is starting to make a difference.

The other thing here that is a BIG problem, is that often when you walk outside, all you can smell is the smell of industry. Stinky industry. Pew. There are some big factories around here and they smell. Then beyond that there is always a plethora of other treats for the olfactory senses when you venture outside- stink from manholes, warm garbage, and assorted things that you can' t quite identify.

There is one whole street that always smells like a sewer mixed with a chemical factory.

So, nights like last night are pleasant, a breeze blowing carrying with it desirable smells, pure smells, things that don't make you want to rush inside. And it's a reminder of how things used to be.

sailing without wind doesn't get you very far

The school year is almost over and I've noticed that I am ready for it to be finished. I am doing pretty well, don't get me wrong- from day to day things are good. But, how can I tell that it's time for the school year to be finished? Well, I've noticed that right now I have very little patience for the small things. I guess you could say discouragement out of proportion to the circumstance. Now, I'm not walking around all discouraged, but just noticing that little things that normally would be easier to shrug off and keep going, just take the wind right out of my sails (for a little while, anyway.) A feeling of - "ok I give up." That is then followed by a momentary thought of "I would like to go home now."
I don't think it actually has anything to do with being here. It has more to do with me, being tired and ready for a rest. So, I need some perspective I guess.

Like this:(one of my favourite verses on rest)

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 11:28-30). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.


Here is the same passage from "The Message", (it is a paraphrase....)
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Peterson, E. H. (2003). The Message : The Bible in contemporary language (Mt 11:28-30). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress

I love that passage, it reminds me where to go when I'm weary, and even reminds me of why I sometimes am weary. At the times when the wind is taken out of my sails, well, maybe there wasn't that much wind in my sails to begin with.

There's only One who can give wind enough to keep me sailing along, and it ain't me.





And as an add on freebie, here's some more perspective that I need...some good old quotes from none other than Corrie ten Boom herself:

"The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy."

"Worry is a cycle of inefficient thoughts whirling around a center of fear."

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible."

"Faith is like radar that sees through the fog -- the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see." Cornelia ten Boom (1892-1983)

Reading Corrie ten Boom is always encouraging too. ( And she looks just a little bit like my grandma. See?---that makes her extra cool)

Ah, I feel better now.

I'm back

Sorry internet world. I have let you down. I have been AWOL from the blogging world.
Well hopefully posting this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4cQ3BoHFas will make up for it. Funny. Very very funny. So click on it.

Hamburger loving foreigners

It is so hot here.

Geographically you wouldn't think it. But we are in one of three of the hottest cities in this country.
(in the summer)
Yesterday we arrived back to our city after some travelling and just before getting off the train we were standing in what felt like air coming out of a hot air vent. I thought we must be standing by a machine or something generating heat, and I was anxious to get off the train into the cool air outside. So, it was rather surprising to get off the train and discover that there was no cool air, the stream of hot air was coming from outside. It was an unusual sensation.

Thankfully our apartment isn't too hot. It is pretty comfortable for the most part.

The train ride back was nice. Had a funny little thing happen. A lady came around selling ice cream and hamburgers. The guy next to us bought something from her, then she asked if he wanted a hamburger too. He replied that the foreigners could have the hamburger. My husband started to laugh. The guy didn't realize that we could understand him, till that point , and he was embarrassed and apologized.

THis is a good reminder for me to watch myself, as we say a lot of things that we assume no one around us understands because we are speaking in english. Yeeps. Caution necessary.

I could walk 500 miles

At least I feel like I walked 500 miles today. It just so happens that I walked everywhere I went today, and that covered a lot of distance all told. I think if you put all the walking between destinations together today...I probably spent close to two hours pounding the pavement. I am trying to be more active, so it works- although my feet are tired.

I actually really enjoy walking around here. There is absolutely no shortage of things to see on any walk, any time around here. Even yesterday, I walked to the grocery store, and along the way I saw a guy playing crouquet, a whole herd of women with matching t-shirts on bikes with waving flags, and the usual assortment of interesting outfits (some stylish some not so), cute babies etc.... it was a feast for the senses.

