before the summer ends...

Wow...the last few months feel like they never happened. Not that nothing happened. I had my fair share of adventures, but really...it's September already. I feel cheated. There ought to be at least two more months of summer. Instead, yesterday I mowed my lawn for what will probably be the last time this year. My potato plants are dying. I'm wearing coats. I even considered turning my furnace back on. And worst of all, no more greenery--it will soon be replaced with the slow steady onslaught of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.

*sigh*

There was a point in my life where the advent of fall/winter was met with complete and utter joy. But that particular point in my life was also the intersection of school holidays and parental financial aid, which helped immensely with my pursuit of various winter activities. Such as skiing. Snowmobiling. Sledding. Things that I rarely have time for or cannot afford. Stupid adulthood. Why have you cheated me of such happiness? Now I have to think about paying for heating my house, driving on ice-covered highways with people who should never have been given a driver's license in the first place, and making it to work on time after a snowfall of three feet lands on my driveway.

But not yet. I still have a few more weeks. Maybe even a month. Perhaps more. I know the snow is coming - it always does. But when...that's the question. And I will be ready for it. I always am. I complain about it more than I used to, I know. I even pretend that I hate it. Hate the cold, hate the snow, hate all the extra little inconveniences that the season throws at me. But I deceive myself. Every fall, every winter brings with it remembrances of seasons past, memories of the beauty that came before, of the beauty that is leaving, and the beauty that is to come. For it really is something to behold. The fall colours, with all their bright glory, like palm branches of honor, heralding in the winter months. The winter snow, with its cleansing power, its months of jubilee, its promise of a resurrection.

And spring will come. And then summer again. As they always do. The same yesterday, today, and forever.

33 km off the highway...

Our mission: to go on a roomie camping trip. Success? Eh....almost. We got there in one piece. It was a beautiful campsite: big clear lake, huge green trees, quiet neighbours...really, it had all the makings of a wonderful bonding/tanning/swimming experience.


See? Ain't that a purty sight!

And we even took full advantage of the nearby playground. Or at least, Linda and Joanne did.



But then (horror of horrors!) the campsite threw us lemons. And I mean buckets of them. It rained all night, which was about the worst thing that could happen to people in tents. Slightly leaky tents. And tents that were at a slightly lower elevation than the rest of the campground. At any rate, we woke up pretty much floating and unable to make a fire (which, as you might know, is the whole point of camping...to cook over the open flame).
But despite our dampened spirits (har har), we made the best lemonade we could. We set up a makeshift awning with a tarp, some rope, and some strategically arranged trees (which was entirely God's doing). Some friends had lent us a small propane camp stove so we were able to make coffee, eggs and bacon. And then we pretty much gave up. I wouldn't say that we're quitters, but really...there was no sign of the rain letting up and I know I wasn't about to try and sleep in soaking wet blankets. Despite the setbacks, we did have a great time...hopefully the next time we venture out, we'll borrow a holiday trailer.

even more birthdays

My mom decided that this year might be a nice one to throw a joint birthday party for my grandma and my aunt Ester (who actually isn't my aunt...she's my mom's cousin, but really, it's easier to refer to her as Auntie). So she prepared a bunch of food, invited all the relatives, managed to keep it as a surprise for Grandma, and ta-da! We had a party! It was actually a lot of fun. I probably have bought into the whole "beware of the family reunion" idea to a certain extent, so I came with a slight bit of trepidation, but overall, it went over extremely well. The food was delicious, the company was fun, the kids were adorable. The only downside was that some people were unable to attend. But never fear -- the afternoon was such a big hit that the relatives want to go for Round 2...so who knows? Maybe there's another party in my future... :)

The birthday girl herself (also known as "The one who was actually surprised by this event").


Her sister (mother of the other birthday girl).


The other birthday girl (also known as "The one who hides behind trees all sneaky-like").


Cousin Alex with nephews Logan and Malachi.


Destiny...always a big smile!



The kids ran around our very wet yard and found lots of little mushrooms. Needless to say, the mushrooms provided a lot of amusement.


Cleo, just posing.


Dear ol' Uncle Greg, manning the burger station.

Kailyn showing off her hula-hooping skills.

happy birthday, michelle!

