just breathe...

PHEW! I know a lot of you can relate to the craziness of life! You know how it goes...it's all GO GO GO and then you stop and learn how to breathe again! I feel like today is the first time I have inhaled in a long time! It's a sad realization when housework becomes relaxation!! I am so exited that there are only 9 days of classes, 8 assignments, 1 group project, 1 class presentation, 2 papers and 4 final exams left of the 2005/06 academic year!! It sounds like a lot, but really, it's not...step by step, and voila...we have said goodbye to another semester!! No more fighting for computers in the library for 4 months!! But most of all, I'm excited for the bags under my eyes to disappear. Every morning I get up and flick on the bathroom light hoping that they will be gone, but every day they get bigger and purpler!! Haha...purpler! I have been loving the sunshine and the fact that I can still see across the coulees at 7:00pm...it's one more reason you can tell the end of the semester is here!! I just realized, I don't even know what this blog is about, this is purely my random rambling for the day, but I was just sitting here, thinking of how thankful I am for my lungs....

the pouncer...

I feel like one of Snow White's dwarfs tonight. Sleepy! I have neglected my blogging because I have been so darn tired! This weekend was nuts as usual, and now it's only Tuesday and I feel like I deserve Friday already!

So I have a class presentation tomorrow and lets just say I'm not so keen on my group, but I have a great story that has come from this group of mine! So there's this one girl, and lets just say she's a little on the weird side! She's most definitely a strange sort of a human being! Anyways, we were working last week and she was talking about her part of the presentation and she stopped dead sentence and a looked at me and looked past me, then sighed. Here is the conversation that followed....

Strange Girl: *Sigh*
Me: "What's wrong?"
Strange Girl: "Ohhhh, don't you just hate it when you see an attractive guy and you are just ready to pounce?!"
Me: (somewhat bewildered, and a tad awkward) "Um, no, not really, but okay, I see where you're coming from."
Strange Girl: "Like, yummy, just look at that guy!"
And well, that was the end of that conversation. I tell ya, who uses the word "pounce" when referring to an action taken toward a member of the opposite sex?! Yikes!

the sploosh effect...

I LOVE sunshine, I LOVE it when there is no wind, but most of all, I LOVE it when the two combine!! Today is a pretty fabulous day, there is no wind, it's 13 degrees and I think I even heard a bird chirp!! I most definitely sported capris and flip-flops today. Although, there is one issue with rushing the season, it's what I call the sploosh effect. So as wonderful as it is today, the post-snow dirty puddles have formed. It's okay if you avoid them, but if you're walking at a somewhat speedy pace and hit one of those bad boys, you are done for! Today as I was walking, I plowed right through a puddle, and sploosh, it happened. The flip-flop flips and there you have it, a nice dirt sploosh right up the back of your khaki capris! It is a sad occurence, but it's what one must endure to enjoy the luxury of capris and flip-flops.

gucci gucci ya ya....

Okay, this post might make me sound like an incredibly rude human being, but I have a teeny tiny little vent that I must get out....

This involves the girls at University who use Gucci/Prada/Versace/Coach handbags as backpacks! Yes they are incredibly cute, but as for practicality? Je ne pense pas!! Maybe I'm just jealous because this summer I was eyeing this incredibly cute Coach purse, but I just couldn't let myself drop $358 on one purse! However, it just so happens that these are the same girls that sit at the table beside me in the library and yak about "the wicked-lame girl" in their English class, or the "total hottie" in Sociology 1000!! Who knows, maybe that "wicked-lame girl" is me, and I'm just completely jealous of the incredibly stylish handbag that is being toted around the U!! But part of me is expecting Paris Hilton's dog to pop out at any second!!

on the ball...