One other time when I was in a taxi, I saw these two women on a bike, one was doubling the other, but the one on the back of the bike wasn't sitting, she was standing on the back of the bike. Why was she standing? I don't know, maybe she just ironed her pants, or maybe she had hemorrhoids, or maybe she just loved to be a bit of a daredevil. Who's to say? I don't know. But it lead me to thinking. And I realized that almost everytime I go out, I see something that makes me go "huh, will you look at that." There's always something very interesting to look at. Be it the incredible things people move on their bikes- maybe a gigantic palm tree or a massive load of bananas, multiple tv sets, or multiple people....or be it a social interaction- two people arguing with each other, a public break up, a gaggle old ladies or men gathering together for their morning chat session, or be it the fashions people wear...(and that is a whole nother topic for a whole nother day.) It makes for an interesting experience, that's for sure.

Yesterday, while at the supermarket(that I walked to) I had a nice time, I only had a few things to pick up so no mad rush. I happened upon a sale rack with these cute little baby dresses that could be used as fun gifts for friends, and they were about $2 Cdn. Can't beat that. Then I found a tank top on another rack that had my name on it followed by the adjective "Sweet" .... I bought it.
Ok, well, I must be off to bed now. All that walking and looking at everything has me a bit beat!

Sorry for the lack of posty posty lately. ..

You know what? I like lists. and I like stories...I don't really have any stories to tell you right now...so why not a list? Yeah, I feel like a list, so here goes....
A list of some random things:

1. My beautiful yellow bike with the checker seat cover was stolen.
2. Now I walk to school.
3. It's a nice walk.
4. There are many rose like flowers blooming all along the walk.
5. It's getting very hot here.
6. I am realizing more and more as I get older that there are some things that I am good at, and some things that I am not good at. And that's ok.
7. We had to make a sentance using the word "wish" today in class. Our teacher asked us what we wish for, so I said "world peace" which was the first thing that popped into my head......but once it came out of my mouth, for some reason it sounded like a beauty contestant answer like I was competing for Miss Congeniality or something......I was pleased with myself. My friend and i had a good laugh. As did the Korean guy sitting next to us.
8. If you have access to any Corrie ten Boom books, they are worth reading. No matter how old they are.
9. Got a couple letters in the mail last week. That made me very happy.
10. I told you this was a list of random stuff.

And now, for a picture!

Why, you say? Because... besides lists and stories I also like pictures of cute little tiny Koala Bears. Photo courtesy of cuteoverload.com !

Important Detail- Da Vinci Code is Fictional

So, like, some good advice, umm don't base your life philosophy around a book that you have to go to the "Fiction" section of the library to find.

The Birthday

So, yeah, my birthday was last week. It was pretty much an ordinary day. Things went on as usual. Did however get various cell messages from people, a few emails, a few cards made their way to me too. A couple people called from home. That was really nice. I appreciated all the thoughtful gestures.
We also out with some friends for supper. Actually there were three of us who had birthdays within a week, so another friend of ours treated us to a nice supper at a great buffet in town. It was relaxing. At the end, I was presented with a basket full of goodies- totally fun! (Some cake followed a few days later too!)

Hubs gave a IOU for some decent art on the walls and 4 plants. These are both things that thrill me to no end. Really.

So, all in all, it was a good day.

I had wanted to take more time to let the coming of another birthday spur me on to be reflective. However, life just seemed to speed up as the day got closer, so, no thinking was done. I had a birthday, and that's about all I know for now.

A few things

A few things to update everyone on- my husband is doing much better physically. He is down to one and a half pills each day. The doctor told him this week though that he needs to stay on the medication for another 2 months. (Just taking a pill a day.... which is a lot better than 18 a day which is what he started on) Apparently this will help him avoid a relapse. So, ok, medicate away!

Second update: scorpion is missing from his little jar. Although my husband isn't sure if the scorpion got eaten by the other very ugly creature that he put in the jar that was supposed to be food for the scorpion to eat - or if he got out. Apparently the jar was tilted.... but don't worry though, the jar was in the back yard, not in the house. I'm sure he's miles from here by now. I don't think I need to go into my personal feelings about this topic.

Third: We are going away for a few days. Should be back saturday.

Fourth: Sorry to those of you that I need to email!

Fifth: Monday was my birthday, more on that later. ....Nice day on the whole.

Must hit the hay now. It's getting late and I'm tired.

A little trip out to the country

Today we just came back from a trip to the country side. It was a very interesting time.

We went with a couple who are good friends of ours. The purpose of the trip was to visit his the husband's parents home for a big celebration of their baby's birth.

