Circa 1955

Look how cute my dad was. Aww.

Cross-Stitch Update

It has been a painful process, but I think I'm enjoying cross-stitching. Scratch that. I AM enjoying it.

I have pulled apart many miss-counts, twisted my thread too often, pulled some stitches tighter than others, and done the wrong color in some areas, but I am seeing progress. I think that is what I really enjoy about it: progress. At first it is a bunch of little lines on the fabric. Then the lines become "x"s. Then the "x"s start to make a picture. I enjoy the (sometimes) rhythmic in and out. Well, I guess it's not that rhythmic as I am constantly taking out stitches and redoing then. It's amazing to see how if you look at the first couple rows and colors I did you can tell that I really didn't know what I was doing, but I think I am really getting the hang of it. I sometimes cross-stitch for so long that the squares start swimming and I cannot see what I am doing. I just guess where I am supposed to go and press on rather than stop like I should... I have learned that is bad. Swimming page = making quadrilaterals other than squares. It also = twisted thread.

Cross-Stitch is frustrating too though. I can work for three hours and get this much stitched...
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A bit depressing, but it works. After all, it's progress.

While You Were Sleeping

Night shifts are such a drag. I don't mind them while I am at the hospital, but coming up to them is awful and coming home is awful. I cannot sleep during the day and then when I am "re-adjusting" I just get overtired and don't sleep anyway. What a drag.
I was talking with my sister's friend, a nurse, who was telling me that she enjoys night shifts because she "gets to be awake when everyone else is sleeping". She thinks it's a fun little game she plays with everyone else. I tried to play this game. It lasted for all of 10 minutes.

I had a patient this week who made me tear up on multiple occasions. She was in her late 30's and had just been diagnosed with cancer two weeks prior. She had surgery to remove her uterus, ovaries, part of her colon, and half of her stomach to remove 95% of her cancer. The doctors aren't sure if chemo and radiation will be effective to remove the remaining cancer. On top of that, she had a spinal leak from her epidural and had to remain flat on her back for three days.
This woman was incredible! She was such a blessing to me in the days I cared for her. I don't even know how to describe it. She cared about me and invested in me and she was the one whose life had just been flipped upside down. She asked many questions about me and my family and remembered everything I told her even days later. She made a point of thanking me every time I came in to help her with something. Her face would light up when I came in the room and she would be so excited to show me the balloons, cards, letters, dvds, books or trinkets she received from people.
Watching her family dynamic was beautiful as well. Her sons would read her book to her because she couldn't focus on the words when she was reading. They would rub her feet with lotion, fan her face, wash and brush her hair, read her the cards people sent her, and help out as much as they could. The oldest told me how hard it was to see his usually active mom (a marathon runner) confined to her back in bed but that he would do whatever she wanted to show her he loved her.
The husband was a real gem too. He was creative in how he cared for her and met her needs. He made her wiggle up the bed so she could hang her head off the top. I held her head while he got a basin of water and we washed her hair over the side of the bed. On my second day I came into the room to check on her to find that he had crawled in bed beside her and was singing to her and rubbing her hair.
I don't think I will every forget this little family. They were truly amazing.

Breakfast for Dinner

On the menu for tonight: Bacon and Eggs.

Yummy

The Need to Create

For years I have been taught to think rationally and to logically come to conclusions. There has been one correct answer to every question. Sometimes that answer is hard to find, but you can use the process of elimination to reach it. I have been told exactly how to express myself and how to interpret information.

I've been feeling as though I need to express myself creatively. Maybe not even express myself, but I've been wanting to challenge myself, or learn something, or do something to be proud of. I can't quite explain this nagging feeling to be more. To stretch myself. Maybe learn how to express myself a different way. I want creativity to be a part of me and a part of my life.

Suffice to say I want to try something new.

Because of this I have been doing a lot of baking. I made Mrs. Reimer's Cinnamon Buns a couple nights ago. They were delicious! Not nearly as good as Mrs. Reimer's though. Those are unbeatable. I have also made many cookies. Although they are gratifying to make... and to eat... they aren't very kind to the waistline.

I have also decided to start up cross-stitching. We'll see how long I am motivated with this. I am looking for something small to start off with. Then we'll see if I can commit to something a little bigger. Something worth keeping... or giving away.

i need sleep

My first night shift went well. I never felt excessively tired and I got to do a lot of research. I have yet to sleep though. I have to go back to the hospital in four hours and I have not slept since 3pm yesterday afternoon. That is bad. That is very bad. I will probably be sick tomorrow.

Night Shift

I am about to head to the hospital to start my first ever night shift. I break out in cold sweats just thinking about it.

Only a mother

This morning I was pestering Erik, as I often do. After a while (a long while, he is a patient man) the following conversation ensued:

Erik: Do we need to call your mother?

Nerfherder: My mother, why?

Erik: Because your mother is the only person in the world who would find you cute right now...

A post by Nerfherder.

Edited after much pestering by Erik

A quiz

After studying for finals my head is currently full of useless information. Let's see how much of it you know.

1. How many amino acids compose the Amyloid Beta protein?

2. What is PARK2?

3. On which chromosome is the gene known as "huntingtin" located on?

4. What is neural plasticity?

5. What is the "Cheese Effect"?

6. What is the epidermal growth factor receptor of the breast cell called?

7. What is an immunotoxin (I actually find this one rather interesting)?

8. What is PSA? What's a normal value for it?

9. At what temperature is cryosurgery of the prostate performed at?

10. Name an antibiotic that is known to cause tendonitis and tendon rupture. It is not given to children because it damages growing bones/cartilage.

Let's see if I remember the answers later.

Rewarding Myself

I was the first one done my pathophysiology exam today. The first person! It took 35 minutes. I even checked every question over... then flipped through to make sure I didn't miss a page. My instructor was shocked when I walked to the back of the gym to hand it in. She said "Already?!?!" I flipped through one more time and said "I hope so".

I rewarded myself by watching The Biggest Loser and now I am off to study for my last final!

Time Out

Do you ever think about how big your decisions really are? Are there ever times that you realize the full impact they have on your life? I do.

I had that when I woke up this morning. I looked over at Erik and thought, this is my life. Then I thought, who in their right mind lets a 21 year old get married? I can't even decide on a career, but a husband, now there's something I can pick.

