Jane's Blog

Blogger is Done'd!

2008-05-08T23:20:00.003-06:00

It is over! I am saying farewell to this blog that I have held for so many years. This is, indeed, the last post it shall see. Andy and I have been working on a new website and finally have working the blog section of it (which is the mainpage). It isn't anything special like Johnson would have, nor really creative. It's simple and it's freedom. And it's brand-spankin new. If you do visit it and want to comment, I'll warn you now - you'll have to register yourself. Though, if you use Open ID, you can use that on our site easily enough.
So, get yourself over there and make some comments! I already have a first blog post up. I've also changed my 'notes' feed on facebook to the new site, so it'll be taking news from there now.

ajk2.ca

check it out.
Jane

News!

2008-05-02T10:42:00.007-06:00

Hello and good day!
Hope the warmer weather is cheering everyone up, at least some! The rain isn't ideal, but at least it's warm again!! Yay!
So, in the news: I'm learning how to stain! I'm excited. I'm attempting on the pine chairs we bought from ikea. We figured they'd be the cheapest things to make mistakes on, so I'm starting with their underside. Then I'll work on staining wood for shelves we want to build. I feel very productive! Eventually we'll get to our kitchen table, which will need to be stripped then re-stained. Then we build our own shelves! Yay! We'll see how adventurous we're able to get with that. Andy wants something to do the job (hold crap up), and I want something to also look nice and match the things we have already (coordinated look). We'll probably get on each other's nerves, but it'll end up working for both of us. :D
My health: I just had a doctor's appointment this morning, and my biochemical results (diabetes check, cholesterol check, hormone level check) all came back in normal order, so that's a very good thing. She said that with PCOS they typically check for 3 symptoms: biochemical symptoms, menstrual symptoms, and ultrasonic symptoms. I have 2 out of the 3, but that's not a bad thing (I'd rather have it the way it is, at any rate). She said that the cysts formed are not permanent damage to my ovaries, it just requires extra help in order for my body to ovulate on a regular basis and doesn't mean that my fertility will regress as I continue to have PCOS. That was good news. That's about all I have for my health.
Plans: Andy and I are now considering the Fall of 09 to move to Ottawa for me to do my studies. If you can spare a prayer for us, we'd appreciate more guidance and light on where we should be in the next year or so. We're feeling more strongly about this option than others we've been considering, but we're still not completely sure. I will hopefully be starting the GDRE (Graduate Diploma in Religious Education) program at Newman come this Fall, though. Only part-time (we still need a second income), but this should help fill some areas of study that I feel I need. Having some Religious Ed. background would be extremely helpful in a parish environment, cause no matter who you end up working with, there will always be some teaching involved somewhere. So as long as I'm approved to start, I'll be starting in the Fall. Pray that goes well :).
Other: there isn't much else. Andy's parents are hopefully coming the weekend of May 10th, and it'll be great to see them again. We're hoping to go camping on the long weekend (still figuring out where), and that's really about it! Well, except that it's less than 25 days until my birthday, that is. WOOHOO I'll be 26! Well, officially I'll have completed my 26th year, which is totally a reason to celebrate! I'm excited.

Anything new happening out there? Keep me posted on what's new for you!

Alleluia!

2008-03-23T23:09:00.002-06:00

Woot woot! Christ is risen - Easter has come!

Yay! We had an awesome day today - nice big feast of a breakie, and a nice big feast of a supper! And not only that, but we still have a week of feasting to go! If you're looking for a great party, look no further than our 8 day celebration!!
Go and have that second piece of cake, or that extra cookie - Christ is risen and we should be celebrating! Break out that wine! Drink up, me hearties! There's lots yet to go!

Quick Update

2008-03-13T20:10:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone!
Just a quick note - I updated my links to those pages that are currently active. If you regret being deleted, send me an email with an active site. Andy's still on there out of .... well ... spite, right now. We're currently working on a website for both of us, but it's still way in the works. Eventually it'll take the place of this blog, our original wedding site, and Andy's website (though his'll still be around for archive reasons...if you know Andy, you know about his backups and archives he keeps for kicks).
Other than that, things are going well enough. Busy. My mom'll be here for Easter, which'll be grand and fun. We'll be drinking lots of wine to celebrate Easter for 8 consecutive days. If you want to join in, just let us know before you show up :).
Other than that, nothing else is going on. Hope everything's well with all of you?
Jane

The Thunder Show

2008-02-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Beyond all doubts, first thing's first: Check out the Thunder Show on tv.winelibrary.com (or the link to the right of nav bar). This guy, who calls himself Gary Vaynerchuk, is totally rad at exposing you to some pretty sweet sounding wines. Andy and I already have a list of different wineries that sound like they'd be good to check out for certain wines. If you like wine, check this show out. If you don't like wine but want to, check this show out. If you don't like wine and don't want to, check out this guy's personality - the first time 'round, it's definitely like being struck by something...loud & outgoing, so be careful, and stay past 15 or 30 seconds! I love his descriptions of how the wines taste to him. Oh, for a good summary of his personality and what the show's about, check out episode 125 . So that's that. Check it out, it's my new thing. It's totally awesome to put it on while doing dishes or cleaning or what have you. And keep track of the wines that sound good to you! Make a list! Check it twice. Well, once might be enough. But do it! Good stuff.

Other than that, Andy and I have a kitchen cart! We built it! Not from scratch, but from Superstore! And it was $250 cheaper than what we thought we'd have to pay for one! So I'm very excited. It's gonna work a wonder for me in the kitchen, and it's a nice investment for the suite.

That's about all that's new. Andy and I are gonna attempt our second batch of wine this weekend, we'll keep you on the nose about that. Our last batch is just about ready to be drunk, so let us know when you want to sample it and come on over!

Keep safe & keep warm
Jane

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2008-02-01T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hello hello!
Hope everyone had a grand January (all 2 of you, sometimes 3 who are resilient to my lack of posting) and are looking forward to (hopefully) warmer February weather.

I have a request, if I might. If you get a chance, please say a prayer for me as I start a medical journey. I was just diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome which is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately one in ten women. It is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and is a leading cause of infertility.

Basically what's been happening to me is that my menstrual cycle has been completely off-whack since last June, which caused me to look into it with my doctor over the last few months. Last Friday I went for a pelvic ultrasound after blood work came back normal. In the pelvic ultrasound they found many small ovarian cysts. These are believed to be the result of failed ovulation, reflecting the infrequent or absent menstruation that is typical of the condition. In normal menstruation, eggs are released from follicles - essentially cysts that burst to release the egg. One dominant follicle emerges with each menstrual cycle, and after ovulation the follicle remnant shrinks and disappears. In Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, failure of ovulation means that the follicles remain in the ovaries for many months. There may be 10 or more in each ovary, and on ultrasound examination they may give the appearance of a 'string of pearls'. The numerous follicles mean that the ovaries are generally 1.5 to 3 times larger than normal.

At this time, these have been my symptoms, and it's basically the start of out-of-order hormones ruling my menstrual cycle. I've been put onto hormones to try to regulate and control what my body is doing, but I don't know what the complete effect will be after I start. I'm nervous, it's venturing into something that can have serious effects on my fertility, and I'd like to know others are interceding to God with me.

Offhandedly it looks as though being able to diagnose it at this time was a very good thing (as early diagnosis always is), and positive results should eventually ensue. It's one of those things where only time will tell.

Other than that, if you're into wine, I highly recommend tv.winelibrary.com for some 'podcasts' on wine. This guy is awesome. He's the perfect character for this show.

Thanks for your support. When I have results, I'll post how things are going. (Info on PCOS taken from Wiki.)
Peace,
Jane

Facebook is Worth $100 to Me

2008-01-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

I have had the good fortune of being introduced to Facebook. Along with Facebook, as many of you know, comes all the applications that can make it more entertaining than just a social networking tool. One of the apps I subscribed to was one, oddly enough, that had to do with Harry Potter. Something along the lines of Harry Potter House Cup. Apparently it was affiliated with Warner Bros, and they had a contest running for a trip to 4 to London, England, along with various other prizes. Did I enter? Of course I entered, it was free, and what the hell, right? I never win anything in Canada.

Well, I won something. And it was so extremely exciting to get an email in Facebook telling me that I won one of the various other prizes (you didn't think I won the big ticket, did you?). Yup, I will soon be carrying a $100 certificate to Noble Collection for their Harry Potter stuff, and I'm quite pumped. And that's my story.

Wining!

2007-12-02T22:44:00.001-07:00

No, it's not winning, and no, it's not whining. It's wining! We finally started our wine making process! After attempting to misinterpret the hydrometer, we think we're on track! The fermentation has begun! And the container is wrapped snug in a warm blanket! GOOOOO WINE! So sometime after Christmas and into January, we'll have our first batch bottled! How exciting! It only took us 3 months (or so) to actually start the process after buying all the materials. Ah well. Better late than never.

In other news, there isn't much. I'm still working at Reitman's, though it's not much of a pleasure doing so. But it's work. If anyone's interested in praying that I can find something much more suited up my alley (and God's), please do. I appreciate it.

Andy's doing well. I got him on facebook awhile back. He updates that as much as his website. Maybe looks at it a bit more, but doesn't update. Um, we've finally 'caught up' (which means it doesn't include our most recent meal) on dishes. Laundry's nearly done too (2 weeks worth, or close to!). I handed in a paper on philosophy on Friday. Oh, get this - IT WAS ON TIME! How exciting is that?! Yeah, so it's been busy.

That's about it otherwise. Hope things are all running well with you, if you have any neat news, let me know!
Peace,
Jane

Pictures! And stuff..

2007-11-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

So, some pictures just because. Just so you know - they're not recent, but they're pictures :

Take care until next time!
-Jane

It was found, but not lost

2007-11-02T13:18:00.001-06:00

Hola!
Nothing like an extremely long break from blogging, is there? This was, in fact, due to the part of my password being forgotten. For the longest time, I just couldn't be bothered to go through the process to make a new one. But I did today, and now I'm blogging again.
So, stuff happened. But before I get into that, don't forget to go and try the new tasty Triscuit crackers out: Rosemary and Olive Oil, and Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil (thanks Carol >:| ). Andy and I are now addicted, and the best way to feel better about this addiction is to get others addicted too :-D.
Yes, stuff has happened. Significantly, Andy convocated. Insignificantly, my feet hurt a lot. Significantly, Andy won the Joseph N. MacNeil Award, which is the only award given at convocation, for a number of great reasons. But I can't remember them, so ask Andy on his website (andyland.ca) if you want to know. Insignificantly, it's cold outside and I want another jacket. Significantly, I started work at Reitman's clothes store, and I get a 50% discount for myself on regular priced items. Insignificantly, the Fall Sale on all fall items at Reitmans actually makes our discount useless on them, as they're marked at 70% off and are thus cheaper. Significantly, we might not have water this weekend because the sewer line is clogged somewhere and they might have to dig to find where the problem is and what it is (GRRRRRR!!!!). Insignificantly, we'll get to go dancing tonight instead of having supper with Don & Dave, which is unfortunate. We were really really looking forward to having supper with them. Significantly, my brother Adam moved back to Prince George to be with is fiancee Myrica. Insignificantly, the internet wasn't working today while I was in class. Significantly, Andy and I are attempting small renovations to our suit to make it more efficient space-wise in the kitchen. Insignificantly, my feet are still hurting a lot.
That's basically a simple update on what's going on for us right now. With me working at Reitman's, we're not sure if I'll have time off for Christmas, which is a massive disappointment. I'll have Christmas off for sure, the date in doubt is Christmas Eve. We are all required to work on Boxing Day. If I don't get Christmas Eve off, Andy and I won't be able to go to Regina for Christmas, which feels terrible. I've also found that it is really not very challenging to work there, which is nice. I don't have to think too much and I don't carry a lot of responsibility. A nice change from SoCal.
Ooh, also significant: Andy, Darryl and I are planning to go to California for 3 weeks this coming summer. We're gonna drive and tour on the way. I'm so so so excited for it. We're doing some loose plans right now, and we're hoping to be able to take advantage of the CAN $ being so high right now. We just need to save some money so that we can book things.
yup, that's about it with me right now. If you have any good updates yourself, be sure to make a comment!
Peace,
Jane

Slow in Updating

2007-09-21T20:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's been quite some time since the last time I updated. However, this is an update!

Firstly, the Deathly Hallows book ROCKED! It was an amazing book that was everything I hoped it would be. I think it missed a few things (continuity-wise), but I loved it. Anybody else have reactions to it?

Secondly, Andy seemed to realise not long ago that our wedding bands have a Dealthy Hallows-like symbol on the inside of them, which is kind of eerie. He's now claiming that he has a ring of power, despite my best efforts.

Thirdly, I cut my hair.

Fourthly, I'm going to Souris this weekend (Manitoba) for my grandmother's funeral, and I'll be back Tuesday sometime.

Fifthly, I'm taking An Introduction to Philosophy Friday mornings at Newman

Sixthly ... well, I don't know. We like our Wii. Looks like that's about it. I'll post a video...on facebook. Apparently it wouldn't load the video it said it could load within the timespan of 4 hours. *sigh* If you're on facebook, check it out.

Let me know your Deathly Hallows reactions!!
Peace,
Jane

What A Ride!

2007-08-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

Whew!
Long journey! Between being married, wine touring, ordinationing, Reginaing, reading Harry, moving, and getting jobs, things have been pretty busy! Yay!

So, I am now Amanda Jane Korvemaker, and am in the process of changing documents to my assumed name. It shall take some time, but it will get there eventually. I just used that name officially today when writing up my resume and cover letter...it feels different. It'll take some getting used to, but it's exciting all the same!

We had a fabulous honeymoon, ranging from Kamloops to Penticton to Salmon Arm to Bow Valley Provincial Park, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Winnipeg, and Regina. We covered 4 provinces in the span of about 5 days, it was awesome! We rock!

We had a blast wine touring in the Okanagan. We found some exceptional wines, along with some not-so-exceptional ones. We spent more than we expected (though we didn't know what to expect) and enjoyed ourselves immensely! It was bloody hot while there, one night it didn't feel like it got below 25 out, which hurt, but we always had a breeze at our campsite, which was very helpful.

Darryl's ordination was a blast, and we are so thankful we were able to make it! Our change in plans to stay in Canada definitely made that a blessing to us. It was awesome!

Winnipeg was the furthest east I've ever driven, and I can now say that I've driven the whole Yellowhead Highway, from Prince Rupert all the way to Winnipeg. Even though it actually stops before Winnipeg, nevertheless, it's nearly there. We had a great time visiting with Jean and Janelle LaFrance, whom we stayed with. They were actually up here this weekend and we got to spend all of Saturday with them, which was really nice.