It was interesting on many levels. It was interesting because of going to our friend's home, and meeting relatives and friends (there were some 200 people that came for lunch.) It was interesting because we got to spend some extra time with our friends. And it was interesting because we were in the countyside. It's different than the city. Simpler. And some of the old traditions are more prevalent there.

For me, one of the hardest things about being in this part of the world is seeing the status of women. And how men are favoured over women. Certainly there are countries and people groups that are far far more extreme, and given to injustice, but still there are some things here that just grieve me.

Let me just say this to start: people here love their babies, they adore them, they heap attention on them and dote on them constantly.

With that said, it is true that there is still a big problem here with many people prefering baby boys over girls, especially in the countryside. As we were driving around our friend's old village and surrounding area, we noticed a slogan written on one brick wall "Baby boys and baby girls are equally good." This was written by the government. Sigh. Propaganda to convince new parents about value of their babies.

Our friends' baby that we were there to celebrate is a boy. But they would've been happy either way. But as we were celebrating with all the neighbours and relatives, I wondered how the comments, and general feel would have been different if the baby was a girl?

There were other things that I saw and heard that also hilighted the inequality between males and females in the family unit here. And, I have to admit, as our time there wore on, I got angry. I was enjoying being there, and I know that what God requires of me is to love people...but this whole issue really gets to me. I can get really riled up about it, (And i mean really Riled up with a capital R) As most women can, I've noticed.

I know that our God is a God who hates injustice. He does. Hates it. and it's good to hate injustice too. One thing that I've realized that I have to be careful of, is to not hate the people who I think represent the injustice. Hating injustice= healthy.... Hating people= cancer...... this is very hard. I know I can only do this by God's power. Because I'm tempted to swing one way or another...either hate both the people and the injustice or just let it all go and be apathetic. Neither is a good option.

Ok, so I'm wrestling with this one. But I have firmly decided I will not be an angry woman. I will not be an angry woman. I will not be an angry woman. Period.

My husband has a new pet

Remember how I wrote before that one of my most horrific moments while travelling earlier had to do with a gigantic centipede in my bed?

Ugh. I still get sicked out thinking about it.

Well, not to be out done, my husband has managed to top that one. While he was sleeping last week, he was stung by a scorpion. Yeah, a scorpion. No it didn't kill him. Didn't swell, turn red, bleed ...but it really really hurt. And it totally freaked him out because he had no idea what was going on with his leg at the time. But he was all better by morning.

And no, thankfully it wasn't in our bed where he got stung. It was out in a little hotel in the countryside. (There are some scorpions out there, but none in the city here where we live. )

So, now he has a new little pet. Yep he brought it home. Alive. Perhaps that illustrates a difference between men and women....when I found that centipede I smashed him to smitherenes with a shoe in about 5 seconds flat, and he didn't even bite me. My hubby not only brought his scorpion home but is trying to feed it to keep it alive.

Well, time to go to bed. I'm tired. Think I'll give the sheets a shake before I hop in. Brrrrrrrr.

Happy Easter!

Well, we've come to the end of a nice quiet day. We cleaned up around here, did laundry, and had a "date night" this evening. Yesterday was full but very good. We had our Easter celebration yesterday. A few of our friends came over around 11:30 and we prepared a BBQ lunch together...it wasn't ready until 2pm to actually eat, but it was worth it! Woo! We had some good eats. We had the shishkabobs, ribs, and a platter with veggies and ranch dip among other goodies..... it was a great food experience. People dug out from their special stores of stuff that they had squirrelled away for a rainy day....meaning things that they brought from Canada or somebody brought in for them. I offered up my ranch dressing. I carted it over with us last summer. It was good. I'd forgotten how much I like Ranch dressing. Someone else dug out their smoked salmon that someone sent over for them, and made salmon pinwheels with some cream cheese that I found at one of the stores downtown. (It's very exciting that we can now buy cream cheese here in our city!) It was nice to bring some special items out to celebrate the special day. And it was nice to spend it together.
After eating we had a worship time together, just singing praise to God for His amazing victory on our behalf. Rejoicing that He truly is alive, and a part of our lives. It was good.
So, after all that, we had today to get things back in order. We'll probably go to bed early. We are both tired and the next few days look to be very busy.
Hope you had a very meaningful Easter, and that you got to truly worship Him for His indescribable gift!!