For a split second it is terrifying and then I get all warm and fuzzy inside and think about how comforting it is to be able to go through life with my best friend alongside me.

I love that man sleeping in my bed right now (yes, it is Erik). There are days I wouldn't get through if he wasn't with me (alright maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit). But in all honestly, he amazes me. Straight up. Love him.

For the Love of Asparagus

I love Asparagus. Love it. I could eat it all the time. It has definitely become one of my favorite vegetables. I like to eat them after they've been marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then barbecued for five minutes. mmmmm.. Delicious.

We had asparagus yesterday with Erik's birthday dinner (which was also delicious). I made garlic mashed potatoes, steak, sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and Kelsey's salad. I even got crumbled blue cheese for Erik's steak.

We had dragon fruit in the salad. I had never tried it before and it was actually pretty tasty. It kind of tastes like a kiwi... only softer. A little more subtle. Does that even make sense?

Of Babies and Anniversaries

Babies! Babies! Babies!

- My cousin Rodney had a little girl named Jocelyn Deborah weighing 7lb.

- My cousin Caleb had a little boy named Seth Jonathan weighing 8lb 1oz.

My brother's name happens to be Jonathan Seth. He and Caleb have always been great buds... obviously.

Sadly, both babies live in Alberta. No sweet baby smell for me. My favorite part of newborns is when you pick them up and they automatically curl their little legs up as you lift them. Oh, and their smell. And their little yawns. And their grunts and smacks. And their erratic stretching at times. And all their little body parts. And their little diapered bums. And their sleepers. And the fact that they let you snuggle for hours. Babies. Love them.

Anniversary!

Congratulations to Mom and Dad on an impressive 37 years.

Pregnant Women

I love them.

April!!!

Tomorrow is my last day of classes. I have a final exam in my 8:00am class. It shouldn't be too bad. It's worth 50%, but it's pass/fail. Woop-dee-doo.

It's Erik's birthday tomorrow. He'll be at work when I get home from school and I'll be in bed when he gets home so we are celebrating on Friday. I didn't get him anything for his birthday... That's bad. I'll make him a card when I get home tomorrow.

Well, I'm off to go study. Have a good night.

This is Erik after his wrestling tournament in February. Isn't he cute?

not cut out for the job

I have my summer practicum in April/May/some of June so I'm looking for part-time work to do on some my days off. One of my sister's co-workers is looking for someone to work at a store she owns downtown.

Sounds pretty perfect, eh?

I had an interview yesterday morning. I am quite embarrassed to admit it, but the store is called the Pampered Pooch Boutique or something of the sort. That makes me cringe.

I think I blew it though (thankfully).

Interviewer: So, do you like dogs?
Ashley: Nope.
Interviewer: Oooooook

Honestly though... this place was creepy! It looked cute when you walked in, but why do you need to dress up your dog? Why do they need specially ordered collars, charms, leashes, toys, carry bags, hair pieces, booties, or LIFE JACKETS!?!?! Life jackets?? Are you kidding me?!?!

Dogs I can handle. I can tolerate them. I can even enjoy them at times, but I will never understand accessorizing them.

Ugly Picture

I was reading on the couch one evening when Erik decided to pull out the camera. Erik never pulls out the camera. Erik doesn't take pictures.

I was reveling in my husband's attention but I didn't want him to know so I continued reading.

A couple minutes later I nonchalantly asked him what he was doing.

"Trying to take ugly pictures of you"

And ugly they were. Here is a photograph of my disgust... It happened to be one of the worst in the bunch.

Ready for Summer

I am ready for summer. I am sick of school, studying, writing notes, reading, driving to vernon, clinical. All of it. I am ready for summer.

Chicken Masala

Yes, I have yet another recipe. We had this one yesterday at our friend's house and it was absolutely delicious. It's a bit spicy though. Just a heads up.

Chicken Masala

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken
6 tsp ground corriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp salt

Dice chicken, rub spices in and marinate in fridge for 1 hour.

2 cups thinly sliced onion
3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Brown the onions and olive oil in a pan then add:

2 tsp minced Garlic
2 tsp minced Ginger

Set this aside.

Then take your chicken out and throw it in your pan (I recommend a cast iron skillet). Once it's cooked (or even almost cooked) add:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 cups chopped Tomatoes (or more, I love tomatoes)
1 tsp salt

Stir for 5 minutes with chicken and then add the onion mixture you set aside before.
Now stir in:

2 tsp ground poppyseed
1/2 cup water

Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice and naan bread.

Kelsey's Salad

My girlfriends and I like to have potlucks. They are especially great just after a study part, but only if it was an early study party. They are not recommended the weekend before an exam!

Anyway, back to the point. We always have potlucks and Kelsey always brings this incredible salad. The same salad each time. Without fail. And it is delicious each and ever time. Without fail.

This past potluck we got smart and asked Kelsey for the recipe and Erik and I have been enjoying it ever since.

Kelsey's Salad

- Spinach and Mixed Greens
- Feta Cheese
- Roasted Pine Nuts (this can be done on the stove or in the oven. careful though, when they start turning brown take them out or they will burn)
- Pomegranate (can be substituted for any fruit really - strawberries or mandarin oranges are highly recommended)

And for the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (the good stuff)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Oregano
- Salt and Pepper to taste (I don't usually put any in)

My Bare Necessities

Eat.

Poop.

Sleep.

That's all I need. When I am in a bad mood it is usually because one of those is unfulfilled. Thankfully Erik has caught on quickly.

I love the weekend after midterm week. After working solidly for a couple weeks I take a weekend to myself. I do absolutely nothing... and it feels GREAT.

Erik is working this week which is kind of a bummer. It does mean, however, that I get to read! And I love reading! It's wonderful. I have laundry, housecleaning, baking, and grocery shopping to do, but it doesn't bother me right now because I am just relaxing. Beautiful.

March Already, Eh?

I can't believe it's March already. I have two midterms this week and then I am home-free until finals! What a beautiful thing. Except for the fact that I have been having trouble motivating myself to study at all.