Regina was nice, as we stayed there for more than a day. I got to go to The Farm and meet a number of Andy's relations out there. It was really great to meet some more of them, put some faces to names that had been spoken of for quite some time. The Farm is a neat little place. Well, not really so 'little', as there's much opportunity for exploration there :).

And now we're back. On the plus side, I've finally got health insurance (damn Alberta health), my driver's license has been switch from the US to Canada, Andy and I both have temporary jobs at Newman College, and our place has a living room again!

I'll post some pictures of the wedding here, and in future posts, I'll put some up of the honeymoon. Enjoy!
Peace,
Jane

It's Official! We Have a Wii!

2007-06-05T14:52:00.000-06:00

Andy and I have just gotten a Wii from Darryl for our wedding present!! Now, I'm not sure who else is contributing to the gift, but I AM SO EXCITED!
And it's a kind of pre-wedding wedding gift, cause the boys are using it tomorrow for Andy's bachelor party. Apparently Darryl's been thinking about buying us one for the gift for awhile, but here in Edmonton, they've been on back order for quite some time and the wait to get one is months. Crrrrrrrazy! But then he found one at Walmart. And, for just this once, I am putting aside my 'I hate Walmart' rant so that I can enjoy the Wii.
I'm so pumped! This is very exciting. Do you realise they have Harry Potter games for the Wii??? Yes, people, yes. My life is nearly complete. ;)
Anyway, I just had to share my excitement. Woot woot!
Peace,
Jane

It's 25 and awesome here

2007-06-01T17:24:00.000-06:00

*Sigh* and so ends my trip to Victoria. It's gorgeous outside here. It's been beautiful here, the past few days, and on top of that, I'M NOW 25 YEARS OLD! yeah. I'm pumped to be a quarter of a century old. And it was about 25 degrees out this afternoon. Nice, cloudless day. Yeah. It's been so nice. And on the up side, I don't feel half as sick as I did two days ago! Or even yesterday! Woowoo! Only a slight cough, a little nose running, and a little ear plugging left. Yay!

I like summer.

But I don't like bugs.

That's about all there is to say about that, I believe. I'm heading back to Edmonton tomorrow. I should get in about 4:30-ish or so. I hope it's warm there. I've become used to this Victoria weather.
Peace,
Jane

Update on Philomena

2007-05-28T21:33:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
Philomena's father passed away sometime between 6:30 & 7pm (I believe) tonight. I don't believe Phil knew before she got on the plane, as Dominic received the call while Danny was driving her to the airport (I went to the store to buy some cold medicine). Please keep their family in your prayers, as this will be a hard time for them, especially Philomena.
Peace,
Jane

Philomena Brock

2007-05-28T19:07:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
Philomena's dad, who was in the hospital for surgery a week (or two?) ago has taken a turn for the worse today. She received a phone call at about 6-ish, and she's hoping to get on a plane in a half hour to head to Toronto to be with her dad and family.
I ask you to please keep Phil and her family in your prayers for the next few days here. I'll try to update once I get some more news. I'm sure they could use all of your prayer power, and would appreciate it. Thanks, everyone.
Peace,
Jane

It's Nice Here

2007-05-25T15:52:00.000-06:00

G'Day everyone!
I am now in Victoria! The Brock's have graciously accepted to host me for just over a week while I'm here, then I'll be going over to my aunt & uncle's place for a couple days before heading back to Edmonton.
Today is a beautiful day outside. Couple days ago I went for a nice walk to downtown Vic yesterday, met my aunt & uncle for lunch (which was tasty), went for a walk with Judy & their dog Cocoa at Mystic Vale (really nice), watches Katie & Simon (cousins) run a track meet (and as far as I'm aware, Katie and her team are going to provincials for the 4x100m race, so that's exciting), and had a nice evening.
Yesterday I did some more wandering downtown. I looked into renting a scooter, but they cost $59.99/day, and even with a discount, it turns out to be $180 for 3 days, which is way more than I feel like paying for one of those things. If I rent one, it'll be for an hour or so, maybe. I sorted out some AAA stuff for my medical coverage. OH! If any of you are aware how long it takes to become a resident of Alberta and what needs to be done to get in on the Alberta medical care stuff, that would be helpful.
Today at St. Andrew's (Catholic) High School, they had something called 'Turn Around Day' which for you O'Gers was like our Christmas & year end half-day dealies with skits, talent shows and, of course, a slide show. They have a few talks going on, though, which we never had at O'G. And a guest speaker. It's the guy who's doing the Youth Conference here this weekend. Interesting theology. If I remember at a later date, I might discuss some of the things he said in conversation when he was here at the Brock's for dinner yesterday.
So, today was good, still have the Youth Conference starting tonight at 8. Looking forward to doing more! That's about the best update I can give right now, so hope things are well with you guys!
Peace,
Jane

Quiz Yourself!

2007-05-07T10:39:00.000-06:00

Everyday! The Leaky Cauldron has done another wonder! Everyday you can quiz yourself on a new Harry Potter fact just by coming back to my blog here and using the little quiz box in the right column. And check out the little book dealie - isn't it cool? I could spend a good hour being entertained by it (I already spent a good 5 minutes with it before answering the question).

Good luck! Hope you're prepped enough for the release of HPat Deathly Hallows...
Peace,
Jane

The Deathly Hallows Prediction Exam

2007-05-03T20:30:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!
I'd like to redirect you to the most awesome site, The Leaky Cauldron, which has put together a most awesome exam to do with loose ends that you can say will be tied up or not in the last book. This is the most awesome time ever for Harry Potter fans - we're the only ones in history who can credibly say we do not know how the series will end. This is the most anticipated book in history (from what we're aware of) and we, those of us who are privileged enough to be a part of this intrigue, have a chance to record whether what we think will happen or not in this final book. What you do (as the site will direct you) is just answer a series of questions, primarily yes or no, and once the book has been released, the Elves of The Leaky Cauldron will 'correct' your exam and email you back regarding how many of your predictions were right or not. How awesome is that?! And you can blog about it. So check out the exam and blog it! Please have patience with it's page loading time, as I believe it is being heavily used and it takes a bit of time for each new page of questions to load. Good luck! Can't wait to see everyone's results!

Peace,
Jane

No More Tax!

2007-04-16T15:40:00.000-06:00

Yay! Awesome news: the tax table that I had been working with was for a different form (how that happened, I'm really not sure), so I don't owe anything!!! Yay! Be excited! I'm exuberant!
Peace,
Jane

Pain. Lots of Pain.

2007-04-12T17:46:00.000-06:00

Ouch. I have another reason to really dislike it down here. Apparently the regular income withholds for tax purposes they they take off your pay cheque are not even close to the minimum that they ask from you in income tax. The result is that I now owe a little over $5,000 US in California state tax.

Please keep Andy and I in your prayers, as this was a very big and unexpected blow to us financially. Thanks.

Peace,
Jane

Women's Hockey Rocks!

2007-04-10T22:01:00.000-06:00

Let's hear if for our Canadian Women's Hockey Team! WOOHOO! We are so totally awesome that we kick everyone else into ... into something that isn't very good. Like a stinky skate. Or into the U-10 league. Yeah. Canada Rocks Hockey. Especially women's hockey.
See the story for kickin details.
Peace,
Jane

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T00:12:00.000-06:00

Christ is Risen!
Hallelujah!
Happy Easter everyone!
Don't forget we celebrate Easter for 8 consecutive days! It's one looooooooooooong party!
Peace,
Jane

If I were a male celebrity...

2007-04-03T16:32:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone.
So, this is the thing: I wanted to try this photo thing that everyone's doing, but didn't want to sign up, so I used Andy's account. First time around, I forgot to change his profile to female, so all my results were male except one. So check me out:

I think the coolest one is me as Elton John.
So second time around, I signed up as my own and put a different photo in. So check me out now:

Peace,
Jane

To Fred & Geroge...

2007-04-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! My mythical favouritest characters celebrate their birthday today. So remember the kings of mischief in your memory of today's events.

A Change in the Winds...

2007-03-31T22:07:00.000-06:00

This Lent Andy and I had a chance to do some praying and thinking. We were able to start Lent off by doing an Engaged Encounter, in which we had the opportunity to do some planning for our future as a married couple.

One of the things that arose from that was the question of where we felt we could best live and do ministry as a couple. Some significant events have occurred during my time here at Our Lady of Fatima parish to make it feel that it was worth bringing to prayer to discern together. We chose Lent to take time to discern, just as last year we did the same, and felt called to become engaged. We have come to a decision now about this, and I will be moving back up to Canada at the end of April. My last day of work here will be April 22nd. Andy is flying down on the 26th, and we will be driving up to Canada through Las Vegas (woohoo!), Nevada, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Great Falls, Montana. We're looking to be back in Edmonton for the installation of the new bishop, and we're working things out for the rest of the time before our wedding.

Thanks for all the support you've been for us, and I'm really really looking forward to being back among my own :).
Peace,
Jane

Drunk Squirrel

2007-03-24T20:38:00.000-06:00

You gotta check this out, it's hilarious:
Drunk squirrel stumbles up tree
Peace,
Jane

99 Days!

2007-03-22T16:49:00.000-06:00

Just a little cheer: we're into double digits instead of triple until the wedding! Woohoo!!!
Peace,
Jane

Beginning of a Journey

2007-03-20T11:51:00.000-06:00

Lent feels like it started quite early this year. Like, *poof* and it was there. I had Andy with me this year to start Lent off, which was really wonderful. He was here for his reading week from Newman, and it was such a blessing.

We started off by going to a hockey game on Sunday: Anaheim Ducks vs. Los Angeles Kings. We were in the Honda Centre, and holy crap does that thing get tall when you're in your seat, head nearly in the lighting. The first level is a much more normal gradient, the second and third are very IMAX like in the seating, as in if you stand up, you might fall to your death. Yeah, Andy's heights fear was definitely maxed out, but he was able to lean forward in his seat by the end *applause*. That was a fun experience, and it was only possible through Vanessa who had a bunch of free tickets to give away.

What else did we do...hung out lots. Monday (I think) we took a walk down to the Pier and had fish & chips for lunch, which was really nice. Then it looked as though it was gonna downpour on us, so we headed back up the huge hill. And then it rained.

Tuesday something happened. Though I can't remember anymore. Wednesday we did stuff again. Ah, now I remember: we went Swing Dancing! yup, and we had a blast! It was very lots of fun, and I can't wait to do it again with him. We both learned some new moves, and it was so much fun messing up and having to start over. I loved it.

Yeah. Okay, so I don't know if you've been able to tell so far, but I've been writing this thing in increments cause I haven't been able to write a total story for awhile. So forgive me if it sounds weird when I've been talking in near present tense though it's been awhile.

Thursday we headed up to The Getty Museum to see the Icons of Sinai. These icons are some of the oldest (if not the oldest icons in Christianity). Mind, we didn't see ones that were from before 7 or 800, but we missed a few too. They come from St. Catherine's Monastery, which is at the foot of Mount Sinai and the oldest Monastery in Christianity (at least that's still running, if not completely the oldest). They were pretty darned cool. They also had books from 1000 or so that had copies of the New Testament in them in the original Greek, can you believe that??? It was so cool! Andy and I totally wanted to flip through the book and try deciphering more of it. I even read enough Greek at one point to realise what we were looking at was the start of Mark's gospel! I am still so impressed with myself about that. Yeah. We spent the whole day getting up there, viewing, and then getting back. It was an amazing experience.

Friday - Sunday. Engaged Encounter. This was a very awesome and very needed experience. A number of things happened that we hadn't expected, and one of the things that I felt most happy about doing was doing some goal planning for our future as a married couple. That opened up a few things that we hadn't thought about before, including how to get to those goals. So that was, for me, one of the most powerful parts of the weekend and most needed. It was really awesome and I'm really glad we had that time together.

Monday, Andy left for Edmonton. And that was that. We spent about 45 minutes wandering in Palm Springs, cause we had a bit of time, and that was really nice. I enjoyed that quite a bit. I'd love to go back there to see more of it.

That was Andy's trip here for his reading week. I'm finally done this entry *whew*! The next one will be the amazing Religious Education Congress .. amazing for more reasons that the workshops and speakers.

Until next time, folks.
Peace,
Jane

Andy and I above Lake Elsinore

Before the hockey game. Andy in his new spiffy xkcd shirt.

hockey!

Sittin in our seats up high

On the San Clemente pier

The Getty Museum

Andy thought this wall looked a little like the Helm's Deep walls, so he pretended they were for about 30 seconds while I took the shot

IT was a weird funky statue behind us. We didn't know what was the front or the back.

Weird funky art inside that looked like there wasn't much intent. Andy was trying to figure it out, but eventually gave up.

The Icons from Sinai!

We had pancakes one morning. They were tasty

Okay, story: I thought the package was for ham slices. Turns out it was a ham steak instead. So Andy's digging into it here.

On the road back tot he Palm Springs airport

Kinda cool statue

This was a kinda 'old western' view of Palm Springs. The buildings looked really old. Therefore, a picture was needed.

There was a sign that said 'Regina'. We took a picture.

Our lunch before Andy's flight. We ate on the grass under a tree at the airport. I think people were avoiding looking at us.

Last picture before Andy left!

Quick Note on the RE Congress

2007-03-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

Story of a life time. So I was meeting Anthony (from my parish, a Youth Ministry helper) at the "cafeteria" tables in the back of the exhibit hall, and all the tables are crowded. That meant that we were sitting with random people at the table, consisting of a couple eating lunch, and a bunch of people from Salt Lake City (nice people). Then the Salt Lake people took off, and were replaced (rather quickly) with 3 other people. The guy in the group reached over to the other couple sitting there and introduced himself as Paul, just as the lady beside me introduced herself as Giselle from Saskatchewan and things went 'click'. I had lunch with Paul Fachet as well as Lisa & Giselle from the retreat centre he works at. Of all the places to come across an old, beloved professor again, this one was certainly unexpected and welcomed!
Peace,
Jane

MySpace'd!

2007-02-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Sooo, I figured I wanted to do some MySpace, and I now have a page. I really don't find it all that cool, but whatever. There are two good features about it that I do like, though: it can upload up to 300 pictures, and it also holds video (up to 100MB per video). So, I think I'm gonna start putting them up there and see how that works. It has a slideshow feature for the pictures on the front page (you shouldn't need to click anything) which is neat. But other than those features, it's not much of anything. i find blogger simpler and more reliable (MySpace kept giving me odd errors when uploading pics). At any rate, check it out. If you do MySpace, cool. If not, you're probably cleverer than me in some way for avoiding more hassle.

www.myspace.com/girlofcanadia

Peace,
Jane

July 21st, Baby!

