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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Ok. I'm blogging more.
Seriously People. Facebook has taken over my life.

But I'll post something.

CAMPING
By. N. Gerrits

On the weekend I

went camping with my good friends

It rained the whole time.

Fun Parts Of Camping:

• Everyone getting their native names. I was originally Crafts on Clouds. Which very quickly deteriorated to Craps on Clouds. Quite Funny.
• Campfires. (People who can build campfires in the rain are cool)
• Playing this game called 'Things' where you write down THINGS you shouldn't say to your grandma, THINGS not to say on a first date (will you scratch my bum) THINGS not to say when proposing (I looove you man, whats your name again?) etc. In the pouring rain, but fun.
• Fantastic supper on Saturday. Full course meal.
• Tinfoil Square Ball. (resourceful use of leftover tinfoil a stick, a small campsite and similar baseball rules)
• Napping.
• Nature.
• Showers and real bathrooms this time!
• Lauging A LOT. My friends are funny.

Not fun Parts of Camping

• Getting lost. Which made me lividly angry
• Rain Rain Rain.
• KNOWING that I shouldn't drink hot beverages before bed because it makes me pee, and doing it anyways. SO having to get up in the middle of the night to drive to the bathroom in the rain when it was 5 degrees. BUT I did sit in my car with the heat on for 10 min which helped with the most freezingest I have ever been.

Reasons why I don't like rain.

1. Wet Feet
2. Wet pant legs
3. dirt on the back of your pant legs from walking in the rain
4. FUZZY hair
5. Arthritis

I like Kamloops. We only get 20cm of rain every year. I think we got 18cm of it today. ON MY FIELD TRIP.

I will make you fishers of men.

Yesterday,
The sporting goods department at Wal-Mart.
Made me a Fisher of Fish.
I'm officially and leagally a fisherwoman.

This one time last week when I played a quality prank.

My family is mildly obsessed with watching Crime Drama's. We watch: CSI New York, CSI Las Vegas, CSI New York, Criminal Minds, Law and Order, Law and Order Criminal Intent, Cold Case, Law and Order Special Victims Unit. And I'm not around that much so there probably are a few more that get tuned into on occasion.

LAST week, for a special change that doesn't happen very often, we ALL sat down - at the same time, to watch Criminal Minds. (very rare occurance in the Gerrits House). WELL on this particular show there was a serial killer that was severely derranged. Every time he killed someone, he would take a rib bone from the victim and then he made windchimes out of all the ribs - and gave them to his girlfriend. She didn't know they were human rib bones and she probably had about 30 windchimes full of bones - thats hundreds and hundreds of victims. It was pretty sick.

WELL, the other night 4 out of the 6 of us sat down to dinner. A dinner of mashed potatoes, veggies and... ribs. (pork, not human) As The pile of ribs grew I thought... "what a perfect opportunity to freak out one of my little sisters."

So after dinner, I, Nikki Gerrits, made a windchime out of the rib bones, unscrewed the light bulb in my littlest sisters room, and hung the rib windchime above her bed with a solitary flashlight shining up on it.

Vanessa came home at 11pm. I waited up, and it was well worth the "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT DISGUSTING THING!!!!!"

Everyone got out of bed and laughed.

What a good prank.

And its still hanging there a week later. She's saving it to be a baby mobile for her kids when she grows up.

I was thinking - that there really is NOTHNG good about mornings.
I mean I can't really appreciate anything in the mornings. The sun, the clouds, the mountains, the view, the river, the drive, music, good hair.
There is nothing to look forward to early in the morning.
I don't like anything in the morning. Or anyone.
I cant see what will be good in the day.
Even my pupply licking my chin isn't cute in the morning.
The one possible thing that could maybe make me smile in the morning - is french toast.

But I do like afternoons - starting around 4pm. And Nights.

FYI

Gas prices here in "beautiful/gas guzzling BC" has reached in Kamloops an astonishing 1.26/Litre. (1.30 in Vancouver)

I drive over 100km/day.

But I get 550km/tank.

Thank you Fee-B the excellent Toyota Yaris.

For my American friends - and for Jay Leno who complains that gas is 'nearly 3.00 a gallon' that is FIVE DOLLARS per gallon.