March. Well, it has been entirely uneventful. I received a birthday card from my SIL... two months late. Thank you kindly Shawna. January 8 is the big day. Other than that, it's snowing right now, which is a bummer. I want spring to come. I love spring. Spring means summer is just around the corner. I'm thinking of joining a soccer team this summer. I need to find me a real bad league though as my legs are highly uncoordinated. We'll see how that goes.

Wrestling

Erik and I had an impromptu trip to the lower mainland for a wrestling tournament that he participated in. We heard about it on Friday night and drove down on Friday for the "weigh in" and a practice. Then Erik had some matches on Saturday morning. He hasn't wrestled competitively since high school and is quite out of shape. He did well though. Won the first match by pinning the guy in the first round. I was impressed! More to come later.

My Shoes

Erik hates my shoes. When I say "hate" I mean he loathes them. He is always asking me to buy new ones. I admit, my shoes aren't too pretty, but who cares? The ones I have function quite well.

First, there's this little number. These are old faithful. Lindsey gave them to me just before I graduated from high school after she'd warn them for a couple years. They are my everyday shoes. Nothing special, but well loved. Mom got me this next pair from the dollar store three years ago. I LOVE them! Yes, they are bright yellow and hideous, but they are COMFORTABLE! I worked at MCC Thrift store two summers ago and if I wasn't wearing these babies I would come home with sore feet, knees and back. They are wonderful! I do wear them more often then I should, but they work in all environments! They are great for running errands, or running out of the house when you are going to miss your bus, or even just for a nice walk around the neighborhood.Speaking of the thrift store. I pick up these next two pairs while I worked there. I don't know why Erik doesn't like either of them. I thought he would love the red ones because they're his favorite color. Oh well, my brother-in-law likes them so that's good enough for me (this is the same BIL who told me I should go shopping for jeans with my sister because mine don't quite fit).Come on Erik! These are Hi-Tec!!! And they say SQUASH!!! It doesn't get better than this.These next two are the main culprits. Erik would love to see them burned. He would burn them too if he knew I wouldn't flip. He has dubbed this first pair "The Torpedoes". I understand they are hideous, but I got them for $2 when I was in Grand Cache once in high school and they still function rather well. I wear them to the hospital. I don't want nice shoes for that. They are strictly for clinical, but he doesn't even like seeing them in our closet.And these beauties are lovingly called "the Belugas". Erik even has sound effects for them when I wear them. And then we do the beluga foot dance... which is rather embarrassing when I think about it. They are so nice and easy to slip into. They also date back to high school, but I find them tolerable. They're ROXY! Doesn't that make me hip? They are undoubtedly comfortable. I think they will turn into hospital shoes when I lay the torpedoes to rest. I'll have to tie them up properly though.But this pair... Erik loves the Dexters. They are his favorite. Notice that they are size 7... I'm size 8-8.5. I saw them when I worked at MCC as well and I could not pass them up. Who doesn't want bowling shoes. They are not comfortable, but they actually fit quite tolerably. I can wear them all day long without complaining so they can't be that small (unlike the cleats I once wore for ultimate Frisbee that left all my toes bruised... those were terrible).This is my lovely shoe repertoire. I'm not planning on making any changes, much to Erik's dismay. I can't wait till I can wear flip flips all summer long so we can avoid this whole argument.

Writing Week

Well I am half-way through reading week and only half-way through the paper I have been trying to write. That's just the first draft. I still have the endless amount of editing to do! I hate needing to be productive on reading week, but every year I have exams or papers due the following week (except when I went to CBC... which is why CBC is the best). I have worked on this stinkin paper every day and have been making minimal progress each day. This could be due to the fact that:

a. It's reading week and I want to go play
b. I am awful at articulating myself in writing
c. I just don't want to do it

It really is a painful process, but I am persevering... and so is Erik. Let me tell you, it's probably just as painful for him.

In other news: we got free tickets to the Rockets game tonight. So that's where we are heading after dinner. Haystacks. Mmmm.

You Keep Us

You keep us waiting,
You, the God of all time,
want us to wait for the right time in which to discover
who we are, where we must go,
who will be with us, and what we must do,
So thank you... for the waiting time.

You keep us looking,
You, the God of all space,
want us to look in the right and wrong places
for signs of hope,
for people who are hopeless,
for visions of a beeter world that will appear
among the disappointments of the world we know,
So thank you... for the looking time.

You keep us loving,
You, the God whose name is love,
want us to be like you -
to love the loveless and the unlovely and the unloveable;
to love without jealousy or design or threat;
and most difficult of all, to love ourselves.
So thank you... for the loving time.

And in all this you keep us,
through hard questions with no easy answers;
through failing where we hoped to succeed
and making an impact when we felt we were useless;
through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;
and through Jesus Christ and his Spirit,
you keep us.
So thank you... for the keeping time,
and for now, and for ever. Amen.

Iona Community, Scotland

A Home

Lately I have been craving a home. I mean I have a place to live, but I want a home. I haven't felt at home since before I left for college; I have felt like a transient the four years since. I miss the enveloping peace that comes from feeling at home. The comfort that drains you of energy, but makes you blissfully happy.

My dream home:
- a couple acres
- little fixer-upper house
- couple cows, chickens, goats
- a relatively large garden
- a wood fireplace

Weather

I hate the winter weather in Kelowna. I love the spring, summer and fall, but the winter is just dreadful. It's just blah. It will snow a little here and there, but nothing substantial. Then it will stay foggy for a couple weeks. Then maybe snow a little more. Then be just freezing, then sunny and warm and then snow again... but not enough to go out and play in.

I miss the rain.

Some of the fam

I have been meaning to post these since Christmas. I know that was almost two months ago, but I just love some of these.
This is Jon after digging Zachary's truck out of the snow.
Christopher made a Christmas card for his parents. Cute.
The boys while we were snowboarding behind the truck. I use the term "we" loosely, I didn't even make an attempt.
Leah Joy and me at a family shindig.
Christopher proud of his loose tooth.
Mom and Erik.
Some of the cousins with Oma and Opa. We went out for breakfast on boxing day.
Mom and Auntie Ange.
Sharlene and Courtney.
Jon took a picture of himself.
Christopher showing us his flexibility.
Laughing during one of the many games we played.
Erik almost looks like he's crying, but I assure you he was giggling.
My nieces (Kaitlyn and Jessica) and cousins (Dineke and Sarah).

the SILs

I acquired two sister-in-laws when I married Erik. I think they are both nuts... but I love them dearly. I found this gem on my computer just today. What beauties.

