Nikki G in Kamloops

February Blows

2012-02-09T07:45:00.000-08:00

I suck at blogging lately.
And I apologize.
But in my defense, it is February and everyone knows that February blows. Here is my top 10 list of has what has happened in Feburary and tell me that you not only understand why I didn't blog, but that you are glad I didn't because it would just be a waste of time to read it.

1. My haunted microwave woke up from it's nap and is now working fine.
2. I painted my nails.
3. I watched a few movies and some tv.
4. Did a lot of dishes.
5. Went to the gym.
6. Had some naps.
7. Put gas in my car.
8. Saw some friends.
9. Took the garbage out a few times.
10. Showered.

So really, other than my haunted microwave working fine again, as you can see, I've had a VERY exciting few weeks.

But have no fear. Things start looking up starting tomorrow - when I attempt Vegas again.

Other things to look forward to in March:
How I have no rhythm or skills and yet go to dance class.
MC-ing Jon and Rachel's Wedding.
Spring Break.

Nag

2012-01-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

"Z, will you take the attendence down to the office for me?"
"Ugh!!! Do I have to?"
"No, I just thought I'd ask. I can get someone else to if you want."
"Fine. Nag, nag, nag, that's all you do!"

What I love about Sunday

2012-01-22T14:03:00.000-08:00

Driving home a few minutes ago this song was playing on the radio and it made me think about my list of what I love about Sunday.

Sleeping in.
Waking up, and then sleeping in some more.
Waking up again and staying in my warm, comfy bed to read a book.
Finally dragging my lazy carcass out of bed, dressing up a bit more than a normal day - or dressing down more than a normal day depending on how I'm feeling.
Spending time with my sisters just chilling out.
Driving to church and anticipating the service.
Going to church.
Getting welcomed at the door by friendly people that I like.
Our AWESOME worship teams - seriously, they are fantastic.
Worship.
Seeing my friends.
Sitting with Tiersa at church again, just like in the old days. (I'm SO thankful for her furlough)
Learning new things from my 'friend' the DUDE (aka PH, aka Pastor Harry', Fields the Genius or my awesome friend DaveM. I worked closely with those men for 5 years and I love them and I miss seeing them during the week. It blesses my heart to talk and see them each Sunday)
Chilling after church and talking with people. Talking about stuff, or the sermon, or books, or funny things.
Getting a hug from my dad.
Seeing and talking with my old Youth kids.
The occasional after-church lunch outing with friends (I loved that more in Ontario where we had Church Chicken aka Swiss Chalet)
Having a long Sunday afternoon nap.
Reading.
E-mailing, blogging, texting, writing letters.
A lazy afternoon and evening at home.

LOVE it.
Sunday as a day of rest was ingrained in me from a young age, and it is a habit that I have kept for 29 years. I crave it, need it, love it.

Big Sister

2012-01-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a big sister.
x 4

I have three biological little sisters, and as of recently I have been matched up with a 7 year old girl through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in Kamloops. It's great. I really do love time that I get to spend each week with my little sister.

It's a great program. The application is quite long. There are a lot of interviews, home visits, looking through files, meeting with co-ordinators and doing everything that needs to be done in order to make a good match between a big (me) and a little. But once it is all done, and if it is done well, it makes the process worth it.

My match is great. My little loves to bake, read, do science experiments, go to school, play, do crafts, and basically is the 7 year old version of me. It's fantastic. I knew that we were the perfect match about 6 weeks into it. We were driving to a Christmas party and I let her pick whatever song she wanted to on my i-pod to listen to on the drive. Out of ALL of the 3000 songs on my i-pod she picked "Cover Girl" by the New Kids on the Block. Seriously. She's awesome. It is now our theme song and we listen to it approximately 18 times every time we hang out.

The best part about having a little is that for a few hours each week I get to not be a teacher, and not be a young-adult, and not be 30, but I get to be 7 again.

And when you are seven, what is better than building a massive fort with all the blankets and pillows in the house and playing snakes and ladders?
Or getting a make-over?
Think about becoming a big brother or big sister. It's pretty sweet.

cold-kirk

2012-01-15T21:06:00.001-08:00

It snowed a lot last night. More snow than I have EVER seen in one dumping in Kamloops in the past 6 years. Everything was under a good 6 inches of beautiful, dry, powdery snow. It was a winter winter wonderland. Freezing cold. But a winter wonderland nonetheless.

As Bethany and I were sitting in the living room today listening to the wind howl outside, she looked wistfully out the window and with a sad look on her face sighed, "I feel bad for Kirk. He must be so cold outside."

I scruntched up my forehead wondering who Kirk is, and why he was outside and how Bethany knew someone named Kirk and I had never heard about him before.

Then I realized.
She meant Cat-Kirk.

He was covered in 6 inches of snow. And in his defense - and Bethanys, despite the fact that he is ceramic, he did look really cold today.

The Haunted Microwave

2012-01-08T09:16:00.001-08:00

My microwave is haunted. Or possessed. It depends what day it is. Interestingly enough though, it tends only to be haunted/possessed during the winter months.

What happens is this. Every January-March for the past three years, my microwave has attracted the spirit of someone who is attached to my 60$ wal-mart special microwave. The microwave will start beeping randomly. First it will start off with one beep here and there. Nothing too strange. But then it will start beeping obsessively until I can get to it and unplug it. When I want to use the microwave again, I have to plug it in and none of the buttons will work. I'll leave it, and it will start beeping again a few hours later. And the cycle continues until I get to the point where I decide, "ok, this microwave is fried, I'm just going to leave it unplugged and get a new one."

But I'm super cheap, so I never do buy a new one. After a month or two, I wonder if maybe the microwave spontaneously healed itself so I plug it in, and low and behold - it will work again for another 9 months. Amazing. MIRACLE!

Then we go through the cycle again. The cycle started again last week. We know how it goes, so the microwave has been unplugged waiting for the day for it to heal itself.

But then. Last night. 3am. The microwave starts beeping.
I wake up.
How is this possible?!?!? It's unplugged.

Man! That is one relentless ghost! Even working when the microwave has no electrical source.

In my dopey-half-sleeping state I ignored it for a while. Then as it continued to beep and as I woke up a bit more, I started thinking about all the ghost stories and ghost movies I have seen over the course of my lifetime and I started to get really freaked out. So scared. I did NOT put my brave face on and go downstairs to see what was happening.

Finally, at 7:15am, when it was a little bit light outside (read: SAFE), I went downstairs.
The microwave had been plugged in!
How? How? How?

Is my semi-new home haunted by a ghost that is trying to communicate with me via morse code from a beep-ey microwave?

Wiiiiierd.

Ridiculous Adventure

2012-01-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

Today I want to tell you about my best and worst adventure of the summer. I can't believe that I didn't share this with you in the summer, how it slipped my mind I don't know. But I'm going to tell you about it today, and hopefully I can convey to you the ridiculousness of the situation.

As you know, my heart lives in Barkerville British Columbia. This past summer while I was there, me and my BarkervilleBestie Amber talked a lot. And one day in July - when it full out snowed, I was telling her about how in Kamloops it gets to be 40 degrees and sometimes we like to blow up air mattresses and inner tubes and float down the river. Like this:
It was a wonderful memory to share with Amber that snowy, cold JULY day. We thought to ourselves, "if only it was warm here, and if only there was a river we could float down on one of the 3 summer days that Wells/Barkerville gets." Then we remembered. There was a river. Well.... a creek really. But it was totally wide enough for us to float down (we thought) and would be deep enough to support our little blow-up fishing boat (we thought). So the plan was hatched. One day, before the end of August when I left, we would put her boat in the river/creek half way between Wells and Barkerville and float into Wells where we would climb out, walk the boat home and then pick up her truck.

Days passed. Summer came and went - on the same day nonetheless - and we never got around to floating down the river. Finally, on one of my last nights, we packed our bug spray, bear spray, and sweaters and loaded the boat. The river was four or five feet deep where we put in, and about 4 m wide. Wide and deep and fast flowing enough for us to float comfortably. For about 20 meters anyways.

The river was narrow and we often hit the sides. Especially when the banks would narrow, the water would rush quickly and a hairpin curve was ahead. It was more like... bumper boats... than anything else. We would laugh. We ran into low trees, we hit the banks often, and then the river would widen, and the water would get shallow. We would yell "BUM'S UP" and lift our butts of the bottom of the boat that was now scraping bottom. Sometimes it worked, more often than not one of us would get out and pull us to deeper water.

It was a ridiculous gong show.
But we laughed. Oh we laughed.

For about 90 minutes.
Then we realized that this boat trip was taking F.O.R.E.V.E.R. The lights from town were not getting any closer. It was getting darker and colder and less fun to struggle through the bog. We still laughed a lot, but the ridiculousness of the situation was less hilarious as time passed.

After 2.5 hours the lights of town were close. After 2.75 hours the lights from town were farther away and behind us. We had missed the turn off and were now heading for Quesnel. Our options were to turn the boat around and paddle against the current, or pull out and walk through the bog back to town.

We chose the second option.
AKA the wrong option.

With much difficulty (and me fully falling in the river up to my chest) we pulled the boat out of the river and walked with it approximately 2 meters through thick brush and swamp before abandoning it. Part of the difficulty was the terrain, most of the difficulty was our inability to stop laughing. It took us a further 30 minutes to stomp through calf-high stinky swamp mud OR crawl over 8 foot tall bushes. We lost our shoes I don't know how many times. We fell down a million, we screamed a lot, we laughed even more, we got a bit worried about meeting a moose or a bear, our legs and arms were scratched beyond recognition. But we made it out eventually. The boat remains lost to the bog to this day. It was a ridiculous adventure. But so ridiculous that it was hilarious.

(This is why it took so long. It's not a nice straight line. It's obnoxiously wiggly)

The 2011 List of Awesome

2011-12-31T11:43:00.000-08:00

As a general rule, I avoid New Years. That includes parties, staying up late, acknowledging the day, everything. I have a whole rant about why I dislike New Years, but that's not the point of today. The point of today is to reflect on 2011. Despite my dislike of New Years, I do enjoy looking back and reflecting on the past year. The challenges and successes and funny moments and blessings that continue to come to my life year after year.

1. I started blogging again. Which has been fun. I enjoy telling stories and sharing funny things with people so that they can laugh too. Laughing is good.
2. I learned to play the violin.
3. I once again experienced time-travel and went back to 1862 where I had a great time living and working in the ever-awesome Barkerville. I continued to build meaningful relationships and friendships in Wells/Barkrville and I know my part in the story of Barkerville is not over yet.
4. I was a really good teacher. I had some awesome lessons, activities, field trips, jokes and stories. I have the craziest-wierdest-best relationship with this group of kids that I've had for two years now. I love them.
5. My dog died.
6. I had the craziest adventure floating, stomping and screaming through a bog.
7. I kept up old friendships with people I love and have loved for 10 years and I'm SO thankful that despite time, distance and new lives that I have these friends. Karmyn, Christy, Jacci, SaraBeth, Gosia.
8. I survived a year separated from my Bestie Tiersa who was living and working in Mexico.
9. I've made plans and dreams for the future.
10. I started running.
11. I lost 50 pounds.
12. I got kicked off an airplane and had the crappiest vacation ever.
13. I got up at 3am one day in April to watch the Royal Wedding.
14. I saved a life.
15. I volunteered with St.John Ambulance
16. I became a big sister.
17. I learned to draw. Well.
18. I decided I don't hate Vancouver anymore.
19. I designed, built and cared for a garden. And it was pretty neat.
20. I quit my job.
21. I took a ceramics class and made a gnome.
22. I tried out Hot Yoga and Zumba.
23. I fed a fox.
24. I went to a crazy hippie festival - and enjoyed myself.
25. I went to a masqurade ball.
26. I went to Seattle for the first time.
27. I laughed a lot.
28. I played a lot of games.
29. I discoved new tv shows like How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Community, Road to Avonlea
30. I spent time with my family, whom I love a lot.

Wow! I just re-read that list. I did a lot of neat things - and learned a bunch too. I think if I can keep going with a list like that year after year that would be awesome. Life is awesome. God is good. I am blessed.

And because I'm culturally obligated to say this, "Happy New Year"

50

2011-12-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

This post has been a long time in coming. A very, very, very long time. I've been planning it for months and waiting for "the day" when I would get to write this and share with you the big... transformation... that has been happening in my life.

It's a big deal. It's not finished, but it's in progress and I've reached the point where I want to share what has been happening with my friends and family. People here in Kamloops have seen what has been happening to me, but my family and friends across Canada and the world have no idea what I have been up to.

But I got to thinking as the year draws to a close, that it's time for me to share my success in case anyone else is needing the same thrilling change that I have been experiencing. If you are, call me or e-mail me and I'll get you started down the right path.

Are you ready for the big unveiling?

What am I talking about?

I'm talking about 50 lbs.

I've lost 50lbs.

That is the equivalent to a large bag of dog food, or if you don't do dogs, about the weight of an average nine year old. Amazing!

The truth is, losing weight is hard. And discouraging. It takes so much work and so much commitment that at times I wanted to give up. But for the most part I was good to stick with my diet and my program. I did not go to the gym. I did not get a personal trainer. I did not get a nutritionist. I did not sign up for WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig or any other scheme. I changed my diet and exercised. A lot of my success has to do with the above product from Visalus Sciences. No gimmick, just healthy, nutrient-rich, protein-thick, vitamin-filled, shake mix that I added to fruit smoothies.

Despite losing 50lbs, 6 dress sizes, and 2 bra sizes, I have gained many things. Confidence, a new wardrobe, energy, great skin, health (haven't even had the slightest cold since I started this journey), joy, comfort, strength, skills that I thought I would never had. I used to blame my non-athleticism on my bum ankle - which at times is a legitimate excuse, but not always. I can now run 30 minutes without stopping. My sweat is fat crying and I hate it and like it at the same time.

If you are thinking of weight-loss as a New Years Resolution and are curious about my success, contact me! I did it. I know you can too.

Creeper

2011-12-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I worked forever.

Literally. ALL day and then some. It was just one of those days where there wasn't enough time to get things done and I ended up walking home from work ridiculously late. It was dark, it was cold, it was miserable, it was not a nice night to be out.

I was almost home when my sister texted me "Where are you?"

It never even occurred to me to text back, "I'm almost home, I'm walking down the street" or any other normal-boring response. Nope. I went in for the creep.

I slipped into the backyard and sat on a lawnchair, where I could see Vanessa sitting on the couch, put my feet up, and texted back, "I'm in the backyard. Where are you?"

She whipped her head around, saw me sitting in my winter coat, hat, boots, scaft, mittens, on the lawnchair, opened the back door, and laughingly told me I was a creeper.

Culture Day

2011-11-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

Today in my class we had 'Culture Day'.

Also known as 'Chaos Day'.

Also known as 'Awesome'.

For the past few weeks students have been working on projects about different countries around the world. Today they brought their projects to school along with a traditional food for a potluck lunch and a story, game, piece of music or something interactive from their culture to share with the class.

It was a fantastic day. The projects were really well done and the activities were fun. Some students (and obviously me) had on costumes, some made movies, some made activity sheets to go with their station. It was a great fun-filled day.

Our very last presentation did me in though. I laughed. We all laughed. We all went crazy. I'm still smiling thinking about the craziness that happened during the last presentation. How could a presentation on Australia get crazy you ask?

WELL, let me tell you.

Apparently, Cody Simpson is from Australia.

So when this student put on a CD for us to listen to some "Australian Music" - Cody Simpson blared out. (Ai ai ai ai).

And you can't listen to Cody Simpson and not dance. Especially if you are eleven... or twenty-nine...

So our multi-cultural day ended in a full-out dance party. And it was awesome.

Especially when the kid who did his project on India busted out some pretty fantastic Bollywood moves.

Top 10 Obsessions

2011-11-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

1. Sharpies
2. Facebook
3. Pinterest
4. Thrift Stores
5. Crafts
6. Jericho
7. Warm Beds
8. Warmed-up bean bags (usually aids #7)
9. Slippers
10. Painting my nails

Fun/Whiplash - it's all the same thing.

2011-11-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to share a picture of me having fun with some students. And by having fun I mean getting whip-lash. I like hanging out with these kids. They keep me young and make me laugh.

My Family is Pretty

2011-11-15T19:21:00.001-08:00

On Sunday my family headed down to Kamloops lake to take some nice family pictures. They turned out really well. Here are some of my favourites.

Ew.

2011-11-15T18:59:00.001-08:00

If you are a girl, you will most likely be able to relate to what I'm about to write about today. If you are a boy... hopefully you won't be too traumatized by what you are about to see. And if you are a boy (or my mom), I want you to understand that the picture and story I'm about to share with you, are in fact, your fault.

It all started when I was born.
A girl.
With hair.
That grew long.
And, lets be honest, pretty glorious. I have pretty nice hair.