Hope it was fun, ol' buddy ol' pal! Except for the movie choice. As a future warning, do NOT under any circumstances watch "Beastly." Worst. Movie. Ever. The only redeemable part about it was Neil Patrick Harris and even his role was completely unnecessary.

food, volleyball, and a 50mm lens

The Fourth of July was a holiday for me...for no other reason than I always have Mondays off...hehehe. But it was extra special since I have lunch with friends and then played several rousing games of volleyball. I haven't played for years, it feels like, so I was a little rusty...and also quite competitive. And there is truly nothing worse than a competitive and rusty volleyball player... And I had more opportunities to try out the ol' (scratch that....the NEW) 50 mm lens. Whee!

And because I'm lazy and don't feel like fighting with Blogger, these photos are kind of in reverse order. Oh well. There really isn't much of a story line with them, so you're not missing out on anything :).

what a day to be canadian

Linda and I went to the parade yesterday. Overall, I'd give it 2.5 maple leaves out of 5...in other words, not that interesting. I can only remain mildly amused by people waving to us in trucks for only so long. Then it gets boring. And slightly insulting. I mean, really...did I come all this way to be pelted by candy, thrown by teenagers wearing facepaint and colourful clown wigs? NO.

Although, to be fair, "all this way" isn't really that far. Less than five minutes by car. And this is the Grande Prairie Canada Day parade, not Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, so I guess I can live with trailers covered in balloons and featuring old people in lawn chairs, waving to us like people who have been waving at people for hours. Which they probably had.

But on the bright side (quite literally), I got to try out my new 50mm lens. Being a fixed lens, I must employ a more natural "zoom" if I want to get closeups, but that's okay.

Happy Dominion Day, ya'll.

the days are getting shorter now...

Summer is here, and with it comes green grass, blue skies, BBQ for dinner, and lazing out on the deck under the cancer-spewing sun. Sorry...that last bit is a little cynical, isn't it :).





Our garden is going to be delightful...and probably delicious. Mmmmm....spinach and peas. BBQ is quite scrumptious, too.




I'm getting the feeling that this blog is quickly becoming a photo journal. Which is okay with me. I sort of maybe like photos.

it's friday...

I looked in the mirror this morning and I could have sworn that a member of Van Halen was looking back at me. Stupid bedhead...

Also, today we have an East Indian couple come in to get passports of the albino baby, which then prompted me to go straight to Wikipedia and learn all about albinism. Interesting stuff.

so now i guess i'm a photographer...

Well, for some reason, people think I am more than qualified to take their pictures because 1) I work at a photography studio and 2) I have a nice camera. This, however, does not guarantee a most excellent photoshoot. But apparently, that's not stopping people from asking me to take their pictures and (despite my own misgivings) it's not stopping me from accepting their money for such services. Which brings us to...the wedding of Keri-Lynn and Jeremiah.


Keri-Lynn is an old childhood friend of mine and we recently reconnected. Long story short, she found out about my job, asked me to take their engagement photos, and then asked me to take their wedding photos. Thankfully, I was acting as a secondary photographer, so it wasn't nearly as scary as it could have been (yikes!). But overall, the experience was good. I obviously am not a great photographer, but I had fun with it and was relatively pleased with the results.


I was extremely glad for the experience, especially since I was asked to another wedding in a few weeks (eep!). We'll see how that one works out!

things i have (not) done since september 2009

I have:

* not written a single blog post (big surprise there).
* lost one extremely boring desk job and gained a much more interesting photography job.
* met some amazing people.
* moved into a house with two awesome roommates.
* wished I could get a dog...or at least, a teacup pig (have you even seen these guys? They are stinkin' cute. Them and those adorable petite giraffes...hehe)
* joined a gym.
* gotten several haircuts.
* bought an expensive camera.
* baked a cake.
* grew potatoes and way too many carrots in my backyard.
* shoveled WAY too much snow.
* joined a second Bible study.
* traveled within a very limited vicinity.
* nearly been thrown out of a corn maze.
* watched "Inception" at the Imax.
* read the "Hunger Games" Trilogy and loved it...except for the third book. Not as much love there...more of a "like", really.
* kicked butt at playing Dutch Blitz.
* celebrated a few birthdays.
* met a CFL football player...or, in truth, I just told him where to stand.
* taken pictures of a transvestite and (during a completely different session) a naked family...fun times.
* gone camping
* been extremely negligent when it comes to calling my far-away friends.
* enjoyed my life.

