Blonde moment

Yesterday, on the bus, I had a moment that really made me feel dumb and a little too insular.

At a busy downtown stop, a lady got on, all distressed, looking for something. She left out the back door, saying how she had lost her script and her daughter was out of town.

That was all.

I couldn't make sense of this encounter at all at first, thinking she was working on some kind of script for a play or whatnot, and I was trying to connect that with the absence of her daughter. The first thing I thought was, that's so cool that she's working on a script. Then I realized she was talking about a misplaced prescription...oops.

Go figure, that's the kind of thing that happens to me all the time, I habitually assume the least likely option is the most likely option, to my own discredit, usually. It made me think that I need to get my head out of the clouds from time to time, and that if I were better connected with my community, I wouldn't have been confused by that. It's so much easier to not engage, sometimes. Less awkward and invasive to one's personal space. I could go on, but the point is, it's crucial to engage with those around me, whether or not I they are people I choose to have in my closer circles. I'm challenged by the church group I met with last night who is burdened for their community and actively seeks to keep being challenged by them and reach out to them and be a part of one another's lives, unashamedly.

Does anyone else have struggles to actively engage with others? You don't have to answer that, it's just something I keep coming back to in my own life.

Thanks for hearing me out :)

~Ciao~

Surmising

That's my new favourite word, as of yesterday. It suddenly came to mind and that made me feel smart, haha. From time to time I do like to make lists of my favourite words- another tidbit I'm sure you all were dying to know.

Words make me happy, you know? The sound, the shape, the crunch of them. Today, the first customer I spoke to is from a town that is one of my favourite words, Mascouche, so that made me smile. Seriously, say that five times in a row, it's irresistible. I dare you ;)

On that note, I've been reading everything by Miriam Toews recently that I can get my hands on. So far I've read A Complicated Kindness, The Flying Troutmans, and, just this weekend, Irma Voth, the newest one. I don't know what it is, but the way she writes is just so profound. It draws me in and makes me sad, and I don't usually get drawn to the sad books, but I can't help myself with these ones. It's like I'm taken into the story and get completely wrapped up in the characters and their lives and longings, and they're remarkably poignant in the way they speak and think. It's like every other sentence, hidden in prose, is a sad, sad poem of futility and hope, all wrapped up in the mind of a Mennonite girl doing the best she can with what she's got. So much of it is so beautiful that it hurts.

Has anyone read any of her work?

I almost didn't want to finish Irma Voth because it was getting really sad, but I knew I had to see the end, and I'm glad I did. (Let's be honest, I wasn't really going to not finish it.) It's one I would highly highly recommend. Can I say how thankful I am for the public library?

Haha, I should review books for a living (not) :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Canada Day weekend!

A wedding and one of my favourite things

Megan, resplendent in red

So happy to celebrate with friends

Zach and Lisa entering the reception

The lovely Laura, back from her world travels

What would a wedding be if I didn't take a photo of the dessert? hehe. Crepes of French vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate, and a berry sauce.

The table centerpieces

Together at last ;) The four of us reunited. It did our hearts good:)

Now we come to the macaron section of the post. I stopped by the new pastry place and was given these by the owner, a friends and family promotion, he said. At this point I may have gushed a little and promised to send a bevy of friends and acquaintances by his shop from that point on, haha, but I was still touched to get these for free after his sister said they weren't doing any freebies:) I wasn't expecting that. Of course I took them home and had a photo shoot before eating them. They were delicious, and redeemed my love of macarons, since the last experience I had was rather ghastly. For any of you foodies out there, do NOT attempt to ingest the frozen PC variety, they are really unpleasant. I bought them because I'm a sucker for anything macaron and this did not turn out in my favour.

So here you have it, raspberry and chocolate macarons. And an owl, of course, made by the highly talented Missy Dueck.

Happy Canada Day, too! I hope you enjoy in whatever way you're celebrating today. I meant to post this yesterday, not as a Canada Day post, but my computer wouldn't cooperate, so here we are.

Nos vemos!

Bittersweet

I'm eating blueberries right now and it is one of my favourite things about this time of year. I guess technically they're not in season anymore but I am trying to eat more seasonally with my produce in general. It's tough because I love to have berries all summer long and they're not all in season all summer long, oh well. They sure are tasty.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my dear friend Lisa to Zach. He's a good guy and she's one in a million so it was wonderful to share in their day and get to see some acquaintances in the family and friends. I had Friday off, and my friend Megan and I took the Greyhound to the city where the wedding was held, and got to have a good visit together, and our friend Laura met up with us there, we three shared a hotel room. We hadn't all been together since early May, so it was lovely to catch up. The three of us plus Lisa have been getting together for pre-church breakfasts for the last few years and got closer through leading/participating in a small group together. I'm so happy for Zach & Lisa, and the wedding was absolutely beautiful, but it's sad too because they're living overseas in the fall, Megan's going to Alberta for school, and Laura moved to Ottawa, so it's just me still here once fall rolls around. I can't be too sad, though, because these are the friendships forged through some pretty significant events of life, and I'm so thankful for them. I hope we're able to keep in touch and visit and stay close, even if it's not the same. Sigh.