The one time I decided I didn't want long, luxurious, curly hair. So in grade 10 I cut it off, whereupon people called me ugly until it grew back. Ever since then I have had long hair. And it's nice. I like it. People compliment me on it. In fact, last Sunday my hair was so nice that three (THREE!) random people (read: strangers) actually reached out and ran their fingers through my hair. I know. That's weird. Really weird. It has never happened before, but it did actually happen on Sunday and works well to illustrate my point. The point that I have nice hair.

I'll get to the point of my 'hair-raising' story (see what I did there? 'hair-raising' so clever). Because I'm a girl, with a lot of hair, I gotta tell you, I shed. Quite a lot. A LOT. And occasionally the train in my tub/shower gets clogged. With hair, and shaving cream, and product, and missing razors, toothpaste lids, all sorts of treasures. Last Thursday I realized it was just about time to unclog the drain. I'm fairly environmental, so I try to avoid products like Draino, and I have this fantastic product called the Turbo Snake that works amazingly. And it gets out EVERYTHING.

Now for the gross part. The stuff I found:

Ew.
Seriously. NASTY.

Hope you all have a good day! ;)

The best feeling in the world

2011-11-07T22:28:00.001-08:00

The best feeling in the world (for today anyways):

Visiting a friend in the hospital and getting to hold her brand-new one-day-old baby as long as I wanted and not having to share her with anyone!

Seriously. I gotta get me one of those one of these days.

Grammar can be fun!

2011-11-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

I had a good day at school today. The kind of day where you come home and pat yourself on the back and tell yourself that you did a smashing job and deserve a raise.

The reason I was such an awesome teacher today was that I made grammar class not just fun, but absolutely roll-on-the-floor hilarious. This post might not do it justice, but I'll try.

I teach a split 5/6 class - which is a challenge, but also has it's bright spots. I try to do separate lessons as much as possible so that the curriculum and IRPs get covered. Today after setting the 6th graders to their work (wahoo subordinate clauses - bleh), I started working with the 5's on sentence types. Seriously guys, grammar is not exciting. Whenever I have a super boring grammar lesson I always apologize to my students and say, "I'm sorry guys, sometimes we just have to learn things and it's not exciting. And we have to do it cus' the government says we have to. So don't get moody with me, be mad at the government. Write Stephen Harper a letter or something to complain, don't whine to me, I can't do anything about it."

But today it was hilarious. So hilarious that most of the 6's ignored their subordinate clauses and participated with the 5's in a lesson they had already done last year. Because it was funny and they wanted to be a part of the hilarity. Why so funny? Because I used funny examples.

Declarative Sentences: State a fact.
e.g. Zac Efron is dreamy.
Then they all groaned so I crossed out Zac Efron and wrote Taylor Lautner. (More groaning)
Zane can't stop talking.
Then they all groaned so I crossed out his name and wrote Nathan. Then crossed it out and wrote Caleb, and kept doing that about 8 times going through the kids who talk all the time. It was funny. And everyone was laughing and getting all defensive (in a good funny way) so I crossed off 'can't stop talking' and wrote in 'is very smart and pretty.' (which was funny because it was mostly boys.) then as they were laughing I added more. 'But only between 7 and 8am. The rest of the time he smells. A lot.'

Interoggative Sentences: Ask a question.
e.g. Why isn't Zac Efron Miss. G's boyfriend yet?
How come people think Taylor Lautner is cool, when he clearly isn't?

Exclamatory Sentences: Express strong emotion.
I love Zac Efron! (Do you sense a theme yet?)

Imperative Sentences: State a command.
(by this time we were out of control having fun and laughing so I wrote...)
Be quiet!
Get to work!
Do your homework!

and one of my students yelled out:

Stop being bossy! (Which made us laugh more, because I was being bossy, and it was an imperative sentence.)

So I wrote it on the board and added to the end

"Stop being bossy!" said Owen. In detention.

Oh we laughed.

It was so good to be reviewing and learning, but laughing so hard. And it's so good to have a relationship with my students where I can healthily tease them and they can tease me back. Laughter is good. Relationships are good. Being a teacher is not always about being the boss, it's about being a role model, and encourager, an entertainer, an advisor, a discipler, and a trainer.

And today I was.

Just when I thought it couldn't get worse.

2011-11-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Monday was one of 'those' days.

It's taken me five days to calm down, and now I can look back and see that it wasn't really that terrible. It was still terrible, but not THAT terrible.

It all started when I woke up and it was still dark out. Nobody likes that.
My students were crazy.
I had to leave school right away at 2:40 beacuse I had a meeting all the way up the moutain AND across town. So I didn't get to clean up, or do marking, or leave feeling prepared.
Went to my meeting - which was good.
Drove 1/2 way down the mountain to church. Where I realized I forgot my purse at my meeting location 15 minutes away. And no one was going to be there the rest of the night.
Cooked dinner for 40 young adults at church, even though I didn't want to.
Drove back to get my purse.
Drove ALL the way home at the very bottom of the mountain on the other side of town.
The door was locked.
We NEVER lock the door.
EVER.
My cell phone was dead.
The neighbours were all out trick-or-treating.
I was tired and crabby and just wanted to go to bed. I went over to my friend Gracie's house to use her phone. But do you think I have my sister's phone number memorized? No. Why would I? It's on speed dial.
Called the wrong number.
Called my mom to get my sister's number.
Called my sister. She didn't pick up.
Thought I'd call the church where I left her.
I worked at the church for 5 years. Do you think I have that number memorized? No. I ended up calling my pastors home instead.
Called the church. Talked to my sister and told her to come let me in the house.
Eventually made it home, way past my bedtime.

And just when I thought my night couldn't get worse....

My dog died.

Back inthe day when Sandy was a puppy... and alive... :(

Bad Idea

2011-10-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

As much as I love every single one of my students, I have to say that sometimes they follow through with bad idea's.

Take for example what happened on Monday. I told them an interactive Bible story. So whenever I said "Esther" they had to cat call, when I said "Mordecai" they had to clap and cheer. "Haaman" got boo's, and King Xerxes called for them to stand up and shout "long live the king!"

Just a new fun way to tell a story that they have heard before.

The assignment: Choose a Biblical hero and turn his/her story into an interactive one that you can share with the class.

Now, I'm not a newbie at teaching anymore. I know full well that when an open assignment such as this is given, it will lead to distractions and a few kids not doing what they are supposed to be doing. While working with another group, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that one group of boys was clearly goofing around. I storm over there.

One of the boys is holding his nose and trying not to cry. He is clearly hurt. I ask the boys what happened.

"We were working on our assignment," they replied. I gave them 'the look."
"Do NOT tell me that you were working on your assignment,"I say in my best angry teacher voice. "Do NOT tell me that is what you were doing. Clearly you were NOT working on your assignment. What is going on here?"
"Really Miss. G. We were working on our assignment!" the boys insisted. I kneel down to the boy who is hurt and ask gently,
"Bobby*, can you tell me what happened?" He looks up at me with tear filled eyes,
"We were working on our story!" I once again give him 'the look.' You know, the I-don't-believe-you-stop-tying-to-not-get-in-trouble-we-have-a-problem-here-Look. He continues. "We were doing the story, and I was being the water, and they were being Jesus and Peter and walking on me!"

First of all, I get 10 000 points for not immediately laughing at them. Secondly, I gave them my 'look' again and said, "Well boys.... didn't really think that one through did you?"

Shamefaced, and smirking a bit all four of them start giggling at what a bad idea they had followed through with.

(*Names have been changed to protect identity)

Seattle

2011-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

So last weekend me and Esther took Bethany and Vanessa on a mystery road trip to Seattle. None of us had ever been there before and we found so much fun stuff to do. It was a great, great, great weekend away. Americans are nice, even if they dress weird (have you been to peopleofwalmart.com?), And even if one radical anti-Obama fanatic told me that eventually the US would take over Canada so I need to participate in his riot against the US government. The weather was great, the drive was great, the boarder was great, my sisters are great. It was all.... great. Here are few pictures of what we did. Step One: Road trip games! Which I totally won.
Step Two: Drive through Bellingham and point out all the stops of interest on Me and Bethany's doomed trip to Vegas. We were so hungry by this point that we stopped at the first place that looked like it had food. It also was a bowling alley. Apparently that is a popular thing in the USA. I had no idea. I'm thinking that bowling and eating at the same time isn't particularly sanitary. Oh well.
Step Four: Your only hint for our first stop is the ever so hot Sam and Dean Winchester - from the tv show "The Adventures of Sam and Dean Winchester." aka Supernatural. Which we *never* (cough cough) watch. We ended up at a haunted corn maze in Everett WA, which was AMAZING. They hired professional actors to dress up as ghosts and sasquatches and people chasing you around with chainsaws. It was really well done. Good fun. And I don't care that some of you don't approve of my choice of Friday night activities. We laughed.
Five. Pike Place Market. Pretty good, but a bit disappointing after thinking for 3 months that it would be like Granville Island in Vancouver. Granville Island gets 100%, Pike Place Market gets a 70%. However, the singing, fish-throwing fishermen were quite cool.

Six. Tea and crumpets and a horrible rendition of an Asian tourist photo. We are so white.
Seven. This guy. Dumb. Seriously. You cover yourself in silver paint, fill your pockets with birdseed and then expect me to PAY you? No. I'm sorry. You are not contributing to society whatsoever, and your 'job' is dumb. You are a terrible street performer, you don't entertain me, and I don't care how bad the recession is - do something useful.
Eight. Laugh at the note attached to this t-shirt.
Eight. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Yum Yum.
Nine. Hat store. Awesome. I have so many pictures.
Ten: Blue Man Group. ahhhh maaaaze ing. So fun.

Eleven. Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. Seriously. To die. for. It was delicious. I'm pretty sure heaven tastes like cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

Don't Ignore The Signs.

2011-10-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

I bike a fair bit. Quite a lot actually. For the last two summers I've biked to and from Barkerville from Wells on a daily basis and here in Kamloops I bike to work every day and if I'm going anywhere in town that is not up a mountain I try to bike.

About a week and a half ago - my free, super ghetto bike - started giving me signs that perhaps it was in need of some TLC. I didn't give my bike any care and continued to ride it - although slower and more careful than normal. Something was definitely not right with my bike. It just didn't feel... solid... safe... normal...
(Me on a ride in happier days)

Yesterday my bike fell apart. Literally. As I was riding it.

I was biking to work like normal (all of 2km) and just before work, as I was peddling away, my handlebars fell off. Full out, 100% fell off my bike. That was awkward. Luckily I was going slowly around a corner and up an incline so I was able to jump off and not crash/kill myself. Then I carried my bike in one arm, and the handles in the other, the rest of the way to school. I'm sure I looked dumb, but I was alive. AND my patheticness caused our building manager to fix my bike for me! Woot Woot!

Happy Thanksgiving & Other Holiday's

2011-10-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

I really like holidays. I love the Sunday of a long weekend because I know that it's not the end of my weekend - I still have another day off.

mmmmm. bliss. Throw some turkey at me and it's pretty much heaven.

So today I present to you my top eleven list of things to do on a Holiday Weekend.

1. Sleep in.
2. Eat french toast (preferably made by someone else - high 5 to my sister Beth for this mornings breakfast deliciousness)
3. Get all dressed up - take extra time with hair and make-up.
4. Have a morning nap - and you are already looking all pretty, so pretend you are a princess at the same time and that your handsome prince charming (who BTW looks like Paul Walker) will wake you up.
5. Hug people and be nice.
6. Eat good food. Like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.
7. Do crafts.
8. Have an afternoon nap.
9. Play games.
10. Go shopping.
11. Stay up late.

Smiles. And I'm going to do it all again tomorrow!

the unanswerable question

2011-10-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

I have a serious problem. A conundrum if you will. A question that needs answering and a riddle to be solved. I've taken to asking my question to everyone I meet and after a brief moment of serious thought and reflection, no person has been able to give me a straight answer.

I can't sleep, I can't eat (I can't eat? Someone make me some pork - 50 000 bonus points if you can tell me where that quote is from.) I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. I'm a failure because I can't solve this one life question. I'm hoping that among my wide-spread audience (all 12 of you), there is someone out there who can answer me this: If I ate myself, would I be twice as big or disappear entirely?

See - - You are thinking about the answer to that question aren't you.

Your welcome for bringing this thought provoking question to your attention.
Happy thinking!

Object Lesson

2011-09-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got toothpaste in my eye.
It really hurt.
I mean, my eye was minty-fresh, but also blurry and in a lot of pain.

I often do object lessons when trying to teach a skill or a concept to a group of kids. I think object lessons are valuable, fun and really can get a point across. Yesterday my point was that we learn to do things by observing and watching other people - and that other people teach us and show us how to do things.

For the object lesson I put on a plastic bag and blindfolded a kid. I told him that there were two things on the table. He had to figure out what they were, and then use the objects - on me. He quickly figured out that it was toothpaste and a toothbrush and after building it up for a while that I had never in my life brushed my teeth, (which, BTW is a lie) I told him that he was going to have to show me how. Blindfolded. Because he was such an expert on teeth brushing.

And that's how I got toothpaste in my eye. And on my neck. And through my eyebrows. And up my nose.

It was a great object lesson for the kids. And I learned something too - don't let kids near your face with a brush and/or anything that may require an eye-wash station.

Sometimes I say dumb things

2011-09-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I say dumb things. My problem is that I personally think I'm hilarious, and I forget that not everyone knows me and has the same opinion. So sometimes I think of things that are really funny, so I say them out loud, and then people give me a weird look because they don't know how truly hilarious I really am.

Like today.
During an interview.
Obviously not the best place to say something dumb.

The question: What makes you really sad?
I thought for approximately 0.007 seconds before I blurted out "people killing kittens."
Which, in my defense is REALLY sad.
But is also a dumb answer. Good answers would have included: child soldiers, poverty, rainy days, cancer etc.

But when I was asked the question, all I could think of was this video.

I don't know why. I haven't seen or thought of that video for 5 months, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. Watch the whole thing. It is WELL worth your time.

I also said another dumb thing. This guy was firing off, literally, a million questions about everything ranging from hobbies, to relationships, to jobs, to traffic tickets, to family etc. And it's going quick.

The question: What's your opinion on marriage?
Me: Yes please!!!

I probably should have clarified - not to him, just in general. I'm pro-marriage. I also could have said, "I support the concept of marriage. I think it's a good idea."

But I didn't say that. That would have been too normal.

But normal is boring.

School Supplies

2011-09-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but not once in my childhood or adulthood did I get "back-to-school-mustard."

Masqurade

2011-08-31T08:13:00.000-07:00

My last night in Barkerville was a blast.

I attended the Fireman's Masqurade Ball, which is a victorian tradidition in Barkerville dating back many, many years. Everyone had to dress in formal victorian wear (or the best they could come up with), wear masks, fascinators and get formally announced at the door. There was a formal sit-down dinner and then a dance.

I had a beautiful dress all planned out, but 5 minutes before we left when I put it on, the zipper split so at the last minute I had to borrow a dress from a friend. It worked out ok, but my dress was better. Sad, sad, day.

It was an awesome event, not just because it was something random that I had never done before, but because the only people allowed to come were people that worked in Barkerville. It was great to just hang out for an entire night with all the people that make the town come alive during the day. No entertaining tourists, no strangers, just all Barkerville people. It was great.

Here's some pictures.

Stanley

2011-08-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

Since my first day here this season, a group of friends and I have been planning on driving to a town called Stanley which is along the Cariboo Wagon Road that leads to Barkerville. Our plan was to go as soon as we had a nice evening. That nice evening came on August 5. (I kid you not, August five was the first nice evening). Because the Cariboo Wagon Road (often considered the 8^th wonder of the world) is 160 years old, it is virtually impassable unless by foot, we drove around and came in from the far side instead.

Stanley was a booming town just like Richfield, Barkerville, Camerontown, Marysville and Wells, but when the gold played out, the town became abandoned and slowly rotted into the ground. Today all that is left is a dilapidated cemetery and two buildings. We walked around and explored the area for quite some time before heading back to Wells.

When I wander around these old cemeteries I often think of the people that lay beneath the rotting, moss covered headstones. Is there anyone left in the world that remembers that that person is buried there? What kind of a life did the person live? What kind of legacy did he leave?

I think when I die, I’ll have a florescent pink, twinkle and neon-lighted statue built on my grave - Las Vegas style. With my life story engraved around the bottom. Ooohhhh, OR the statue will talk and move and tell my story. It’ll be a major attraction that people will come to see from all over the world. Forget about me? Heck no!

The truth is, I’m not concerned with the legacy I leave here on earth. Obviously I want to be a decent person and have people think well of me, but my few years on this earth is so little compared to eternity that I’m living for that part of my life instead of this one.

Today, think about what legacy you are living for.