I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I feel like I deserve a few bragging rights at this moment. Last night I was frustrated because I ALWAYS sleep in and am forced to start my day off in a rush, and when that happens you feel like you're two steps behind all day long. So last night as I was turning off my light and snuggling into pure coziness for the night I decided that tomorrow (today) was going to be different. I was going to set my alarm for 6:00am, eat a good breakfast, do some solid devo's and enjoy my morning so I could enjoy my day. Well here it is 10 minutes before it's time for me to wander over to work and I have time to blog. At 8:50am I have time to blog. Simply marvellous. Even though I got less sleep last night than I get most nights, I feel great today becuase I am ahead of the game. It's amazing how you get your choice of computers in the library at 8:15! The only bad thing that has happened this morning is that I think I have caused permanent damage to my dear little eardrum with the rude awakening it got as I plugged into my ipod! You know how your ear gets more and more desensitized to sounds as you go throughout the day? Well apparently yesterday I was quite desensitized because I had this little puppy cranked right up, and this morning I got blasted about 3 feet backwards in my rolley chair! I gotta think of a new system, like perhaps turning the volume down before I turn off my ipod!

i know why they call it a shower....

Becuase you get showered with love, support, affection and PRESENTS! This afternoon was Haleigh's first Bridal Shower at our home church and it was such a fun afternoon. All I can say is that where there are a bunch of ladies, angel food cake, whipped cream and strawberries, a fantastic time is to be had by all! It was a great chance for me to catch up with some people I haven't seen for ages, and it was a great time to honor Haleigh and let her know we support her decision and will be behind her and Brian all the way!! But now for the meat, the inspiration behind this blog. THE PRESENTS! Seriously, this girl scored huge! Cash out the WAZOO and two words...Pottery Barn. I've always been the independant "let me travel the world and THEN get married" type of girl. But my greedy eye has seen something it likes. Lots and lots of presents! Okay, I'm not really this materialistic, but let me tell you, there was a bit of envy as I sat eyeing each gift she unwrapped while quitely writing down the name that accompanied each gift! But in all honesty, it was a really fun day, and I'm excited for my little sis, even though it's gonna be hard watching her move to the States and start her new life. Free long distance really is a good thing!

dissed and dismissed...

Well, apparently shallow is the way to go. I try to be deep and sentimental and I cause nausea (if your confused about this, read the comments under my last post). So, in light of that, here is a shallow story from my day that all will enjoy...

I had a pretty laid back morning, packed for the weekend, did some laundry, worked on some homework and fought with myself about whether or not I would go to Starbucks before class. After deciding that I had consumed too much Starbucks for one week, I skipped the java and went to school. I sat through my first class, nothing special, nothing exciting, same ol', same ol'. Then there was class number 2. It was 11:00am and sat down in my Child Development class thinking that the only eventful thing that could possibly happen would be that I would ace the exam I was to get back. Well that wasn't so much the case, but let me tell you about the little drama I watched unfold as the class ended. There was a guy and a girl sitting in front of me and they were just chatting, having a casual conversation. Class ended and they stood up like the rest of the class and started packing up their books, putting on their jackets and getting ready to leave. I will now write for you the conversation that took place at this time...

Guy: So, you have any plans for tonight?

Girl: Oh, not really anything yet.

Guy: Hmm, well, uh, maybe do you want to grab a coffee or something?

Girl: (Flashes HUGE rock on left hand, finger #4 to guy) Oh, I'm sorry, I don't think my fiance would appreciate that too much.

Guy: Uh, yeah, sure, well have a good one (and jets out door as fast as possible).

Let me tell you, I was glad I wasn't in Buddy's shoes at that point. I felt so bad for the poor guy. But hey, I have to say, he did display that he has guts. He obviously didn't know the girl and just thought "hey, may as well take a chance!" But still....ouch!

the joy of discovery...

This semester has been really strange for me. My whole University career has been pretty slack. I have tended to wait until the last minute to get things done, and then when I get around to doing it, my goal is to have it finished. I don't care if it's good or not, I am happy when it is done! Now luckily, I have been able to get away with this. But this semester things have changed. I have been getting things done...IN ADVANCE! And the scariest part of it all...I have enjoyed it! Why, because I am happy to say that I can blog with a clear conscious! It's 10:00pm, my paper for tomorrow is done, and I have nothing left to do this week as far as school is concerned! I wish I would have discovered this earlier on, and avoided a lot of late nights, but I'm happy to say there is a new me, and I quite like it! I have learned that we are given life as a prescious gift and I don't want to waste it. I just want to enjoy the moment God has given me, and I want to make the most of my years here. I like this new attitude I've adopted, not only becuse it makes every day worth living, but I hope that those around me will be inspired too! Live in the moment. Enjoy today. Work hard to make the best of every circumstance. Smile at a stranger. Buy coffee for a friend. Hug your roommate. Pick a flower. Surprise someone. Dance as though no one is watching.

nothing i love more...