Photos soon to come, of the wedding...

Saturday, my roommate and friends had book club and that was a lot of fun, then Sunday I had three soccer games in the afternoon, with biking to and fro and between games. I'm sore from head to toe now, especially after bashing the back of the head on the dryer door too (don't ask me how I managed that one). Luckily, our team captain had us to her house between games and she has a pool :) It was just the thing. I got one goal, which isn't too bad since I'm usually not that great a shot for being a forward, haha. My team puts up with me because I can run fast up the wing even if I don't get that ball in the net too often ;)

So far, I haven't heard about the job interview and haven't fully made a decision in regards to studies sooo I guess you'll have to be in suspense along with me, sorry :)

My friend's brother opened a Parisien pastry shop and crêperie, and it's opening today, so I'm going to pop by after work, I've been anxiously awaiting this:) We'll see what kind of treats they sell, pretty sure I'll have to save up a while to buy anything and bike a lot to work it off, just kidding.

Next up, I have to figure out what to do for my birthday in a week and a half. I was thinking of seeing a play in Stratford but I did that last year and want to think of something different and inexpensive. Well, I do have slightly expensive taste but not the means to match it :) I'm thinking of rounding up a bunch of friends even if they don't know each other, and having a picnic in the park, what do you think? Or maybe go for drinks on a patio somewhere but they're often so loud, and I am getting one year older (and crankier), hahah.

Well, I guess I don't have as much to say as I thought, but I'll keep you posted!

~Adios!~

Choices

Choices. They're what sets us apart from each other. They set us on one path instead of another. They bring out the intrinsic differences between human beings.

The other day, while stewing about the myriad of decisions I need to make right away, each of them affecting the other in ways I can't reverse. Being rather indecisive, I have a tendency to want to keep my options open, and this is not a conducive trait to making the big decisions with confidence.

However, in the midst of getting caught in the cycle of worrying that I'm going to ruin my life in three easy steps, it struck me that even one of these choices is a tremendous privilege. Things like what kind of job to have, what to study, where to live and with whom- how many people, by their circumstances, have very little choice in their own lives? How many women across the world have a limited (if any) access to education of any kind, and here I am complaining about how difficult it is to choose between all of the options before me?

Suffice it to say, I've been feeling humbled ever since, and that thought has stayed with me. I love reading and literacy and languages, and take the gift of literacy for granted every single day. It's something so minor in our culture, it's expected in "civilized" circles, if we can even use such a word in self-depracation, and yet it can be the difference between poverty and opportunity, to state it in a basic way.

So, as I attempt to hurdle what insists be addressed, I will choose to view this stage of life and these few weeks with gratitude, and try to remember that one decision, while having its effects, does not necessarily sway the balance in terms of the rest of my life. Well, as I say that, I'm aware that just one detail has the potential to do just that, but as far as is in my means, my job is to rely on God with this and forge on ahead rather than run away to live in a cave somewhere.

It's funny how everything seems to be linked in some way and I just want to figure it all out right this second, but life rarely works out that way, does it? I have an idea of the end goal, but it will be interesting how exactly to get there.

Just wanted to share what's been on my mind! Thanks for your support, my friends:)

Photo post!

 Liz and I at a state park near their house

 Meet Ralph! Poodle pup extraordinaire! :)

Liz and Jeremy redid this wall, it used to be pink brick and looks great now- if you look closely you can see hard work and sweat and blood and tears etched in, heheh

 Vegetarian shepherd's pie made with lots of kale and horseradish, and the requisite sweet tea

 Jeremy's '68 Mustang, I couldn't resist getting a photo with it

 A classic "birthday-Liz" expression:)

 Looking cheesy at dinner

 Awwww :) Liz and Jeremy

 I know it's not a good photo but I love this one, for the laughter

 Now looking over-exposed- darn camera, can't win

 Goodbye at the airport :( We were actually really bummed but tried to look cheerful.

Not related to my trip at all, but I couldn't pass up these fiddleheads at the market and man, were they tasty

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to comment:) Ciao.

C'est la vie...