My Granny

2011-08-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

On Monday my mom and Granny came to visit me in Barkerville. My granny is out here from Ontario so I was really glad that she made the trek all the way to Barkerville to see me. We had a great time meandering though the town, visiting with all the characters, shopping, seeing a show and eating lunch. As part of the day my mom, granny and I got our picture taken at L.A. Blanc Photographic Gallery and Studio where I work. I really wanted us all to be outlaws, and I had granny in this awesome dress and buckskin jacket and cowboy hat, but she didn’t like it so she got a fancy dress instead and me and mom were outlaws.

It was hilarious. Granny was laughing and complaining the whole time.

On our way to the stage, she said, “This is the worst thing that has ever happened to me?”

My response? “You lived through World War Two, and THIS is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?”

That sent us into fits of laughter for the rest of the day.

Arts Wells

2011-08-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the long awaited Arts Wells Festival. This festival is a celebration of all things art. Music, dance, crafts, painting, drawing, weaving, instruments etc. You name it and it was probably there (including a workshop on how to play the bass - not the guitar, not the cello-like instrument, but the washtub-broomstick-string combination).

Last year I didn’t attend the festival, but this year I purchased a weekend pass and had a surprisingly good time at the festival. I was impressed with the quality and quantity of bands that performed and although I had to work and couldn’t attend any of the workshops, I did wish I could have gone to a few.

The Arts Wells Festival draws in people (mostly hippies) from around Canada and the states. For 4 days around 10 000 hippies descend on the town of Wells (population 250). Tents are pitched anywhere and everywhere and despite large amounts of drinking and smoking there is very little, if any, crime. Everyone is polite and curteous and friendly.

On the first night of the festival I knew that I was in for something different. An impromptu band popped up in the middle of the street and started playing music. A crowd formed and the crowd started to dance. In the middle of the street. The entire weekend was like that.

Although I am not a hippie - far from it- I decided to use the weekend as an opportunity to observe a culture different from my own. While participating on an exchange with Canada World Youth I learned that no culture is “weird’, they are just “different.” So I bring you my list of observations and I do not state them because they are ‘weird’ I state them because they are ‘different.’

10,000 campers + 3 public showers in town = smelly weekend.
Dreads are really cool. Double cool if you play the cello or violin.
Pee wherever you want. On my front lawn, no problem.
Camp wherever you want. The baseball field, the ditch, my back yard, the side of the road, whatever works for you.
Dance. All the time.
Men can wear flowery silk skirts.
Barefeet make you 100% more hippie than the guy beside you wearing sandals.
Clowns are the new fad. Forget vampires, it’s all about clowns now.
Make music whenever, wherever with whatever you can find.
You are never too old to be a hippie. (85 yr old)
You are never too young to be a hippie. (1 month old)

I actually really enjoyed myself on the weekend. Caught up with some old friends, danced a bit, watched many, many bands and just chilled. Good Times.

2011-07-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while, and I'm always short on time these days, so here is the point form list of the happenings the last little while.

Yesterday I woke up and fox was sitting on the roof of my car.

It snowed last week.

It has rained every day since I got here.

I got told that I was a 'beauDiful prindsess' today by a little girl. That made me feel good.

There is an art/hippie festival going on right now and it is so full of BO, Dreads, random art, music, clowns and hippies. It's such a different culture and I'm actually enjoying observing it.

I had a dream that someone was trying to nuclear bomb Wells and Me and Vin Diesel had to save the town.

Flew to Vancouver last weekend for the Western-Gerrits Family Reunion. Good times.

Found my first ever Geo-Cache with my cousin.

Slept in my car for a night.

Miss my family and bestie.

Still happy and healthy.

I actually AM Dr. Quinn

2011-07-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

So...

It happened this week.

I actually became Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

It all started the other day while I was at work in Barkerville. I'm all dressed up 1870's style, have excellent Victorian hair that day by the way, lace up boots, the corset, the whole deal. While I'm working I hear a shout outside on the street,
"Help! Someone help! What happened? Help!!!!"

I take a peek out the window and notice an elderly man laying on the ground. I yell for my boss to call for First Aid as I heft up my skirts and run out the door to assist the man in need. I fall to the dirt, my skirts (yes, plural, I'm also wearing petticoats), pooling in the dirt of the street around me as I assess the situation.

Long story short, after some calming words, some help up off the ground and away from the approaching stage coach (yes, stage coach), the man and his wife went on their way.

And I realized what I had done, who I had become, and smiled.

Worst Case Scenario

2011-07-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'm a 'worst-case-scenario' type of person. I constantly am thinking about what the worst possible thing could happen, and how I would react should it actually occurr. Maybe it's all my first aid training or the fact that I'm generally just a responsible person, but my mind always jumps to how I would dal with a terrible situation. Here are some from this week.

Wednesday, I was driving to a great couple's home for dinner. They don't really know me, but are super nice and friendly and they invited me over. I knew that we were having rice noodles as part of the meal. I've never had rice noodles. What if I had an allergic reaction in the middle of dinner! We are out in the boon-docks and it would take an hour to get to a hospital. I would die. Would my life insurance still get divvied out, or would the company deny my family the money because technically I'm not teaching during July and August? Who would pack up my room here in Wells? Who would say my eulogy? Would anyone from Ontario fly out for the funeral? Where would my ashes be spread?

Then, after that panic attack I saw a MASSIVE moose on the side of the road. What if I hit it? and died - refer to above scenario.

Thursday, what if the touron (tourist-moron) that is smoking on the boardwalk (in the town made of wood btw), drops his butt and the town lights on fire? Do I have to help put it out? I haven't been trained in historical-village-fire-putting-out. What if my skirt gets on fire! It's synthetic, it'll probably melt to my legs and I'll have these nasty plastic blue-flowered legs the rest of my life. Do I just watch as the town burns down? Do I run away? Do I help clear out the shop?

Various times during the week, I'm out walking, biking or doing something in this sleepy semi-deserted town and I wonder, what would happen if I came across the resident grizzly bear and her2 cubs? She'd swipe my leg and I'd be all bleeding. Who would save me? No one comes out of their homes before 9am when I'm usually out and about. Would I use my sweater to staunc the flow of blood? It's polyester, would that just act as a sieve and pull out more blood making me bleed more? I don't want to use my super awesome, but also inappropriate Dirty Dancing T-Shirt that I'm wearing today! That was my best V V find ever!

Those are the thoughts that go through my mind when I'm awake.

What goes through my mind while I"m asleep you ask? Well last night me and Vin Diesel saved the town of Wells from a nuclear bomb attack.

Barkerville Day 1

2011-06-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well I made it north safe and sound.

I'm happy to be here in Wells/Barkerville.

Last nigh wa a staff BBQ at the park and it was so good to reconnect with and see some of my old aquaintences and friends. People were thrilled to see that I had come back and there were lots of hugs and smiles and jumping up in surprise.

My favourite greeting was when I saw one of the actors and as he gave me a hug, he said, "Welcome home." Not welcome back, but wecome home. It took me off guard for a miinute because home to me is Kamloops, but as I digested his words I thought to myself, "yeah, you know what, this is my summer home. This is where my heart lives during the winter, and it's where my mind and passions have lived ever sinc I was 12. History. The past. Making heritage real and living.

The following pictre is one my roomate/friend/co-worker Hayley took this morning.

That would be a fox eating from my hand.

His name is Mr. Socks ad our apartment building has adopted him.

The Best Clean

2011-06-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

I just had the best shower ever. You know, that once a year shower where you are so filthy, dirty, sweaty and smelly that the longest, hottest, soapiest shower ever is necessary to clean the filth off your rotting with dirt-stink carcass.

I just re-read that sentence and it sounds like I only shower once a year. That is a false lie. I shower regularly. But do you know what I'm talking about? You have that one super-dirty-smelly weekend (usually after camping as I was) and you go into the shower feeling like you are caked in a mixture of dirt, sweat and boogers, and you scrub and scrub and scrub and come out feeling cleaner than you've ever felt before. You soap up, lather, rinse AND repeat (as in wash your hair twice), shave, maybe shave again for good measure, scrub your feet, clean under your fingernails and then lather up again and have an extra-hot rinse. Glorious.

Deoderant, some perfume, pluckage of the eyebrows and you feel like a new person.

This new person is now off to my last movie of the summer. Wednesday I head north where the idea of going to a movie is just that - an idea that can't happen. Live theatre every night of the week? sure! Movies? No such luck.

I'm off for the Summer!

2011-06-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'll be leaving Kamloops next week to spend my second summer in the Wells/Barkerville/Bowron Lakes region of BC. I love it up there and I can't wait to be in my car driving north, even though it will take me half a day to get there.

The region I will be living is in the Cariboo, east of Quesnel BC, pretty much in the middle of nowhere and literally at the very end of a long and winding mountain road.

Wells, BC, where I'll be living is a small town with an average population of about 300 people. It is a tiny town filled with arts and culture and history. It's surprising that this town is so small and yet has three art galleries as well as a regularly attended theatre. Most of the people who live in Well's are seasonal employees at Barkerville (North America's premier heritage attraction) or work at one of the many gold mines in the area.

I will be working in Barkerville, North America's largest Heritage Village. Everyone who works in the town dresses in 1880's style (including underwear), speaks and acts Victorian 100% of the time when we are at work. We are not even permitted to speak about modern things or our regular out of work lives with eachother when the public is around. We are dedicated to bringing the past and the Cariboo Gold Rush alive to the thousands of visitors that come through the gates each season.

If you know anything about me, you know that I love history, and if you were a part of my childhood in any capacity, you know that I dressed up like Dr. Quinn more than I dressed up like Nikki Gerrits. This is the perfect job for me. I love it. I love my job at the photography studio, I love visiting the other merchants and workers in town, I love interacting with the street interpreters and actors, and I love being a part of a very small town where everyone knows everyone. Living in Wells/Barkerville is the strangest experience, it really is like going back in time, and I really enjoy it. I'll try to keep posting through the summer to let you see parts of my life there.

Keep well everyone!

28 or 80? I'm not sure.

2011-06-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

I recently discovered that I'm actually 80 years old. I may look 28 (or even 14 to some of you - thanks again for regularly mistaking me for a student at the school I teach at), but deep down, I am an old lady. An old, old lady.

Let's think about this. I am quite conservative. I have an unusual obsession with history and Barkerville, I like to wear Victorian clothes, I play violin, I have a limp and arthritis and I know every hymn in the hymn book.

So, as part of my 'being 80 years old in a 28 year old's body' issue, I took up a new hobby this spring and I want to share the final result with you. My new hobby? Ceramics.

And I rocked that class 20's style. Those old ladies didn't know what hit them when I showed up. And here is the results of my ceramics class experience: Pierpont the Gnome. He's adorable and awesome and I love him. Especially his Klompen.

Soon and Very Soon

2011-06-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Soon, so very, very soon, school will be done for another year. I'm literally shouting out, "Praise the Lord!"

That shout out to my awesome God is yes, partly a thank you that it is the end of the year, but mostly a shout out because it was a pretty fantastic year. I had a pretty great class this year. I liked them and for the most part I think they liked me. I built good relationships with them and I *think* that the might have learned a few things from me. :D

Here's my top ten from this past year at Kamloops Christian School

10. Taking my class skiing.
9. The Christmas Party.
8. The Human Body Science Experiments.
7. Heritage Fair Projects.
6. Telling stories. Me, them, whoever. We talked a lot about stuff that was not related to the curriculum.
5. Tuesday's. Every single one of them.
4. Track and Field at the school and at zones.
3. The class-nap we took on Pajama Day where everyone full out 100% slept.
2. Swimming Lessons.
1. All the staff. I like them all and we work well together and get along as colleagues and friends.

Just a few more days and we will all be parting ways. My students will be spending two weeks swimming, playing sports, vacationing and relaxing and I'll be heading north where I get to go back and time and live out my dream. Stay tuned for more information about that!
Keep Well Everyone!

Dr. Pooh

2011-06-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

I saw this truck weeks ago and didn't have my camera on me. It made me laugh SO hard. Then, last week, after searching for nearly 5 weeks, this truck showed up just outside my doorstep.

Seriously, whoever owns this business has clever advertising and a sense of humor. And actually, a really good business because seriously, no one likes to pick up dog poop. And think of all the elderly and housebound people who can't pick up after their little dogs that they love. I hope the owner of this business keeps busy and makes a good living.

Awesome!

CatKirk

2011-06-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

One time I came home from work and found this in my garden:

After calming my heart rate down after being shocked by this grotesque statue, I took a good look at it (but I didn't look directly in it's eyes, that would be too much to handle.) I decided that the cat is ugly. Not just ugly, but uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhgly. I threw up in my mouth a little bit and wondered how this uuuuuuuuuuhhhhhgly cat had gotten into my back yard.

I put on some gloves (because lets face it, would you touch it with your bare skin?) and just as I was about to smash it and burn it, I made a mistake. I looked at it again. I noticed all the chips, and the creepy paw-nails, it's devilish look of contempt, it's perky ears listening for it's master (the devil obviously) to call it back to where it belongs, and I decided that the cat was so hideous, that I was just going to have to keep it and love it. Extend it some grace if you will...

As part of keeping it and loving it I put it up on the ledge that backs onto the Rivers Trail that runs through my backyard. Probably a hundred people use that trail every day. And every day those hundred people get to see my devil cat staring at them.

A group of students walking to the pool one day noticed the devil cat (hereafter named CatKirk), and they began yelling, "Ohhhh my eyes! My eyes!!! They are burning! That cat is uuuuhhhgly!"
A few days later a pre-school class stopped, pointed, laughed and I believe some cried. I would apologize to their parents for the nightmares that most likely came as a result of meeting CatKirk, but really, it makes me laugh.

My neighbour has asked me numerous times to get rid of it because every morning it stares at her through her back window. It also makes her 3 year old cry.

But CatKirk remains. And he will remain on that ledge forever.

Hot Yoga

2011-06-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

I like to try new things. I really do. In the last five years I've picked up tennis, snowboarding, violin, manicures, sewing and ceramics. Whenever someone suggests something new, more often than not I'll give it a whirl.

Tonight I gave hot yoga a whirl.

I have never felt more disgusting in my life. Disgusting in a 'good/healthy/revolting/I'm going to barf' kind of way.

The premise of hot yoga is this; shove 40 females and 3 strange (read: weird) males into a tiny room. Turn the heat on. Turn the heat up. Keep turning the heat up. Let the room fill with body heat and then, for good measure, turn the heat up a little bit more. Do yoga.

I've never really been that interested in yoga (or sweating for that matter) so what possessed me to try hot yoga I don't know. I'm not into all the other mumbo jumbo ('thank everyone for sharing their breath with you, find your inner divinity blah blah blah), my facbook brain automatically clicks *ignore* when they go into this and I think about how I can become a tiny, bendy, perfectly proportioned Asian like the girl in front of me.

But I did it. Almost all 90 minutes of it. (I had to take a break half way through because I actually thought I was going to barf and or faint - two things I rarely, if ever do). And I sweated. None of this 'girls glisten' sweating, but full on, dripping rivers down my legs and arms sweating. Droplets of sweat falling from my brow to make a satisfying splash on the linoleum. My clothing is actually wet to the point where I could wring it out.

Gross eh?

Or awesome?

I'm undecided. I always tell people to give everything three chances, and I'll probably do the same for sweaty-yoga. Wanna join me next time?

No.

2011-06-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

No.
Never.
What crazy person thought that creating this was not only a good idea, but an acceptable idea?

Co-Counuts (Go Canucks)

2011-05-31T20:27:00.000-07:00

I am a die-hard Canadian. I really am. But when it comes to hockey, I just really don't care. Not as much as I should, and it barely even enters my radar that it exists. Oh I go to one or two games a year, and I'll watch approximately 0.4 minutes of some game, but other than that...

I've been wanting to share with you for quite some time the following magazine cover. I *just* found my phone cord (horray for cleaning my dresser out!) so now I can share it with you.

My favourite part is the last line "A national identity is in peril"

Really?

Our National Identity - our bacon loving, red and white, maple syrup drinking, comedian producing, peacekeeping, largest coastline, second largest land mass, mountie, beaver, moose, mosaic, free, roll up the rim fanatics identity is in peril? Because 30 000 fewer kids played hockey this year?

I think not.

I never played hockey. And I already told you that I don't really care about hockey. Does that make me any less of a Canadian? To some, yes it would. But I know in my maple leaf tattooed heart and soul that I love Canada. Love it times a million - and hockey has nothing to do with my proud Canadian identity.

Amen.

P.S. Lacrosse is our national sport, it should be our identity not some sport whose history begins in ancient Egypt.

Hats.

2011-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

I really like hats.
A Lot.