2007-02-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

For some brilliantly awesome news, check out jkrowling.com/en to see her announcement that the last book in the wonderful Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be released to the throngs on July 21st, 2007. 171 days until we can hold the precious book in our hands, people!

Onto other things: Happy belated birthdays to both Celia and Andrew!!! Happy year-older!!! Hope you enjoy the fact that you're older now. Roo, you're the first of us. Let us know if there's anything we should be aware of at 25!

In other news, myself and another youth minister down here, Vanessa, have started The Ugly Sunglasses Club. We spent the afternoon together a few Fridays ago and all the stores in downtown Huntington Beach were having these after Christmas sales. I found one really cool store (no idea the name), but everything in it was $18 or less, and they were playing The Beatles, and the clerk was reading The Half-Blood Prince. So it quickly became my favourite store, overall, for having such a cool attitude to it. And it was there, in that store, that Vanessa and I decided that we would purchase a pair of hideous sunglasses to wear while we're together having an adventure. And that was the start of it, folks. Vanessa currently has the photos which she keeps reassuring me she'll bring next time :) I'll post them once I get them.

Other things going on at this time: I really do not enjoy directing the Confirmation program here, and I am looking at options to either hand it off to capable and dedicated parents, or leave it as an SEP.

It's been cold here. Andy took a screen shot of his weather thing saying that it was 4 degrees in St. Albert, and 3 degrees in San Clemente.

Other than that, things are still going. Bilius (my car) needs a new battery. I want to give him an oil change today as well, cause I'm feeling him starting to stress. yup yup. That's about it.

Okay, so when I get pictures, you guys'll be the first to know. Hope you're all doing well otherwise!
Peace,
Jane

The Wand Chooses the Wizard (or Witch)

2007-01-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

So I took the test that my brother posted om his blog and wanted to share it, cause it was kinda fun.

12", Holly, Dragon

You scored 47 wisdom, 38 bravery, 21 emotional, and 5 martyrdom!

Holly is a powerful protective wood that good for use against evil, but it also represents dreams and fertility. Your dragon's heartstring core makes your wand very effective in hexes.

Link: The Harry Potter Wand Test

Planning for a marriage

2007-01-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year, people!
I hope you had a fabulous eve & day!!!
At my uncle's in Langley right now, arrived yesterday, and Andy and Adam left today in the early afternoon from Abbotsford. My plane leaves tomorrow from Vancouver at 8am (ouch!), and I'll be in Palm Springs about 1:30-ish. Blah. Don't want to go to work again. Oh well. 6 months, baby! Then I'll have some permanent company!

And speaking of which, I have a wedding dress now. If you haven't yet had a chance to glance at the pictures, I've uploaded the ones I like of me in the dress. It's actually the wrong size and not the colour I'm getting, but it's the style of the dress. You probably won't notice much difference anyway.

We were up in Prince George for a couple days, and Andy and I frantically spent both days doing planning - I am sorry if I wasn't able to see you - we really needed to try to figure stuff out, as I am nearly certain I won't be back before the wedding, which is really tough. We were able to look at florists, though, and we found that Costco does bouquets andboutonniere's cheap, and fortunately also in the colour we're looking for! Yay ! and there's a florist, at least in College Heights, that we might
consider to do some arrangements for the reception. Sadly, we can't confirm a reception site yet, as everything was closed or the people we needed to talk with weren't available while we were there. My mom's going to work on that when she gets back. Andy and I were also nearly able to finish our marriage prep that we'd been working on, which is a little disappointing that we weren't able to finish it, but we were able to do a lot of the last section together, which was a really nice change. Really really nice, as the rest of it has been done viawebcams and skype . We're hoping to be able to attend an engaged encounter when he comes down to San Clemente in February, but we'll have to see - he needs to be able to take the extra day off because it's a full weekend (until Sunday evening), which means he'd fly out on a Monday.Aaand we're both really looking forward to being able to start life together as a married couple - having to part often for long periods of time has not been easy. It will be very nice when we don't have to do that anymore.Oooooh!!! And we have our wedding rings! You can view them eventually at Hubbell Goldsmith's site by looking up "Faith in Love", but from the looks of it, it's not up yet. You'll have to check back. Anyway, I'm chatting with Andy now, so I'm taking off for now. Have to repack, too. blah. Happy New Year!
Peace,
Jane

Pictures:

Have a Very Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

And a happy New Year. I hope it's a good one, without any fear.
o
Well, I figure if that's a good enough saying for Mista Lennon, it might be good enough for me. And today it is.

So, um. HAPPY CHRISTMAS! yay! yay! There are currently pressies under the tree from 5 families. That's a lot of pressies! And there are people everywhere in this house. Like, completely everywhere. And Andy is wearing a glo stick around his neck. Like a necklace. I vetoed his idea that it should be a halo. There are cute kids here, though. One day I might put up pictures. That is, if we take any. And it's not raining today!! Yay! It's actually almost sunny! The last few days it's been constant rain, so the non-rain stuff is kinda nice. And I'm really really hungry right now. I can smell food cooking and it smells tasty. Mmmm....fooooood....mmmmm.

Anyway, that's about it.

AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS!!!!!

Happy Christmas!
Peace,
Jane

Harry Potter and the......

2006-12-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

THE TITLE FOR BOOK 7 HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!
I am soooo totally pumped!! Completely pumped!!! Pumped'd!! That means we should bee seeing the last book in 2007! not '08 as I was figuring!!!! Woowoo!!!!! I am sooooooooo excited!!!

Deathly hallows...deathly hallows....ooh, I'm gonna have to dig up some good research for this one!!!!

a truly excited person,
Jane

Adventy Christmas!

2006-12-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Merry Advent!
I am so extremely excited: I am going home in 4 days 21 hours, baby! WOOHOO! Yay! And I have a bin full of Christmas pressies to take with me as checked baggage (as long as it doesn't exceed the weight of 100 lbs). I can't wait to see everyone again! Especially my Andy; it feels like it's been waaaay too long (5 months), and we're gonna meet in RL! yay! He's getting hugged when I see him in the airport.

So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun.

I've been listening to my Nutcracker cd I got a few Christmases back, and holy carps does that put me in a Christmasy mood. Nearly all my presents are wrapped; the only ones left are the ones I haven't bought yet. My credit cards are in need of being paid down *cringe*, but I'm very excited about the gifts I've bought :). Ooh, crap, I forgot laundry. That's the other thing - I think I've done all the laundry I need to before taking off on Friday (yay!), which is great. Including bed stuffs! I'm so organised. .. .maybe.

So there's news among Edmontonians regarding Bishop Collins' placement. An interesting event, no doubt. I believe he will fit in very well at the Toronto archdiocese; his actions and his theology have been experienced by me as very eastern Canadian, and I believe that will benefit greatly the Toronto archdiocese.

And speaking of theology, I miss it. I miss not having a scheduled, evaluative weekly theology something in my life. Enjoy it while you have it, folks, cause it's a blessing in disguise (darned good disguise, too).

And on a vague not-going-to-enter-the-whole-rant point, I think the Church should be a leader in raising its prophetic voice to society that would grant its own workers time at home just after our major celebrations (Christmas and Easter) rather than subscribing to the minimal norm of one (US) or two (Canada) days off. That amount of time truly does not permit a person to enter fully into a celebration of the seasons. I think, generally speaking, the Church has failed to use its prophetic voice in this area, of demonstrating its leadership potential when it comes to the dignity of the worker and work. At least that's what I see, and I readily admit I do not see everything. One thing that provoked this was that I heard that those who work at the Edmonton archdiocese have to be back at work on the 27th unless they take vacation time. I find that not in compliance with how I understand our morality passed down to us. Aaaand I'm going to leave it at that or I'll start going into the why with a lot more detail.

Ooh! I had such an amazing time last week - Wednesday I went out with some youth ministers from the north of the diocese (which is about an hour drive, roughly) and I haven't laughed that hard since I left Prince George to move here. They were so funny, and I'll tell you, I've never gotten so silly after 1 glass of wine than with them that night. And I discovered that one of the north parishes has a college group (obviously not just for those in college) on Tuesday nights, so I'm thinking of taking that up with a YM friend and finding some fellowship there.

At any rate, I hope you're all doing well and keeping happy! I heard the Christmas wrapping went well over the weekend! Yay! I loved doing that. If I don't see you (many I won't) have a Happy Christmas, and enjoy the rest of the season of anticipation and preparation (Advent)!!!! Go to a retreat!

Peace,
Jane
Edit: Andy showed me this site, Take Back Your Time that really coincides well with my would-be rant I just posted yesterday. I am (so far) totally for this!!! Raise the awareness!!

Well, everyone else is doing it...

2006-12-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

So I am too! I checked my blog RSS feeds this morning, and nealy everyone on it updated!!! Holy carps! Okay, well, nearly everyone means significantly more than one right now. Even mister Travis!

So I'm updating too.

I have found a very awesomely cool podcast that I think you all should give a try. It's called Pray As You Go. It's done by the Jesuits and it's a maximum of 13 minutes per day of reflective, meditative prayer that you can download and listen to as you're working out, or as you're driving to work (or walking), or really frustrated, or just hanging out. You don't need iTunes to listen to it, just download the specific day you want or download the whole week's worth, then transfer it onto your mp3 player or music program, and *poof!* you're got a prayer ready for you to take part in for maximum of 13 minutes! Now, in order to keep the integrity of the prayer, I don't suggest doing something that really challenges you to keep focus (like answering email, or really doing anything else on the computer...um...hypothetically speaking). Just take 10-13 minutes for God and take part in the prayer.

Yeah, that's my big plug for them. I think it's pretty cool. They're doing Advent now, which they're experimenting as an ongoing prayer, that is, building up from the day before's experience. They weren't doing that in Ordinary Time. Just so you know.

Yup, other than that, 16 days until I get to go home and see Andy! I am very looking forward to that. Very, I say. Aaaand I have a meeting in 30 minutes, so I should probably get ready for that (I'm still at home in my pjs right now).

It was nice to see the pictures of snow that people put up! I miss it. And I can't wait to see it again when I come home!!!

Peace,
Jane

Call Out

2006-12-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Peter,
When're you heading home for Christmas? And when are you heading back? Andrew mentioned something about you guys heading up Mount Pope on New Years again? After that? Lemme know. Thought I might get a quicker response from you if I made my questions public ;). *crosses fingers*
Peace,
Jane

Happy December!

2006-12-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Holy carps!
Where did the year go?! I've now been down here for a year (a few days over, but who's counting), which is nuts to think about, and this year, I'm going home for Christmas! Yay! I'm very much looking forward to being back in my Canadaland. And seeing Mr. Fiancé over there will be really nice.

What else...well, I've got the teens doing Caroling Cards this year!! I'm very excited about that. More excited that they thought it was a really cool idea and wanted to do it. We're gonna be delivering the cards and caroling on the 15th. If you're one of those people who hasn't experienced a Caroling Card, they're really cool. You purchase a card from the teens after a mass, give us the name and address of who you want the card delivered to, pick a carol from our list, and we deliver the card and sing the carol! When I ran the idea by the staff, they thought it was such a cute idea. At home, we had sold them anywhere from $7-8-ish, but they were like, 'Oh no, sell it for more! You could get $10 easily for that!', so $10 it is. Maybe next year it'll be $11. And maybe it'll keep creeping up, if it goes over well :)

Aaaand, I think I'm officially a weather-wuss! I'm cold and it's 15 degrees out. My body seems to have adapted to the warm climate pretty easily, so its heat/cold gauge has changed. ... Yup, my toes are quite cold, and I had a hot water bottle warming my bed last night. And I'm choosing not to turn on my furnace this winter because I don't want to pay the extra money. There are other ways to get warm, like layering. Though I used my furnace more than Andy used his last winter...

And in 22-ish days, I'm leaving this place! I can't wait. Not much longer now!
Anyway, that's about it. Hope you're all keeping toasty warm in some way!
Peace,
Jane

Edit: I thought you techie people out there might enjoy this comedic video I stumbled upon about the Help Desk

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's an odd experience for a Canuck in the US to have Thanksgiving so late and so close to Christmas. They celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday here, and most places also give Friday off in holiday spirits. Brian is on the road as I type (I hope) to come down for Thanksgiving, and that's extremely exciting. We're gonna have dinner tomorrow night. I invited a few other people to join, but they've been dropping out quickly. Oh well. Lots of turkey for Brian and I! It'll definitely get us through the weekend. I love turkey and stuffing sandwiches. Almost as much as eggs on toast. I found this really cool recipe for Maple Roast Turkey with Sausage, Apple, and Cranberry Stuffing. I'm extremely excited to try it. Picked up a few bottles of wine as well, and looking forward to seeing if they're worth their penny.

There hasn't been much else happening. Work has been busy; I've made it mandatory for the Confirmation classes to attend Youth Day this year (well, next year, but this school year), and that's a nervous ride. Last year we had our registrations sent back to us because it had filled up already. I really don't want that to happen this year, because I think it'd be an awesome for the teens to experience religious education in a different way and also experience the larger church. It's expected to fill up before Christmas even though the deadline isn't until February 2nd.

I talked with a mom yesterday who said that her son is totally enjoying Confirmation prep, and is often in the car calling to her to hurry up for class. I found that very encouraging to hear, as I always anticipate the classes being a disaster and am often surprised when things seemed to have gone really well at the end. Maybe that expectation will change by next year. I'll definitely be more prepared for it after experiencing so many 'falling-short's.

Andy's doing relatively well, considering the amount of sleep he's been getting. I could never function under so few hours sleep and continue with a full day of work and class. I'm extremely impressed with his resilience at being able to do that. And he's writing some darned good papers! Though the spelling does take a downfall after awhile. Which is quite amusing, really. He particularly doesn't like including verbs when the mistakes increase.

I must say, though I am happy to edit papers, I am so glad that I'm not in a position where I have to do papers, and I am thoroughly enjoying the freedom from it :).

And it's only 29 days until I head home for Christmas! I'm very excited to be going home. Last time I was in Canada was about 4 months ago (July), and will be 5 by the time I leave. Luckily I've had some great visits from family (Neil and mum) and friends (Celia and soon-to-be-Brian), which has really been helpful. I love Christmas. Especially when it's with my family - they are so wonderful and wholesome to be around (well, most of the time wholesome :) and we have a great time. There's gonna be a lot of wedding planning during this time too, as it's the only time Andy and I will be together with my mom and cousin (who's going to be doing the decorating) before the wedding. Ah, bliss of life. Looking forward to getting back to familiar soil.

Well, that's about all I have today. Hope you all are doing well, and I'd love to hear what some of your Christmas plans are if you get a moment! Blessings on your day.
Peace,
Jane

A Happy Birthdays!