Things I may do after this date:

I might start writing in this blog again. I've been promising myself that it might be a nice thing to do once in a while instead of once every 2 years. But we shall see.

obama, snow, and the ironies therein

It was a long night in choir yesterday. In our three-hour practice, we ran through the entirety of Mozart's Vespers, as well as everything else we were practicing. Mr. Murray, our choir director, was kind enough to give us a few breaks throughout that time, which was time enough to get a drink of water and to rest our now-croaking vocal cords, if only for a moment. But, as they say, there is no rest for the wicked, for during one of these breaks, someone burst into the room and shouted, "Obama has won!!!" Two hours of full-out singing did not stop at least half the assembled choir from breaking out into exhuberant cheers. (I, of course, refrained) Within a few more minutes, we were all back in our seats and Mr. Murray again announced the news of the Presidential race. After another round of approving murmurs, our choir director named the next song to practice: the Triumphant Chorus from Verdi's Aida. With a few carefully selected word substitutions, the song could have been played after Obama claimed victory:

Glory to Egypt and to Isis who protects our sacred land

Let us raise festive hymns to the King who rules the Delta

Glory, glory to the King!

Intertwine the lotus with the laurel in the hair of the victors.

Like a veil, spread over the armies a shower of lovely flowers.

Daughters of Egypt, let us dance the mystic ring dances

Just as the stars in the sky dance around the sun.

Raise your eyes and give thanks to the gods for this victory;

Give thanks to the gods for this fortunate day.

Oh come, avenging warrior, come rejoice with us.

As the heroes pass, toss laurel branches and flowers.

Glory to Egypt!

And we sang it loudly, despite our dry and cracking voices.

But that wasn't the only musical irony of the night. Our final song was a cute little rendition of "Let It Snow!" And as I emerged from the college building, three hours after I first entered it, I saw the dreary Grande Prairie landscape covered in its first layer of snow.

roommate memories

I am now weddinged-out. Since July, I have been in three weddings, one involving a childhood friend and two involving former roommates. Thankfully, for all three, I had very good memories so when given the chance to offer a few remarks on the occasion, I usually had a lot to say. Even for this last one. Erin and I were roommates about four years ago, but we still kept in touch over the years. So I was more than honored that she wanted me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Especially given, as you will read below, the kind of relationship we had during our roommate years. Note my effort to be sweet while avoiding sappiness. I think it worked. But you be the judge.

***********

It could possibly be billed as the understatement of the year, but Erin, you and I are very different people. When we first met, in August of 2004, I was a 20-year-old exuberant Canadian, opinionated and proud of it. You were a shy, blond senior, preparing for your fourth and final year of school, as well as your fourth and final roommate. Our relationship could have been fated for disaster. But for some odd and mysterious reason, it wasn’t. For some reason, we got along. Sure, we had our differences; sure, there were times when we disagreed strongly with each other, but that never stopped us from building a truly close relationship. And, as is the case with truly great relationships, we both changed because of it. I became more understanding of people with different opinions. I used to be an extremely dogmatic person, with a “my-infinitely-more-Christian-way or the highway” attitude. But you changed that. You helped me realize that there are other opinions out there and often, they prove mine to be wrong. But you changed, too. You went from a quiet girl, to one who yelled as she chased me down the stairs, brandishing a pillow as I imagine Beowulf would (if he were into pillow fights). Erin, you were the perfect roommate for that pivotal freshman year, the year where new habits are formed and old habits are reconsidered. And I thank you for it. I do believe that I would probably not be the person I am today, if it hadn’t been for that glorious year, when the two of us shared so much in the Nance’s basement.

And I’ll leave you with this verse, from Song of Songs 5:16—“This is my beloved, And this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!” Erin, you have been a wonderful friend to me. You have blessed me more than I can say. Now, as you go on to start a new life with Chip, I know that you will do the same for him. You will bless him. You will change him. And you will be his true friend. May the Lord pour His blessings upon you both.

why I should not speak to children...

As an explanation of my Facebook status...

I recently had dinner at a friend's home, and there were about three younger kids present. The one child, Eden, is a rather dramatic person and regaled us with a vivid description of her mashed potato volcano. "And look!" she exclaimed, "The corn can be rocks on the side of the volcano!"

Being a decidedly morbid person, I suggested an alternate version. "Or," I said, looking Eden straight in the eye, "the corn could be villagers climbing up the volcano in order to throw human sacrifices in."

My children are going to be warped....seriously warped.