Unprepared

I'm going on holiday tomorrow and I am entirely unprepared. I have so much to do before we leave.

Shucks.

Summer School

I'm just going to come right out and say it,

Summer School Sucks.

I am taking a philosophy course called Biomedical Ethics. It is an interesting course, but let's be honest, sitting in a classroom when it is 35 degrees out is not fun. Not only do I have to sit in class, but I have to do homework too! Although 35 degree weather is lovely, it isn't conducive to reading articles and trying to understand them. In my experience, the beach and homework don't work well together.

I am not philosophically minded! That part of my brain has been sapped out of me due to the years I have spent in empirical study. It is a very challenging course for that very reason.

I only have 4 classes left thankfully. And 80% of my grade to hand in. In my last three classes I have two exams and a paper due. This will be the week I get back from the wedding in Stanwood. It will be a week of H-E-double hockey stick.

What is up

• Erik and I scored at a garage sale last weekend! We got a bike, a flour sifter, an applesauce maker thingy, a fisher price farm set, and some other little doodads. So great. We also found a little farm that we like and can buy produce from.

• I'd never had fresh beets until yesterday. I've had pickled beets, but never fresh ones. They are delicious! We made them in our oven with Olive Oil and salt and pepper and they were certainly tasty. I could see them becoming a favorite.

• My friends, Ali and Joel had a beautiful baby boy, Caden Theodore. I am so excited to see Ali in her role as a mother. She will do a wonderful job. I only wish I lived closer so I could make her meals and play with her sweet little babe. I cannot wait to meet him in a couple weeks!
  

• The fires are raging here in and around Kelowna. There are 2000 people evacuated and something like 22,000 who have evacuation warnings. One fire is 4000 hectares large. A smokey cloud is currently covering the entire city. I'm off to volunteer and provide meals for evacuees this afternoon.

• I hate going to school in the summer. I am taking a philosophy course and it is so hard to be motivated. I hope I am thankful I took it when all my classmates have an extra course in first semester. We'll see.

• I love having Erik home. It is great.

• Erik and I are going to his brother's wedding in Stanwood over the long weekend. Only immediately family are going to be at the ceremony. I am very excited for it. I still don't know what I'm going to wear, but that hardly matters. I can't wait to see the family again. Everyone will be there! Two of Erik's brother's (one's an in-law) were missing from our wedding last summer so it will be nice to see everyone all together again.

• I'm learning how to crochet. Trying to at least. Self-teaching isn't going so well. I'm going to have to call in recruits.
  

Loving it.

I love being married. I honestly just love it.

I didn't miss Erik too much while he was gone. I think it's because I intentionally kept myself busy so that the time would pass quicker. As soon as he came home I missed him incredibly! I was sad that we missed out on a month together. It made me wish he had never left. I know, I know. I sound ridiculous. It is so great having him home though - I forgot how great it was.

As I said, I love being married. Love it. Erik is a wonderful husband and I feel so blessed each and every day to have him in my life. I never pictured myself marrying anyone like Erik, but I am so glad I did. He is the best.

Full of Friends

The past couple days have been full of friends! It has been wonderful. I only wish Erik had been here to enjoy them with me.

First, Stewart and Charisa Reimer stopped by for lunch on their way to a cousin's wedding here in Kelowna. It was great to catch up with them even if it was only briefly. I was called in for a night shift the day before so I woke up about 30 minutes before they arrived at 1:00pm. I felt a bit out of sorts, but my sister had gone grocery shopping for me which was sweet of her. At least I had food to offer them.

Later that afternoon friends from church came for dinner. We ended up going to the beach to play bocce and then returned home for a great game of cranium. We were laughing so hard we were all crying. And it wasn't a little bit of crying, it was uncontrollable!

This is Trevor, Sam and Milena waiting for Jen to pick up the scruples game that she dropped all over the driveway. The fading light added an interesting twist to bocce.

And this, this is Sam laughing uncontrollably.

Finally, I hung out with my friend Kate yesterday. We went to a tea store in the afternoon and saw this tea called Tarry Lapsang Souchong. It smelled like a campfire and I could not imagine drinking it. The lady said that chefs regularly buy it to season their meat with. So, we bought a little sample size and that is exactly what we did. We made kabobs that were absolutely delicious!

Kate working on the mango.

We got to enjoy our meal out on the deck at Kate's house. It was a beautiful day! The wind was blowing and a thunderstorm was threatening to roll in but it was such a pleasant evening. We sat on the deck late into the night curled up in blankets and sipping on delicious tea. I loved it.

Back to this tea store we went to. It was called Teaberry's Fine Teas. I absolutely LOVED it. It was beautiful and relaxed. We sat and smelled many different teas while the owner explained what was in them. She made us tea and chatted for a while. It was just wonderful to be able to spend an entire hour hanging out and learning about the tea industry. I can't wait to take Erik there when he gets home.

Speaking of Erik. He comes home tomorrow at midnight! Hip hip hoooray! I haven't seen him in just under a month. We got to talk this morning which was wonderful. I have certainly missed him. It is strange to think that we have so much catching up to do. I was thinking of what I have done since he left and there is quite a list. He said his little crew caught over 150,000 lbs of sockeye salmon though. That is great! Do you know what that means??? Paid tuition!

James Bond

I was at the post office yesterday mailing something to my parents. The young man helping me noticed I was wearing a wedding ring. The following conversation ensued:
"You married?"
"Yes, I am."
"If I were Bond, you'd be my kind of woman."

Knitting, Aprons, and Mice

Knitting
I mentioned that I learned how to knit a little while ago. This was my first little project. I made a "knitted dishcloth". It is supposed to be a square, and I stretched it out to look pretty good I think.Since making that first cloth I have been attempting to make more. I was five rows from finishing another one when I dropped two stitches accidentally and had no idea how to get them back. I tried to figure it out, but could not so I ended up dropping some more. I unraveled the entire dishcloth and started over. This is the one I am currently working on. Apron
And this beautiful thing is an apron I found for 50 cents at a garage sale. I think it is just beautiful! I love aprons and I now wear this one all the time! Love it.
Mice
There are mice downstairs at the recovery house I work at. I was writing in the office when this little mouse came scuttling along. One of the girls was sitting on the couch behind me and I was like, "umm... do we know there are mice running around this place?"
She looked at me and replied, "why do you think we have so many cats?"
I hate cats, but I think I will put up with them now that I know they have a purpose in the house. Even if they are sissy city cats... They are intimidating sissies.
Back to the mouse in the office.
The girl on the couch jumps up and starts chasing the mouse around. She ran around for a good 5 minutes before chasing the little guy in my direction. As I was asking her politely to make it go in the other direction, she stopped moving. She looked up at me and said, "You don't have to worry about that thing no more." ... "I don't?" With that she lifted her foot and there was a little convulsing mouse with the better part of it insides strewn across the floor.
I looked up in disgust, "Honestly?? You just chased a mouse and stepped on it? That is sick."
She laughed and said "You'll get used to it."
I think I'll take one of those dreadful cats with me whenever I go downstairs.

...

Erik called today.

From a boat.

From Alaska.

Three separate times.

And I missed them all.

I was just starting a new job at a recovery house. He wasn't supposed to call at all; he told me he wouldn't. I am now so disappointed that I missed his calls. I would love to be able to talk to him. I work a dayshift tomorrow at the hospital and then a night shift on Friday. Then I am back at the recovery house 6 hours after I get home from there. I am pumped to be working, but I am going to be exhausted. I start school on Monday too. At least time will fly by until Erik comes home.