I am so happy when I wake up to the sun shining, the calm breeze and warm weather. It was a beautiful day today and I realized just how much my mood is dependant upon the weather! However, I learned a valuable lesson today, and that is that a good mood can get you into an embarassing situation. An incident occured today that will illustrate this point quite nicely. I was finished work and headed through the parking lot towards my car. I was in a world of my own. Normally, this isn't such a bad thing, except today it was. As I was walking I was singing Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" ...and let me tell you, it wasn't a little whisper of a sing song. I was belting out "...feel the rain on your skin..."! I realized what I was doing and then I promptly looked around to make sure no one was listening to my solo debut. I thought I was in the clear until I spotted this guy walking toward me. I was a little nervous at this point, but I had convinced myself that he didn't hear me, it couldn't have been THAT loud! It was. The guy looked at me and started clapping! And then he said "I was jealous of all those people who had ipod's but now, I realized I don't need one, I just need to bump into more people like you!" Haha, whoops! Well I'll just be glad that I made someone's day, after all, how could that not make your day?

ramble bamble...

So sadly, I have nothing to blog about, but I just really want to blog. I know that's not exactly your exciting "hook me in" opening sentence, but it's me being honest. So that being said, here are a few of my random thoughts for the day:

• I had another moment with Riley in the library today. I pretty much decided that I will meet him before my life is over. But I'm sad to report that I didn't say "hi" to him today. I just couldn't.

• In a new and recent breakthrough in my life, I have learned to enjoy sushi. Due to the encouragement of some wonderful people, I tried it again, and man was it GOOD. My raw fish hating days are over. Wow, this has been quite the month for me, I have overcome my strong feelings against fish and snow!

• I have not had Starbucks in over 24 hours. But I am awaiting a cup in approximately 20 minutes...

• I still love Chris Martin.

• I think I'm gonna learn to play tennis this summer.

• My "crazy" class wasn't overly depressing this week. That was nice.

• Juice Fare sustains you for a while, but not for 6 hours.

Well that's it from me today. I'm sorry things in my world haven't been so exciting. Maybe I'll have an adventure to write about in the near future...hold your breath...

lessons from a lazy day...

I know I just posted about how I wasn't going to be so negative about winter anymore, but this is definitely where I wish I was today. I had one of those sleepless nights and I just wish I was able to veg on the beach and soak up the sun. I was so tired today that I don't think I could even carry on a full conversation. It all started because once again I procrastinated and was working on an assignment that I had due today. I know you're probably thinking "It's Saturday, what possibly could have been due today?!" Well that's just it, in this particular class, there is an assignment EVERY Saturday. Normally I'm more on the ball than this, but this time I just couldn't get motivated. Anyways, what I learned from my sleepless night is that sleep is an incredibly important element becuase not only does it allow you to function, but I had to postpone a Starbucks date because I was too tired! Now THAT is when you know you have a problem...

a tube, a rope, a car and a coulee...

If you know me, you know that I am not a huge fan of the winter. I hate being cold, I hate slipping when you walk and I hate trying to get traction while driving on winter roads. Snow is pretty, but I'll take brown grass over the cold any day! So last night my friend Susan told me that it is time to revisit a favorite past time of ours. That is the famous A.P.! Back in the beginning of 2004, Susan, her now fiance Darcen, and I would do random things at absurd hours. A.P.'s almost always took place outside and you never knew what you were getting into when the A.P. began. We always ended up in random places doing crazy things in fields, midnight hikes in the coulees or ventures to the train bridge (which I did NOT like at all!!). Anyways, last night we were in the car, and headed to our good friend Jonny V's house for one of the craziest adventures yet. He had this huge inner tube that we tied to the back of Susan's car, and went on a journey down the road with! Most people find a parking lot, or some sort of abandoned area, but we decided that the quiet neighbourhood was the way to go! After the cold got to us, we got back in the car for a brief warm up and then took the tube to the coulees for yet another adventure. All four of us hopped on the tube and headed down the hill. This was pretty great until we all ended up in a heap on the side of the coulee. Of course we couldn't just give up, so we trekked up the hill and then went for it again. This time the wipeout was even better, after landing from some tricky acrobatics, I was laying flat on my back at which time I saw Jon fly overtop of me and land what looked like a pretty uncomfortable landing. I wish I could have seen the events take place from a different view, I know if someone would have captured it on video it would have recieved some sort of award! It was quite incredible I must say!! We took a few more runs down and then called it a night when we couldn't feel some crucial limbs anymore! But all this to say, I realized that as much as winter is my enemy, my friends really do make for some pretty exciting times. Maybe I won't be so cold towards winter (Haha, cold, get it?!) anymore!