What a mixed-up few weeks it's been. I'm not as stressed as I imagined I would be by now, so that is definitely something to be thankful for! I feel as though I ought to be a bit more worried about all the things that are up in the air, but there's no use barking up that tree for very long :)

Two weeks ago - has it been that long? - I flew to visit Liz Jeremy in Ohhhhh-kla-ho-ma! Haha. It's funny how you don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again then have to leave. Darn it. Mind you, it's much easier to be the one leaving than the one left, don't you find? Liz and I were a couple of dweebs in the airport when she dropped me off to go, saying goodbye a whole bunch of times and of course I insisted on a few extra hugs :) We had a lovely visit, and I'll post photos; be warned, though, I didn't really see the sights or anything, it's mostly Liz, the puppy, and food ;) Not atypical of my subject matter. My camera is not that great so it's the excuse I fall back on, although it's kind of a weak one.

We had some great chats, food, laughs, you know, the normal sister stuff. Lucky for me, Liz is back on coffee and theirs was great:) It helps having fancy appliances that people get you for your wedding, heheh ;) Just kidding, Liz. I bonded more with my brother-in-law, Jeremy, now that I get his sense of humour- I think we both didn't quite get each other at the start but I sure like him, he's a keeper. It was cool to see them in their house, a bit more settled and in their own space. Hopefully we'll see them in Canada for a visit soon!

Soccer season has finally started here, and, to make up for all the lost playing time, the league decided to smush a bunch of games together the first few weekends. Since I'm playing on two different teams to begin with, this has meant one game on Friday and three on Sunday, last week and this week, plus once-a-week ultimate games. If you add on to that the fact that I biked to many of those games and to work, it's a lot in a short time and I am realizing that I'm not fifteen anymore. Or, for that matter, twenty...you get the idea ;) Biking home between games today, it occurred to me that working out this much is a surefire way either to get in shape really fast, or to die trying, or to injure yourself really nicely in the attempt. Or some combination of those things, hahah. Oh boy. I choose to believe I'm getting into killer shape. Yesterday I had also a 5k for a friend's sister-in-law, which was rather grueling, and I also biked there and back. Oy.

Okay, enough about me whining about physical activity ;) I'm truly grateful to have the ability to bike where I need to go, and to participate in so many sports activities. Without those, I'd need some major outlets to blow off steam, probably. Not that I'm an angry person, but it's a good way to use energy, wouldn't you say?

So. This is turning out to be what I hope will be a week of answers. I have a job interview coming up- nervous!- and this would take me in one direction. I'm also hoping to find out some concrete information about education, as it's getting down to crunch time and I need to know a few things before I can make all the other subsequent decisions that hinge upon it. Ha! Probably I needed high blood pressure at this time, heheh. Anyways, much of it is out of my hands but that won't keep me from pounding at those doors until I know what to expect. Those folks are going to love hearing from me, the squeaky wheel.

I'll keep you posted on all that!

The writing is going rather haltingly, when it's happening at all...I seem to be suffering from tremendous writer's block and feelings of intimidation when faced with all the terrific writers and writings out there. I ought to be inspired, not downtrodden...it will pick up, but there's no formula to it, I'm finding; no magical way of setting the stage so the story will present itself. It's different every time. I'm supposed to submit some pages to my writing mentor and I'm cringing at the thought, as to what she will think, but that shouldn't deter me. And it won't, ultimately. I just have to wrestle the "no" monster (whatever that means...is that an expression?).

Recently, I was inspired to do some sorting and cleaning and such, and, as a treat, organized all the books in my bookshelf. Yes, I know, I'm a nerd, that sort of thing is really exciting to me ;) It's now in non-fiction, adult fiction, children/young adult fiction (novels) and picture books. You've no idea how satisfying it is for me to survey this wonderful shelf and I just feel like having people over and showing them each title. Aren't you glad most of you that read this live far away ;)

Next, I will be cataloguing them somehow, which I'm greatly looking forward to. I'm going to try to note down where each book came from, because with each one, there is a story, and that's half the charm, I find.

Does anyone else have these odd kind of habits they enjoy? If so, please do share, so we can revel in our oddities together ;)

I'd love love love to go camping this summer, but it seems you have to plan these things ahead and I have no such plans as of yet. That will have to change, evidently ;) Summer is for camping, it's as simple as that. It must happen at least once, even if I have to pitch a tent in my parents' backyard like when were were kids, although hopefully it doesn't come to that.

In other news, I'm off to have an epsom salt bath to soak my aching body. Second one in two days, I swear by them.

Photos to follow! Once my camera batteries charge! Alert the masses!

~Cheerio~