There I was this morning, casually wandering the aisles of the "Mens" section at Kohls, minding my own business, when BAM! This happens:
I found an awesome Star Wars crewneck sweater (crewneck being my favourite kind of sweater).
On sale! Half off!
The best part is that this sweater fits Jarryd perfectly and is wonderfully baggy on me (I love baggy sweaters). Therefore, this purchase was for two people, therefore, $20.00 divided by 2 = $10.00 from both of us, therefore this sweater was a steal of a deal! My math makes sense, right?
Thanks to growing up with 3 older siblings, Star Wars is definitely an element of my childhood. (Same with Jurassic Park, Alien, Braveheart, Back to the Future, ect.). So I am super excited for the new Stars Wars movie. Jarryd and I are going to watch all 6 movies soon so that we will be fully entrenched in all things Star Wars by the time December 18th rolls around--sounds like some fabulous date nights are in store for us. ;)
Also, my Christmas flight to Canada has been booked, so it looks like I'll be seeing Stars Wars in Canadian theaters with my family! YAYAY! :)
How many times can one write "Star Wars" in a blog post?
Jolene has been one of my best friends for over four years now; we met back in college and instantly bonded over being one of the few transfer students in our dorm building, (not to mention the other tidbits that brought us together like our love for Jesus, coffee, tea, traveling, binging on bbq chips, music, writing, reading, and talking on and on about our feelings all day loooong).
Since then we have hung out sporadically in Toronto, spent the weekend in Ottawa together, and she even agreed to be a bridesmaid for me at my wedding in Manitoba! Since I wasn't legally allowed to leave the country after moving to the USA (Visa policy), we've been maintaining a long distance relationship via skype.
One day at the beginning of summer she said something along the lines of "When can I visit you? It's time to buy flights!!". (EEEEeeee!!) I definitely had a few heart palpitations and flutters following this conversation. We decided on September 17th and felt like it just couldn't come soon enough!
Get ready to see a TON of photos!
D A Y O N E:
When that glorious day arrived, I picked her up at the airport in the afternoon and was like "OK we are absolutely not going back to my apartment right now, because that is so lame. We are gonna do something touristy!" (And as a Canadian living in the USA, I will take any excuse to be touristy).
So we spent our first evening together at the Baltimore Inner Harbor. It is probably my favourite place in Baltimore and everyone needs to go!
TOGETHER at LAST! <3
This has got to be the coolest Barnes & Noble to ever exist!
I somehow stumbled on this blog entry of mine from about 5 1/2 years ago, and I almost had a heart attack just now. Take a look:
"MAYBE I'LL BE MARRIED, LIVING IN SOME FOREIGN COUNTRY..."?!
It's as if I totally knew that I'd be married at 24 years old and living in the USA. What on earth?!
I was also right about my hair not being so blonde anymore. Sigh, what a shame!
And as for being pregnant with my second child, hahaaaa...nope! Not even close. ;) You can't win 'em all I guess!
Isn't my workplace beautiful?
Sometimes I find any excuse I can to take the collapsed cardboard boxes to the recycling bin outside, just so I can breathe in the fresh morning air and allow time to stand still for just a moment.
It's always nice to escape the chaos of a busy kitchen.
Last Saturday evening, just before dinner was about to begin, I brought out a pile of cardboard and put it in the bin. Rather than going back inside right away I decided I wanted to look out onto the water. The other cooks will be fine without me, I'll only be gone for a few minutes. ;)
Next thing I know I stumble upon two elderly ladies who claim to be "a little lost" and are wondering where the doors are to get back inside. They are both so friendly and adorable that I cannot help but strike up some conversation with them.
This place is absolutely beautiful, you are so lucky to work here! They said. But I'm sure it's not always perfect all of the time...
In my head: Hmm...you're absolutely right. The anxiety I dwell in sometimes pushes me over the edge here. There are some days I leave the kitchen at the end of my shift without saying goodbye to anybody, because I've just plain "had absolutely enough" and never want to talk to another human being again. I get tired of asking questions that I deem important only to be responded with "you're smart, you'll figure it out". (Perhaps I will figure it out, but I'd rather figure it out in the most efficient fashion possible)! Not to mention the stress of cooking for over 200 people by myself weighs heavily on me. And 14 hours is just too many hours to work in one day. There are some days when my shift is over I drive home in complete silence with no radio on, because I can't stand anymore noise. Some days I get home, draw the curtains shut, and pull a blanket over my head so that I can somehow unwind. "I need to unwind" is a sentence I say much too often. My brain is like a plane flying that can't escape the turbulence. Sometimes I'll just stand in the freezer room just to escape and cool off. Other times I'll run to the bathroom, text Jarryd with a "I can't do this anymore" while letting a few relieving stress-tears glide down my cheek.
Out loud: Yes, working here definitely has its good and bad moments, but I just never want to forget how good I have it. You're right it's soooo beautiful here and I never want to take it for granted.
And that's the truth. There really are some seriously--bad--moments here (to say the least), but for the most part the good outweigh the bad.