Car Troubles

Our car wouldn't start last night. We had it towed to the dealership today (thank you BCAA). It's going to cost upwards of $1000 to fix.

Shit.

Random Things About Me.

*Warning: Long Post

I am inspired by Facebook, but don't have the heart to write this on there. I will not conform!!! Erik, must be rubbing off on me. It was kind of fun to think of things about myself. I have been leaving random notes around the house so that I had enough to write here... but I ended up with way more than the allotted 25. The beautiful thing is, this isn't Facebook. There are no rules. And I can have as many as I want.

1. I love lists. I sometimes make them just so I can cross things off. It makes me feel productive and motivates me to do more.

2. I hate cotton balls. Even thinking about them makes me shiver. I would dread Sunday School when we had to make sheep out of cotton balls. They made us pull them apart and spread them out. I still have nightmares.

3. I am jealous of anyone who travels. Genuinely jealous. I sometimes get mad about it. I guess that makes Lynn my worst enemy. I need to get out there.

4. I am really quite selfish when it comes to food. I will let Erik share off my plate, but I will get upset if he takes the "best" piece. I always save the best bite for last!

5. I love to read, but wish I could do it more. I miss reading for pleasure. I read 9 novels in 2 weeks over Christmas holidays and it was DELIGHTFUL.

6. When I am reading a great book, nothing else matters. Nothing.

7. I am obsessed with photography. OBSESSED! Ask Erik. Ask anyone. I would love to be a GREAT photographer. It is one of my goals. I would love to document everything in photos. If I don't have pictures of something it's like it never happened. I am most interested in taking pictures of life. Just life. Mainly strangers... but I don't because I feel... rude? I'm not a good photographer yet, but I will be. I also want to learn how to edit photos.

8. I can't fall asleep in my own bed unless Erik is home. That isn't good when he works until 12am and I have to be up at 5. I have no trouble falling asleep at other people's houses without him there though.

9. I did not sleep through the night in our first three months of being married. I would wake up every time Erik moved or I moved and accidentally touched him. It was frustrating. I enjoy the extra warmth now.

10. I love writing letters. I think they are much more intimate. Snail mail is wonderful.

11. I was a First Year/Freshman in college three years in a row at three different schools in three different cities. Man it feels good to be a second year (although I would rather be graduating).

12. I love human biology. Mainly anatomy and physiology. Grade 12 Bio was a great course, as was my anatomy and physiology course last year.

13. I love Disney movies. LOVE THEM!

14. I wish I could play the piano. My sister Sharlene and my niece Jessica are both amazing and I could sit and listen to them for hours. Jessica played for my wedding and her playing alone brought tears to my eyes.

15. I walked down the aisle to Glasgow Love Theme from the movie Love Actually.

16. My sister Lindsey picked it out. She wanted to walk down the aisle to it, but got married in Costa Rica so that didn't quite work out for her.

17. I love people watching.

18. I can cry at the drop of a hat. I cry in movies, commercials, books, from hearing a story or listening to music. I cry in anticipation for something tragic or wonderful in a movie that I have already seen. I even cried in the Little Mermaid last summer.

19. My favorite part of a bag of crackers is the very end. I love the salt and the crumbs at the bottom. I also love the brown side of the Stone Wheat Thins.

20. My mom buys books for us at Christmas. She always has. It has always been what I most look forward to. She has given us books that we read as kids over the years... and we all get the same ones. It is quite fun.

21. I'm pretty last minute. My mom made my grad dress the day before grad... without a pattern.

22. I am forever calling people (usually at the last minute) asking to borrow clothes when I need to dress up. I usually rope whoever it is into doing my hair and make-up for me before I head out.

23. I have only put mascara on myself (I finally bought some for my wedding). If I need more than that I recruit someone else.

24. I have never owned a brush. Or a blow-dryer.

25. I cut my hair off for Locks of Love two years ago and never once regretted it.

26. Erik loved my long hair.

27. I have played every position in a college volleyball game, except libero. I have started a game as a setter, right-side, power and middle.

28. That being said, I don't excel at any of those positions. I'm just an all-around kinda player.

29. I love laughter that brings tears to my eyes.

30. I love fresh sheets.

31. I baked my first loaf of bread from scratch and by hand last week. It was whole wheat, pumpkin seed, flax bread. Keeps you regular.

32. I have had all my thank-you cards completed since before Christmas but haven't sent out any. All the addresses are on my computer that pooped out on me.

33. Both college volleyball teams I played for won the Team Academic Awards. We were pretty smart.

34. I have been riding the bus for months now and I'm still nervous navigating them. I am especially afraid of the doors not opening when I want to get off. Some you have to push, some just open, some you aren't supposed to touch at all. I always sit behind them so that I can see what other people do. I have even missed my stop intentionally because I didn't want to look silly... thankfully someone got off at the next stop so I didn't have to walk too far.

35. I am addicted to cards. Buying them, sending them, collecting them. I have tons from when I worked at the thrift store. That was a rockin' job.

36. My all-time favorite job was working at Schneider's. I packaged smokies for two summers. It was awesome. I still dream about it and i get excited when talking about it!

37.I put hours into teaching myself to crack my knuckles. My friend, Rachael, did it and I loved the sound. It was a painful process, but I can now crack all of my knuckles.

38. I had one day to pick out my wedding dress.

39. I hate taking showers because I hate being cold when I come out of them.

40. I hate drying off with a damp towel. Same reason.

41. I used to use Q-tips infrequently just so I could have a lot of gunk on them when I did use them. That was a while ago. I promise.

42. I wish I was more resourceful and creative.

43. I aspire to be like my sister-in-law Shawna. I don't feel I'm ready to commit to living that much "greener" though. She recommends all these great books, but I feel as though I would be momentarily enthused and then forget all about it. I'm hoping to do some canning etc in the summer. I need to take baby steps. We recycle.