Ever since I realized that I have a hat-head (aka, I can pull off hats and look cool), I've started a hat collection. Do I wear them that often? No, not really, But I do like them. It bugs my best friend Tiersa to no end, because she also loves hats, but looks like a doofus in every single one she tries on. Then inevitably, I'll try on the same hat, be awesome, and buy it. Suck-ah. I don't feel bad though because she has awesome hair and way more style than me.

A few weeks ago I was visiting with my good friend Karmyn in Vancouver and we discovered a hat. In retrospect, I probably should have bought it, because it really is awesome. AND has hundreds of uses as you will see.

That's right. A hat made from underpants. Excellent.

The best use I think, is the UN Summit Meetings. Could you imagine??? Oh I can imagine. And I laugh. Excellent.

EVER.

2011-05-24T07:44:00.001-07:00

I don't really have anything funny to say. Life is just life and it's happening and it's good.

But I feel like today is a good day to vent to you my very strong feelings on a particular topic. And if it offends you, well you can just stop reading my blog. Because this is, after all, my blog and I can write what I want.

Today's vent topic is:

TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS.

Ever.

Ever.

The only excuse for wearing tights as pants are in the following situations.
1. You are wearing a diaper underneath. This hopefully means that you are a child, a baby actually. Babies can wear tights. Or even like a super adorable 5 year old. But after that, no. No tights as pants.
2. They are underneath snowpants and you are not planning on taking off said snowpants.
3. And in SOME - note that, SOME, circumstances it is acceptable to wear tights provided that your skit, shirt or sweater covers at least your buttocks if not a little bit more.

I feel like the people of the world have not heard this message. I see tights as pants all the time and it drives me crazy. I kinda want to go up to people - even people who can pull them off and look ok, and just say, "hey, I'm not sure if you got the memo, but tights are called tights for a reason, because they are tights. They are not meant to be pants."

The worst is when people wear tights as pants but they bought a size that they thought fit - but they don't. And they are all stretched out and see-through. Ugh. I just threw up in my mouth a little thinking about all the times I've seen that.

I'm hoping that the widespread audience that this blog has will spread the world that tights are not pants.

If that doesn't work, I'm declaring June 4 as "Tights aren't Pants" day and everyone in the world - especially fat people, are going to wear tights to show everyone else in the world, that tights are not attractive and should not be worn as pants.

Amen. The End.

Laughter- it's good for you.

2011-05-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

So my sister Vanessa learned something interesting the other day.

She, in all her wisdom, figured out why we Gerrits Girls are so incredibly healthy. Seriously, we NEVER get sick. Oh we might get the occasional cold once every two years, but for the most part, we never get ill.

Turns out, that when you laugh, the up and down movement of your chest vibrates against something (thalymus maybe? something scienc-ey) and that motion releases endorphines and all sorts of other good germ-fighting things into your blood stream - keeping you healthy.

Brilliant eh?

And my sisters and I laugh a lot. A LOT A LOT. So that is why we are so healthy! Because we are happy and we laugh.

Here's a laugh for you:

We have a little neighbour girl who is three and is as round as she is tall. She's adorable and we love her. She never remembers our names even though we see her every day! So we are constantly reminding her what our names are. Anyways, one day when she asked Beth what her name was, Beth responded with "Hannah Montana." Go figure that our little neighbour girl remembered Beth's name now. Bethany, for the last 4 months, has been called on a regular basis - Hannah Montana. She actually thinks that is what Beth's name is, and it makes us laugh every time she asks 'Hannah Montana' if she can come over for a freezie.

Abstract Art

2011-05-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

So yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Kamloops Art Gallery. I'd never been there before, because frankly, I just don't really care about art. Crafts, pictures, scrapbooking, sewing, needlecrafts, those I like. Not so much with the art.

Anyways, I was on a field trip so I got the whole 'art gallery' experience. The tour with the lady who is just a little bit too into the art pieces and analyzing them, the command to look at the abstract art and try to figure out what the artist was feeling, the overly long time spent in a white gallery with weird pictures that three year olds could have drawn. I realized that I have absolutely no appreciate for art. At all. It's not the gallery's fault, or the artists fault, or growing up in a very un-artsy culture, I just can not, for the life of me, understand or care about a bunch of random paint splatters on a neutral background. It's not interesting.

At the end of the tour we were given a post card and we were to draw an abstract picture for someone and mail it to them. I looked at my blank postcard mocking the whole process in my head, wondering what to draw. I sat there and the guide, in her most artsy voice tells us to, "draw what you are feeling."

I wasn't sure how to draw: "I feel like abstract art is boring, stupid and weird."

So I put my creative cap on and convinced myself to draw the most randomly abstract drawing that anyone has ever seen. Here is what I came up with:

Cheese? Check.
Monkey Butt with a duck foot? Check.
Random Clock? Check.
Patterns? Check.
Picket Fence? Check.
Dice that turns into a window? Heck yes, don't mind if I do add that.
Book coming out of a tree? Obviously.

I call this piece, "Abstract Art is Wierd" And it symbolizes how I "FEEL"Abstract Art is random and wierd and makes absolutely no sense.

You can order a print of this piece for three easy payments of $39.99. If you order today you get free shipping and handling.

Always Funny.

2011-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been missing my super awesome sister Bethany a lot lately. We usually spend a lot of time together and the last month we are like ships passing in the night and we never, ever, see each other. I usually work 7:30am-3:00pm, and she works 3:00-9:30pm, and I got to bed at 9pm, and she doesn’t get up till 8am, so we literally never cross paths.

But this morning I decided to start work a little bit later. Partly because I was tired and just wanted to go later, and partly because it is that time of year again – the best time of year for teachers. The end of school. This is a season full of swimming lessons, field trips, track and field sports days, CAT testing and special guests. Which means my actual teaching/marking/projects/preparation time has significantly decreased. Which means going to work at 7:30am is no longer a necessity. Horay!

So I got to see Bethany this morning, and surprise of all surprises, she says to me, “wow, you are in a good mood this morning.”

And you know what put me in a good mood?

Nope, not seeing Bethany.

Nope, not starting work later.

America’s Funniest Home Video’s.

Seriously. That show is hilarious! I watch it every morning while I eat breakfast and it makes me laugh. I might be a jerk for saying it, but it is always funny to watch someone fall down!

That Must Have Been Embarrassing.

2011-05-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

This morning I remembered a time, about a year ago, when I felt really awkward for someone. I felt really awkward, but at the same time I was laughing so hard inside that I could barely wait until I was not in public anymore so that I could loudly - and obnoxiously - laugh out loud.

It all started at my 'awesome party' . I brought out the most awesome book I have ever seen. Dancing With Cats. It is basically a book about people who dance with their cats. It is a totally serious book, but if you are even slightly normal, it is impossible to read this book without laughing. And we laughed. Hard.

A few weeks later, a pastor friend of mine asked to borrow my Dancing With Cat's book to use as a sermon illustration. My first thought was, "That will make your sermon hilarious, but how the heck in the world can you use Dancing With Cat's as a sermon illustration?!?!?" He went on to tell me that he was going to be preaching about how people idolize things in their life that should not come before God. It's a stretch, but ok.

I was so stoked to see my book used in church, that I cheated on my own church and attended his for the morning with a few friends. This was my friends last time preaching at his church as he was moving to another job within the week. We told him we were going to support him.... but actually I wanted to see my book being used.

Then, sermon time came. And my friend started talking about idols, and then showed the book and went on quite a tangent about how ridiculous it is. And then....

And then he said this. And I quote, "Seriously people! This is ridiculous! Dancing with cats! Who does that? Do any of you do that?"

And four hands in the congregation went up.

Oh the awkwardness.
Oh the funnieness.
Oh the strangness that people in my community do this!

I'd like to tell you that my friend made a good save, that he redeemed himself. But remember, it was his last day at this job, he didn't have to impress anyone. And somehow, in his mind, it was appropriate to say, "Really? Well... you're wierd. Dancing with cats is wierd. Get a real hobby."

Oh, I'm dying laughing just thinking about it.

Tomorrow at 4pm

2011-05-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

I just want to tell you all that tomorrow I'm starting to dig out/plan my garden. I am so excited about it and you should be too. Especially since there is brand-spanking new patio set in my car waiting to be put together for my soon-to-be awesome garden oasis in the ghetto. And you are all welcome to come and sit on my patio and enjoy the beautiful garden view that over looks the river.

And if you feel the need to do any of the following, please come over on Tuesday around 4pm.
a) dig stuff
b) play in the dirt
c) build things
d) stain things
e) pull weeds
f) plant grass
g) make a bouquet of tulips
h) level patio stones
i) see me and hang out
j) watch me work with a nice cold smoothie in your hand

P.S. Tonight I'm going to paint a garden gnome for my awesome garden. It's name will be Pierpont the Gee-Nome

An Original Film.

2011-05-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

Currently my Bestie is back in Canada for a brief one week visit. Although I think it's great that she's being all wonderful building homes for people in Tijuana Mexico, a large part of me is very selfish and I want her to stay here.

Anyways, in order to make her appreciate Kamloops - and especially how she never sees me, I took her out on an earring date. Earring dates are different than regular dates because you wear earrings. This means that you put more effort into getting ready and that the person you are going out with isn't just some joe-shmoe who you couldn't care less about. I put on my earingeyest earrings and met Tiersa at White Spot where I devoured the most amazing Fajita Salad I have ever had.

I knew exactly what movie to pick for our date. I knew that in Tiersa's eyes I could not go wrong choosing the Vin Deisel, Paul Walker combo of Fast Five. Tiersa loves these types of movies. And while I can (note that word... can) enjoy them, I seriously just could not handle Fast Five.

It all started when right before the movie the phrase "Original Picture" came up, and I snideley remarked, 'uh.... call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure this movie has already been made four times already."

Now I love Paul Walker. Really I do. I think he is the most terrible actor in Hollywood, but he's super dreamy so I can ignore all the cheesy lines and his very fake angry face. Vin, Meh. The Rock? Seriously? What? I don't know what it was, but the combo of Vin and the Rock made me giggle every time I saw them together! It was like when they were in the same room their ego's (and muscles) couldn't both fit and the scenes were unbelievably cheesy! Like I laughed every time. They are in this serious angry-fight and all yelling at eachother and punching eachother and I'm thinking, "is this real? seriously? This is terribly cheesy!"

Other than the Vin/Rock combo, the movie was obviously far-fetched, filled with some 'of course that just happened' moments, and was the typical Fast and Furious type movie that I've come to expect.

Tiersa on the other hand loved every single moment of it.

It would have been a hundred times better if the Rock got rid of his sick goatee, and/or was re-cast with Shemar Moore (aka Derek Morgan of Criminal Minds) playing his role.

Excellent Fajita Salad + Paul Walker + Tiersa = Awesome
Subtract the lame-o Dwayne Johnston,
And you still get a pretty decent evening.

Deerskin Pants

2011-05-01T08:03:00.001-07:00

So one of my favourite things about having this blog is checking the statistics. How many people visit, how they found my blog, what countries people are from etc. But today I want to share with you some statistics that actually have made me laugh out loud about my blog. These are search key-words that people have put into google or yahoo or something and my blog has come up with a result.

The top keyword search that leas to this blog?
deerskin pants.

Yes. Deerskin pants. 29 times people have put in the phrase 'deerskin pants' and been led to Nikkiginkamloops.blogspot.com. This is hilarious. I sat and pondered this for a while. How is this possible? Do I really talk about deerskin pants all that often? I didn't think so. But after thinking about this statistic for a while I realized that in some of my earlier posts, I probably mentioned my favourite manly-man Byron Sully and his deerskin pants on more than one occassion. Because they are ridiculous. And awesome.

Next on the list (other than my name), comes 80's party, Kamloops Glee Club and Bellingham Chickens.

My first thought is that the phrase 'Bellingham Chickens' is very vague. And I'm pretty sure I have never, ever talked about chickens on my blog although I have mentioned Bellingham before. How did those two get put together and led to my blog?

Tied for third place we have: Dutch Blitz, can you get fake boobs in Kamloops, and is Titanic2 a true strory.
a. I like that game
b. I have no idea and
c. really? You are curious as to if Titanic 2 is a true story? I'm sorry, but yes, I am laughing at you.

I hope that those searches made you laugh like they made me laugh.
Have a good one all!
N

Blue Birds

2011-04-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

Think back on your childhood for a moment.

If you are a girl, you most likely saw a lot of princess movies. And in these princess movies the common girl always had a group of friendly talking animal friends. These friendly talking animal friends would usually help her out of a scrape and often help her get ready for a big banquet or ball. (Think Cinderella where the rats and birds dress her up.)

This Friday, unfortunately for me and my childhood (and adult) dreams, Prince William will marry Kate Middleton.

A common girl.
Being turned into a princess.
No doubt she will have a hoard of stylists there to help her.
And according to my knowledge of common-girls-turning-into-princesses, that means that her assistants will be little blue birds.

Just saying.

And they better televise that part of the wedding too!

Top Five

2011-04-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

You know, it's been one of those weeks. A good week, but a long week. Meetings every. single. night. 12 hours of volunteer work with St. John's Ambulance, family visiting from Ontario, my sister here from Pano(rama), Easter dinner, music lessons, heritage fair. Busy busy busy. A good busy, but busy.

Here are the highlights of my busy week.
1. Visiting with Aunt Chris and Uncle Steve who told me a hilarious (and true) story about how their mullet and long boarding loving son got beat up by a butch (and I quote "corn-fed country") girl.

2. Being none-too subtle for the last three weeks at staff meetings about my preference for old-school CRC-inspired hymns during the Easter Sunday service, specifically "Up From the Grave He Arose." I was pleasantly surprised, no, I was overjoyed, when it was the second song this morning. I may or may not have jiggled a little jig and almost cheered outloud. . .

3. Winning at a new card game

4. Finding my host sister from 10 years ago in Poland on Facebook.

5. Getting a free I-Pod from the coolest chick I know who once visited every 7-11 in town with me to partake/ abuse free slurpee day (July 11, every year, mark it on your calendar)

And that's my top five. Love you all.

On Behalf of all Females

2011-04-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight I want to complain about something that girls do not complain enough about. We hold it in, we pretend that it doesn't hurt, we may even deny that it happens. But tonight I want to speak up, nay, shout out, on behalf of the majority of women out there.

Dagnabit. Plucking your eyebrows hurts.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but does anybody want my eyebrows to look like this?

I thought not. Why then is it not ok for my eyebrows to be au natural? Like this:

I'm not going to lie. Sometimes my eyebrows do look similar to that. If I don't have time (ahem the energy) to put make-up on in the morning, what makes you think that I have the time (ahem desire) to painfully pluck a bunch of miniature hairs out of my face so that my eyes can look like this:

Then there is always the danger that you take too much away and end up like this:

My encouragement today: If you see someone with nice eyebrows - compliment them on it. It was a painful process getting them that way. And my second encouragement is this: if God wanted caterpillars on our face, He wouldn't have created them to live on the ground. Think about it.

Awesome

2011-04-16T12:47:00.000-07:00

Quite some time ago I had a party. I often have parties, and often (99% of the time), these parties have themes and people have come to expect that. I think my best themed party was when I handed out four different party invitations - all for the same night, all with a different theme. (Under the water, Beach, Masqurade and Disco). It was a mish-mash of awesome random costumes and confusion.

Earlier this year I threw a party and to everyone's shock and disappointment I did not have a theme. So I told them the them was 'awesome.' As in the party would be awesome, they were awesome, I'm awesome, life is awesome. And to gain entry into my awesome party they had to bring or share one thing that they thought was awesome. It was great. I was introduced to some things that actually were awesome, and got to share with my friends some things that I think are awesome like the book Dancing with Cats, a glow-in the dark dancing scene from Body Rock, and I think that was also the day I made strawberry-kiwi jam, but didn't plan very well - I had a severe lackage of jars and I vaguely recall making everyone eat bread and jam, because my parties are cool like that.

Anyways, I want to share with you my top ten list of awesome things for the month of April.
1. Febreeze Winter Evening & Warmth
2. Adidas Sport Fever Body Wash
3. Mary-Kay Oil Free Make-Up Remover
4. Aveeno Moistruizer
5. Sharpies
6. Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist, Kijiji, Garage Sales, Auctions
7. Sharp, new pencils
8. Digestive Cookies
9. My Jobs
10. Wearing Nailpolish again.

What do you think I should put on my next list of awesomeness?

New Job Opportunities.

2011-04-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Due to my new addiction to "Storage Wars" and "Auction Hunters" I am currently thinking that I'd like to give up teaching and either become an auctioneer, or an auction hunter.

Just think about it, you get to travel all over the country to skeezy parts of every city and dig through other people's junk until you find a treasure. Like a $1200 pair of jeans, or an antique gun worth $3000. It's amazing. Yesterday's episode solidified my desire. The guy bought a totally junk-filled, useless unit and in the back corner found a suitcase. A suitcase full of $17 000 worth of Tiffany jewlery! SEVEN. TEEN. THOUSAND. DOLLARS.