Peace!

80 Facts about Elizabeth

I am not a royal watcher or fanatic, but I thought this list of 80 facts about the Queen was interesting. In preparation for her 80th birthday Buckingham Palace released this list.
(I got it from this website .)

Buckingham Palace. 80 fascinating facts about the Queen

1 Queen Elizabeth II is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
2 In 2002, aged 76, the Queen was the oldest monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. The youngest was James VI and I at 51.
3 Since 1952 the Queen has conferred more than 387,700 honours and awards.
4 The Queen has personally held more than 540 Investitures.
5 The Queen speaks fluent French and regularly uses it.
6 The Queen has received more than 3 million items of correspondence during her reign.
7 Around 1.1 million people have attended her garden parties at Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
8 The Queen has given regular Tuesday-evening audiences to ten British prime ministers. The first was Winston Churchill (1951-55).
9 Tony Blair is the first prime minister to have been born during the Queen's reign. He was born in May 1953 - a month before her coronation.
10 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh introduced small, informal luncheon parties at Buckingham Palace to meet distinguished people from all professions, trades and vocations. The first was held on 11 May, 1956.
11 The Queen is patron of more than 620 charities and organisations.
12 The Queen has undertaken more than 256 official overseas visits to 129 different countries.
13 The Royal Yacht Britannia was launched by the Queen on 16 April, 1953 and was commissioned for service on 7 January, 1954. It was de-commissioned in December 1997.
14 The Royal Yacht Britannia was first used by the Queen when she embarked with the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954 at Tobruk, for the final stage of their Commonwealth Tour. The last time the Queen was on board Britannia for an official visit was on 9 August, 1997 for a visit to Arran.
15 The Queen has visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica six times and New Zealand ten times.
16 Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the Queen has visited Edinburgh nearly every year, staying in the Palace of Holyroodhouse during Holyrood Week.
17 During her reign, the Queen has received many unusual gifts, including live animals; among them jaguars and sloths from Brazil, and two black beavers from Canada.
18 The Queen has sent around 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth.
19 The Queen has sent more than 280,000 telegrams to couples celebrating their diamond wedding anniversaries.
20 The Queen's real birthday is on 21 April, but it is celebrated officially in June. This monarch's tradition dates back to the reign of Edward VII, who felt that his November birthday was unsuitable for celebratory parades owing to the cold weather.
21 The Queen has attended 34 Royal Variety Performances.
22 The Queen has opened 15 bridges in the UK.
23 The Queen has given at least 91 state banquets.
24 Since 1952 the Queen has undertaken 78 state visits accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
25 The Queen has launched 23 ships in her lifetime. The first was HMS Vanguard which she launched, as Princess Elizabeth, on 30 November 1944 in Clydebank. The first ship which she launched as Queen was the Royal Yacht Britannia, also from Clydebank.
26 The Queen has sent about 37,500 Christmas cards.
27 The Queen has given out around 78,000 Christmas puddings to staff, continuing the custom of King George V.
28 Every year the Queen sends Christmas trees to Westminster Abbey, Wellington Barracks, St Paul's Cathedral, St Giles', Edinburgh, the Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Crathie Church and schools and churches near Sandringham.
29 The Queen learned to drive aged 19 in 1945 in the army.
30 As a young woman, the Queen was a Girl Guide and a Sea Ranger.
31 While a princess, the Queen travelled on the London Underground for the first time in May 1939.
32 The Queen is a keen photographer and enjoys taking photographs of her family. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is also a keen photographer and has taken a number of photographs of the Queen, including an official photograph for her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
33 The Queen was born at 17 Bruton Street, London W1, on 21 April, 1926, and was christened on 29 May, 1926 in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace.
34 With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning British sovereign since Queen Victoria to have a child.
35 The Queen has 30 godchildren.
36 The first football match the Queen attended was the 1953 Blackpool v Bolton FA Cup Final.
37 The Queen has taken the salute in every Trooping the Colour ceremony since the start of her reign, with the exception of 1955, when a national rail strike forced its cancellation.
38 The Queen has sat for 139 official portraits during her lifetime, two of which were with the Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent sitting was for Rolf Harris (2005).
39 The Queen sat for the first and only hologram portrait in 2003.
40 There have been 11 sculptures of the Queen. The most recent was in 2005 by Miss Angela Conner for St George's Chapel, Windsor.
41 The first "Royal walkabout" took place during the visit by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to Australia and New Zealand in 1970.
42 In 1969 the first television film about the family life of the Royal Family was made, and shown on the eve of the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales.
43 An important innovation during the Queen's reign was the opening in 1962 of a new gallery at Buckingham Palace to display items from the Royal Collection. It was the first time that parts of the palace had been opened to the general public.
44 The only time the Queen has had to interrupt an overseas tour was in 1974, during a tour of Australia and Indonesia. She was called home when a general election was called suddenly.
45 The Queen has opened Parliament every year except 1959 and 1963, when she was expecting Prince Andrew and Prince Edward respectively.
46 The Queen went on her first state visit as Princess Elizabeth, to South Africa with her mother and father, in 1947. The tour included Rhodesia and Bechuanaland, Swaziland and Basutoland (now Lesotho).
47 The Queen's first Commonwealth tour in November 1953 included visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, the Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar.
48 The Queen was the first British monarch to go to China. She made the trip in 1986.
49 The Queen has made a Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth every year of her reign except 1969.