44. I have always dreamed of living in Africa for a while. Now I'm up for anywhere...

45. Transitioning into married life was more natural than I thought it would be. I love it.

46. I am addicted to the game Bohnanza. I make Erik play it with me all the time.

This is Joey. I like to call him Joseph... or stinky.

Apache Blessing

This has been on my sister's fridge since we moved here and I never actually read it until today. I kind of like it. I've always liked blessings.

may the sun
bring you new energy by day,
may the moon
softly restore you by night,
may the rain
wash away your worries,
may the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
may you walk
gently through the world and know
its beauty all the days of your life.

Update

Ashley is lazy and she always tries to get me to update her blog.

Love,

Erik

Notice of Vehicle Impound

Our car broke down on New Year's Eve as we were returning from Stanwood, Washington. To make a long story short, the alternator died we were going to buy the part and Erik's brother was going to install it. We used the cops phone to call Erik's brother to come rescue us. We left the car on the side of the road because the guys assured me that we had a couple days until it was towed. That was before it snowed. We went back the next evening to install the alternator and our car was not there. No one could have stolen it because there is no way you could have started the thing. We spent the next day calling around trying to find out car. Then, after being charged an astronomical fee, we pushed our car out of the impound and came back later that evening to install the alternator before coming home.

Today, I received in the mail a "Notice of Vehicle Impound" informing us that we have 120 hours from the time of impoundment to redeem our car or else it will be declared abandoned and sold at an auction to the highest bidder.

Our car was impounded on January 1, 2009 at 8:30am and we received the letter at roughly 6:30pm on January 7, 2009... that's about 152 hours after impoundment meaning our car would have been auctioned off yesterday.

Thanks for informing us.

Happy New Year

We're three days in and I already didn't have to go to clinical today.

I am not looking forward to this semester. First, I have to commute to Vernon three days a week for clinical. Second, I am on a medical floor which does not interest me in the slightest. Third, I am so sick of school.

The longer I'm in nursing, the less I want to do it. I don't want to work in a hospital. Ever. I'm hoping this is a phase I am going through. You know, like the terrible two's... There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I just have to get through 15 more weeks... then two more years, but I'm hoping those will be better. It's not even that I'm doing poorly. I think I would make a great nurse, but I don't know if I will LOVE it. I want to love what I am doing. There are so many things you can do with with a nursing degree that I don't even know about and I am hoping to find something I do love.

On a more positive note Erik gave me my birthday present yesterday, two days early, because he works tonight and tomorrow night. He gave me a lovely picture frame with three of our wedding photos in it. I think it is beautiful!

Productivity.

Since my last update I have been rather productive. In the past eight days I have:

- Had a bake-athon with my girlfriends
- Read three books
- Cleaned the dreaded closet
- Written some letters and cards
- Finished most of my Thank you cards (although I still don't have access to any of the addresses)
- Slept in
- Gone to Stanwood and back
- Finished almost all of my Christmas shopping

So, this Bake-athon we had... It was insanity! We were baking for over 10 hours. We made 11 recipes and doubled each one! We made everything from peanut brittle to gingerbread cookies to no-bake cookies to chocolate balls to biscotti and much much more. We were so sick of it by the end. Not to mention the fact that we were utterly overwhelmed by the quantity of cookies we were supposed to be taking home with us.

On to my readings.
"Night" by Elie Wiesel - Fantastic. Highly recommended. It's the authors record of surviving the holocaust and the terrifying things that he lived through. Short book, very moving.
"Stolen Innocence" by Elissa Wall - A bit slow at first, but by the end I didn't want to put it down. This was more informative than I expected. It's about the author's experience growing up in a polygamous sect. She was a teenage bride and eventually broke free of the community. The author does a good job defending certain aspects of the polygamous community while unveiling some of the horrors that occur. The book is written with sincerity, love and sadness for the people she left.
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult - Another highly recommended read. Erik even made me read this one aloud to him in the car while we were driving because it is so well written. It's about a little girl who was born because her parents wanted a genetic match for her older sister who has leukemia. This little girl has undergone so many procedures to keep her sister alive and healthy and she has finally decided that she doesn't want to anymore. It's about a family's struggle to do what is right.

I should go wake Erik up... Have a good day!

Woops

Erik got off work at 12:00am. I was supposed to pick him up, but I fell asleep on the couch and didn't wake up until 12:39am. I jumped in the car and FLEW to his work. There I sat outside, embarrassed waiting for him to come out and scold me. I switched to the passenger seat. About 15 minutes later these two guys came out asking me what I was doing there. They informed me that Erik had decided to walk home. I eventually found him and humbly picked him up... now totally embarrassed... and a bit frustrated! Who walks home at 1:00am?!?!?!?!

Oh yeah, guys whose wives forget to pick them up.

My Christmas List

There are so many things I want to do this Christmas.

The not-so-fun things:
- Clean my house, including that dreaded closet. We have this walk in storage space that's about the size of a walk in closet that's all cement with some make-shift cupboards that is a disaster! We moved in the day before school started and I have been putting it off until now. It is time!
- Get on top (and stay on top) of laundry. I currently have five loads to do. Yes, that is all of our clothing. At least we have clean towels... that's a plus right??
- Fix my computer. For some reason the screen won't turn on anymore. The computer sounds fine but something isn't connecting. That is bad because all the addresses are on there for our wedding "Thank you" cards. (Yes I left those until Christmas too)

The "me-time" things:
- Read. I haven't been able to enjoy reading for the past two years. I have only read nursing books and that isn't cutting it. I tried to read in the summer, but there was too much to do and reading just wasn't enjoyable when I wasn't busy. I miss falling asleep reading.
- Walk. When we first moved here I walked all the time. I loved it until school became too busy and sucked the life out of me.
- Write in my journal on occasion. I blame this mostly on Erik. I share everything with him and it feels redundant and tiring to write it all down either before or after I talk to him about it. I love writing my thoughts though. I think better that way. Now I'll have time too! (I hope)
- Write letters to people. There is nothing better than getting a hand-written letter by snail mail. I think they are so precious and much more intimate and personal.