2006-11-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to pass on a very big number of birthdays to people today!
Miss. Heather!!! Happy birthday!
And you other folks who are at the college (lesse if I get them right): Les, Lynn & Dawn? I'm sure you guys are turning older today too :).

Hope you all have a fabulous birthday, and I'm going to be enjoying a Thanksgiving weekend this weekend (yeah, they're weird down here that way). I might have a toast to your big day tonight for you though :D.

Peace,
Jane

Driving driving driving...

2006-11-17T07:57:00.000-07:00

Good morrow, peoples!
Today is Friday, which is usually a weekend day for me. But not today *sigh*. Though I do go for my driving test today, so please say a prayer for me! It's at 11am, so I have 4 hours. I've done some practice routes, but I'll be honest - I haven't studied thoroughly the rules of the road for California. Oh well. We'll see what happens. I'll need to wash my car for the test, as I'm not sure it's 'safe' with the windows so dirty.

Other than that, things are trekking along. I had an absolutely splitting headache yesterday, I think my neck is out, so I called for an appointment today. Then I go to work and work on stuff for Youth Day! So that we can get our tickets before they sell out. Blaaargh. That's how I'm feeling about work.

Tomorrow, though, I'm heading to a bridal show which should be interesting. I'm looking for ideas, and hopefully I'll come across some! Yep, that's about it. Anything interesting happening in your lives lately? (GO ESKIMOS!)
Peace,
Jane

Update: I passed the behind-the-wheel test!

Arrr Wedding Website!

2006-11-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

Arrrrrr Wedding

He's 29 Today, People!

2006-11-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Andy!!

Hope you enjoy your HS figurines (and fight people with them :) and have a wonderful day. Make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday today!!!
I love you lots, Andy.
Jane
ps. tomorrow Andy and I are revealing our wedding website, so make sure to check back for that!

Andy's Birthday!

2006-11-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!!!

Okay, your birthday is actually tomorrow, November 14th, but I'm starting today so that people can know when the day comes!

Don't forget to wish Andy a happy birthday on the 14th! He's turning a grand 29. Give him a present, a card, a 'happy birthday' in the halls, a ticket to John Wayne Airport, a nice chocolate bar, a something!!! And don't let him stress too much about his papers tomorrow, even if they are all due ASAP and are important.
So once again, Andy, happy birthday! Hope your day is decently fun :D. Love you lots.

-Jane

8 Months!

2006-10-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

Whoa.

In 8 months from now, many of you will be visiting my hometown for a long-weekend. That's right, people, in 8 months, Andy and I are gettin' married! Woohoo! Well, at this time, 8 months from now, we'll be married. whoa. okay, back up a bit. there's too much planning yet to get to that part. At any rate...8 MONTHS!

Just had to share :D.

Soooo, I will be getting another visitor soon!! Brian's coming down for the 'merican Thanksgiving (which they celebrate on a Thursday?!) weekend, so that's very exciting!! Yay!!

That's about all from me right now. I'm busy making spreadsheets. whee.
Peace,
Jane

I LOVE BREAKFASTS!

2006-10-28T13:48:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to express my love for breakfast food. It is so absolutely delicious and tasty. I could eat it at every meal (though I mostly am right now anyway), and there isn't a lot of clean-up from them either! one pan, a toaster, a plate, fork and knife...it's great! And there's nothing better, nothing better than eggs on toast, preferably easy-over. A little turkey bacon, some mayo, and *smack* presto! One tasty breakfast. Top it off with a perfect cuppa coffee, and you're set. For variety you could even add a chicken-sausage or two, with some Dijon, even. So much taste in one sitting.

That's about it right now. I love breakfast.
Peace,
Jane

Congratulations Jen!!

2006-10-25T09:39:00.000-06:00

My cousin Jen, who has been pregnant for the last long number of months (traditionally 9, I suppose), HAD HER BABY LAST NIGHT!!! At 10:38pm Riley James arrived into the world. He weighed 5.8lbs and was 47cm long. And he's cute! Please keep them in your prayers that they may continue to keep healthy!!
Peace,
Jane

Ahoy There!

2006-10-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

Forgot to mention that Andy and I are working on a website for our wedding, which is due to be revealed on November 15th (2006). So keep your eyes and ears open around that time to see what we've put together! (It's rather simple, nothing extravagant, but it'll be there with information).

I'm mostly telling everyone this because Andy and I created 2 deadlines for ourselves previously and we missed them. At least this way there's a chance you might bug us if it's sounding like we're gonna miss it :D.

Peace,
Jane

I Hath Been Visit'd!

2006-10-19T00:51:00.000-06:00

My mum came to visit me for about a week, arriving last Tuesday (10th) and she left this morning. I love having visitors! Even if my place is a mess (which it is), it's nice to have another familiar person around. We had a great time; we went to the San Diego Zoo, Catalina Island, and yesterday mum went ocean fishing (by the nuclear plant). It's been really fabulous!

Friday we headed down to San Diego to take a gander at the zoo. Prices were about $32 each person, and mum pulled out her visa to pay with, and lucky she did! We got a $16 Canadian discount cause she used a Canadian visa! That's unheard of! Well, I felt very lucky. So we went on a 40 minute bus tour of the zoo to get our bearings, which was quite enlightening. We got a good view of the two polar bears playing in the water with each other (pushing/shoving/etc), which was really cool. Those things are massive! Their head is about the size of my torso. Huge! Then we went down a road called 'Cat Alley' or something like that, where all the big cats were. It was very cool - we saw a black Jaguar, Siberian Tigers, Lynx, and a couple others. It was neat - they were all in view when we went by on the bus, and active and the like, but when we walked by later they were all taking cat naps (hahaha, I'm so clever). What else..what else..erm, we saw lots of pigs. For whatever reason, they have many wild pigs there. And lots of deer. Different varieties and such, but I didn't find them as interesting. Though they had a species of deer that was the rarest in the world, and one weird thing about them was that the herds or whatever you call them generally don't have males in them. The reason is that when trouble/danger enters their world, the females warn each other, but the males just go run and hide. So they're isolated from the herd (or whatever). I think that's how it was explained to us. If I'm wrong, maybe my mum'll comment and correct that. I thought it was funny. If you're not community oriented, you're kicked out! And all the kicked out ones happen to be male. :D. Anyway. Too amusing.
We also saw giraffes! I love giraffes. And that word looks funny in the plural. But they're so cute!! There was a newborn baby there, only 2 months old. It was born 6 feet tall. Ouch. That's all I have to say about that. Ouch. They were eating leaves while we saw them. I think that's about all they do. And lick the poles. I think their tongues are the coolest thing about them. They're like Odie tongues but black. And we were told that their tongues are really soft. On the weekends visitors are allowed to feed them, but by the time we were there, we missed the feeding by about a half hour. It was sad. I'll just have to go back. Maybe. If someone else comes to visit me.... :). I love giraffes. There was a teenager-looking-like one who decided to try his/her hand at the palm leaves (cause all their regular leaves food was eaten by then), and he/she was really munching on it for a very long time. Looked like it had peanut butter or something stuck in its mouth. Like, 2 jars of it or something. It was funny. Typical teenage thing to do. I love giraffes (Andy, we should invest in one).
We also saw the elephants, which was cool. They had 2 varieties, Asian elephants and an African, I think. They're rather big. And bulky. Their trunks are really neat. The guide told us that the tip of their trunk is so sensitive that the elephant could pick a single blade of grass if it wanted to. Well, the ones we saw didn't want to. But it was nevertheless pretty interesting. And we saw a rhino. Those things are neat! Really big. I don't know why, but it reminded me of Eeyore. No idea how that connects, but there you have it.
We didn't get to see the monkeys, unfortunately. I'd like to see them next time I go. We did get to see the snakes, though!! I like snakes. Though most of these were poisonous, so they weren't cute. And I wouldn't want to hold any of them. I want a corn snake or two.
That was about it. We then headed up to Colette and Pat's place in Huntington Beach for supper and had a grand ole time there. Great day.
Saturday we headed out to Catalina island, which was pretty an hour and a half-ish ferry ride from Dana Point. Though we had to leave on the 7:45 ferry (ouch) and were required to be there a half hour before (ouch). And mum had us slotted to come back on the 7:00pm ferry. 12 hours was a little long for me, but it was nevertheless pretty good. The city that is on the island, Avalon, is the only city on the island. It's a rather big chunk of land out in the sea, but Avalon is nearly the only place you can visit without paying a hefty price for a tour. So we wandered. And wandered. I bought a couple Christmas pressies there, and a book and a magazine, and coffee. That was about it. We went up to the Wrigley's memorial. Wrigley owned the whole island at one time (like the guy who's name is given to Wrigley's gum), and then he loaned? sold? i can't remember, but part of the island was somehow given over to a conservancy, which is what most of the island consists of. Avalon also has a huge, huge, huge building called The Casino, which mum and I found out, isn't a casino at all. The bottom half is a movie theatre, and the top floor is a ballroom. There was a Jazz Festival going on that weekend, and we managed to swindle some free tickets (that actually was a lot of luck). It was pretty cool, but I wasn't in the mood for a jazz after an hour or so. Mum was, so I wandered a bit and she enjoyed it. It's a huge round building, when you see the pictures below.
That pretty much sums up the main things we did. We tested out a bunch of new wines. They were pretty good.
So yeah. It was a fabulous visit. I really enjoyed myself, and I think she did too, which is uber awesome.
In other news, today was the nuclear alarm testing day. That doesn't mean the nuclear attack alarm, but San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant is just south of San Clemente, and so this city, along with 2 others and Camp Pendleton, have alarms to sound if there's a threat of a meltdown. They're required to test them once a year, and today was the day. I sent a video of the sound to a number of you, I'll see if I might be able to post it somehow onto this site, but I think it's probably rather big.
1. Mum and the wild pigs
2. The massive Polar Bear
3. The cute (but huge) Panda Bear
4. Me and an elephant (or oliphant, as Sam would say)
5. Mum and a zebra. She said it was the first time she had ever seen a live one
6. Me and a giraffe (I think they're really cool)
7. The start of the Catalina Island pictures. That's mum in front of a restaurant, but we didn't actually eat there.
8. One of the piers for the smaller boats. Has a restaurant at the end, I believe, but I didn't walk down that pier
9. Main street on Catalina Island
10. Mum reading about the Botanical Gardens in the Wrigley monument area.
11. Coolest thing ever! It's an aloe tree!!!
12. The view from the monument. Really pretty. Avalon is down that valley more.
13. The plaque to Mr. Wrigley-dude
14. The Jazz festival that was happening in The Casino (that isn't a casino)
15. View from the north side of The Casino on the top floor (which is also the ballroom, which is where the Jazz fest was being held)
16. View to the south of the island from The Casino. I overheard some people saying that Nicholas Cage owns one of the houses on the side of the mountain. I have no idea how true that is.
17. A view from the hillside of The Casino (the thing's massive!!)

Creation in Genesis

2006-10-01T12:52:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone,
This is primarily for those who are in theology: Can anyone provide for me a scan of the Hebrew text of the creation hymn (I need it by Monday) (and not the Hebrew letters themselves cause I'm not that gifted, but with English letters...like 'adonai' and 'elohim' and 'adam' and all that jazz)? I'm teaching a Confirmation class tomorrow evening (BLARGH!) and part of the area I'm covering is the Human Person, and I'd like to go over the hymn to show them some of the cool stuff about it.

Please let me know!! I'd really really appreciate it very lots!
Peace,
Jane

Happy Birthday!

2006-09-28T10:40:00.000-06:00

To Kristy!! Hope you have a most fabulous day, girl!!

The Problem with Ministry in our Church

2006-09-23T16:58:00.000-06:00

I love working with teens. I love their enthusiasm, I love that they question nearly everything, I love their openness to discussing hard issues in groups. I could probably do without their sarcasm (when they use it, but mind, I was extremely sarcastic when I was a teen), and perhaps without their inability to prioritise well (and I must put in that I know many adults here who have a harder time than the teens), but I enjoy their company and who they are as teens. I love being in a position that allows me to minister to them developmentally and spiritually. There are very few places that allow for this openly.

I love my faith. I love the Catholic church. I love our sacraments, I love our community, I love our history and tradition, I love everything that creates the Catholic identity that I embrace. I could probably do without its hypocrisies, do without its lack of enthusiasm regarding lay ministry, and perhaps when it employs a derogatory attitude towards women, but I really like being able to express in a very full and satisfying way the love for life in Christ with a community of believers. There are very few faiths and denominations that can express this with me.

Working with teens in the church? Seems like a pretty darned good match, doesn't it? Yet as I said in the things I could do without in the Catholicism, its lack of ability to understand lay ministry and its hypocritical approach regarding expectations of lay ministers and paid work create an atmosphere of low morale and confusion. So often in our parishes and diocese it is hard to see Christ in the administration of ministries and workers, where such important documents like Rerum Novarum, written in 1892(!) have not been taken seriously in our own Holy Mother Church.

And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. (Gen 2:2-3)

Working for weeks straight without a weekend, working 10 hours a day for days on end, not receiving recompense for extra responsibilities that have been taken on and yet expected, not being able to draw appropriate time boundaries because there is not adequate nor reliable help from those who ensured they'd help with responsibility. What does this say about human dignity? For me, it feels as though my work is more important than who I am. I am absolutely certain that this attitude is not Catholic, so why is it dominating our Catholic workspaces in so many places? I am aware that I have worth because I am loved by God, not because of what I can do. I am certain that my work, though important, is not more important than who I am. I know I am not the only paid pastoral minister who experiences this. I am aware that this problem extends beyond the Catholic workspace, but as a faith organisation who has written documents to not only Catholics on this topic, but also addressing the world on these issues, I find this a crime against the Catholic church's very beliefs and a crime and violation against humanity to promulgate this attitude in the Catholic workspace.

While at a Diocesan Youth Minister's meeting at the beginning of the month, I was given some enlightening information: approximately 20% of youth ministers who continue in their ministry at their parish after 13 months. That means there is approximately an 80% rate of youth ministers who quit within 13 months. One of my first questions is this: is this stat relevant to all paid pastoral lay ministry? If so, why? In the emergence of the importance of lay ministry, why is our theology so lacking in expectations for lay ministers who have not devoted their lives to celibacy? For those who have a vocation to family or the single life? Where is our church showing the love of Christ for them in the workspace?

Is this a rant? No, it's much more thought out than a rant. It is a problem with ministry in our Church that has not been adequately dealt with, nor has it been properly recognised in diocese by bishops who are entrusted with the responsibility for paid pastoral lay ministers. This is a call and a challenge to think about this issue and ways in which we can all work towards a just workplace, in modelling it in our churches and advocating for it secular workplaces. It is hard for an orgnaisation of believers to advocate for something that is not first modeled in its own leadership.