This reminds me of the time at my Young Adults Group at the church when Dave asked us to share with the people at our table what item in our home has the most value. Is it sad that it is my sisters medical textbook? I'm a grown woman and I own nothing of value... yet.... except for two ridiculously overpriced pieces of paper hanging on my wall. And even then, I won't officially own them until the end of June (woot woot!)

So, just a heads up, if you cant find me at my regular jobs next fall, look for me at an auction. I'll be the one talking really fast.

I'm still LOLing

2011-04-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

I actually don't have anything super interesting to say today. But I'm figuring if I want people to keep reading my blog I should keep posting things on a regular basis. And so today, a funny story that I didn't witness, but I wish I did.

This one time, someone I know was clipping her toenails in the living room and putting the clipped nails into a pop can.

Then later, this other person I know came into the room, said "oh! My pop! I forgot about that!" and took a swig of pop before person 1 could stop her.

And then she pulled a massive big-toe-toenail out of her mouth.

I dare you to tell me that you didn't laugh out loud at that.

I saved a life today

2011-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

So today, around 3pm, I saved a life.

And you know what I got for it?

A sticker.

It was very rewarding.

Let me tell you my thoughts on donating blood.

a. You should do it.
b. 1 hour of your life can save up to four lives.
c. It's in you to give.
d. If you are healthy and don't play with monkey pee, you can donate.
e. It's very rewarding. Like today I got a sticker, and the first time you donate you get a special sticker and after 10, 15, 20, 25 etc times donating you get a tacky pin!
f. You always get free juice and cookies. So I mean, combine that with the stickers, the 30 minute nap while they suck your blood out and it's pretty much like going back to kindergarten. (Not that they suck your blood out in kindergarten - well maybe in the public school they do, but not at my Christian school - reason 87 to enroll your child(ren) in quality Christian Education)

It's really great. In the past ten years I've probably donated between 20 and 25 times, which means that I have possibly saved 100 lives!!! That pretty much makes me a hero. If any of you have ties with the Governor General, you should throw my name out there for some sort of award or something.

I know I've been really positive about donating blood and I feel like I need to be honest about a few things. Sometimes you have to wait a really long time to get through all the stations and line-ups. And sometimes the questions they ask are awkward, repetitive and strange (i.e. handling monkey pee. First of all, ew, who does that? And secondly, whaaaaat?) And truth be told it does hurt, but just a little bit. It's totally worth it.

Today after answering the awkward questions and finally making it to my elevated chaise lawn chair, I sat down with a sigh ready for my blood to be taken. About half the time I attempt to donate I get turned down (stupid pet monkey!), because my iron is too low or there's a stamp in my passport that automatically contaminates my blood. So I was pretty pleased that I made it today. Especially since usually the few days before donating I bulk up on steak and green beans but I only had one days notice this time.

I think I knew there was going to be a problem when the nurse was not only making faces while she put in the needle, but took forever and was sucking air in between her teeth and making grunting and groaning noises.

My blood would not. come. out. I told my nurse that in college we used to race to see whose blood would fill the bag and she gave me the "uh huhhhh and that's why it's taking us 40 minuts to get a unit of blood? Sure you did." Then she'd give a sweet smile to the lady across from me who lost a unit of blood in six minutes. SIX!

So my nurse tried wiggling the needle around and would ask gently, "is that ok? That doesn't hurt does it?"
To which I would reply, "nope, it's fine."
But I would really be thinking, "What do you think? There is a needle in. my. arm. Of course it hurts you nitwit."
Then she'd push it up a bit more and rotate my arm, sweetly asking, "you're fine right? Doesn't hurt eh?"
And I'd say, "naw, it's all right."
But would be thinking, "Uh... woman? What do you think you are doing? drawing me a bubble bath? Giving me a massage? Feeding me fresh marshmallows? There is a large, sharp, foreign item penetrating my vein. Of course that hurts!"

And the funny thing is, is that my blood was so attached to me (because let's face it, why wouldn't you be?), that my nurse actually gave up on me and took the needle out before the bag was full. She said it was 'full enough.' I don't know about you, but if I ever need a unit of blood, I want a full unit of blood. Not an almost full unit of blood. Whatever. I guess I saved a baby today.

Bacon Sundae

2011-04-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bacon makes a classic ice cream sundae even more awesome. We start with maple flavoured syrup and a scoop of rich, creamy vanilla ice cream and then a generous sprinkle of our diced hickory-smoked bacon And another sweet layer of syrup and vanilla ice cream topped with even more bacon and a drizzle of syrup.

Ok. Seriously. I am as Canadian as the next girl. But a Bacon Sunday? Come on! And I didn't see this crazy menu-item on any old menu at a random greasy spoon in the wilds of British Columbia, I saw it at Denny's. DENNY's. The breakfast place.

I don't know, maybe it is a good idea. Ice Cream, gooooood. Syrup, gooooood. Bacon, gooooooood. Bacon sundae, goooooooooooooooooooooood. Maybe it's the sweet-salty that people crave. Maybe Canadians pork producers are trying to expand into the desert market. Or maybe Canadians just straight-up, plain and simple, love bacon. On everything.

Canadians also love gravy on everything. Can we expect a gravy sundae next?

Ew.

If you try the Bacon Sunday will you please give me a reveiw of it. I'd love to hear what you thought about it.

Poo-Pourri

2011-03-31T19:40:00.001-07:00

I saw something in the UhMurIca last week and it made me laugh. And it got me thinking about air fresheners. Why do we purchase them? I'd say that majority of girls buy air freshener to make things smell nice. (And while I'm talking about this topic, seriously, Febreese Winter Evening & Warmth is the BEST. SMELL. EVER.)

But then I started thinking about when you go over to other peoples house and you see a spray air freshener in the bathroom - especially when it is in plain site. It grosses me out. You wanna know why it grosses me out? Because it is a visual reminder that the person you are visiting poops. And poops on the toilet you are about to use. Call me crazy, but that is not a pleasant thought.

That is the second reason why you will never see air freshener in my bathroom. The first reason being that girl poop doesn't smell.

I wish I had purchased this product last week when I saw it in Seattle because it is brilliant!

Poo-Pourii

It's a product made from essential oils that you spray in the toilet before... you know... you put 'stuff' in it and it will create a barrier for "embarrassing odors."

Spritz the bowl
before you go
and no one else
will ever know

How To Be Hopelessly Single For The Rest Of Your Life

2011-03-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

He offered her the world. She already had her own.

The title of this post sounds so depressing doesn't it?

I want you to click on the link to the right that says 'The Guide to Urban Singledom.'

When this blog was sent to me to pre-read before it's official release date, I fell in love. I love that there is another strong, independent, educated, funny, beautiful, Christian woman out there who lives her life not for her parents, or for what society says 20 something young women have to do, but for herself.

Here is a sampling that I found encouraging. This woman is very like me.

One day in highschool there was a young man at the front of the classroom. He was talking about our hopes and dreams for the future. What we wanted to accomplish and what goals we want to have fulfilled in 10 years time. He went around the classroom asking everyone and all their answers were fairly similar. Graduate. Own a farm and have a family. Get a bachelors degree. Be in school to become a doctor. Get married. Buy a house. YAWN! To me, all of these things sounded very boring and mundane. I couldn't imagine all these people I was going to school with would just suddenly grow up and become the adults that we now tormented. It was at that moment in my life that I decided to do things differently. I would not follow the crowd. I would not run with the herd of lemmings off the edge of the cliff and plummet to a final resting place (into adulthood.) I wanted to create my own path, and find my own direction. I wanted to clear my own way, a way that nobody else has ever gone. I will do things different then my fellow classmates of life.

It's great to be an adult. To get a job, to get married. But Jacci has reinforced for me that it is just as great to NOT do that. She's an encouragement to me. A reminder that perfectly awesome, beautiful, funny, hilarious single women still exist in this world. Not a lot of women mind you, but for now there is Me, Jacci, Tiersa, SB, and Lillian.

P.S. Make sure you watch the video where she washes her dog that was posted on March 16.

years ago playing tourist at the Sloman School on Wheels in my hometown of Clinton, Ontario.

They Made Me Laugh In The Morning!

2011-03-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

If you have ever had the honour of sleeping over at my house, or meeting up with me for an early morning adventure or work session, you know that I am not a morning person. At. All. I hate morning so much that I actually take a 2 hour sabbatical from being a Christian each morning so that I can harp, fume, swear and throw things around because I hate morning so much.

Going back to school this week after two glorious weeks of spring break it has been not only difficult, but nearly impossible to get my carcass out of bed. Today I literally felt like I had been run over by a semi. And then backed over. And then a brick wall fell on me. It literally hurt to keep my eyes open until about 11:30 today.

In the morning it is very difficult to get me to listen to what you have to say. But today the people of 97.5 the River, a local radio station here in Kamloops did something that hasn't happened since I can remember. They made me laugh before 7:30 in the morning.

And I'm totally going to steal some of their material to make you laugh.

Today's topic: Dating Websites.

I've had a beef with dating websites for years. I don't know why, I just think they are weird. Deep down I know they are normal and people meet on them, and lah dee dah lovey mclovester they are great. But I just have a .... 'thing'.

Now that I'm pushing 30 and gloriously single people are constantly trying to get me to join one or more dating sites. I've refused up until this point. But with so many dating websites that cater to different groups of people, I've realized that there are many options that might be helpful to me. Help me choose which one you think I should sign up with.

1. Darwin Dating
"Online dating minus ugly people"
People can vote on your profile and if you don't make the cut, the site kicks you off.
I doubt I would last a day.

2. Sugar Daddie
"Where the classy, attractive, and affluent meet"
Check all that apply. Unfortunately for me, 'none-of-the-above' isn't an option.

3. Cougar Women
'nuff said

4. Meet an Inmate
"Can you imagine what it must be like for attractive men and women to be without companionship? These incarcerated female and male inmates are paying a price for crimes they have committed. These inmates are very real and are seeking you!"
Pass.

5. Trek Passions
"Live long and prosper"
Really? That's your pick up line?

6. Diaper Mates
" A forum where people interested in wearing adult-sized diapers or makeshift diapers can search for, share photos with and meet people who have similar interests."
First of all, people do that? Secondly, people admit that they do it and proclaim it online? Thirdly, no thanks.

7. Vampire Passions
"A 100% free online dating & social networking site for vampires and vampire lovers."
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't vampires fictional? Doesn't it seem like a waste of time to make a dating website for vampires - especially since they don't exist? Call me crazy...

8. STD Match
"Connect with other singles in your area who share your STD"
N/A. AND EW.

There are so many to choose from? How can one possibly decide what website is best for them? For now I think I'll stay away from online dating....

(P.S. I hope you all got a kick out of this post because it took me an hour to write then when I went to post it it hadn't saved so I had to re-do it all because it was such 'gold' I had to share it with you! And that was the worst sentence I have ever written...)

Prank Wars

2011-03-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm most likely going to get myself into a heap of trouble for posting about this topic, but I really do appreciate a good prank.

I'm not talking about putting salt in someone's drink,
or even: let's tell her that boy she likes is waiting to meet her in the back parking lot after school
or even the: let's draw on her face with eyeliner when she's sleeping.

I'm talking about GOOD pranks. Ones that take time, energy, planning and finances to do. Pranks that are not harmful or hurtful or stupid - the ones that whether they happen to someone you know, or even to yourself, you can smirk or even laugh at the cleverness of the pranksters.

Take for the time in college when someone stole my toilets.
THAT is a clever prank.

Or the time when someone thoroughly wrapped my car in police tape.

Or even the time when all the lables on the cans in my cuboard were not just cut off, but carefully switched onto different cans. I got so frustrated one day making chili when I kept opening cans of peaches and pears that I actually went to the grocery store to tell them to mention to their suppliers that their labels were wrong. I found out later that soemone had broken into my kitchen and switched the labels. They felt great that I was so stupid. I felt... well... really stupid.

I'm talking about the time when my entire fifth grade class disappeared in the middle of the day.

Pranks like that take time, effort and planning. They are harmless and funny. (Come on - they took my toilet! Brilliant!)

Last night as I was driving the KCS Guatemala team back from the airport in Seattle I was talking with one of the chaperones and a twelfth grade leader and the topic of pranks came up, becuase I played one on a friend last week that was clever, simple and amusing. To everyone. It wasn't my best prank by far, but it was geared to the person it was played on and it hit home in a real way. I've jokingly been disowned as a friend and am, and I quote 'dead to him'. (P.S. JB, I'm specifically writing this post for you because you were whining that I haven't mentiond you on my blog lately. Here's your shout out)

Anyways JB (who I just realized now has the same initials of my boy the Biebster) LOVES his truck. When I say 'loves' I don't mean he really likes it, or is obessed with it, I mean he actually, physically, with his whole entire being, heart, mind, body and soul, LOVES his truck. We are not even allowed to talk about or mention his truck without him getting protective. We've been clearly warned, many times, that to even touch his truck would result in a big brown coiler placed strategically on our pillows. And that's a quote.

I never touched his truck.
But I did put a for sale sign on it. $500 OBO and his phone numbers.

Simple. Clever. Funny.

It was also funny when I heard that my friend played a similar prank on his brother. Only he advertised his brothers truck in the classifides and left specific instructions to call between certain hours - the hours when his brother was sleeping.

When it comes to pranks though, my all time, best prank ever occurred years ago after the excellently planned 'steal dorm 8's toilets (and all their furniture)' episode of the fall of 2002. You know when you prank someone (especially a Gerrits - and FYI they were warned before the prank about me), that retaliation is going to come. Those boys expected retaliation. They were diligent about locking doors and windows and being nice to us. Little did they know, that we were playing it cool. Waiting for the night to come (four months later in the dead of a winter night), when we would strike back.

And strike back hard we did.

We hoarded supplies for months and the night of the dastardly deed we stayed awake till 4am. There were charts, and floor plans, face masks, costumes and if I'm remembering things properly, I'm pretty sure that one member of our dorm was sleeping and we practice-pranked/rehearsed on our own dorm, including the break in.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of what was done in under 4 minutes. (And may I add that they were all sleeping in their beds. When they stole our toilets we were all home for Easter break).

Tipped buckets of water against their bedroom doors
Syrup on all doorhandles and railings
Windows frozen open, thin layer of water on all linoleum floors aka ice rink)
Jello powder mixed into the toilet bowls
And the best, most hilarious thing we ever did do: Filled the cutlery drawer with salt water and a live lobster.

In retrospect we may have gone a little overboard. And they whined like mama's boys for weeks afterwards - it really put a sour note to our friendship that they couldn't handle getting back what they gave out, but you know what? Suck it up princess.

Morals of the story:
a - if you are going to prank someone, make it fun and not harmful.
b - if you are going to prank someone, you will get pranked back.
c - well planned out pranks can be hilarious if played on the right person at the right time.
d - I dominate at prank wars, so don't even cross that line unless you can take it.

How To Be Hopelessly Single For The Rest Of Your Life

2011-03-24T12:53:00.001-07:00

He offered her the world. She already had her own.

The title of this post sounds so depressing doesn't it?

I want you to click on the link to the right that says 'The Guide to Urban Singledom.'

Here is a sampling that I found encouraging. This woman is very like me.

P.S. Make sure you watch the video where she washes her dog that was posted on March 16.

Me and Jacci like 10 years ago playing tourist at the Sloman School on Wheels in my hometown of Clinton, Ontario.

Always Friends

2011-03-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today's post is a shout-out to my old best friends from Ontario.

It's strange to think that I met them almost 10 years ago, and despite my trampsing around the globe, and my home in beautiful British Columbia, we are still good friends. Friends that laugh, and talk and visit, and pray for each other and send love out across the miles.

I'm so blessed to have these two women in my life, and their husbands too, even though they tend to conveniently disappear whenever I visit so that we can have girl time together. I love that they still think of me and send me funny video's and packages and call me and keep me informed of their life. I'm not gonna lie, I get jealous that they get to see each other all the time, but then I think about how much sweeter our reunions are when we do get to get together.

Here are my top 10 favourite times in our friendship history.

1. the Krispy Kreme Snow Day. When school was cancelled (despite the fact that everyone lived within 200 meters of the school) and yet somehow the school's mission team made the drive from Burlington to Hamilton to deliver all the Krispy Kreme fundraiser doughnuts they had sold. We ate a lot that day. Christy ate more. Ridiculous things ensued. I remember a guitar string being turned into a certain type of hat, our mattresses in the living room, some royal rumbling, some wigs and hats from the drama department, and a few not-so-thought out impersonations of Jacob Moon.
2. Karmyn's wedding.
3. Karmyn's batchelorette party.
4. Meeting up with SB and Jacci last May for the funnest 6 hours of my life. A special thank you to Karmyn's hoarding skills and the fact that she had four years worth of Bod Books.
5. The epic prank on Mark Sinke's dorm. Included in this: staying up all night, hoarding jello for months, the lobster.
6. All the Redeemer banquets.
7. Winning the Hobbies for Hilltop auction - our limo ride and the cornish game hen dinner.
8. Fhwquhwgads, Bannana Hands and Trogdor.
9. When Christy didn't tell me and SB that she was engaged, but conveniently sat in our living room using her left hand for everything for an HOUR until we noticed the ring. And then we had conniption fits.