The fun things:
- Bake! I'm getting together with my girlfriends on Monday and we are baking 16 dozen cookies together. We are doing 2 dozen of 8 recipes so it should be good.
- Make a gingerbread house with Erik. That will just be fun.
- Write Thank You Cards. This will not always be fun, but I like connecting with people and it gives me an opportunity to write some people that I would not normally send mail to.
- Go to Stanwood for Erik's Alaska Fishermen Christmas party.
- Go home for Stewart's wedding.
- Go home and then to Stanwood for Christmas and Mom's birthday.

And of course there's always:
- drinking tea
- lighting candles
- sleeping in
- enjoying rooms lit by nothing by Christmas lights

And that's just off the top of my head!

Oh Bother

I know I should really be studying right now. I have a bio exam at 9:30 tomorrow morning and I haven't started studying for it, but I just wrote my nursing exam this afternoon and I am exhausted! I hate nursing exams. Sometimes I feel I would do better if I didn't study at all (ok, that's an exaggeration, maybe if I studied LESS) because their questions are often ridiculous. I over think things wanting to have the answer somewhere, but I don't. I guess so often and that frustrates me! I have adopted the "I just have to pass" attitude... ok that's a lie too, but I wish I could.
My Christmas holiday starts as of 11:30 tomorrow. Hallelujah!

No More Surgical Floor!

Today was my last day on the Surgical Unit at KGH. I really enjoyed the semester on the floor, but I am not sad that it is over. I could actually see my self starting on a surgical unit. Well... here is a lame picture I made Erik take on my first day of clinical. I know it's silly, but my mom used to take pictures of us on our first days of school and so I thought it would be cute? No? Oh well. It made me smile.

Phone Call from France

My dear friend Alicia moved to France in the middle of August. Two weeks before my wedding. She has been my "best friend" since before I knew her. Her family lived in Ontario and I knew of them because they were friends of my parents, but I didn't know who she was. She moved here when I was in grade 1 and she was in grade 3 and we have been great friends ever since.

Anyway. She called me today when I came home from clinical and it was WONDERFUL to talk to her! She wasn't able to make it to my wedding, which was a bummer, but she got to move to France to fulfill a dream she has had since we were wee ones. She is playing professional volleyball in Europe and I am so so proud of her!

I got to talk to her today and it was GRRREEAAATTTT!

On another note. Tomorrow is my last day of clinical for the semester! Yippee!

Simply in Season

Erik couldn't resist buying a cookbook while we were at 10 Thousand Villages last week. So we came home with "Simply in Season". It is incredible! The book is split into the seasons and it tells you which fruits and vegetables are available. It then gives a bunch of recipes using those ingredients. It has breads, breakfasts, soups, salads, sides, main dishes, desserts, extras, and there is even a canning section in the summer. There's a nice little "All Seasons" section as well which is always nice.

Last night Erik make Kale Potato Soup - a definite winner. We didn't have any bread to go with it, but a hearty bread would have been delicious with it!

Kale Potato Soup

1 large bunch kale (chopped)
Steam and set aside. (don't try to cook it with the potatoes; the flavor will be too strong.)

1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion (chopped)
1 clove garlic (minced)
Melt butter in soup pot. Add onion and saute until golden. Add garlic and saute another minute.

2 large potatoes (diced)
2 cups/500 ml hot water or broth
Add, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Remove half the cooked potatoes; puree the rest with the cooking liquid and return to the soup pot. Return reserved potatoes and steamed kale to soup pot.

3 cups/750 ml water or broth
salt and pepper to taste
Add along with additional hot water or milk to preferred consistency. Heat gently until hot and serve.

Delicious! I would recommend using broth instead of water... adds some extra flavor.

I have been looking through pictures finally choosing which ones to print off and put in albums. It has been a long time coming and it is tedious, but I love pictures. Nobody likes looking at pictures you have saved on your computer, it is much more pleasant to leisurely page through an album of printed pictures. Now I just need to save up money to print off the thousands of pictures I have from the past four years.

I have recently been going through my Edmonton pictures. That was a fun year, especially after Laura and Brittney moved in. I can't believe I used to have that much fun... during school! When I should have been studying!! The funny thing is, I still studied my rear off and got great marks, but I managaed to spend almost every evening out gallivanting with either the girls or Eric, Church and Josh.

I miss these girls.
There was never a shortage of exciting things to do. Things I miss about Edmonton:
1. Laura and Britt's room - the Hub of King's.
2. Karaoke
3. Late night talks and laughs
4. "Renting Movies" from Laura
5. Playing pool at the HighRun
6. The $0.50 theater
7. Walking to Capilano "mall"
8. Climbing trains
9. Dinners at Laura's parents house
10. Knowing everyone in the school - at least recognizing them all
11. All the random little adventures we went on

Mainly I miss Laura. Laura, Jack, Jodi, and Britt.

This is my husband...

C-section!

I don't know when I'll have time ... or energy (I'm pretty lazy right now) to write again, but I just wanted to say that I got to watch a C-section when I was in the OR this week!!!! It was great! I cried a little. Just a little.

Wedding Pictures

We finally got our pictures! Here are a couple.


Centerpieces.

I Have Survived... so far

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Erik updated my blog for me.

Erik recapped the honeymoon nicely, but he missed a bit of the wedding. As Eriksaid, it poured. It was quite disappointing. Still great though. Two best decisions for the wedding:
1. All my flowers were from Pike's Market. We went the day before and picked them all up for $150. That is 6 massive bouquets and then 20 centerpieces. The centerpieces were BEAUTIFUL! I gave the lady my order and they were all ready in an hour! My bouquet (which was massive) only ended up being $10. That is AMAZING!
2. Doing pictures before the ceremony. This was great because a) It started pouring right as we were done our pictures and b) The rest of the day was much more relaxing. Not that I was nervous for pictures, but it was so nice to go from the ceremony to the reception... especially considering the fact that it poured so there was nothing for our guests to do between the two anyway. It was so nice to see Erik beforehand and to have a couple moments to just enjoy each other without worrying about anything but being with each other. I had always been so against seeing each other beforehand because it "ruins the moment", but it was so good! I still cried walking down the aisle... and every time I looked at all the people there to support and love us. It is honestly strange and wonderful to have all these people you love smiling at you.