Peace,
Jane

Yarrr, matey!

2006-09-18T09:22:00.000-06:00

In case you are not familiar with what tomorrow is, it is
International Talk Like A Pirate Day!
That's a link to the UK site, which I found much better looking than the US one. More aesthetically pleasing.

So don't forget your 'yaaaar's and 'haaaaaarrr's and just plain ole 'aaaarrrrrr's tomorrow. It's the only day of the year in which you can speak like a pirate and not be completely insane. Unless it's Hallowe'en. And you're a pirate.

So, in the pirate-mood we're all in, I've saved the best video that I found on YOU tube for last, which is perfectly timed here with International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

I present to you... Pirates of the CAR-ibean

Peace,
Jane

ps. please keep me in your prayers, as the confirmation classes are starting tonight, and they have been one of the most stressful things ever in my life, and I'm finding it hard to organise them. Thanks.

I Have A Question, and....

2006-09-14T08:40:00.000-06:00

Does anyone know where this quote came from?
"Who you are is God's gift to you; who you become is your gift to God."

Danny used it with us lots in high school, but I can't remember if he got it from somewhere or if it's some anonymous quote.

At any rate, if anyone has any ideas, that would be wonderful! Thanks.

Aaaaaaand....HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACQUI!! Nearly forgot, but hope your day is a good one!

Peace,
Jane

New Theme and New Picture!

2006-09-11T11:22:00.000-06:00

If you haven't noticed, this indicates that your browser is somehow very disfunctional, I changed the layout of my blog. In fact, I switched to the beta blogger, which has a few extra features that I'm enjoying. One thing to note for it, however, is that it is viewed best in the Firefox browser. Generally speaking, Firefox is much more user friendly than anything Internet Explorer has provided. This new layout should work with Internet Explorer, but one of their known issues they have that they're still trying to work out (it is a beta prog) is with Internet Explorer, where the browser locks up and crashes. If you're having an issue viewing my blog, please go to their known issues page and try to see if it's something they're working on. I know others of you use Opera or Safari, they have sections on that page for those browsers too.

Other than that, things are quite stressful right now. We're having the carpet redone this week in our offices, you know, the week everything starts up or the week before, so that's rather a pain even though it's necessary. As a result, I have to pack up my room instead of prepping for confirmation, which is starting next week. Oi.

So enough of that. Here are some pictures from when Brian and I went to Paramount's Great America. Eventually I want to be able to put up the videos we took while there of a few of the rides we went on. One, called Drop Zone, was my nemisis, so I had to go on it twice to make sure I could conquor it. Just ask Brian.

Update: So it seems there are some problems with uploading images to the blogger beta...I managed one, so you'll get the one picture I was able to upload. I can get more up, but at a pace of one per upload, I don't have time right now. You'll have to wait for the rest of the pics, which are really good, thanks for asking :D.

An also, here's another video:
What older people do for fun

Peace,
Jane

The PCH!

2006-09-07T23:40:00.000-06:00

Pacific Coast Highway!
That's what I took from Sunnyvale back home today. Well, not the whole way, but much of the way. I then skivved off it prior to hitting LA, cause traffic would have been a headache. Instead, I took some off the beaten paths and really really enjoyed them! Despite the fact that I spent 12 hours on the road and my neck and lower back muscles are sore, I had a really good time. I found some very picturesque areas (the PCH is full of them, running along the coast) and the not-so-busy highways are a real treat when you're not rushing. They have hairpin curves, windy roads up gorgeous mountains...it was quite fabulous, really. I found some great campgrounds I want to go camping at now, and a really cute town that reminded me of France and now I want to live there ^^. The place is called Ojai Valley and is only a hop-skip-jump away from Simi Valley, which is where Lorainne grew up. I ended up driving through Simi Valley, but by that time the sun had set and it was dark, so I didn't see much except that the population is somewhere over 118,000. So it's decent sized. And I met a couple Canadians!!! There was roadwork that took about 15 minutes, so I wandered up to the front of the line to see what was going on (they were tearing up the road) and the first car in line was from Saskatchewan!! I was so excited, I started talking with them. And that was about it. The guy driving was going to some drama/theatre arts college in West Hollywood, and his dad was helping him move down. Nice people. From Saskatoon. I wished them luck. I should have told them how the banks suck down here. Oh well. I guess that's part of the luck.

Anyway, here are some more pictures, in no particular order, from my drive down. I'm not putting all of them up, because I'm not sure how daunting it is for you to see a post and think 'aw crap, why'd she have to put so many?!'

At any rate, here are a few!
Peace,
Jane

San Francisco, Baby!

2006-09-03T11:19:00.000-06:00

I drove 7.5 hours to get here, and I love it! I've been visiting Brian here in Sunnyvale since Friday. It is so very nice to see a friendly and familiar face from Canada! There is absolutely nothing that can beat that while living down here. I miss Canadianisms. And attitude. And lifestyle. *sigh* I'm learning loads, though.

So, one thing that's really nice about being this far north (which isn't all that far north, comparatively), is that it feels like fall here! Woowoo! I just checked the temperature for here and for San Clemente, and it's 15C here and 22C there. It's a nice difference. I like being able to feel cold again. Which is ironic in many ways, cause yesterday I got cold and I had forgotten my sweater back home (it was right beside my luggage bag! Right beside it!). So I had to buy a new one, and it's a fleecy kinda jacket I bought at Pier 39 (it's pier # 39 on the bay that's just popular and has many restaurants and shops and stuff). It's warm and nice, and I'm happy now. Oooh!!! I also bought a Beatles mug!! It's the coolest thing ever! I'll include pictures of it at the end of the post.

So yesterday Brian and I headed to the Exploratorium and spent the afternoon there. It's similar to the Odyssium in Edmonton, but much bigger. And outside are all these absolutely massive statues and constructs that feel very ancient Greek. I have pictures of those at the end of the post too. They were so absolutely massive!!! And sooo cool! I really really want to go to Greece now! Well, not that the desire ever died since Gr. 7 when we studied Greece, but now experiencing something similar in grandeur, I really want to go again. The Exploratorium was really cool, though. So much neat stuff there. I liked it! Then we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. Oooh, there's this sea lion reserve-type thing beside Pier 39, so there were hundreds of these sea lions barking on the small docks provided for them! Hundreds! And they smell. And fight each other.

So that's been it so far. We had supper at the pier and dessert, bought some chocolate, and walked back to the car. It was all pretty darned cool.

When we got back, Andy had internet! If you don't know already, Andy is in the process of moving. And so is my brother, Adam. In fact, they're both moving in to an apartment/unit/place together and sharing rent for the next year. They have a landline! Yes, that's odd. But at any rate, if you talk with them, you can ask them where they are, why they are, and how they are. And, is it just me, or is it kinda weird odds that they worked together temporarily to be made into permanently (like, instead of just for the summer, now year round too) and are now living together?

At any rate, that's about it for now. No idea what we're planning for today. Might go for a drive or something cool. I have to go check on Bilius (my car's name. Free accommodation for a week in San Clemente for the person who can tell me why my car's named Bilius! Well, as long as I haven't told you why already) and make sure he's around still. And not broken. Cause that would be very sad. Very sad indeed.

And the next video: Who's On First?

At any rate, enjoy the pictures and the video, and I hope to hear comments from you!
Peace,
Jane

1. This is when we were driving up to the Exploratorium, and the view of the 'ruins'
2-7. Pictures of us with the 'ruins'
8. A picture of a San Francisco street, in which it's hard to see the major hill one would have to drive up to follow the street, but I guarantee you it's there!
9. Okay, it's hard to see, but the white bump is the island Alcatraz
10. Me with the island Alcatraz behind me, which is really hard to see given we took these pictures with our phones. The boat is clearer, but the hill behind my head is Alcatraz. The picture is taken from Pier 39.
11. My Beatles mug
12. The inside lip of my Beatles mug. It says 'Love Is All You Need,' if you can't read it.

Songs With Celia

2006-09-02T11:16:00.000-06:00

Approximately a week ago, Celia came to visit me for about four days. It was quite a sporadic decision, and very spontaneous. And quite worth the ride :). I picked her up from LAX airport Friday afternoon, and that night we hung out at the beach. Youth Ministry was having a Beach BBQ so we ate and were merry. Saturday I was doing a Peer Ministry Training Session with some teens all day, so Celia explored on her own and, from what I understand, enjoyed her touring. She helped to create a Youth Ministry Sign so that I could advertise youth ministry after the masses and the Family BBQ we were holding Sunday night. Sunday we spent most of the day at the parish, hanging out after the masses.

During the break between the morning masses and the evening mass, however, we went out to the beach and swam. And, as always seems to happen, I got burnt, even though I reapplied sunblock this time. Differently, though, I put (well, Celia helped a very lot, cause it was on my back) vaseline on the burn to seal in the moisture. This seems to have worked (so far). I think I should probably put some more on when I get back to do the same thing, but it definitely stopped hurting quicker than my other burns did (like, only 2 days this time rather than 2 weeks). So I think there's something to be said there...

Monday we headed out to Disneyland and spent the day there. It was really cool. I hadn't been there since I was about 5 or so with my mom. I found it weird in some areas, cause I vaguely remember areas. Like glimpses of what I was feeling when I saw things for the first time when I was 5. Like Cinderella's Castle. I remember feeling extremely hopeful that we could go in the Castle and walk around into secret passageways and staircases, but it was not so, and I was disappointed. It was neat. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride wasn't worth the Jack Sparrows that were in it, which is saying something, coming from me. It was neat, I suppose, but rather bland. We went on, I'd guess, approximately 7 rides, and we did lots of walking. Celia bought an Indiana Jones hat, which I think is really cool, and I bought Jack Sparrow dread locks.

I liked splash mountain. We used the FastPass for that, which means that you go to these machines, shove your entrance pass into it, and it'll give you a ticket telling you when to come back to bypass the line. That was the one ride where it was so completely worth it. The sign said it was about a 45 minute wait for the ride, but after walking past all those people waiting, I'd guestimate it was probably an hour and 20 or so. Our wait: 7 minutes. About. That was darned sweet. The rest of the rides were maybe a half hour wait, so we either picked a good day or we just had luck.

Anyway, after Disneyland, we came back, got some pictures of Celia in the ocean for Lorainne (and in which Celia completely doused herself by being knocked over by waves), we then headed up to the viewpoint and watched the sun set, timed the twilight (maybe a half hour), headed to the Pier and sang songs for an hour or two (she was using my guitar).

It was a really awesome visit, and I'm so glad she came to visit!! My first visit from a friend!

At any rate, there are some pictures from the trip at the end of this post.

And, here's another video:
Fainting Goats

Peace,
Jane

Video

2006-08-31T15:33:00.000-06:00

Okay, it's been awhile, but here's the next in the video series I was doing:

Pool Prank

Peace,
Jane

I would buy you a house...

2006-08-31T10:47:00.000-06:00

Days 3-5 in Tijuana..in extreme brevity.

Well, I skipped day 2 because all we did, really, was stuff bags of dried goods. It was nice because it felt a lot more like we were doing something and we could see the results, but it wasn't very exciting either. So onto days 3-5.

These days we went back to Banati's old site that they had moved from. We had caught wind that they needed help cleaning up there, so we mozzied ourselves over there and did what we could. To be frank, the place was covered with layers of gross dirt and human waste, rotten vegetables, and most noticeably, sour leche (milk). Our job was to empty as much of the sour milk into the drains to get rid of it. But because the drain system is so bad in Tijuana, we had to squish the curds through a strainer to make sure it didn't clog.

The flies were horrendous. In fact, I feel that by far they were the worst part of working there. The smell could be overwhelming, but God forbid you catching a fly in your mouth. Ew. Just gross. We had face masks, and when we bought them we had the intention that they would be for keeping dust from getting into our mouths, perhaps dilute the smell a bit. By the end, I was thankful to have a mask so that I could breathe out of my nose and mouth without fear of catching a fly. It was literally like walking through a waterfall of flies in certain areas. Sooooo gross.

I can't describe to you very well how much milk we threw away. We emptied one extremely large walk-in refrigerator that was stacked high (like, extremely high) with milk cartons. We did a lot of work. And that was pretty much all we did for days 3-5. We had contact with more workers, which was really good. We found out later that only one of them was paid staff, and the others were all men from drug rehab working their community hours. They were really nice, and one of them, Jose-Luis, was such a sweetheart. More often than not, he would not let the girls carry the crates of milk from the fridge to the kitchen area. He'd stop them, indicate that they'd hurt their backs if they carried them, and indicated he would take them. It was cute, but also detrimental to him, in many ways. Honestly, our girls had no problem carrying them, but at the rate we were disposing of the milk, we needed to bring a lot at a time. So in taking the crates of milk from them, he overworked himself and was visibly strained at the end of our first day. It looked like his arms would give out on him every time he brought in more milk. He was still a sweetheart, though. Very kind, and though I spoke not a work of Spanish, our attempts to communicate worked well. All the teens really got on well with him, and I think that was in part because they saw that he was willing to pour himself out to help them in doing this task, so they in turn felt grateful for the gift of himself he was giving.

Anyway, I think this topic will have to end here, as it's been over a month (nearly two!) since this trip. I have a slide show the teens made up for the trip, and if I am at all able to figure out how to put it up, I'll link it. Anyone have any clues if I can do that with Blogger?

I'm taking off to San Francisco for a week, I may update, I may not. Celia was here for 4 days just this last week, and we went to Disneyland, so I'd like to post that somehow soon. I'm trying to keep this up better :D.

Peace,
Jane

If I Had a Million Dollars....

2006-08-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

I might invest it into proper plumbing for all of Tijuana's poor and their houses.

Note: I started writing this right after I came back from Tijuana, and I'm not changing it to reflect the increase in time since then

What a week.

We arrived safe and soundly at Casa Manresa Catholic Retreat Center, and it was a very nice facility. As you may see from the picture on the link, we had an amazing view of the city of Playas, the ocean, and though you wouldn't be able to tell if you just looked at the picture, the bare land to the right near the top is the US, and San Diego is right there (though the picture also shows a parking lot, which is actually all unpaved gravel at the moment, as they're still in the process of finishing the grounds, so that part is a projected picture). We watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the edge of the cliff cause we could see San Diego.

I don't have any pictures right now, they're currently being developed and the teens are putting them into a slide show. I'll see if I can link that up eventually so that you all can see it too. However, I will divulge some stories, if you're interested in listening to them.