So this is my suggestion - nay, my challenge to you. Do you have a friend or two that you love? Keep them. Even if it is hard. Even if it is expensive. Even if distance separates you. Even if sometimes your lives are so totally different that it seems you have nothing in common. Persevere in your friendships. I have a group of people who I don't talk to often, but yet still remain my good friends. People I can call whenever, for fun, for help, for advice. It means a lot to me that they are part of my life. It means so much to me that I'm going to share their names on my blog. Because everyone know that to get a shout out on my blog is the highest honour anyone can achieve. Nobel prize? Pffft. Nikki's Blog? Hells yeah!

Dear Karmyn, Christy, SB, Jacci, Steven, Rob J.
I love you.
Thanks for being my always-friends.

Better than Waxing!

2011-03-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I learned a valuable lesson:
Just because the calendar says it's spring, doesn't mean you can do spring things.

Let's say for example.... crossing a river. Barefoot. In shorts.

In retrospect, the fact that I could SEE ice chunks floating down the river, probably should have tipped me off that the water was going to be cold.

I just get so excited about ideas and goals. I was determined this spring, to walk over to Rabbit Island - which is an island in the middle of the Thompson River in Kamloops. There is no bridge there, and really there is nothing on it except grass, trees and some wildlife. It's a totally unused and inaccessible island in the middle of the city and in the spring, before the river rises from runoff, the north side of the river recedes probably close to 100m from where it is at high water. The river is so narrow, that at one point it is nearly possible to jump across a little creek (or so I thought) to dry land and then walk to the island.

The 'little' creek, was still a 7m wide chunk of river with a surprisingly swift current. It was however shallow (just above my knees), and on a glorious Sunday afternoon Bethany, Vanessa, our friend Scarlett and I climbed down the embankment, rolled up our pants and waded across what was left of the river.

At first it was like, "oh this water is cold" and then by the time we were stuck in the middle of the current in the river and still had 4 more meters to go, we were screaming "What were we thinking?!?!? This water is stinking cold! My feet. I can't feel them. No I can feel them. They BURN. Should my legs be burning?!?!?!?"

Anyways, we made it over. Explored the island and walked across it to the other side, were slightly disappointed that it really is just a boring chunk of land, and took our time heading back to the north side to walk back through the bitterly cold, ice-chunk carrying, river.

The good news is that I'm pretty sure the hair folicles in my leg are frozen, so I won't have to shave all summer.

The river generally reaches the line of trees you can see in the distance.

See. It's not even a little bit interesting.

UhMuhriCuns

2011-03-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

I give Americans a hard time. I really do. In my mind especially. I think that I'm a product of very proud Canadian upbringing and that has caused me to 'hate-on' Americans probably more than I should.

I've had really good interactions with Americans (holla to my American friends in Romania and Casablanca!). They were always nice to me and I like them.

Why is it then, that whenever I expect to come into contact with my buddies to the south that I automatically put my guard up and expect rudeness? Have I watched (and hysterically laughed at) “Talking To American's" one too many times?

When I was on my disasterous trip to the States earlier this week, and my plans got thrown to the wind, and I was stranded in a pretty crappy city, I was doing my best to hold it together. Trying not to imagine being beside a hot pool as I slogged through miserable weather in an unfamiliar city as I searched for the items required for me and Bethany's survival in a foreign land (calling card, apple juice, and soda crackers). I was overwhelmed with caring for my sister (who BTW had food poisoning), being in a country I don’t fully appreciate, in an unknown area, with no cell phone. I was frustrated, overwhelmed, tired and trying to be the strong independent woman that I am. As I searched for my items I anticipated rudeness and bad attitudes and no help.

As I searched all around the Bellingham WalMart I started to get dismayed because there were no international calling cards. At all. My cashier was super friendly, helped me look for one (which they didn’t have) and Dr. Phil’d me (that’s right, I verbed Dr. Phill) and I spilled my whole story about the sickenss and the cancelled plans and the being from Canada. He got a manager to try to track down a calling card for me and when there wasn’t one in the WalMart he suggested another store, gave me excellent directions, told me some good soup broths to feed my sister and as I was leaving he slipped me his phone number as a personal security guard in case I needed help with anything. That is the type of kindness I needed that day. All week I’ve been thinking of, praying for, and praising God for Big Mike Sheri.

So Americans, I apologize to you. Especially the girl at store number 3 that didn’t have a calling card and I almost bit your head off in a panic. I’m sorry I think so badly of you. I still believe we won the War of 1812, and I still hold that you are not as awesome as Canada, but you are decent even if you did give us Lady Gaga.

Why TARGET is not really that great.

2011-03-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

I mentioned earlier this week that I would blog about TARGET and why it's not really that great.

Here is why:

It's Walmart. With a different logo.

The end.

Border Control

2011-03-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

You know what job must suck?
Being a Border Control Guard.
Let's think about it. First of all they are trained and paid to be suspicious. Secondly they work in a tiny little box. Thirdly they never get to have actual conversations with people, just question and answer periods.

I really dislike crossing the border. I avoid America whenever I can, partly because crossing the boarder is stressful and partly because the good ol' U S of A is not really that amazing. My country invented insulin, nuclear weapons, hocky AND Ryan Renolds, so I'm sorry, but it's pretty hard to beat that list.

I have to go to the USA twice in two weeks, one for my vacation that never happened, and again next weekend to pick up the Kamloops Christian School Guatemala Missions Team from the airport in Seattle.

Going through the border bugs me because I am the LEAST suspicious person on the face of the earth. I wear Jeans and hoodies, I work in a church and Christian school, I'm a small town girl that does'nt do anything remotely dangerous or questionable. And yet... every time.... somehow they just don't like me and I get asked way more questions than I think are necessary. Am I really so shifty that you have to ask me 36 more questions than you asked the guy in front of me? Or is it just that I am so fascinating that you want to get to know me better?

It also stresses me out that they ask the questions so fast so they can try to get you to make a mistake.

Usually the problem arrives going into the US. One time in college on the way to a wedding in Philedelphia, the guard was so suspicious that a group of 7 friends all knew the SAME person and were going to the SAME wedding, and that one of the boys played the cello, that we almost had to get the cello out and play it to prove that everything we were saying was true.

This time the stressor was coming back into Canada. I hand the guard our passports.
Where's home? Kamloops
How long were you in the US? About a day and a half
Purpose of visit? We were supposed to fly to Vegas but my sister got sick so we couldn't go.
Where were you going? Vegas
Where did you stay in the US? Bellingham
What hotel? Holiday Inn
How much did you spend? About $100 between the two of us.
What hotel did you stay in in Vegas? We DIDN'T go to Vegas. We couldn't get on the plane so we stayed overnight in Bellingham. Now we are going home because our trip is cancelled.
Did you have reservations in Vegas, at what hotel? The Tropicana (By this time I'm wishing we still had that bag of barf in the backseat and asking him to throw out to prove the sickness excuse)
Do you have your airplane tickets? I have our boarding passes, will those work?
Yes. Let me see them. (I pass them over and our story is proven)
Have a nice day.

If I were in charge here is what my standard question list would look like.
Can I look at your passports please?
Canadien EH? Welcome home!

My 'Trip' to Vegas

2011-03-15T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got kicked off an airplane.
That was a first for me. I can honestly say that I have never, in my life, been kicked off an airplane. I've traveled a fair bit around this world, but never have I ever been close to getting kicked off a plane, let alone be the one that the stewardess comes over to and says, "you're going to have to get off this plane, grab your carry-on and follow me please."

So what did I do?
Let me tell you the whole story.

It all started about a year ago when Bethany and I got it into our heads that we really wanted to go to Las Vegas. It just looked like such a fun place. We don't gamble, but we like to see and try new things. We decided that after she graduated from university, we would find a cheap trip online and go. I found an *amazing* deal at Bing. com (great prices, great website, excellent telephone customer service minus the ridiculous wait times). $309 for four nights in a hotel and flight from Bellingham. How can you say no to a deal like that? We booked it.

We spent 3 weeks researching all the really cool things to see and do in Vegas, rented a car for one day so we could drive around, looked up free things, exchanged money, got music ready for the drive, picked out a trip theme song (Cha Ching by Hedley), we packed, bought new running shoes, cleaned out the car and talked about nothing except our trip.

Sunday afternoon we drove to Abbotsford through a wicked snowstorm - which made our vacation plans that much better. (Ohhhh those suckers in Canada, with the snow, this time tomorrow we will be hot and by a pool. YESSSSSS score one for vacation time!). We stopped at Swiss Chalet (Kamloops looses 900 cool points for not having one and making us drive to the coast to get a quarter-chicken-dinner-white-meat-and-fries), and then went over to my friend Robyn's for the night.

Had a great time with Robyn. Who is hilarious. We met in college and after a brief lapse in friendship (she disappeared and then I did), we randomly met again at the ACSI Teachers Convention in October. Anyways. I love Robyn. And I love that we got to stay at her place, and hang out and laugh and look at old pictures, and laugh. Did I mention that we laughed?

Bethany and I went to sleep in good time so that we would be up and ready to leave for Bellingham by 6am. (Which to my body was 5am because of the recent time change).

At 3:30am I heard Bethany throwing up in the Bathroom.
At 3:45am " "
at 4:00am " "
at 4:45 am " "
at 5:15am " "
at 5:50am " "

We drove to the airport in Bellingham (pulling over 6 times), and I waited in the ticket line while Bethany slept on the bench. As we went through security I made her fake being ok so that we would get through. We got all the way on to the plane and *just* before taxing down the runway (literally, within 1 minute - the seatbelt sign was on and the stewardess had the seatbelt demonstration ready in her hand) Beth threw up again. And they kicked us off the plane.

We had to make a decision - try to take a later flight, or one the next day, or postpone indefinitely. Bethany (who by the way hasn't been sick since infancy) was in no state to travel, so we postponed indefinitely. The thought of driving anywhere, let alone back to Kamloops just about made Beth have a meltdown, so I got us a hotel in Bellingham and while she spent the day barfing (literally 30 times), I kept myself occupied finding cup-of-soup, soda crackers, apple juice and an international calling card. I cancelled our plans, walked to Barns and Noble, went in the hot tub, watched tv quietly and felt bad for my sister whom I love a lot.

Bethany slept for 20 hours straight. STRAIGHT. No waking up except to puke. In the morning she was better (not 'better' but comparatively better than on Monday). We drove back to Kamloops. Where it was snow-raining. :(

I should be more disappointed than I am. It does suck that I'm in Kamloops, in March, in the rain. But really, travelling is not relaxing. Now I have an extra week of just kicking back and doing whatever (starting my garden seeds, painting a picture, practicing music, church work, sewing, hobbies, letters etc.). AND I have a fairly strong sense that God really didn't want us to go to Vegas this week. I had a nightmare about going earlier this week (and I really believe God speaks to me in my dreams), and I just really have felt peace about not going. Peace and 'ok-ness' about not going, when I should be really sad, disappointed and angry. As I was thinking about this when we were driving back into Kamloops there was a massive rainbow going over the hills and the valley. Rainbow are a sign of promise. God will never leave me, or forsake me. He has a plan. Which reminds me that while Beth was being sick, I was watching Criminal Minds and Dr. Spencer Reid quoted "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Maybe these were all signs. Who am I to know what might have happend there? Good or bad? Or what might happen here that I need to be around for?

Anyways, that's the basic story. Look forward to the next few posts:
Americans
Border Control
Why Bellingham Sucks
Why TARGET is not actually that great

2011-03-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

As a teacher it is in my hypocratic oath/contract to not have a favourite student. But seriously, with things like this being put on my desk, how can I????

A Poem for Miss. Gerrits

Miss. Gerrits is my teacher,
As great as can be,
She is a hard worker,
As straight as a tree.

She teaches us things worth learning,
And gives us lots of “A’s”
She leaves us all yearning
To learn something cool today.

She is the smartest teacher,
And a Christian too.
She is a great teacher
She always pushes through.

The TV Game

2011-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

The other night we were bored. So very, very, very bored.

It was too late to do anything for reals, but just a little bit too early to go to bed. That means it was 8:30pm, because we are lame and go to bed at 9. But what to do from 8:30 till 9? We could not think of anything. And there was nothing on tv. Nothing except a documentary entitled something like 'How Our Earth Was Formed by Athiest's.' That's a lie. It did not say 'by athiest's' But they definitely were not Christians.

Was it an interesting watch? Not so much.
But it's great when you and your sisters can make ANYTHING funny, even boring things. Like lame documentaries that are most likely made up.

We've recently been introduced to a new 'tv game.' Basically, the goal of the game is to ask someone who is really into a show, the stupidest, most annoying questions. For example, if I'm watching Criminal Minds, the line of questioning will go something like this, in very rapid succession. No pausing between questions.

Who's that?
Is Derek Morgan a bad guy?
What's going on?
Why do they have guns?
Where's Grissom?
When is Sue Thomas going to have a scene?
What kind of car is that?
Is this the show with Zoey Busak?
My favourite character is Horatio, who is yours?

Those of you who watch Criminal Minds or any other cop drama will realize that Grissom, Sue Thomas, Zoey Busak and Horatio are from different shows, that's why the line of questioning is so funny.

Here's our line of questioning for the documockery 'How The Earth was Made Over The Course Of 80 Bajillion Years And Dinosarus Survived All Natural Disasters and Plagues Including Cancer And Aids"

Wow! Is that true?
What kind of Dinosaur is that?
Where's George of the Jungle?
How did they get that live footage of the dinosaurs?
I wonder if the cameraman is scared...
How could they POSSIBLY know that?
It's amazing that the cameraman just happened to be there when that stumpgrasauras attacked that poor tollifigiopalentolosaurus! Talk about luck! Do you think he gets paid more for getting unique shots?
I'm worried, they just said "Dinosaurs are taking over the earth," do you think they are on their way to Kamloops too?

Play the game.
It's REALLY funny.
Especially if the person you are with loves their show and flips out at your non-stop questioning.

A Bafflexing Graduation

2011-03-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Yay for Bethany!

This post is a shout-out to my little sister who graduated university yesterday!!!! Wahooo!

If you have ever been past the seventh grade, you have probably been to a graduation. If you have siblings or cousins or friends, you probably have been to more than one graduation.

Agree or disagree with me, but graduations are b.o.r.i.n.g. And I'm not going to lie. I only went to Bethany's because a) I love her, b) she begged me and c) I was promised free cake afterwards.

As far as graduations go, Bethany's was the same as all the other ones. The professors talked too long about boring things while the audience pitty laughed politely when they tried to make jokes. Bethany was the first one to get her diploma and in order to liven the run-of-the-mill ceremony, me, Vanessa, Jane and Louise shouted, hooted, and hollard for an obscenly embarrassing long time. It kept us entertained, embarrassed Bethany to no end, and made all the other cheering sections for the other graduates look weak.

Because Bethany was first, there was really nothing else to look forward to (except the cake obviously). Listening to the names of the other graduates and watching them take their sweet time going across the stage (was it really necessary for each graduate to hug each professor before the next name was called?), was ... well.... boring. Vanessa and I had some hilariously hushed discussions about thongs (and yes, you CAN tell if someone is wearing one graduate number 7), and about how it was gravitationally impossible for graduate number 47s boobs to be that perky! I'm not saying it to be a jerk, or to be judgemental, or to be mean. I'm just saying: How do you get them that high?????? I'm baffled. And perplexed. I'm bafflexed.

Anyways, I sat there, I got my free cake, and was proud that Bethany completed her program.

Titanic 2: The Epic True Saga Continues

2011-02-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

I'd like to dedicate today's post to a movie review. I feel that it is important to share opinions, thoughts and critiques of movies with friends and family so that they know what to watch (or what not to watch). Today's critique is of a movie I saw on the shelf a few weeks ago. No one wanted to watch it with me, so I waited for a quiet 'alone' night to spend some time just chillin' and watching what I want to watch. My plan did not quite turn out that way as a friend came over and convinced me to wait till later that night to watch it with him and my sisters.

I'm going to give you a completely exhaustive review of the movie "Titanic 2"

Yes. That is right. Titanic 2. As in Titanic the Sequel. Those of you who have known me since high school know that I have a passion (obsession - passbession) with the original Titanic. I loved Leonardo Dicaprio. I even had a Leonardo Dicaprio pin that I wore on my jacket. I've probably seen the movie over 50 times. So when I saw Titanic 2 on the shelf, I knew that I had to see it.