This past month has been crazy! The first week back at school was a bit of a blur. We came home from our honeymoon on Sunday, moved to Kelowna on Monday, and I had class at 8:00am on Tuesday. Talk about hectic. I don't know if I would recommend it, but I have enjoyed it... or at least survived.

Marriage is great. I don't really know what to tell you about it, but I love being married. It is a HUGE change from dating long-distance... and it rocks.

You'll have to verify this with Erik, but I think I am more relaxed this year than I was last year. I am not quite as stressed with school and I am a bit more level-headed. I would attribute a lot of that to Erik. He is always encouraging and supportive. He goes for walks with me when I'm going to freak out and ... this is a little embarrassing... but I haven't had to cook once since we've been married. I have helped him a couple times, but he does most of the work. He has brought a lot more balance to my life. I'm definitely not doing as well in school as I have in the past, but I am enjoying life more (I actually have a life) and I am a generally happier person. We even had a games night when I had an exam two days later! That is unheard of!

I don't have much else to say. I am excited for Thanksgiving. Some of my family is coming out here so we should all have a good time.

Oh! Erik's brother just got engaged! So the familial count is still growing. We don't have much further to go! There are only 5 siblings not married between the two of us.

I'm supposed to get pictures from the photographers this week or next, but I'll put a couple pictures up for your viewing pleasure.




Ok... pictures are taking a really long time. You'll have to wait.

Pseudo-blogger

Hello Everyone. You may have come to this blog thinking that your friend and mine will have posted this. You're wrong! Ashley has asked me to update this for the last month or so and I finally cannot stand it anymore. I am actually afraid to write this knowing that it may be the first of many updates that I may be asked to do but I feel I must update.

Here is the highlight reel.

Ashley and I are married. Weddings are such a funny thing. One day costs much stress and money but it is an important day. The day started off with sun in the east. We had been fretting about a sixty percent chance of showers which was supposed to increase in the afternoon. Still we had to hope. To make a long story short, it didn't rain... it poured and it didn't stop until after the ceremony and the reception.

Luckily for us we had chosen the location because of the well known ability the west coast has to rain no matter what the season. We were also fortunate to have taken our pictures in the morning which turned out to be perfect conditions for wedding pictures.

The wedding ceremony was wonderful. It was such a great experience to have so many of our friends and family together in one place, I wish we could have had a longer time to celebrate with them. That's really the only regret, not enough time.

Here are some quick honeymoon highlights, hopefully Ash will put up some pictures on here soon.

-We stayed for 2 nights at the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle which was an amazing gift from a friend. It was perfect for how exhausted we were, we didn't really go anywhere or do anything, we just rested. It was wonderful.

-Next we drove down to Florence, Oregon. We camped out at J.M. Honeyman State park in the nation dunes park. We visited some cute little towns, the sea lion caves, and the sand dunes of Oregon. Florence is the town where they blew up the whale to remove it from the beach but it ended up raining molten whale blubber for like an 1/4 mile radius or something. Check it out on youtube here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGVkHl-nBhE

-We drove up from Florence to Astoria, Oregon and we must have visited every single historical sight and viewpoint on the map. It was tiring but I'm glad that we did it.

-We stayed in a bed and breakfast in Astoria which was my favorite part of the trip. We happened to be right down the street from the Goonies house and right down the other way from the school that Kindergarten cop was filmed at. We also drove over the bridge that was used in Short Circuit. I was in movie heaven as these were all movies I enjoyed growing up.

-We went to see a civil war reenactment which was really fun to see and hear about.

We are now living in Kelowna, BC. Ashley is doing her second year of nursing and I am keeping house while I apply for permanent residence status. I am looking for work in churches where I can actually get a work visa but it doesn't look so good on that end of things either.

That's all for now. Maybe you'll hear from Ashley later.

Ta ta.

Murphy's Law

"Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

This seems to be a theme in wedding planning... or just in general in the past couple weeks. For example:

- About a month and a half ago our pastor and pre-marital counselor told us he wouldn't be able to do either the wedding or the pre-marital sessions. He had already missed our first two meetings without ever communicating with us where he was or why he wasn't there. We didn't hear from him for over a month and a half and then he finally emailed us to say he wasn't able to do it. That sadly left us with no time for counseling as we don't live in the same country so we were barely able to get the number of sessions in before the wedding. We thankfully found someone to do the ceremony for us, but we are going to have to do post-marital counseling. That was a huge disappointment.

- Erik's car window was smashed and my purse, camera, work keys and Erik's Ipod were stolen from his car when we were swimming in the river two weeks ago. Yes, they were hidden (except for his Ipod). Yes, this did occur in Washington and my wallet was stolen therefore I was stuck in Washington. Being stuck in Washington without ID is not conducive to getting a marriage license or working or... well pretty much everything I needed to be doing. This ended relatively well as:
1. my nieces hadn't put my ID back into my wallet when we were crossing the border so it was in the console of my car (too bad I didn't realize this until 4 days post-theft).
2. my computer was in the back of the car and they didn't see it
3. I had left the car keys at Erik's house.

- My sisters (also my bridesmaids) didn't pick dresses until two weeks ago. From day one I told them they were in charge of getting dresses they liked (in yellow... or green) and we were still at three weeks before the wedding day without dresses. They ended up narrowing it down to two dresses two weeks ago and then we sat and awaited their arrival. One was a yellow dress being borrowed and one was a green dress being bought. The yellow was given then thumbs down quite quickly because of it's strange mid-calf length.

- We got the green dresses in on Saturday, but they weren't put on until Sunday. It didn't fit! It was over two inches too small! My mother wasn't sure if she could fix it so we were thinking of Plan B and C and D and E. We were just going to do black dresses then because they would be the easiest to find on short notice, but my mother managed to fix the dress. So, bridesmaid dresses are completed.

- Erik and I went to Kelowna yesterday to pick up my wedding dress. We had a 10am appointment and so we arrived at the store and Erik went off to read his book. The lady said she would be just a minute and so I wandered around. I was perusing the dresses and I found the one I had wanted... I had seen it on the internet and loved it and it wasn't there when I went to the store (I had one day to choose my dress or it would not have come in on time). It was there, and it was beautiful AND it was $100 cheaper than my dress!! Shucks eh. Anyway, the lady in the store looked kind of panicked and she was bustling from the front desk to the back room. After about 20 minutes she came to me and said, "We don't have your dress". I was like "Ok, do you know where it is?" She said, "Yup, it is at the seamstresses house. She hasn't started your alterations yet." I asked if she could be done by 4pm because I knew there really weren't many alterations to be done. There were more phone calls and, yup they could be done by 4pm (I had to be home by 8pm). So I got directions to the seamstresses house, Erik and I enjoyed our day together in Kelowna and then we picked up my dress and went home.