Our assigned place to work for the week was with the Food Bank. It serves 60 communities, and each community serves about 60 families. Just last week, they moved into a new facility that much better serves their needs. Their move started with them asking that each community donate one cemente brick toward their new facility. As easy as that might seem to us, these people have nothing in which to really gather the material (cemente, water, mold, etc), and so this process, for all the communities to actually make their block to donate toward the new place, took approximately 4 years.

Day one: Rotten Tomatoes
Mexico exports a lot of tomatoes, but one of the drawbacks to exporting them is that they need to ship them while they are green so that they can be ripe, and not overly so, by the time the country they are shipped to actually put them out in the markets. Not all the tomatoes harvested in Mexico are green when they are picked. There are a large number of red ones which are unsuitable for exporting. They therefore have to be sold in Mexico. The government only sells them in a certain quantity, and this certain quantity is extremely large. The tomatoes were on crates: 4 boxes of tomatoes could sit on a crate to create one level. The boxes were stacked about 10 feet high. There were at least 20 of these crates in the room, and except for perhaps 7 of them or so, they needed to be sorted good from bad. I must admit, the stench was something else. And the sheer size of all that had to be done was really quite overwhelming. But, we started. And we kept going. And the smell got to a couple of our teens and they had to take a break. We went pretty hard with the tomatoes, which in many ways was unfortunate, as we didn't stop to go and chat with the other workers.

I'm not sure how long those 10 foot crates of tomatoes had been in this room, but I'll tell you, there was no air conditioning, and the heat outside was hovering around 27-30-ish. There is only so long a tomatoe will keep in heat, even in a dark room. As a result, the cardboard boxes that the tomatoes were in would start to get soggy from decomposing. The state of some of the tomatoes was, without reason, completely woebegone. Every box had moulded tomatoes, some so moulded that it was hard to separate them from the tomatoe beside them (literally, the mould had merged the two). Others you prodded before picking them up to make sure they wouldn't burst apart into decomposed tomatoeyness in your fingers as you picked them up. And then some had maggots growing over them. I myself picked up a tomatoe that looked in decent shape, but felt somethings wriggling underneath the skin of the tomatoes. Needless to say, I dropped it pretty quickly and was thoroughly grossed out. Ew. Yuck. I hate maggots.

So, as you can imagine, the tomatoes weren't in a great state, and neither were their cardboard counterparts. This came to a crashing realisation when one stack of carboard boxes on a crate suddenly toppled over: the cardboard on the bottom had become so besotten with tomatoe rotten juice that it couldn't hold up against the weight of the other tomatoes on top. This became, in my eyes, the most rotten, disgusting pile of disgust. It was so gross! There was mingled soggy cardboard with some whole, no problem tomatoes, some somewhat rotten tomatoes, and then those tomatoes that either had a really hard time sticking together or were openly juicing for everyone to see. All with moulded tomatoe parts. We had to pick through and retreive some of the good ones, but it was such an ominous task, and with the next crate looking like it would fall over at nearly any hour, we were only able to do so much before we decided to just throw the rest away. Throw the rest away. Pffft. Throw it? With what? We had no tools. No gloves. We ripped off pieces of cardboard boxes that weren't too soggy and shoveled the tomatoes into it, and threw them away. It was brutal work.

And then we were done for the day. By the time we finished we had nearly a crate 10 feet high of good tomatoes, so we accomplished a lot. Though it didn't look like much (the fruits of our labour looked small), it was a lot of hard work.

Now, Tijuana is full of hills, and Banati (the Food Bank) is on the lower side of one of them, and across the way is another hill. We noticed as we were driving that there was a monestary-looking type place on the lower half of the next hill, and I was quite curious. So I made everyone else curious and we decided that we wanted to go on an adventure. Indeed, we even convinced the other group who was working with us (a parish from up in the San Francisco region) to come with us. So we started out, not knowing the pathway there, but seeing our destined goal. Except for the main thoroughfares, the streets in Tijuana are not paved. In fact, they're barely kept up roads. I'd hazard that they're not kept up at all. They have potholes half the size of our 15-seater van, strewen with garbage, dogs, and people walking about. And they are, by no means, even ground. So we turned down one of the streets headed towards our goal.

We eventually got there, a massive structure of grey concrete located on this hillside. It was two levels, and on a bottom third level was an enclosed footy field. On the bottom half of the church structure was an open room (as in, no doors, but fenced in) where it looked like they were holding mass temporarily, as it was set up as a church. So we set off to see the top half. No kidding, this thing looked like some sort of cathedral, and it was not finished yet (hence the church downstairs). Enormous. Giant. Ginormous. Gargantuous. This thing was huge, complete with a bell tower being built. We didn't explore much in it, as we were a little concerned for safety (being an open working site). So we turned back, got some pictures, and made a move back to the vans. Now, as I mentioned, there was an enclosed footy field on the church property beside the church on a lower setting. There were about 4 boys in there playing footy. We decided to ask to see if we could play with them, and they obliged. With both of us groups, there were 16 of us (including us leaders). About 8-10 of all of us joined in playing with them. I hung out in defence for my side, mostly because the shadow of the bell tower was on our defensive side, and it was bloody hot outside. It was fun. These kids are really good, though they were challenged almost evenly with some of our kids. We even got a crowd of other kids from the neighbourhood watching the game. It was fun. We played with them for about a half hour or so, then headed out for supper back at the Casa.

That evening was a session on the principles of social justice that our church teaches, and we talked about how we see them in our worksites. It was good.

And that was Day 1.

So, sorry it took so long to get a post up. I got back from Mexico, had less than a week here (and had a lot of work to do at the office), then went off to Prince George. I got back from that, and then my power adapter refused to transmit electricity to my computer on Thursday. So I ordered another one from Dell. Or at least, I thought I did. Turns out I didn't, and I have no idea how that happened. So I ordered another one. And it actually came. That's my story.

Hope the longer post makes up for that. I'll continue with days 3-5 in the near future, post some pictures (I should be getting the pictures this weekend, hopefully), then move on to my PG visit. Hope you're all doing well! And here is another of those videos I was posting, enjoy! Footy falling practice

Peace,
Jane

This is not a post

2006-08-02T19:44:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone.
Please forgive the lack of updates. My computer is out of commission at the moment and I am awaiting a part to arrive by mail. The expected delivery date is between Monday and Thursday next week.

Sorry folks! Don't forget to drink lots of water!!
Peace,
Jane

Happy Canada Day!

2006-07-01T12:10:00.000-06:00

Today Canada turns 139!!! Woohoo Canada!!!

I meant to post this this morning, but I got caught up getting all our stuff ready for Mexico. But...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!!!

The original poem our national anthem was wrought from:

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
(taken from our Canadian government website)

Peace,
Jane

Gah! Being Tijuana'd!

2006-06-30T09:50:00.000-06:00

So, we're heading off to Tijuana this Sunday, starting the van packing at 8:30am!! Please keep us in your prayers (there are 8 of us total)!! I can't wait to be rid of all this paperwork for a week!

Aaaand there's a forest fire just south east of us here. It should be contained by now, but who knows. I actually had to search a little bit for something that covered the situation...they don't seem to think reporting forest fires as something that's important in their news. Ah well. I got a picture of the smoke while we were heading down a highway closer to it (closer than San Clemente), so you can see the smoke lightly there, but it's actually much darker. The phone camera apparently isn't top quality.

What else...um...I'm tired. I'm sick of work. I haven't had a proper weekend for 4-5 weeks. Ever since Boomers, actually...I can't wait until I get home. Then come back and discipline myself to a better schedule.

And we need invoice slips at work. Whoever they order from take, like, 3 frickin weeks, and that's a long time to be without a pack of invoice slips! That's a side rant.

Yeah, that's about it from me. I have to go in to work today, again on my day off, and tomorrow too, dang nabit. *sigh*. So here's the video for today: Cats Talking

Peace,
Jane
PS. 365 DAYS UNTIL ANDY AND I GET HITCHED! WOOHOO!!!

Yah yah, next one, it's here

2006-06-27T13:49:00.000-06:00

Alrighty. Well, last post was Friday, today is Tuesday, and things are going well, thanks for asking ;)

I was finally able to get to my chiropractor today (I was bumped to this week cause his vacation changed last week), and boy did I need an adjustment! I feel so much more free now! Yay! And I'm still going to Curves, which I really really like. And tonight I'm leading teen choir practice cause Rick's out of town, so we're going over the list of songs he left and then socialize after that. Maybe sing a tune or two.

What else. Oh, I'm feeling overwhelmed with all that has to be done before September. There's a lot to do and I haven't a) had time to delegate b) find people to delegate to.

This Sunday we're heading off to Tijuana for a week. We'll be back sometime late afternoon on the eighth, if any of you are curious. This means that I will not be updating my blog or putting up videos during this period, but I'll get back to it once I'm back. Along with photos and stories, I'm sure, of our service trip.

And, without further adieu, the next video in the installment: Cat Herding

Have an awesome day!
Peace,
Jane

Hrmmmm...

2006-06-23T20:55:00.000-06:00

So I've noticed that there haven't been many visitors here lately (my high for today was 5!) and I just thought I'd let you know that I still love you all and hope it's just cause you're on adventures you're waiting to tell me about in the comments!

In an effort to keep you baited here, however, I've found some funny videos on the internet that I want to share with you, but I'll only be releasing one every couple or few days. Yup, that's right; 'giving incentive' is what I'd like to call it ;). There are 8 that I've found and think worthy of sharing, and I'll be starting with the least of them to work up to the best.

I may have other news to share with the videos too. It's only a week until we go to Tijuana! Gah!

Without any further adieu, here is the first, which has to do with Google Earth: Google Earth: Has it gone too far?

Peace,
Jane

Picture'd!

2006-06-21T20:33:00.000-06:00

I got some more pics for you! In case you were actually interested in what it looks like down here.
1. This is a picture from the Metrolink station, where I've been catching the train this week up to Orange, where I've been picked up to go to Survival School at Marywood (sorta retreat centre, mostly diocesan offices and meeting rooms).
2. I crossed the tracks to the beach and took a couple photos of the ocean. This week there's been a riptide happening, creating some really big waves (as I texted Adam, 'australia size waves,' or something to that extent)
3. Another wave
4. This is the view of Anaheim (and Orange and some other cities, I'm sure) from Marywood Centre. When it's not so hazy, you can see the Anaheim Angels (baseball) 'A' at their stadium. But that wasn't this day. Obviously.

Peace,
Jane

Viewing!

2006-06-18T19:59:00.000-06:00

Good day, all you people!
So, another week or so has gone by. I can't remember when I last posted and I am much too lazy to check. And really, can you expect me to?

At any rate, my hectic weekend is over (as of last weekend, actually), and it went really well, I just exhausted myself to the point of hurting myself, but that was solved with some sodium, sugar, and water (right Celia?). It is unfortunate that I have been so busy lately, cause I've just joined Curves, which is a really great program. I enjoy it, it keeps exercise simple and easy, but they have funny hours. They're open from 7am-12:30pm, then 3-7pm. I was going in the mornings, getting there about 8am, but this week I'm doing Survival School (for ministers, is what the audience is aimed at) this week and I don't get home until later than 7. Oh well. I'll get there. I like it a lot and I don't want to give it up.

At any rate, if you don't know already, the wedding will be on June 30th next year, we have that booked with Fr. Richard at St. Mary's Parish. Andy and I are currently working on a website that will carry more information about it and when, and directions, and all that other sort of jazz. So if you're planning for next summer, come on over to BC (if you're not already there!). You can tour Jasper or our lovely Camp Morice and spend a week enjoying the mountains and the lake (though the lake would be quite cold still at this time, as my memory crisply remembers). Lots of things to do, especially camping, too. Or rock climbing (just ask Johnson or the Bagnalls). PG is the place to be for next summer's July long weekend! (That sounds so badly like a plug, and it's knawing at me...oh well. I'm lazy today).

I'm trying to think of anything else going on. We have a diocesan beach party going on this Friday coming, and I have to somehow call teens to remind them to come out for it. I got a parent driver! I'm all proud of it. Yay!

At any rate, I have some (not very good quality as I took them with my phone) pictures for all of you of the area, so enjoy what you can of them!
Peace,
Jane

1. This first picture is actually from behind one of our hills (I'm on top, looking behind the hill to the east, and the little city-type dealie there is a part of Camp Pendleton, which is kinda cool, really.
2. This one is the view toward the ocean from the hill, down the road. It's too bad it's hazy out, cause it's such a beautiful view. To the right of the fence is the canyon the next picture is taken across.
3. And again, toward the ocean, across the canyon. All the houses that are on these hills are so unbelievably expensive that I can't even imagine the cost. Except if you hear that famous people are spending X amount on a house for a view, these are the houses they're buying. I should take a picture to show you the types of houses there are here. Maybe next post...
4. Again, across the canyon to the other hill, where the sun is setting. I was hoping that we might be able to see some of the sizes of the houses over there, but apparently the sun got in the way. Again, next time.
5. This is from the Metrolink station, which is right beside the ocean (obviously). This is called North Beach in SC (San Clemente; also South County, Southern California, StarCraft, Second Cup, and there are a couple others, but you get the idea), and they're in the process of redeveloping it so that it's more tourist friendly (restaurants, boutiques, hotel somewhere along the way). I like it as is, but it might be nice if it's a little developed. Perhaps I'll see eventually.

Lasterday'd!

2006-06-13T23:45:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, Lasterday is a mixture of 'last night' and 'yesterday' halfway through the first one, but realising that 'last night' isn't quite accurate and trying to fix it at that point to 'yesterday'. Any other reference to lasterday is not contextual to the circumstance of Andy describing an event that happened previous to today and is not the point of the story.

Peace,
Jane

Whoa! Czech it out!

2006-06-12T12:08:00.000-06:00

In the first rally of Group E, the Czech Republic smashed the United States 3-0!

I so wish I had tv for this season!

Peace,
Jane

Complaining

2006-06-07T09:28:00.000-06:00

So this weekend is absolutely nuts. I'm already dead tired thinking about it!
Friday we have the Gr. 8 retreat (please pray for us!) from about 9am-2pm, in the evening we have the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, where the staff serves, then we have the Boomers Lock-In, from 12:30am-6am, then I can sleep a bit. Sat. evening me and two of the participants for Tijuana are at the mass to hand out envelopes to appeal to the parish to pay for our van for us, which I'll also do at the masses on Sunday with the rest of the teens (7am, 9am, 11am, 5:30pm). From 3:30-4:30 there's a teen leadership meeting, and after the 5:30 Sunday mass is the preparation meeting for Tijuana, which goes until 9pm. I'm hurting already.

So...that's gonna be my weekend, in a nutshell.

And I'm out of creamo, which I apparently forgot prior making coffee this morning. Bah.