Obviously I was first drawn to the title "Titanic 2" and the catchphrase caught my attention too, "100 years later, lightning strikes twice." Which in an of itself is not very good grammar.

The back continued in bold red letters, "The Epic True Saga Continues."

Now, I've done some resarch, and pretty much the only true part of the movie was that the boat sank. Despite that, this comment made me think that this movie was continuing the true story of the Titanic. Here's their description:

"On the 100th anniversary of the original voyage, a modern luxury liner christned, "Titanic 2" follows the path of its namesake. But when a tsunami hurls an iceberg into the new ships path, the passengers and crew must fight to avoid a similar fate."

YUP! A tsunami and an iceberg. I knew right away that this would be a great Friday night movie. And it was ('nt?)

Long movie short, a tsunami hurls an iceberg at the boat. And then, just when you think things can't get worse, another even larger tsunami hits the boat.

It wasn't so much that the story line was a bit on the cheesy side, this movie was so bad because the filming of it was terrible. Unbelievably terrible. Here is my review.

a. The 'stud' character - you know, the one who owns the boat, spent time in the coast guard, is the hero etc. was sleezy. Not in the movie, in the movie he was a decent guy, but all of us girls agreed that he was totally greesy and skeezy and disgusting. He was a cross between all three of the Baldwin Brothers and T-Bag from Prison Break. And yet he was the hero.

b. The main character (who was so memorable I can't remeber her name) was a terrible actress and I'm pretty sure she only got the role because she looks like Reese Witherspoon.

c. I'm no cinematography expert, but I'm pretty sure the entire movie was filmed in a gymnasium and a locker room.

d. In the scenes where bodies were floating and/or asking for help when in the water... yeah... you could see the bottom of the pool.

e. The movie only had about 20 extras. If that. It wasn't so much a big deal in the crowd scenes, but during the panic scenes, the same 4 people ran by the camera. And did the same actions. Apparently the only thing people do when in a panic is run and trip over their own feet and fall down.... six times in a row. Seriously. The same people. The same scenes.

f. They used the same 'stock' shots for everything.

g. There was one seriously distracting actress. I don't know what her name was, or what her role was, but everytime she came on screen I would yell out "look! Boobie McBooberson is back!" Wanna take a wild guess as to why she was distracting?

h. This is my favourite: In one scene, main character 1 and sleezy hero man are looking for main character 1's friend. They find her in the infirmary (read that again - infirmary as in first aid/ nurses station). She is trapped under a filing cabinet and bleeding from her upper chest. Heroman - because he was in the coast guard, and main character 1 (who works in the infirmary as a nurse) put their thinking caps on and show off their crazy first aid skills to stop the bleeding of friend number 2. Main character 1 gets some medical tape, and heroman pulls out a credit card. They then proceed to tape the credit card over the injury to stop the bleeding. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure you are IN THE INFIRMARY. Most infirmary's, and correct me if I'm wrong, have things like.. oh I don't know... bandaids... gauze... maybe some paper towl.....

i. Just when you think things can't get any worse, heroman, character 1 and character 2 get stuck in the elevator and heroman uses his 'muscle' (???) to open the roof. As he is pulling himself through - get this - you notice that he is wearing WHITE SOCKS! Black shoes, black pants and white socks!!!!! Seriously people! If you are making a movie, and have to cheap out on wardrobe, at least get someone to look up major fasion faux paus on the internet!

j. After they climb to the top of the elevator the next step is to climb the elevator shaft. How could this go wrong? I'm glad you asked. You know how when you climb up, gravity makes your hair/clothing go down? Well in this masterfully crafted scene hair and clothing fall forward - toward their bellies. The scene was shot so you think they are climbing up, but gravity is telling you that they are just crawling along a ladder that is on the floor. Clever.

k. The final most awesome thing was at the very end. When the movie ended. With no resolution. Or ending. Or conclusion. It just stopped.

In conclusion (because I know how to end things properly), I think that maybe I do suggest you rent this movie. Because it was (in the words of Barny Stinson), "Awes..ful"

And I Screamed Like a Girl

2011-02-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

The following event was the most awesome and least awesome part of my day/week/month - all rolled into one.

It all started last week when a friend of mine was over. Let's call him 'Jon' (coincidentally that is actually his real name.) Well, Jon loves all things to do with the forest and fishing and the outdoors and he knows that I am currently teaching a unit on forestry so he was asking me about that and giving me lectures about how Smoky the Bear is the anti-christ etc. I mentioned to him that this week I was going to be teaching about forest pests like the Mountain Pine Beetle and the Tussock Moth etc. Jon was very excited about this and offered to loan me a bug project that he had done for a forestry course last term. The project had about 60 different forest bugs in it. It was a great learning tool to show my students so they could physically see all the different forest pests I was teaching them about.

I was very excited about him loaning me this project. When I went to pick it up last Thursday he gave me strict instructions not to ruin it. If you know 'Jon' at all, you know that he is.... a little anal. A total perfectionist. A neat freak. He really cares about his stuff. His truck, his jeans, his house and his bugs. I gave him my word of honour that I would take care of his bug project and that none of my students would touch it or wreck it.

Today was the big day. The lesson on Forest Pests. Before I left my house today I checked the box and prepared to transport it to school. I opened it up and was a little shocked at the condition of the interior. Some of the wings had fallen off, and the legs were all over the place and it really looked like I had totally shaken up the box and wrecked the project. All these little tiny bugs were falling apart. My shoulders slumped and I realized that I was going to have to tell Jon that somewhere between walking to my car and walking into my house that his project had gotten jarred and it was no longer in mint condition.

Let me fast forward a bit to after school today. I had Jon call me and this was our conversation:
"Hey Jon... It's Nikki.... Uh.... I have some bad news.... and some good news...." I stuttered.
"You wrecked my bug project didn't you?" he was quick to place blame.
"Well... it is wrecked, but in my defense it was not me!" I defended myself, "but wait! Before you get mad, let me tell you the good news! The project is wrecked, but I did not do it! And you have a new bug for your collection! Really! A new bug. A massive bug! The 'dead' coccoon that was a part of your project... it hatched!"

Now you are probably thinking a few things.
a) you said 'dead' cocoon. yes. DEAD. As in DEAD. Like Jon had it in his freezer for 2 weeks DEAD. Checked by his professor DEAD. And yet.... not so much.
b) awwww a moth! How cute. Don't be deceived. I have long held that moths are the most disgusting things in the universe. I hold to the theory that if Satan were to reincarnate himself into a bug it would be a moth. (Think about it - 'the light' spazzes them out... obviously my theory is solid).

I'd like to take you back to 8am this morning. When I opened the box to clean it out. When I opened a box expecting to see 8 rows of tiny little bugs with pins stuck through their back with a nice little scientific lable beside it. And instead I found this looking at me, pointing its horns and nasty furry feet at me, gnawing on one of the helpless little dead bugs.

I put a dime in there so you could understand the scale. It is approximately the size of a fist. It's slimy and crusty and furry and just having that picture up there while I type this is making me dry heave and gag.

I screamed. Loudly. Like a girl. Then I had my boss PJ double check to see that I wasn't imagining a large, live bug in a box full of dead ones. It's nasty.
Tell me that is not a massive bug!!!! It's disgustingly large! All the other bugs were the size of 'nerds' (you know... the candy) and then this thing all slimy and gross and crusty. EW.

The Life of Pi

2011-02-23T15:06:00.000-08:00

This is a really good book:

Those of you who know me, know that I pretty much stick to one genre of literature. In my opinion it is the best genre: Historical Christian Romance. I love it. I love the cheese and the predictibility and the covered wagons. Make fun of me if you want, suggest other books if you want, I'm solidly set in my opinions and you most likely will not change them.

Unless you suggest a book to me that is as good as the Life of Pi.

I always read before bed. And one night, lo and behold, I was shockingly out of Christian Romance Novels. (Well... I mean I did have some, but I've read them all a hundred times). I pulled Life of Pi off the shelf and started reading. And was hooked. It is a great story. It has brilliant writing, a unique plot, is clean, is humourous, has adventure and good morals. It was a really good read and I totally reccommend this book. It has my seal of approval. Just like Justin Bieber. And Christian Romance Novels. And Macaroni and Cheese.

Bieberliscious

2011-02-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that I have an 11 year old friend who legitimizes my presence at the Justin Bieber movie. I'm not saying that it is wrong for a 28 year old woman to go to the Justin Bieber movie, but I will say that it is wierd. I'm not going to lie. I did kinda want to see this movie. I've keep up with the Biebsters career since near the beginning of Biebermania about a year and a half ago. I have a heart for this kid. Partly because he's from my old stomping grounds in small-town Ontario, partly because he's actually talented, partly because my sister is OBSESSED with him, and partly because I think he is a decent kid.

After spending two hours in a theatre with him (it was after all 3-D), I'd like to re-iterate my standing that J.B is a decent kid. Now I know how movies work. They can edit things, and script things and make people look good or bad. But a kid and his mom who throughout the movie pray numerous times (including during sickness, before concerts, and while out with pizza with his buddies), he gets my vote. He doesn't swear, is not man-skanky, dresses appropriately, dances well, and learned to play music at a church.... I don't know about you... but that, combined with his small town upbringing make him legitimate. And dag-nab it, regardless of your choice of lyrics and style - his songs are catchy!

One time after leaving a Miley Cyrus movie (and singing and dancing to one of the songs), someone asked me, "Nikki, don't you think it's a little pathetic that you are a grown woman and you know all the words to all the songs in that Miley Cyrus movie?" I thought for a quick second and then responded, "No. Not at all. Honestly, as part of my calling as a teacher and a youth pastor, I need to keep up on what is relevant. I need to be able to connect to 12 year olds. And if that means I can sing along with Miley, or Justin or the Jonas Brothers, than that’s what I’ll do.” The quick witted someone remarked, “Does being relevant mean you have to know all the dance moves too?”

Anyways, the purpose of this post was to give my teaching-pastoring-researching-Christ Following- seal of approval for Justin Bieber. I like this kid. And I sincerely pray that as he grows up he won’t turn into another one of those talking the talk but can’t walk the walk Hollywood Teens (and yeah, that’s right, I’m pointing at you Katie Perry).

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

The World's Greatest Love Story?

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/toronto-holocaust-survivors-may-world-greatest-love-story-20110216-124033-658.html

Why So Funny?

2011-02-15T19:16:00.000-08:00

Why are the following things funny?

People falling
People getting kicked in the junk
Stupid animals
Drunk animals
People flying through the air accidentally
People getting punched
People falling in mud

Why are those things so funny? Why has America's Funniest Home Video's been on tv for 25 years? Why is Wipe-Out SO hilarious?

I'll tell you why we laugh so hard.

Because it's not happening to us.

Dutch Blitz

2011-02-13T18:17:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you have ever had the painful experience of playing this game with me, and not to toot my own horn or anything, but I am REALLY good at this game. I am "jump back" unbelievably good. (If you got that Kevin Bacon quote give yourself a pat on the back). And it seems to me, that whenever I tell someone that I'm really good at Dutch Blitz they go off on a tangent about how good they are. How they dominate at Dutch Blitz. How they totally kill, are awesome, amazing, crazy good.

Then I say to them, "No, I don't think you understand. I'm actually REALLY good. And I'm not being rude, or mean when I say this, but you will loose."

They scoff at me, laugh even sometimes, and then we start to play. And about halfway through the game (as I'm kicking butt), some excuse will come out of their lips explaining their lackluster performance. It never fails. In the past three years I have had many people challenge me. And they all have lost.

Last Saturday night was no exception. Me, Bethany and "Gus" (his name has been changed to protect his identity - give yourself another point if you can guess where I got the name Gus from). Final Score: Nikki 103, "Gus" 44, Bethany 1. Slightly embarrassing for him after talking his game up so much. Not quite as embarrassing as 10 minutes later when he found a 'feminine' product on the kitchen table and it took him a second to figure out what it was...

Top Five Things of Awesomeness

2011-02-10T20:22:00.000-08:00

These are my top five things of awesomeness for the week of February 7.

#1 Turbo Snake.
It is AMAZING. I should have videotaped the amazingness of this $7 infomercial buy. Love it.

#2 Boy Meets World Season One.
I'm seriously re-living my childhood this week. Oh Cory. Oh Shawn. Oh Topanga. Oh Mr. Feeny. From jean vests and plaid arms to the plastic bubba juice containers and the Duck-Hunt gun. From the references to Full House, Punky Brewster and all the random actors who later went on to bigger things (ahem Shane West & Jessica Bowman). I love it all. And it is very funny. Laugh out loud funny.

#3 Canon SD1400.
My first digital camera ever - the Canon A560 died two weeks ago. it was a fantastic little camera. After a lot of research and deciding what I needed and wanted, I chose the Canon SD1400. It is amazing. Clear shots. Easy to use. Great Features and just enough do-dads and extras to give you a camera with cool options, but not be overwhelming to use. I strongly reccommend this camera if you are looking for a camera that takes great pictures, but doesn't take up a lot of space.

#4 Missoula Children's Theatre
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
This professional children's theatre company hails from Montana. They bring the directors, the sets, the costumes, the lights, the sound, the make-up, the script and the music. You just provide them with 60 kids to put on a fantastic show with. They group auditioned 113 kids for 2 hours to find the 60 kids that would work for our production. They proved to me that students can stand on a line for two hours without talking unless pointed to and told specifically what to say. Our production is this Saturday at 3pm and 5:30pm at the Kamloops Christian School.

#5. Rabbit Ears
I cancelled my cable in December. Heck! I'm not paying $40 a month to watch tv shows I already own on DVD or on the internet for free! It didn't bother me until this week. When GLEE started again. There's something about watching Finn and Puck on the tv from the comfort of my couch with my sisters. So I brought out the tinfoil and scotch tape and miraculously found myself a channel. And that channel is Global. And that channel plays GLEE.

The Importance Of...

2011-02-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

Cutting your toenails
'nuff said.
Although, in her defense, they are painted nice.

Top Ten List #1. The Grumpy List

2011-02-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

I'm grumpy today.
Usually I'm happy and perky, but today is a grumpy day. I thought I'd share with you my most recent top ten things I hate list. And yes. It is in a specific order.

1. Bell Canada
2. The phrase 'you should join E-Harmony'
3. Not having cable
4. The fact that in Canada in order to get a decent job you have to have a university education and you have to pay a million dollars to get it, and then be in debt forever so that you can have a good job to pay back the education you were forced get in the first place so you could have a good job to pay of the education you needed to get it. (See the cycle?)
5. Mornings and alarm clocks
6. The Kamloops Centre for Irrational Thought. Seriously. Leave us alone already. (I know I know, I should be preaching love, but you irritate me. Jesus got irritated too)
7. Tiersa being in Mexico. I know she's being a good missionary, but I need a friend here too!
8. Never getting a snowday.
9. Mushrooms and anything from the ocean. It's all gross.
10. Changing the toilet paper roll. I've always hated doing it. I always will.

Anne with an E

2011-02-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

I think that in another life (the one where I wasn't Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman) I would have been Anne of Green Gables. It just makes me happy. The books, the original movies, the third (albeit semi-lame) movie, the pre (not very good) quel, the Road to Avonlea spin off, all of it. It makes me happy.

I can imagine living in a pristine small-town. Working in a one room school house, writing a novel (Christian Romance obviously) Having great hair and pretty dresses and imagination and adventures.

And... Gilbert Blythe, who although is not particularly 'manly,' is still beyond awesome in his down-to-earth, doctoring, nice-boy, great-hair, way.

GLEE

2011-02-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

Unless you have been living under a pop-culture rock for the last 18 months, you have heard about this show. If you have never seen an episode, and have strong moral convictions, are an adult and can discern between right and wrong, you should watch a few episodes of this show.

I put the disclaimer 'have strong moral convictions, are an adult and can discern between right and wrong' in there because if you are none of those three things, you probably shouldn't watch Glee. Although it is hilarious, it does at times cross the line, but as an adult, who has convictions and knows the difference between right and wrong, I don't let it influence how I live my life. I also say watch a few episodes because sometimes they are hit or miss although lately they have gotten back to the early season one roots of good music, funny, clean humour. Season 2 begins again next Tuesday and I'm very excited. I'd be more excited if I had cable and a tv, but I do have stolen internet from my neighbours so all is not lost.

Everytime I watch it it re-inspires me to turn my life into a musical. The muscial would star me and Zac Efron would be my love interest. The rest of the players in my life would be as follows;
Aunt Linda (Sandra Bullock)
Pastor Dave M (Wentworth Miller)
Pastor Harry (Bruce Willis)
Fields (Dr. Jack Shephard)
Tiersa (Amanda Bynes)
Bethany (Cameron Diaz)
Vanessa (Amanda Syfried)
Dad (Tim Allen or MacGuyver)
Mom (Meryl Streep)

Which person should play you?