20 Things I like to do.

1. LAUGH. I like it the most bestest of anything.
2. Rub my dogs belly.
3. Restore furniture.
4. Read novels
5. Watch TV and movies
6. Keep up to date on current world and entertainment events.
7. Be friendly
8. Hang out and mentor pre-teens and teens.
9. Hang out with my friends.
10. Play games (but not sport games. I'm talking cards and board games)
11. Drive my car.
12. Clean out the inside of my car.
13. Sing. Sing anything.
14. Sing in my car. Loudly. With made up, unharmonious harmonies.
15. Be in the sun.
16. Nap. Nap. Nap.
17. Tell stories and entertain people.
18. Go to church.
19. Spend time with my family.
20. Make up worst-case-senario and 'what-if-this-happened' stories in my head.

KarBen (Carbon) in Kamloops for the first time!


Campfire out at Lake Kamloops. Bethany made the massively impressive fire.

I found this picture and was reminded yet again, that I am short.

A Little Survey

Here is a little survey about me. All random things. Things that you probably didn't know.

Fav. Cheese flavour: OLD Cheddar
I have a freckle between the toes on my left foot.
I get stomach aches when I am really tired or really stressed out.
I can always sleep. Anytime, anyplace.
I can not sleep with a repetitive noise around me. (ticking clock, snoring etc.)
I can drive stick shift.
My middle name is Janette, (Juh-net) not Janet (Jan-et)
I have an unusual knowledge of words to songs.
I can spell my name backwards (all three names) in less than 4 seconds.
I don't puke. Ever.
I've never seen the ocean.
I've never been fishing.
I've never waxed my legs.
I don't know my 6, 7 or 8 times tables.
I have serious road rage issues.
I just learned how to use chopsticks in January.
I don't like soft fruit. Ever. (Especially things like pie, jam, booster juice etc)
I really like Roast Beef and Gravy. Like really a lot A LOT.
I don't have a dresser.
I can never justify buying jewlery for myself.
I've never been to the east coast.
I really like ghost stories.
I have to fall asleep facing the door, laying on my stomach with one leg hiked up.
I wear flannel PJ's all year round.
It annoys me when people misspell my first name.

To Lori, Kim and Katherine

HELP WANTED: Pastors Wife.
Must sing, play music, lead youth groups, raise seraphic children, entertain church notables, minister to other wives, have ability to recite Bible backward and coreograph Christmas pagent. Must keep pastor sated, peaceful and out of trouble. Difficult colleagues, demanding customers, erratic hours. Pay: $0 (TIME Magazine April 9)

I appreciate what you do. And I know that Summit Drive Baptist would not run without you, because we all know that behind every decent man, there is an AMAZING woman.

Practically a Naturalist

Well, I have decided, that after a full 5 hour day on a second grade field trip to the Tranquille River Park, I am now practically a naturalist. I learned a lot.

Prickly Pears have hooks on them and dig through your clothes into your skin.
Prickly Pears taste like cucumber.
Ants live under rocks.
Theres gold in 'dem 'der hills
Two words: Pillow Lava.
Silt is bad for salmon fish. So is antifreeze.
Native Americans used to use Sagebrush as perfume.
There are 400 species of birds between Kamloops Lake and Tranquil River (about 1km)
Beavers eat trees.
Sliding down all natural gravel 'slides' is fun, dangerous and dirty.
Tranquille River is pronounced TRAHHHN- KEEL, not Tran-quill.
Poison Ivy is itchy

You know what? In theory FIELD TRIPS are a "day off." In reality they are more work, and more stress and more energy than a full week of school.

obsessed with being popular.

Well my week of 'liking everyone' has gone well, but I do have to admit that I have used some phrases to describe people that some would say sound mean and that I don't like the people I am describing. For example I was trying to explain kindly my frustration with a person I find annoying and I used the phrase "He/She has certain qualities that I cannot appreciate." Thats just stating a fact - and stating it kindly - like it is MY fault that I find them annoying, its not being rude at all!

On a sidenote, I am addicted to facebook. I have tapped into the Kamloops area, the Redeemer club, the Clinton Club, the Canada World Youth group, and today I'm working my way through Romanians. 89 friends. I'm determined to get more than Mark Sinke who has 220. Yes I am obsessed with being popular.