It's weird going from having nearly nothing to do to having a weekend like this. Anyone else have any experiences like this lately?
Peace,
Jane

Birthdays!

2006-06-02T10:13:00.000-06:00

Good morrow everyone!
I just wanted to wish Jenn Russell and Frank Jamin happy belated birthdays! I know they're May babies too and their day came after me sometime, but I can't remember when. So I hope you two had a lovely birthday!!! I've been thinking about you two!

That's really about it, unless someone's willing to donate some money toward my youth ministry to rent a van to get us to Mexcio. ^_^.

Peace,
Jane

399 Days!

2006-05-26T10:51:00.000-06:00

Well, my trip to Edmonton/S'Toon/Regina was really awesome. Had a fabulous birthday party with da goils, sang Happy Birthday loudly twice to Claire in Boston Pizza :), played the Harry Potter: Scene It! game Adam bought me and promptly beat him to smitherines :D. Went shopping!!! Yay on Reitmans! Got lots of new clothes that fit well. Then headed out to S'Toon for Jacqui and James's wedding, which was totally awesome! They're in Paris right now on their honeymoon, so I hope they're totally enjoying that experience!! Yay Paris! And James had the Lucius Malfoy snake staff in nearly all the pictures I saw taken at the church, so that was pretty funny and good. (Glad you like it James!). What else...I think that was it with S'Toon.

Next day we headed to Regina, it was my first time there. It's pretty nice. I like the legislature area with the not-natural lake. It's really pretty there. And there's lots of geese. And their poo. Then we headed to Andy's folk's place and hung out for the rest of the evening. That was pretty nice and relaxing. They're really awesome; Andy's younger bro was in from Calgary, his older bro and sis-in-law and new nephew were also in town from Waterloo, so that was really cool. I like them all a lot; oddly enough, they seemed quite like Andy in many ways, even though they're all different. They just had something core about them, and holy crap does Andy ever look like his dad! It's weird. That was fabulous, though.

And, as has been anticipated by some commentors already, the news: Andy and I are engaged as of last Saturday, and we're hoping the date for the wedding will be June 30, 2007 in Prince George (St. Mary's church). We've been thinking and discerning this for a number of months, and it just felt like the right time to take this next step. We both have engagement rings, so if you're in Edmonton, you can see what they look like by hounding Andy :D. He said he was going to put up a picture of them on his site. We'll see if that happens...;). Consider yourselves invited to celebrate with us next year! 399 days!

That's about it from me. I have some pictures from the trip below!
Peace,
Jane

PS. I forgot: tomorrow is my brithday, so make sure you say 'happy being 24!' to me or something :D.

1. Katie and Adam at BP's
2. The bunch of us celebrating our birthdays (and specifically Claire's, cause it was hers)
3. Claire and her free slice of cake (and Gwen's hands holding it up)
4. Jacqui and I (and James to the right, apparently)
5. James and the Lucius Malfoy snake staff (and his wedding ring he made sure to get in the photo too)
6. The Party
7. Jacqui & James's first dance
8. Jacqui & James
9. Us four
10. Picture of us and the flatness of Saskatchewan
11. Us and the grain elevator thingy
12. Heather and Walter (Andy's siblings)
13. Heather
14. Frank, Ben & Christie (Ben's his older bro, Christie his sister-in-law)
15. Toni
16. Little 'phew Brandon
17. the new family and grandpa Frank to the left
18. Andy and I at the airport prior me taking off

Get back!

2006-05-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

Get back to where you once belonged!

Well, I'm leaving tonight to stay at a coworker's place that's closer to the airport in about 15 minutes. I'm taking off! *voom!*

Wish me luck, write comments (or something) and "Get back, Loretta!"

18 hours, 14 minutes.

Peace,
Jane

3 days, 5 hours, 26 minutes

2006-05-15T10:16:00.000-06:00

Hola!
I nearly wrote 'Howler', though I have no idea why. The 'w' just kinda showed up after the 'o' and it seemed to proceed from there. Oh well.

I'm nearly in Edmonton! Not that I'm counting the minutes, really. I could be as much as 20 minutes off. I can't believe how many people commented on my last post. YAY! I'm glad to hear you guys typing happily and submitting on my blog. I love hearing comments from you. -Love- it.

So, what's been going on? I had my first meeting with teens on Sunday. It wasn't a youth group or anything, but it was some teens whom I have heard good things about and who I thought would be interested and do well as small group leaders in confirmation next year (along with an adult small group leader as well). The meeting went quite well; it was brief (as I had hoped it would be), just going over what the committment will look like, any questions they or their parents had regarding what it's about, and brainstorming names of more teens they know who would be interested in doing something like this. It was good. I was quite pleased with their response and interest in doing this. It'll be a committment of 2 meetings a month: one with their small group and one as a leadership team, and they decided when they would be able to meet for their meeting and what time on their own (yay no imposing!). So that was happy. I also passed out rough drafts of the summer events going on this year. One thing that seemed to really grab their attention was the Boomers Lock-In, which, for those in PG, is kinda like a Bubba Baloo's, but much better; a lot more activites. It's from 12:30 - 6am on the 9th of June. Or 10th, I suppose, as it's after midnight. One way or another, I'm gonna be tired. They pay a flat fee and have access to everything in the park. And this was organised by a couple parishes in our diocese, (minimum 150 people to be able to do this) and the rest of us parishes were invited to participate, so it'll be only our diocese who has access to the facilities, no other groups will be in there. That'll be good. Um. Yeah, the meeting was really good. They all seemed to get along well enough, and the peer ministry training that I want them to do will help break down those barriers a bit more.

What else...not much, as far as I can tell. Not with me, anyway. Some of the PG crowd headed to Victoria this past weekend (including my bro), so I hope that went well. I'd love to hear a story or two from any of you who went *hint* *hint*. I know there was something about the brakes utterly failing....?

And secondly, I just wanted to say congrats to Adam for claiming a summer job at Newman Theological College helping Andy in the techie department, doing networking and fixing and upgrading and throwing computers out second story windows ;). Ok, well, maybe not that last one, but I'm sure he'll want to at least a few times over the course of the summer. So yay! Good luck, dude.

Trav, you said something about pictures and updating...not sure if I'll be updating while in Edmonton, but if not, I'll surely do so when I'm back here, and I'll totally post pictures. And in the meantime, here's one of a really bad sketch I did on this site called Sketch Swap. Pretty nice time wasting site, actually. Check it out when you can.

Take care, everyone. And you boys who're in retreat, you're in my prayers. Hope you enjoy it!
Peace,
Jane

8 and 2/3 Days!

2006-05-09T22:58:00.000-06:00

Until I get to Edmonton! Not long now, it seems. How's about that?! Yay Canadian stuffs! I get Smarties and real iced tea and real banking systems that work and an actually good clothing store (yay Reitmans!)...!!! I'm very much looking forward to seeing Andy again (yay!) cause it feels like it's been too long, and I'm also looking forward to celebrating my birthday with two lovely women, Claire & Katie, and all the people who will be present there (you're all invited, by the way, if you're reading this. I've heard it might be in Claire's backyard, but no one's confirmed that yet), and I'm looking forward to seeing Jacqui and James again in S'Toon, meeting new people down in Regina (yay!!!), and then sadly coming back to Edmonton and flying out :(.

That is my big update. I am so looking forward to coming back to Canada for a little bit.

Peace,
Jane

Fog'd!

2006-05-02T17:55:00.000-06:00

Well, we've begun the season of fog and dreariness. It usually starts in June, I'm told ('June Gloom'), but apparently the season has gone awry this year.

At any rate, we just had our major calendaring planning meeting today for the parish and its facilities, so that was good. But let me ask this question: has anyone ever heard of a parish banning overnight retreats because they don't have 'retreat facilities'? Anyway, that was an interestingly brief dialogue (I got my retreats on the calendar).

Other than that, there isn't much to tell. I'm tired. Kinda grouchy today. And I still like the BNL podcasts. Hope you're all doing well!

Peace,
Jane

Yesterday...

2006-04-28T09:39:00.000-06:00

Was one month until my birthday!
So remember to commemorate my birthday in some way and let me know! Like, have a drink for me, or enjoy a sunset, or buy me a car, or plant a flower. :D All these are acceptable ways to celebrate my birthday with me, even though I will not be with you. Go ahead. No one's gonna watch ;). Though you'll need to tell me about it.

In news, it's cloudy and rainy type weather outside. But that's not fun. What was fun, however, was going to Catalina Island with the Gr. 6 class. It took me until the last day to figure out the names of the kids (there was only 9 of them!) in my small group, and I was able to figure out about 7/8ths of the girls in my cabin. And not just applying the name to the bunk, but actually to their faces! So I still have some work to do in that area, but it was a really good chance to get to know them, and they'll be going into Gr.7 next year, which is the beginning of Jr. High Youth Ministry at the parish, so I think it's a good thing. Really good thing. And they're not completely busy with everything in their lives yet..anyway. That's a rant awaiting to be opened. It won't be today. They're pretty good kids though. But the coffee there sucked. Like, completely sucked. I put in one of those little International Delight creamers (individually wrapped type dealies) and that was all I could taste, so it was like it was flavouring warm water. It was brutal. But they had Earl Grey tea there, so I got my caffeine fix from that instead. And they need bigger cups for the adults. They had these small styrofoam ones that barely heald a gulp. *sigh*. oh well. It was a good trip otherwise.

And to end, here are the pictures that I took! Enjoy!

Peace,
Jane

1-3. From Long Beach Harbour
4. The Queen Mary
5. Port Los Angeles
6-8. Views of Catalina from the ferry
9-11. Views from my cabin of Fox Landing bay

Things

2006-04-21T21:30:00.000-06:00

1. HAPPY EASTER! Christ is risen -today-!

2. If you have juice can lids, please give them to my mom before Tuesday next week, or you'll have to hold on to them and let them take up room until July.

3. Please keep this youth ministry meeting that Maggie and I are doing Sunday in your prayers. I'm getting that nervous feeling that people won't come out to it, so knowing people are praying about it will be helpful!

4. I'm going to Catalina Island with the Gr. 6 class for a science camp! I'll be gone Monday to Wednesday, leaving early Mon and arriving late Wed. I'm looking forward to it!

That's about it. Everyone's been unusually quiet this Easter. Hope things are going okay and I didn't miss some sort of underground party. :D.
Peace,
Jane

In case you forgot...

2006-04-20T22:32:00.000-06:00

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Peace,
Jane

Ooooh!!! Happy Easter!

2006-04-19T22:47:00.000-06:00

Today is Easter!!! Happy Easter!

And don't forget to drop off the juice can lids!

Peace,
Jane

Happy Easter!

2006-04-18T22:41:00.000-06:00

Today is Easter! Happy Easter to everyone! Enjoy the feast! Celebrate!

I love the Octave of Easter. :D.

In other news, a great big THANKS! to Frank and Sharon for dropping of some frozen juice can lids!!!! I NEED FROZEN JUICE CAN LIDS! My mum will be sending those and others to Andy within the next week, so if you've been saving them up (from the PG region), then please drop them off at my mum's place within the week so to be sent'd! Then you won't be collecting them for eons before I get to taking them off your hands for you. So this week folks!

Other news...uhm...well, there isn't really. It's Claire's birthday in a month! Katie's in a month and five days, and mine in a month and nine days! So think of what you might want to give me, whether it be a hug, a card, a car, a flower, a really nice rock (clear and sharper than anything would be nice ;), or money (I'm still taking donations), I'd be happy if you noticed that I turn a year older, whatever form that takes.

Yup, that's it. Happy Easter everyone!
Pax,
Jane

Exult!

2006-04-16T00:55:00.000-06:00

Rejoice, O heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!
...
For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.
...
This is the night,
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.
...
May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all humanity,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

W.O.M.B.A.T

2006-04-10T12:19:00.000-06:00

Wizard's Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test

Perhaps some of you, keen in the HP world (not the printer), took this test yourselves. I thought I had lost my student identification numericals, but I found them behind the Fizz!

We had 25 minutes to complete it, a completely situational test, evaluating our abilities to practically understand the basics of how the wizarding world works.

*sigh* I only achieved Acceptable. This is out of a marking scheme as such:
O = Outstanding
E = Exceeds Expectations
A = Acceptable
P = Poor
D = Dreadful
T = Troll

Nevertheless, I passed!! And I can go on to the Grade 2 testing next! I will do better next time. Perhaps use the 25 minutes rather than the 10 I took...

Peace,
Jane

Birthday Boy!

2006-04-09T20:46:00.000-06:00

A great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my younger bro, Adam, who turned 20 today! As he said to me last week, he's halfway to 40!

I meant to post this earlier but got carried away with work stuffs. He got some cool pressies, including a Skivving Snackbox from me! I wanted one, but I didn't figure it'd be very generous of me if I had opened the box and eaten half the things in it ;).
So hope your day was good, bro.

Take care, y'all.
Peace,
Jane

6 Months!

2006-04-04T12:58:00.000-06:00

Hola Everyone!
It is wet and thoroughly miserable outside here. I actually used the umbrella I bought not too long ago to a very good extent walking to work today. *sigh* oh well. Can't have everything, right? ;)

I hear finals are coming up, so I hope everyone's busily catching up from their procrastination pre-work that was well implemented for the semester up until now ;). I heard my bro Adam (along with a few others from the PG crowd) was in the Northern Catholic News paper, so that's pretty darned cool. Keep in mind that his birthday is coming up on the 9th (this Sunday), and, as he told me, he'll be halfway to 40! So yay! You're getting to be an old man, Adam! Though not as old as some other characters I know...

Speaking of old, Andy and I have now been dating for 6 months today! I hadn't realised that so much time has passed until he was like, 'it's tomorrow'. Weird. But I'm happy, he's happy (or had better be ;) and things are going good, if not a little distant geographically. I just thought I'd share that with you all, as it feels like a good step further, and I like celebrations. Like, they're very good things, and worthy to have a drink to and watch a movie for. :D

Hope you're all doing well! Peace out.
-Jane

Happy Birthday!

2006-04-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Fred and George Weasley!

Nearly There

2006-03-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the start of the L.A. Religious Education Congress (though it's actually in Anaheim, which is a different county), and Anthony (a dude from the parish) and I are heading over there bright and really early, as the opening liturgy starts at 8:30am, I think, and it's a good 40 minute drive when there's barely any traffic. But at that early in the morning, it's bound to be longer than that. Though I'm really excited to go. So long as I don't forget my program tickets. That would really suck.

Not much else going on at the moment other than that (and that's a pretty big thing). I hear a paper is due at NTC today, so hopefully not many were burnt out writing papers on healthy lifestyles (it's the counselling class that has it due). Cause that's kinda ironic, really.