Those are the major going wrongs. There are many many many many more minor ones. Many. Things not being completed on time. Erik buying the wrong supplies (bless his heart). He tries to be so helpful and I really appreciate it, but he happens to need VERY SPECIFIC instructions. Painfully specific. That is something I'll have to work on giving the first time around.

Oh, and I have no idea what our flowers are going to be like. I couldn't order flowers because we didn't have dresses so we are going to Pike's market on Saturday to pick out flowers and Erik's friend is going to make them into beautiful bouquets for us... :)

I am still loving wedding planning (most of it). For everything that has gone wrong, there has been a remedy or at least an alternative. Everything will get done. It may not be what we planned, but it will be wonderful. I'll have a husband by the end of it and that is really all I want.

I'm glad he's home

Me - "Hey Erik, you can tell me if I look bad and I won't take it personally."

20 minutes later.

Erik - "Hey Ashley, you should learn 4 different hairstyles to rotate through."

Me - "Am I not pretty enough for you?"

Erik - "Well, you are beautiful, but you could learn some easy hairstyles to enhance your beauty."

Me - "What, you don't like my hair?"

Erik - "Well, you look like a Sasquatch."

Me - "A Sasquatch??"

Erik - "Maybe a Wookie."



If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Deflated.

That's how I feel. Deflated.

Erik has been fishing in Alaska for the past 3 weeks and comes home on Sunday. Hallelujah! I can't wait to just BE with him - even if he hasn't showered since he left home. This week has been exhausting and I just want my best friend.

On Saturday as I was about to leave my sister's house to attend Reuban and Amy's wedding I decided to quickly check my email. Erik's sister had just sent me an email informing me that Erik's grandfather was not doing well and that they were taking him home to pass away surrounded by people who love him. I decided to skip the reception and to instead go down to Stanwood to be with the family - my soon-to-be in-laws. Grandpa passed away on Sunday afternoon in his home surrounded by his family. It was an interesting experience to be there - especially because Erik was in Alaska. His family functions much differently than mine does so it was interesting to support them in their grieving. There were many moments where I sat there thinking "What AM I doing here?" or "Uh... what should I do now?" I feel blessed to have been there and to have witnessed and participate in the family supporting each other.

On Monday I was planning on going to visit Grandma and the aunt's again but my mother called to inform me that my aunt and uncle got in a car accident up by Burn's Lake on their way home. Thus started another ordeal.

To make a long story short, three cousins were airlifted from Smithers to Children's Hospital in Vancouver. The two oldest boys underwent reconstructive surgery on their faces yesterday (broken eye socket, broken cheek bones, broken jaw, etc. etc.) and the youngest boy has been sedated in ICU. They were worried about brain damage and spinal cord damage, but today we got news that he is in the clear as far as that goes. He did tear at least one ligament supporting the vertebrae in his neck. They need to ween him out of sedation to assess the full extent of his injuries. My other little cousin is in Terrace with another Aunt as she had minimal injuries.

So my days have been full of work and then driving out to Children's to hang out with my cousins. I have had a wonderful time hanging out with them. They are such troopers. The most difficult part was wheeling the two older boys down to see their brother in ICU for the first time. They were both in rough shape, but they wanted to see him. It broke my heart pushing them up to the bed and seeing them both well up with emotion. They were both hesitant, but they touched Jonas and held his hands and feet and talked to him. I can't even begin to describe what that experience felt like. I was in awe. The only word that comes to my mind is reverence. That is the word that I would use to describe those precious moments. Does that even make sense?

Throughout it all, I have felt a pang of loneliness. I have so many people around me, but I deeply miss Erik. I want to share this time with him. I want the comfort he offers, the knowing. I miss him.

High Ropes... Hell!

It has been a while and I have been psyching myself up to update.

Erik and I went to Sasquatch! It was a lot of fun. The weather was much nicer than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the bands we saw. As anticipated, Tegan and Sara were awesome!! So were Flight of the Conchords! So great!

On Tuesday I went to work with Erik. He was facilitating the high ropes course at Warm Beach Camp. I got to stop people after they went on the swing, bring them the ladder to climb up on, unclip them and help them down. Erik was trying to convince me all day to go on the course with him, but I am TERRIFIED of heights. Who would have thought? I haven't always been, but it developed somewhere in my life. I know that you are entirely safe and that if the course was 5 ft off the ground it would be pitiful, but I am still very uncomfortable with being 30 ft off the ground. All day I watched kids romp around the course, but I was still adamant that I was not going to join them. Finally at 9:00pm I was pressured into going up there. All the kids were gone so it was just me and Erik up there with his two work buddies on the ground. It was still light when we started, but by the time we were done it was a fair bit darker and my depth perception was failing me so I missed the wires a couple times. I was not impressed. I even cried at one point (just a little bit... tears just welled up in my eyes then went away).

I think it's a bad idea to do the course with someone you know. What I mean is that if I did it with a facilitator that I didn't know then my only picture of who they were would be this hero who conquers the high ropes course all day every day. It is easy to blindly trust a person who you only know in the context of what you are doing. It is much harder to trust your fiance. Well, I trust Erik, but I don't have this distorted picture of him being the high ropes guru. I know who he is and I have no problem telling him to "Shut up!" or saying "No I don't need to stop and breathe I need to finish and get down!" or "Get away from me! Don't touch me! I'm trying to breathe!" I didn't have to pretend that I wasn't scared and that I was confident. I was allowed to be pathetic... and pathetic I was.

I finished though. Hallelujah!

Here are some random pictures from the past couple weeks.

At Erik's grandparent's house at 5:00am.
Christopher and Justin at Zachary's baseball game.

On the way home from Erik's grandparent's one day.

Grandma Lea without her wig.