to say hi or not to say hi....

Do you ever have those people in your life that you tend to see everywhere you go, but you don't actually know them? Since I started University I have seen this guy almost everyday and I have lovingly named him Riley because, well, he looks like a Riley. Anyways, I see him randomly walking from class to class, in the cafeteria, the gym and now, my new home the library. Today we walked past each other and shared a "moment" as we listened to our ipod's. I almost said "hi" but then I remembered, I have no idea who this guy is! I was telling my roommate Nadine about my dilemma and how I feel like now I've seen him so much that it's awkward if I don't say hi! But then reality hits again and I realize that there is no reason for me to talk to him! So I realize this is a rambling about nothing, but I'm telling you, this is a big deal to me. Not only becuase I see this kid all the time, but between you and me, he is quite attractive! So Riley, if you ever see this, just say hi becuase the mystery is killing me!

sunny days...

It makes me really happy to see the sun shining. I love the sun, I was created to be in a warm tropical climate, so sometimes I wonder what the heck I am doing here! But then I'm reminded of my place and time, and this is my place for now. Don't worry, I'm not going to get all sappy on you all, but lately I have been taking time to enjoy lifes simple treasures. The sun shining, the friends in your life, music playing...
Today I was walking home from class and there were puddles from the snow being melted away, and I was so tempted to jump full force into it, but then I thought that those around me wouldn't be to fond of my maneuver! But today the sun is shining and I am glad to be able to live today to the fullest. Okay, I promised I wasn't going to get sappy, and I believe I just did! So for that I apoligize, but I just wanted to say listen to the music and smell the flowers because now is a beautiful time...

the calm before the storm...

These past few weeks have been pretty insanely busy in the University world. Exam after paper after assignment. I've experienced a rollercoaster of emotions as my marks have ranged from my all time lowest mark ever to be recieved in university to a few A's (no A+'s though...I'm sad to report!). But something I have yet to be able to understand is this strange phenomenon I think most university students experience. Why is it that when you think you aced and exam you do terrible and when you're pretty sure you failed and life as you know it is over, you seem to pull and A out of nowhere?! This boggles my mind folks, and please, if any of you have the answer do tell me, I just can't handle all this mystery!! So life is slowing down for me. I actually only have two things due this week, instead of the usual 4-6! So it's nice to actually enjoy this Saturday and not have to do homework! I have had time to think on this cold Saturday morning and I've realized four things:

1. I really really really want to go to a Coldplay concert
2. I was made to live somewhere HOT (preferably in a place near the ocean, with lots of beaches and where people say "G'day" and call each other "mate")
3. I'm not as bad at random talk as Jon and Jordan think I am, I just get nervous
4. Drinking 3 litres of orange juice makes for an interesting time

That being said, I must say that I was glad for this relaxing day before things get wild again so that I had a chance to discover my inner self...I have a feeling there will be many more revelations throughout the day!

P.S. These fellows really do make me happy....that's my final thought!

textbooks don't make good pillows...

I know many of you have been wondering about this issue, so today I reveal the big news...textbooks aren't comfy! After a mere 5 hours of sleep last night, I thought I would take a little nap in the pool area between work and class. This was a good idea until a) I cricked my neck and b) I had that falling sensation right before I was about to doze off and accidentally kicked a girl in the head. Whoops. I guess next time I'll just suffer through the tiredness and wait until I am in the safety and comfort of my own bed...