Anyway, I gotta head out to my chiropractic appointment, and then to work. I get to clean the office today! Tomorrow we're getting the couch, so there needs to actually be room for it...

Peace,
Jane

Updating!

2006-03-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

For two reasons. Nothing too big or life-changing (as in, I haven't won the lottery or a vehicle), but Brian O has gotten a new website! I changed the link, he's got some cool artwork, some music he's done (A While or Three's awesome, Brian!), and some open-source proj's. So check it out!

Secondly, the BNL put up a link to a moste interesting site. And you gotta take a lookie. It gave Andy and I a good laugh.

Hope you're all well!
Peace,
Jane

Summer Events!

2006-03-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hola!
I just thought I'd give a little update on some stuff. Nothing too exciting, really, except this is my life and not yours, and therefore it's gonna have some sort of exciting dynamic (just like if you all told me what your summer plans were, I'd be like, 'oh, that sounds really cool. Wish I could do that too' type thing). Anyway, here they are:

May long weekend: Edmonton/S'toon/Regina! Okay, so not technically summer yet, but it's still close. One of my good friends, Jacqui, is getting married that weekend, so Andy and I are heading over, then making a quick trip to Regina to hang there (never been before).

July 2-8th: Hoping to go to a week long Catholic service outreach in Tijuana, organised by the Center for Ministry Development, but we'll see. That'll be the Independence Day weekend, and teens seem pretty interested in their long weekends (though they have the summer off). I'm trying to convince people now, though.

July 22nd weekend: Piner's wedding! Woo woo! PG party!

July 28-30: Steubenville San Diego If you want to see the most useless youth conference site ever, check that one out. I'm not impressed with it at all. Though I've heard the conference is supposed to be really fun with good vibes n'all that jazz, but honestly, I wanted to just throttle them for not putting up basic information on their website. How thick can they be?

That's it for me. In other awesomeness news, Pat & Corinne Fletcher had a really cute baby girl, Brigitte, so that's fabulous!

Um, yeah. That's it. Lemme know about your exciting lives!
Peace,
Jane

Oh the bliss of leisure reading...

2006-03-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Aaaah, yes...perhaps half of you wouldn't understand the meaning of 'leisure reading', but its definition, according to me, is 'to read whatever book I find most enjoyment in'. On Saturday, one of my days off (yes, those do exist as well, you students), instead of sitting down to revise my budget and balance my chequing account, I decided to stay put in my pajamas, grab the Half-Blood Prince, sit on my couch all day, and finish reading it. I had started it about 2 and a half months ago and got about halfway through it. I am proud to say that I indeed finished my leisure reading, and still had time left in the day! I seriously considered starting the book again, then decided to just not.

Reading the Sixth again actually brought up a few different issues that I hadn't caught the first few times, and I'm keen to read it once more and note those places where my curiosity was captured. However, I will not be doing that this post. I want to read the book again and reforge my ideas before I bring them to light. They have to do with Snape, though; I will reveal that much.

In other news, ...well...there isn't much other news. The point of this post was mainly to gloat how I don't have papers to do anymore. And it has now achieved its purpose. Muahahaha. Take care, peeps!
Peace out.
Jane

Save the Seals...uhm..save yourselves!

2006-03-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

and the rest of the world from your example at that!

An interesting twist on the Paul McCartney cause.

So, it's Friday today, and technically my day off. Though I've agreed to go to some breakfast thing this morning....I think i forgot it was my day off. Oh well. And something kinda neat is that the bishop for the Orange diocese (my diocese) gave an exemption for fasting today (Friday) since it's St. Paddy's Day, so long as we fast on another day this week. Which I did, so I'm eating today! Woohoo! Suckers. :D

Yeah, that's really about all the interesting news I have. It's not a lot, is it? Well, perhaps some of you will have something a little more interesting to post or comment. Talk with youse latah!
Peace,
Jane

Mardi Gras pics

2006-03-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Hey!
I thought I'd post a few of the Mardi Gras pics that I have. A number of them were too dark, which is unfortuante, but oh well. We got enough of them.

On another note, I'd like to say that I have been sorted into Ravenclaw by the official Harry Potter site. I am not a Slytherin. And in any case, Harry speaks Parseltongue and he isn't in Slytherin, is he? That's right. You all think you're soooo brilliant...

And Travis, thank you for your nice comments. And Jacqui, thanks for updating your blog too! I like talking Harry! And Frank and Sharon, I really hope you guys can come down here one day! I'd love to hang out with you guys here!

Please keep the OLF Teens and Youth Ministry in your prayers this lent!
Peace,
Jane

The Long and Winding Road...

2006-03-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

...is the journey Paul McCartney's on as he tries to persuade Canadians and their government that the seal hunt should be banned, says Federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn. I thought that was a clever line of his to come up with while being pressed by the Press.

On to other things, AT LAST, AN UPDATE! A couple things deferred this from happening. A) Andy came and messed up my regular schedule ;) B) I was waiting for a few extra photos from Brian from our trip to Santa Barbara. Andy is now gone back up to cold, (finally) snowy Edmonton, and I got the photos from Brian just a couple days ago. So yay!

The trip. It started at about 11am Sunday the 19th of February for me, as I drove to San Juan Capistrano and took Amtrack (the trains) to LA Union Station, which was also featured in The Italian Job which Andy and I just watched a few days ago. Then I took the Red Line metro to connect with the Blue Line metro that connects to the Green Line metro that goes to LAX airport. Think you got that? ;) We didn't do too much when we arrived back here in San Clemente (except go grocery shopping, as my cupboards were bare), both kinda tired from the journey. Monday was a holiday here, so I didn't have to go into work, and I didn't. Tuesday I was working, and then we had choir practice in the evening (which Andy came to and joined) and that was fun. Wednesday I worked, and something happened...I think we watched movies in the evening. Thursday I took off from work and we did a little touring around the area, and we got some good pictures from that, and Friday we headed off to the LA Cathedral and then up to Santa Barbara. I love that cathedral. We, again, took more pictures, then raced to catch our train north.

Santa Barbara is a very pretty city. Right on the beach with a backdrop of some beautiful mountains, it's a very scenic place to visit. State street, the main happening-place in Santa Barbara is also a really interesting street, full of fascinating shops, restaurants, and vendors. While walking down to the beach, I spotted a guy with snakes, so we walked over to see what that was all about. It turns out this guy was from some sort of snake conservatory, where they take in snakes people find, or if people don't want their snake anymore, and they have adoptions for them (he said there's currently a 2 year waiting list). So we hung out with the snakes for about 20-30 minutes, and I have now discovered a fact about myself that I never knew before: I love snakes. They're really cute and kinda cuddly! It was a windy day, so they just wanted to be warm, so they'd try and find the warmest place in our arms. One tried going up my sleeve a few times, and another one Andy was holding tied itself in a most complex knot...I really enjoyed the snakes, and I am now thinking of getting one as a pet. It's on my list of things to seriously consider buying within the next 6 months, at any rate. I mean, they'd be so easy to take care of! No fur (I hate fur), no cleaning tanks, no scrubbing...it's just up my alley! Now if only I could speak Parseltongue ;).

It was great seeing Brian again too! He's doing well, and we all had a great experience together. We learned of the oil in the shores of Santa Barbara pretty thoroughly together, visited the Mission (which is relatively intact still), and ate a moste wonderfule meale on State Street with live music playing in the background. It was very awesome. Andy and I had a really awesome time, and I'm darned sure Brian did too, so it was a great weekend trip. Next time it'd be nice if we could take more time there though. We'll have to see what happens with future trips. :D

Then Tuesday arrived, and Andy's plane left at 8am, which meant he had to be at the airport for 6am check in cause it's an international flight, which meant we had to leave San Clemente by 4:30am. We thankfully got their in good time and didn't hit up any bad traffic, though there was a darned fair bit of traffic for that time in the morning. From there, I had to skiddadle to the Diocesan Offices for Sexual Harrassment Prevention Training, to which I had a staff meeting directly after back in San Clemente, then prep for the Mardi Gras in the evening. Busy day. And the afternoon decided to play a joker, as the belt in the car motor burned to a crisp and everything started to seize up (on the I-5 Freeway, none-the-less), so I had to call Rick, who was only a couple minutes in front of me and he helped me out. Unfortunately that meant we both missed the staff meeting. Oh well. Life happens. Then I did Mardi Gras stuff all afternoon and evening. And it went well. I think I have some photos from it at work that I can post, but I'll have to do that when I'm there.

Oi. So that's that. It's been busy. Still busy-ness to come. I need to start planning for a youth ministry information session, start thinking of summer activities for the teens, figuring out leadership training for volunteer ministers...yup. Lots yet to do! I'm looking forward to it! So keep me informed on how things are going on your end of the line, you all. Especially those who have blogs!

Anyway, that's it for now, hope you're all doing well!
Peace,
Jane

Hopefully in the near future, I'll figure a way to put videos up of our snake experience!

In no particular order:
1. Me at my desk at work
2. Andy and I in front of the Mission in Santa Barbara
3. Andy and I at a viewpoint in San Clemente
4. Andy looking on at the view point
5. Our last night with some wine & pj's
6. Us at the park by the view point
7. Andy and I in front of a statue of Mr. I-can't-remember-your-name in front of the Mission
8. Us on the pier at Santa Barbara
9. Andy's first ever experience of the Pacific ocean, and Brian laughing in the background
10. Andy trying to avoid the mouth of the large fish...this is the park at LA Cathedral, and it's scattered with these different playful statue type things, and the trees are olive trees (I mentioned that with my pictures from the last time I visited the Cathedral)
11. The doors to the Cathedral. And Andy.
12. The cross that's in the background of the sanctuary on the inside, and Andy.
13. Sunset from the view point at the top of one of the hills (there are two major ones in San Clemente), and if you look closely enough you can make out an island right in front of the sun, and that's San Clemente island, which you can't often see unless it's very very clear out
14. Me on the lion in the Cathedral park
15. Andy and I at LA Union Station; I think this is a historical part of the station, though it never really said what it was used for. Looks kinda like an old court room or something
16. These are the canyons behind San Clemente, and by behind I mean, the other side of the city that's not water. East-ish, I suppose, though I think San Clemente actually faces south, so I'm rather unsure of that
17. Andy showing off the fact that he's not in snow and has shown his face to the sun and desert
18. This is the view from one of the roads that connects to the church's road...apparently we got more of us in it, but you can make out the water behind Andy
19. Finally! A proper picture of Brian! And Andy's there with him at the Santa Barbara beach-with-oil-that's-not-marked-in-a-sign
20. Brian and I on the pier with beautiful Santa Barbara and it's mountains behind us. It was very picturesque there
21. Mission Santa Barbara!
22. Brian captured a picture while remaining stable in a tree! We were quite proud!
23. Brian was trying to get into the mission by climbing the wall! We swear it!
24. A wonderful self-taken photo! And if you look closely in his sunglasses, you can be sure that it was self-taken! :D
25. Brian and I in front of the fountain right before the pier starts
26. And finally, Andy with one of the snakes we had the honour of visiting!

For other photos, please pester both Brian and Andy to putting them up on their sites, as I've put up 24. And I knows that they haves them. I knows it, I. :D

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Day Seven

2006-02-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

Forthcoming Wonders

2006-02-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Oooh, I'm listening to Bohemian Rhapsody....what a great song..."I see a little silhouetto of a man. Scaramouche,scaramouche will you do the fandango-thunderbolt of lightning, very, very frightening me!" Ah, what great music. It brings a tear to my eye. So do my allergies, though, so maybe that's not saying much.

Anyway, a great big HULLO! to everyone! Apparently I'm in a good mood right now. Today and tomorrow are my days off, and I'm taking Sunday off, and Monday is a stat holiday here. Yay! And Andy arrives at 3pm Sunday! Adventures! Though I need to go in to work today for a couple hours and finish some things off that I want to make sure are done before I completely forget about work for awhile. And the battery charger for my cell is there, for whatever reason I brought it there.

S.P.E.W!

"It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight!" Another good tune.

Whoa, people are wearing parka-like jackets down here. What's their problem?! Apparently we're getting a 'Severe Winter Storm' or something, cause my weather informer thing is giving me a warning alert. Let me quote the best part:
"VERY COLD WINTER STORM WILL BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND LOW SNOW LEVELS THIS WEEKEND." I love the 'scattered showers' part. Quite brilliant, really.

So how's the weather in wintry Canada? ;)

Yeah, that's about all I really wanted to say today. I gotta get that stuff done at work, so I should head out. Though I'm -really- not motivated to do so. I could just keep rambling about random things, like how I procrastinated working on paperwork yesterday by going to APeX Ministries site and taking note of all the links that were broken and which ones opened in the same window and which ones opened a new window, and writing it all up and sending it to APeX (or whoever answers their email) so that they knew. Though I get the feeling that they don't really take much care of their site. Gene's got a blog, btw, for those who are familiar with APeX. And they've gone to conferences in the Lower Mainland now, too. And they're heading to Regina sometime this spring and Calgary next October. Not that I memorized their Canadian schedule or anything...that would indicate that I was intent on not doing work as much as possible. . I would, uh, never do that. That was just hypothetically speaking.

Yes, ramble ramble...."we are the symphony of modern humanity"...another good one.

Oi. Okay! I'll get going! Force me, will you. Fine. Hope you all have a wonderful reading week, with the exception of Johnson, who gets to be in school. Let me know how things are going! And don't forget to save up your frozen juice can lids!!!

Peace,
Jane

Red, Pink, & White!

2006-02-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope your day is great!
Peace,
Jane

Edit: I was reading the BNL Blog, and they posted a link to this picture and I thought it was cream of the crop and I had to share it. Hope you like it!

A Canadian Favour!

2006-02-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

G'day peeps!
I need to ask a favour of all of you, if you could please!!! My dilemma is this: we cannot play Mamma Bear Pappa Bear for lack of frozen juice tin lids! No one here buys frozen juice!! I've asked and asked, and I have not heard hide nor hair from anyone indicating they were saving them for youth ministry. In fact, I was given a 'heads up' that people in orange county are much more likely to just buy juice in its bottles than bother with frozen stuff that gets all sticky and which they have to actually work for in order to drink...

So, I am asking, please, that if you do drink juice that's from the frozen section and in the tins, I would really appreciate it if you could save up your lids for me! If you're in Prince, if you could wash the lids and give them to Adam or my mum, that'd be great, or if you're in Edmonton and surrounding area, please likewise wash them and give them to Andy. I would really really appreciate your help with this if you could remember me here when you're throwing those tins away!

Other than that, things are pretty good. It's really warm today. Like, 83F warm, which is the hottest I've seen it for about a month. Um...that's about 28C. Dunno why I have this sweater on....

Peace,
Jane