50 In 1953, the Queen made the first Christmas broadcast from overseas, broadcasting live from New Zealand.
51 The Queen sent a message of congratulations to the Apollo 11 astronauts for the first Moon landing on 21 July, 1969. The message was micro-filmed and deposited on the Moon in a metal container.
52 The Queen has met the following astronauts at Buckingham Palace: Major Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereschkova, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.
53 The Queen sent her first e-mail in 1976, from an army base.
54 There have been six different Archbishops of Canterbury during the Queen's reign.
55 In 1982, when Pope John Paul II visited Britain, he was the first pope to do so in 450 years. The Queen, as titular head of the Church of England, received him at
56 The Queen visited a mosque in the UK for the first time in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, in July 2002.
57 The Queen has attended 50 Royal Maundy services during her reign at more than 39 different cathedrals.
58 The Queen has owned more than 30 corgis during her reign, starting with Susan, who was a present for her 18th birthday in 1944. The Queen currently has five corgis, Emma, Linnet, Monty, Holly and Willow.
59 The Queen also introduced a new breed of dog known as the "dorgi" when one of the Queen's corgis was mated with a dachshund which belonged to Princess Margaret. The Queen currently has four dorgis: Cider, Berry, Candy and Vulcan.
60 As well as corgis and dorgis, the Queen also breeds and trains labradors and cocker spaniels at Sandringham. There is a special Sandringham strain of black labrador founded in 1911.
61 The Queen's first pony was a gift from her grandfather, King George V, when she was four. This was a Shetland pony called Peggy. The Queen continues to ride at Sandringham, Balmoral and Windsor.
62 Horses bred at the Royal studs over the last 200 years have won virtually every major race in Britain. The Queen has about 25 horses in training each season.
63 The Queen's racing colours are purple body with gold braid, scarlet sleeves and black velvet cap with gold fringe.
64 The Queen continues the Royal Family's long association with racing pigeons, which began in 1886 when King Leopold II of Belgium made a gift of racing pigeons to the Royal Family. The Queen is patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association.
65 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Abbey. The Queen's wedding dress, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, was woven at Winterthur Silks Ltd, Dunfermline.
66 The Queen's dressmakers have included Sir Hardy Amies, Sir Norman Hartnell, Karl-Ludwig Couture and Maureen Rose. The Queen's milliners have been Frederick Fox, Philip Somerville and Marie O'Regan.
67 The Queen's wedding ring was made from a nugget of Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine, near Dolgellau.
68 The Queen has an extensive collection of jewellery, most of which are Crown Jewels, including the largest pink diamond in the world.
69 The Queen has laid a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday every year of her reign, except in 1959, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1983 and 1999, when she was either pregnant or overseas on an official visit.
70 The Queen has visited the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale.
71 In 1997, the Queen launched Buckingham Palace's first official website.
72 In 1998, the Queen introduced "theme days" to promote and celebrate aspects of British culture. The first theme day was "City Day" focusing on financial institutions.
73 In June 2002, the Queen hosted the first public concerts - the "Party at the Palace" - in the garden of Buckingham Palace to celebrate her Golden Jubilee.
74 The Queen is the first member of the Royal Family to be awarded a gold disc from the recording industry. 100,000 copies of the CD of the "Party at the Palace" were sold within a week of release.
75 The Queen hosted the first women's-only event, "Women of Achievement", at Buckingham Palace in March 2004.
76 In November 2004, the Queen invited the cast of Les Misérables in the West End to perform for the French president, Jacques Chirac, at Windsor Castle.
77 As a young girl, the Queen acted in a number of pantomimes during the Second World War, including playing the part of Prince Florizel in Cinderella in 1941. These took place every year at Windsor Castle.
78 In 2005, the Queen claimed ownership of 88 cygnets on the Thames. They are looked after by the swan marker. The first royal swan keeper was appointed in the 12th century.
79 The Queen still owns the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters around the UK, thanks to a statute from 1324, when King Edward II reigned. Sturgeons, porpoises, whales and dolphins are recognised as "Fishes Royal". When captured or washed ashore within three miles of UK shores, they may be claimed on behalf of the Crown.
80 In 2005, the Queen opened the first "children's trail" in the Buckingham Palace garden for the summer opening.
10 more things you may not know
• 1 In 1964, the postage-stamp designer David Gentleman suggested to Tony Benn, then the postmaster-general, that a new set of stamps be issued without the Queen's head on them. Benn was open to the idea but, after these were mocked up for viewing, word came from the Queen that the status quo was to be observed. She did, however, like Gentleman's idea of substituting her full-face portrait with a profile in silhouette.
• 2 The Queen takes breakfast in the first-floor dining room of Buckingham Palace. Tupperware boxes of cornflakes and porridge are left on the table with a pot of Earl Grey tea. There are silver spoons for the marmalade.
• 3 The Queen carries a comb, a handkerchief, a small gold compact and a tube of lipstick in her handbag.
• 4 Most people think that the Queen never carries money, but she does on Sundays - a folded note, of unknown denomination, which she places in the collection plate at church.
• 5 As a child she was known as "Lilibet" by her close family.
• 6 Touching the Queen is strongly discouraged. Paul Keating, the Australian prime minister, below, broke this rule when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992 and was afterwards dubbed the "Lizard of Oz" by the British media.
• 7 The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, spoke on Children's Hour in October 1940. Many British children had been evacuated to the countryside, and Princess Elizabeth wished them luck in their new homes.
• 8 The Queen does not accept honorary degrees from any university.
• 9 As part of the royal prerogative, the Queen does not require a driving licence.
• 10 Orkney is the only part of the UK in which the Queen cannot claim ownership of swans.