Score one for the Teacher!

2011-01-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

So, I guess the rule is: in order to be a good blogger, you have to blog every day. I don't know that I agree, but I think a few times a week is sufficient.

Today I took my grade five class to Harper Moutain for a day of skiing and snowboarding. I promised them that if they chose to ski, that they would be skiing by themselves by lunchtime and be having a great time. I promised them that if they chose to snowboard for their first time, that they would not have fun or learn how to snowboard by the end of the day.

I'm a snowboarder. I like it a lot. But you have to be willing to invest some serious time into learning how to do it. At least three to four days of falling down and figuring out how it works. Every year there is one student who does not heed my (may I say expert) advice. Not to rub it in or anything (well... not too much anyways...) but he/she did not have fun snowboarding and switched to skiing after lunch. Bwahaaa. Score 1 for the teacher! Seriously people/students/everyone, sometimes (just sometimes) I actually do know what I'm talking about and you should listen to me.

I had a great day with myself and my students and the parents that came along. I got in some excellently wonderful runs, enjoyed being outside, didn't get hurt (too much... I mean I am pushing 30 now and am not as young and spry as I used to be). It was awesome to hang out with my students and help them learn a new skill and see their joy at their success. It was also awesome to have a free day skiing - that I got paid for. :D

Back Again

2011-01-25T20:44:00.000-08:00

So...
Three years later, I'm starting it up again because of the persistence of a few key people. AND luckily for them/you, I never, ever change my password so I was able to get back onto my blog. I'm actually really impressed with how far blogspot has come since I last used it. It is so easy to update and change and make look good. I started blogging before you could just 'click' on things. Back in the day when blogging was big (2005) you had to manually type in the commands for everything. Colours, locations, pictures had to be downloaded from a different site. It was not so easy.

So... back to the theme of my original blogs, it's simply going to be a digital version of me. Things I think are funny, stuff that happens, pictures, my life. I'm anti-anything boring, so my goal (as always) is to be amusing if not interesting.

As a welcome back to you ... my faithful three readers... I've put together a tribute to my favourite thing to do. Dressing Up. Most people stop dressing up at some point in their life. I don't. I think it is fabulous to dress up and pretend you are someone or something else.

Enjoy. Laugh. Comment.

Come on, I'm really cute!

This was when I went through my 'I want to be a real woman' phase. It lasted about 5 years. Then when I became a 'real woman' I realized that 'they' are not actually that exciting. Or handy.

This is the start of my 'Dr.Quinn' phase. It lasted 6 years. Wait. I can't lie... the truth is that I'm still in that phase.

The 'wanting to be Indian' phase.

I only vaguely remember this day. But it was fun.

Jacob Moon Day in Dorm 8. A LOT of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts were involved in the decision to behave like this, and willingly get our picture taken.

Decade Dance

Banquet

Cherry Creek Disco Party

Old Fort Langely

Value Village. I was contemplating starting a new teacher wardrobe that consisted of massive gaudy broaches and tacky/awesome sweaters.

Christmas Party Tacky Sweater Contest

80's party. I love this outfit and will keep it forever.

Murder Mystery Dinner

This past summer in Barkerville

Why I love Fall.

2007-10-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just love fall. A LOT. It is, without a doubt, my favourite season. Look at these pictures I took and tell me that fall is not amazing!

August in Pictures

2007-09-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a photo-journey through the month of August.
And remember, I'm facebook friendly so check out more pictures there!

The first thing I did in August was head to "The Shuswap" (pronounced Shoe-SHwap) with my almost sisters Tiersa, Laura and Jenny. We did a LOT of this:

A little bit of this:

A bit of this:

And for those of you who watch Canadian Idol, I was at the family reunion for this top 10 singer:

Next the vacation continued. I took some much needed time off from work. My sisters Bethany and Vanessa and I, drove to Panorama BC - in the heart of the Rockies, to visit my sister Esther who lives there. On the way we went white water rafting. We also spent some time in hot springs as well as Lake Louise. Very relaxing, very fun. I love white water rafting. I think maybe I'll be a teacher by winter, a professional white water rafter by summer. Yeah?

Shortly after returning from my adventures in Panorama (and by shortly I mean two days later) my friend Erik and I headed to Penticton BC for 'summer friend' Lillian's 24th Birthday party. I met Lillian in a parking lot in June and we've been friends ever since.

Then a week later it was my birthday.
I went to a concert with my family and then out for dinner in my new birthday outfit. Not to be confused with my birthday suit. Sunday was a big lunch with friends and then the closer friends headed to the beach. This is me and the almost-sisters. So pretty eh?

Tom brought out his super powerful telescope and we spied on the people across the lake.

Then my little friend Gracie came over for a Highschool Musical party.

The next weekend, Tiersa, Bethany, Laura, Jenny and I headed to the IPE (interior Provincial Exibition) aka Rodeo and sketchy midway.

Where I saw a lumberjack show. Cheesy and entertaining.

After my birthday came Bethany's birthday.
Which I gave her, ahem US, season 2 of Prison Break.

2 Days after Bethany's birthday, and in the middle of our obsessed Prison Break marathon. (we had 10 days to watch them all before season 3 started) It was Ferin's fantastically 80's birthday party.

Mike and Ferin

Classic 80's feet.

And last but not least, this post would not be complete without a shout out to my summer friends. Bo, Erik and Deborah.

Jobs

2007-08-16T12:40:00.001-07:00

I was thinking today about how my friends have a LOT of different jobs. Cool Jobs, random jobs, fun jobs. And NONE of them work in a field even remotly related to mine.

Nikki: I'm a teacher. I teach fifth graders about spelling and try to make them love reading books as much as me. As a bonus I can infiltrate them with Dr. Quinn stories unntil they are as passionate about it as I am.

Bethany: Is an Out-tripper. She takes people rock climbing, and camping in the bush, and kyaking and white water rafting, and caveing. Her bonus is that she gets to be all buff and pretty.

Tiersa: Is an Administrative Assistant for the Continental Singers. She does paperwork and books hotels and flights and makes posters and brochures and gets to do awesome things on the computer. Her bonus is that she gets to live in California part of the year.

Tom: Is a fish wrangler. He wrestles fish out of the water in rivers all over BC so that the gov't can know what types of fish are in what rivers and in what quantity. His bonus is that... he gets to play with fish all day.

Mike: Walks around the bush (and there is a lot of it here) and maps out cut-blocks for logging companies. His bonus is that he gets to be as back-woodsmany as he wants to be and no one can say anything. And he gets to take his dog to work with him.

Ferin: Is a clothing store manager. She gets a sweet discount.

Bowen: Is a miner. I don't know exactly what he does. But neither does he half the time. His bonus is that he gets paid a lot.

Erik: Works Rockey Mountaineer Vacations. He serves and is in a musical. His bonus is that He is in a musical!

My Inspiration

2007-08-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an awesome awesome day. My sister Bethany and I headed to the Shuswap with her friend Rita for a day on her boat on the lake. (Side note, where do British Columbians go to trade their shoes??? the Shuswap)

We boated on her speed boat in 37 degree weather with no clouds and a bright sun. We stopped on a random beach for lunch, stopped at a store that floated in the middle of the water so you could only get their by boat, we found an awesome swimming beach. We boated some more and then swam off the boat with a waterfall tumbling down the mountain on my left, and a view of the coastal mountains and rocky mountains on my left. Amazing. We boated some more and then went over to Copper Island in the middle of the lake where people often cliff jump. I hummed and hawed about doing it, because it was really high and dangerous and you had to free rock climb to get to the cliff. But then I thought to myself "You just swam at the base of a waterfall looking at the Rockies. You have to do this! You are in BC. This is an awesome opportunity that might not come along again."

So I jumped out of the boat and swam toward the rock cliffs jutting out of the water. I climbed to the top of the cliff very carefully, knowing that a) i was wet and b) the crevaces in the the rocks would mean broken bones for sure if I slipped. Very treacherous. I got to the cliff and stood there looking out over the lake and the mountains and then I looked down. And it was VERY high. Very high. I stood there for a few minutes getting my courage up and the yelled to my sister that it was too high and I couldn't do it. i climbed down a bit. Bethany started heckling me. "Nikki, theres 10 year olds jumping off the cliff. You are a teacher you should be the example DO IT!"

Her pressure made me climb back up. I looked down. It was too high. I climbed down again. Bethany continued heckling me. I climbed back up. It was freaking high. VERY high. I climbed down again. This time Bethany said something that really stuck with me:

"NIKKI! IF DR. QUINN CAN DO IT SO CAN YOU. SHE JUMPED OFF A CLIFF THAT WAS WAY HIGHER THAN THIS ONE."

It was so true.

"You're right!" I yelled back. "She did! I'm doing it!" Seriously, if Dr. Quinn could do it, so could I. I climbed back up and jumped realizing on the way down that Dr. Quinn jumped off a cliff because some crazy renegade Indians were trying to kill her AND Sully held her hand the whole time. I had a) no indians chasing me and b) no handsome backwoodsman holding my hand. Even ONE of those would have been a better reason for jumping than just doing it for 'fun'.

But I did it. I can officially call myself a cliff jumper.

Seriously, Dr. Quinn IS my inspiration. Time and time again she inspires me to do different things, move west, jump off cliffs, have crushes on boys with tight deerskin pants, just wonderful wonderful things.

2007-08-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

I feel bad because I totally have sucked at blogging this summer. I know facebook has taken over my personal internet life, and I know that other blogs have fallen by the wayside in the wake of this new fad, but I have to remember that there are people out there who do not have facebook and want to read my oh-so-amusing stories. (Seriously though, doesn't everyone have facebook now?)

AND SO, lucky you, I am blogging 2 times in less than 24 hours.

I feel the need to share something a little more serious today. But joyful too. I've been thinking over the past few weeks about how incredibly filled with joy I am. I just have joy bubbling up inside of me. I love to laugh, and smile and have fun and be friendly and live the life here in Kamloops that God has called me to live. I like my jobs (all three of them) love my family, am appreciating more and more my good friends, and am growing very attached to my church. I am relaxed (usually), busy and serving the Lord in ministry and it has blessed me abundantly.

Today I sat beside a pool on the banks of the South Thompson River (don't ask me why you put a pool beside a body of water - but it was super nice), Anyways, I was sitting by the pool with a couple of friends just talking and swimming, and reading and discussing and as I sat there in the glorious sunshine I thought to myself that this is fully, without a doubt, where I am supposed to be. I looked at my life and realized that I am a fun, mid-20's, single female with a good job, great family, friends, social life, ministry and a nice car. Am I living the all-canadian single girl dream? Yes. I am. And it makes me happy. It makes me happy that I know that it is a gift that HE has given me. It fills me with joy knowing that this is just another great section in my life that God has blessed me with.

Serving and following Christ is not a barter system - I'm not working in a church or Christian school because I want Him to bless me. I'm doing it because I am called to - and some days it is really really hard. Some days I can't understand for the life of me why I am working in ministry. The by product of the work I try to do for the kingdom is that I am generiously and graciously blessed.

My Summer Thus Far - In Photos.

2007-07-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

Karmyn and Ben came for a visit. I took them ALL over Kamloops.

And we had a bonfire at Kamloops lake.

Then I went camping with my friends at Isobel Lake

This is me learning how to fish:

This is me not catching anything:

Then I went camping again with my friends a few weeks later at Knuff Lake.
This is our SUPER awesome dinner the last night that is becoming a tradition. Everybody brings stuff, then we share it all and have a great big dinner.

This is me with my real sister Bethany, and my almost-sisters Laura and Jenny.

This is a picture of Jenny playing "tinfoil triangle Square ball" Its like baseball only with a triangle instead of a diamond and a square ball of tinfoil instead of a baseball. And a lawn chair instead of a catchers glove.

Then it was Canada Day (Oh yes, we haven't even hit July yet!)

The Alieda came to visit.

We went on a train and were robbed by bandits on horseback!

We played with their horses after the show

We went hiking in the mountains and climbed to the top of the world.

Then we went to the creeeeeeepiest place in the world. An old abandoned mental institution. It was FREAKY FREAKY FREAKY. This is Alieda being freaked out.

And we went to a random inn and pretended that we were guests and had every right to swim in their pool.

Then I made a new friend named Lillian and we spent the weekend together.
This is us with our friend Mike jumping into the pool at the Inn where I work.

This is me being cute

I had a housewarming party and saw went to see an excellent fantastic movie with Tiersa, Esther and Bethany:

Then Sandy, Ray, Curtis, Brianna and Chelsea came to visit. We had SO much fun with them.

Then I went camping again in Enderby. This time with my extended Gerrits Family.

And then I came back to Kamloops and floated down the river.

NOW it is July 31. Still to come this summer: Shuswap x 2, Lillian's Birthday party in Penticton, My Birthday.

2007-06-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

During my many hours on the road each week it is not uncommon for me to see any variety of home made signs. Signs on overpasses, poles, or hanging from bridges. Usually they are just birthday wishes to somebody, or a memorial of someone who died. But today, I saw one that made me smile.

Driving to work, hanging off one of the bluffs by the river was a large sign painted on a bed sheet. It simply stated to the world "You are beautiful"

It made me smile. And it made me appreciate the people who had made the effort, to make someone smile today on their drive to work.

People I need more of in my life.

2007-06-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a non - exhaustive list of people that I flat out, need more of, in my life. Also known as people I miss. Or people I would like to hang out with for an afternoon.

Karmyn Bokma. Mikey Arce. Laura Stewart. Rob Joustra. Steven Gelensey. Mark Sinke. Rebekah Fluit. Rebekah, Daniela, Samuel, Amy, Abby, HyoBin, Joel, Cameron. Aura Opris, Aimee Ridley, Whitney and Luke, Deborah Sedjo, Costin Keenan, Marian Christian Comax, Kari Glennan, The Mathers, Jenn Lipp, David Akim. Kim Furtney. Matt McKenna. Nathan Stretch. Hayley Morgan and wee Aven. Linda, Shawn, Natalie and Avery. Jill, Greg, Paul, Aunt Chris and Uncle Steve. Aunt Dianne. Uncle Bill and Aunt Amy, Uncle Henry and Aunt Lieda, Aunt Dianne and Aunt Marg, Chief Christy, Sara-Beth Fava. Ben Shingler, Spencer LeBlanc, Jackie Thompson, Gosia Szok, Gosia Szok, Gosia Szok, Bethany Sartorious, my Granny.

AND just so you all know. I do miss you and think about you, and you all impacted my life at some point in time and in some great way.

10 months later

2007-06-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

So school is winding down - only two more days and then it is summer vacation and I have been noticing how well I have gotten to know my students over the last ten months - and them me. They think they are SO clever and it always makes me smirk just a little bit on the inside. I know that when one student thinks the work is too hard, he will refuse to do it. I know that another one needs constant affirmation about the trivialest things, I know that another student thinks she is smarter than the rest of the class, but really isn't. I know that almost all of them have no concept of "Miss. G and Mrs. Huckulak are the authority in the classroom" They all will do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. It gets tiring.

The students know how to soften me up when I am frustrated with them. They know that when I get really frustrated and either talk too loudly in anger, or too softly in exasperation that I have reached my wits end and am going 'bonkers'. They will sweetly put up their hand and say things like:

"Miss. Gerrits, you look pretty today"
"Miss. G, I like your shirt. It is nice"
"Mrs. Gerrupps, You are the best teacher ever!"
and my favourite from today:
"Miss G, I changed my mind today. You are my favouritest teacher ever now!"

Thanks very much. That means alot from someone who has had all of two other teachers in their life. And you still have a detention for hitting your desk partner.

Offical Countdown

2007-06-23T22:26:00.001-07:00

2.5 days with students
4. days in school
5. days till staff brunch and staff fancy dinner and I get to wear my new dress.
7. days till I move in with Tiersa into the sweetest apartment ever named and forever referred to as S-Club 2.
9. days till VBS starts
12. days till VBS is done
17. days till the Ontario Gerrits' start filtering into BC
23. days till vacation
26. days till Gerrits Family Reunion BC style.

funny is better

2007-06-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

Here's my thoughts of the day.

What is better? A funny boyfriend/girlfriend or a nice-gentle boyfriend/girlfriend?

Here is my theory.

The nice-gentle significant other:
Will be nice and gentle till you die at say 70.

The funny significant other
Will make you laugh your butt off for yeeears. AND we all know that laughing add years onto your life. So you live - with laughter and - to be like 116. SO the little skills the funny partner has in being gentle and nice, will actually equal, over time, the hard core skills of person number one just spread out over more years.

Yeah? Thats what I think. Funny is better.

big beetle.

2007-06-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a BIG BIG BIG beetle. It was amazingly huge. Seriously, like something out of the rainforests in National Geographic.

Vanessa's reaction when I showed her:

"Holy Cow! Thats a cross between a beetle and a turtle!"

Yes, it was that big.