I guess the website added on those last 10. My personal favourite it the fact about the "Dorgi's." I wonder why the Queen can't own the swans in Orkney?

Quiet Sunday

Had a quiet day today. Mostly just relaxed and spent some time with my husband. Wanted to catch up on writing some personal emails, but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.
Popped in to see our friends who have the baby. Once again, the baby smiled for me...and he was even having a grumpy day. And once again I was informed that other than the immediate family...I am the only person he will smile for. :)

Testa Della Benna!

One of my friends told me once that when he would travel or meet people from different countries he would make a point of asking them how to say "Bucket Head" in their language. Why you ask? No real point to it. After playing around with an online translation website I felt inspired. So, here ladies and gentlemen is "Bucket Head" in 10 languages. (Why?........................ no real reason)

1.Het Hoofd van de emmer
2.Tête De Seau
3.Wanne Kopf
4.Κεφάλι κάδων
5.Testa Della Benna
6.バケツの頭部
7.물통 머리
8.Cabeça Da Cubeta
9.Головка Ведра
10.Cabeza Del Cubo

Now, here's your turn to take a guess at what each language is.....if you are so inclined, and a little brave... then leave your best guesses in the comments box. Or are you afraid you might end up looking like a het hoofd van de emmer?

*Note: to all you fluent in other languages smartie pants out there.... yes yes I know- the grammar may not be correct on all of them...blame the machine!!

But....but...I don't speak the language

I have to write a 500 word essay on any topic. Any suggestions for a topic anyone?
Maybe I'll write it on how to fly to the moon and back.

It finally happen. I knew it would. Instead of saying his name properly I accidentally called a guy "Little Step Mother."

Then after that I taught a guy to say "You're the man!" Which brought me great satisfaction.

You should be more careful next time

Living overseas can be a very "romantic" thing. Romantic in the Anne of Green Gables sense. It can be fun, it can be interesting, adventerous, and definately stretching.
But, those of us who live or have lived overseas in a foreign culture know that with all of the "good stuff" also comes the stuff that threatens to drive you absolutely cuckoo.
There are just those moments that leave you feeling like you would like to throw your hat on the ground, jump up and down on it, with steam pouring out your ears, while letting out a blood curdling yell from the bottom of your gut. I won't get into a big discussion about it all here right now...but I will talk about it sometime. All in all- cultural differences are healthy. They make you, nay force you to choose whether you will walk in step with the Spirit or not. And they develop your character. But there are those choice moments when it's just so hard to not be an angry foreigner!

Here is an example. Tonight, I went to work out with a couple friends. We checked out a step aroebics class. Quite good. We were feeling fine. It was a little late, so we just popped into a little restaurant nearby to grab something quick to eat. They had some food that we were looking forward to eating. So, we order, the food comes...we start to eat. My friend finds an egg shell in her food.... we keep eating, I chomp down on a hard piece of bone, I spit it out. We keep eating. Then I bite on something hard and sharp. OUch!! What is it? I take it out...it's a jagged little piece of glass!!! (So, I must say here, I've never had glass in my food here, so it is an out of the ordinary experience) So, immediately I worry that maybe there was other glass in my food that I ate already, or something. I definately felt unsettled! So I go up to the girl behind the counter and I show her the glass. And she replies "You should be more careful next time." That's it. That's all I get. Fortunately I didn't make a scene because at that moment I didn't understand what she said until I went back to my table and repeated it to my tablemates who informed me of the meaning of the response.
So, I saw the manager, brought her to our table and told her what happened. and she basically just offered my money back or another bowlful. I appreciated that she was fair about it. We didn't say too much other than that is not safe. And she really didn't say much other than making that offer. Now I wish we would have given her a long speech about what to tell the guys in the kitchen. About how if they break something and they aren't sure where the glass went, then they should throw it out, and to be careful not to get egg shells in stuff..etc etc... Not angry like, but long and descriptive so as to stress how unsafe the situation was. And I wished we would have coached her on how the staff should respond if someone complains that there is glass in their food. ie you don't say "You should be more careful next time." Anyway, stuff is like that here. You always second guess how you handled something. Oh, maybe I was too hard on them, oh maybe I was too easy on them, maybe I didn't say enough, oh maybe I embarrassed them, oh maybe they cheated me, oh, maybe they didn't understand what we were saying!.... and etc!

ANyway, my point wasn't about the manager, but about the first girl. "You should be more careful next time" girl. She and I should both be very thankful that I couldn't understand her response right away. Sometimes it's grace to not have all the words you need to express what you are feeling!! But in the situation, she said what she could say. In her mind she wasn't being a twit. I don't exactly know what was going on in her mind, but I do know this.... that here, someone with her job has no power. So she only has permission to do her little job and nothing else. She can't step out of her little job "box." She has no power to say- "Oh that's terrible!! I'm so sorry let me see what I can do for you!" Nope, she doesn't have that authority. Only the manager has the authority to do anything or offer any consideration. So, actually even as I walked up to the counter to complain, I knew in my heart, "this is going to go nowhere. "( While I realize that in canada a lot of clerks and restaurant personelle are limited too, that they have to get the manager to ok a lot of stuff... it's just a whole different level here)

SO, anyway, all this to say. While I do really love living here, and there are so many things that are all those great things- fun, interesting, adventurous, new and we love the people here.....Sometimes living here isn't "romantic." Sometimes it's hard, and it tempts you to be grouchy, and irritable, especially when people say things that you think "Dude, why would you even remotely think that is an ok thing to say to me?" "Why would you tell ME to be careful when YOUR restaurant served ME a shard of glass hidden in my food?" Ok, calm down....so, sometimes it's hard. But it's always healthy. The harder cultural things here do serve to refine you. It shows you your own ugly side, and calls you to make sure that you are walking with Christ. And sometimes you bungle it, you scowl when you should smile, you snap when you should be gently firm....and often you feel rotten later -"Oh why did I handle that so badly?" but even in that you grow. You grow because it only reinforces how great the grace is that we stand in.