Now that I've been working here for exactly six months now, every day I feel like I'm getting closer to my co-workers. We have some really good laughs, which honestly makes up for soooo much. When I returned back to work from my two-week-long Canada trip, I was actually missed! As a relationship-oriented person, this feeling of belonging somewhere really "takes the cake".
And at least once a day, "Canada" comes up, and once again I get to talk about my homeland with a little twinkle in my eye. I love it. I'm practically the ambassador of Canada down here. I even whipped out my Canadian coins and 5, 10, and 20 dollar bills and gave a "show and tell" to a bunch of people. Your money is so colorful! You have the Queen on your coins?! When will Kate Middleton be on there too?
I'm also learning so much and have learned so much about the culinary world. My confidence is rising and I like it. Even six months in, I am STILL learning something new every day.
It's also great to be working in a Christian environment that is instilled with morals and values that I believe in. How many people can say that their boss shared a Bible verse with them today? I can. I especially appreciate a Christian environment because I know for a fact I wouldn't last a day in a more secular kitchen...I mean, picture Gordon Ramsay as your expeditor. Terrifying!
Yes, I really do have it good, and right now it seems like it is where I am supposed to be. No, it's definitely not my dream job or anything (keep your fingers crossed that maybe I'll stumble into a bakery one day, siiiigh), but God has given me what I need. (Emphasis on the need).
Today is Monday and I do not go back to work until SATURDAY. I am the happiest girl in the world right now, only because I have the next four days to "unwind" (haha!) and focus on some hobbies of mine. I am so excited for days filled with baking pies, sketching in my new sketchbook, watching The View, having friends over, eating bagels with cream cheese, BLOGGING, and binge-watching Parenthood. Yippee!! <3
The Fall season has absolutely, 100% arrived here in Maryland.
Do I like that the weather is getting colder? No.
Do I enjoy having to wear layers upon layers of clothing in my own home? No.
Do I look forward to having to wake up at 5:45 AM only to open my eyes to nothing but total darkness? No!
Am I attracted to all of this insanely-tacky-redneck-backyard-Halloween decor? Uhh, no.
Do I love the colour orange? NO. Absolutely not.
Reading what I've just written, I can totally understand if you assume that I'm some kind of Autumn "Scrooge". Haha! Trust me, I'm not! Every season has its own set of pros and cons, and those just happen to be my "cons". So, to redeem my pessimistic tendencies, I decided to make a list of my top favourite things about the season of Fall. Some are cliche and others are just a bit out of the ordinary. Enjoy! ;)
1. Let us begin with the most obvious of them all, shall we? PUMPKIN SPICED LATTES FROM STARBUCKS. I love this $5.00 drink to bits and pieces. The only good thing about this drink coming to its seasonal end is that Starbuck's Caramel Brulee Latte makes its big reveal! Eeee!!
2. One of my most favourite things about Fall is that October and November are the months when Taylor Swift has released every single one of her albums. When the leaves start to change and the air gets a little crisper, Taylor Swift is all I ever play. Of course she releases albums every few years, so in years such as this one when no new album is being released, I listen to ALL of her music on repeat. Hopelessly, fall will always remind me of Taylor Swift.
3. This one is yet another obvious one, but I love the vibrant colours of the leaves. I really don't think that someone could ever appreciate autumn leaves as much as the girl who moved from the Canadian prairies to the eastern coast of the USA. (I'm talking about me, here!) My childhood autumns consisted of one week of beautiful, fluffy, colorful trees. Before I'd know it, the wind would circle around once and the trees would reveal themselves....totally naked. Depressing, I know! Whereas in Maryland, autumn lasts SOOOO long! It's amazing! And every day on my drive home from work my eyes are just taken captive by the trees, and I somehow put my body on "auto-pilot" when driving. I am such a good multitasker...
4. September will always bring back good memories for me because it's the start of the academic school year. All the way until high school I couldn't sleep the night before the very first day because I'd be so excited! My new back-to-school outfit was always laid out on the floor, and my backpack full of new binders and clean notepaper was right there next to it. And after graduation, every September I'd wake up in a different place...British Columbia, Germany, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and now for the second autumn in a row: Maryland. New beginnings and fresh starts have always been my thing.
5. Thanksgiving with family. A date marked on the calendar for the whole family to be together around a table full of delicious food?! A holiday dedicated entirely on FOOD and FAMILY? Yes please.
6. The only, only, only positive outcome of the weather getting colder is that my desire for scorching hot food increases. Yes, I'm talking soup! Soup is one of my favourite things to cook, and in the past three days I have cooked three different soups. Creamy Broccoli soup (at work), Vegetarian Vegetable soup (at work), and my personal favourite which I made at home: Farmer Sausage Potato Bacon Corn Chowder. It is as a mouthful to say as it is a mouthful to eat.
7. Hockey season begins! Watching the Winnipeg Jets are one of mine and Jarryd's most favourite things to do! (Unfortunately, they lost last night 4-1... :'( But, we shall prevail!) It is so much fun cozying up on the couch with Cokes, Beers, and oodles & toodles of junk food and cheering our Jets on. (And how lucky am I that my husband's favourite team is my very own hometown team?! Whaaat?!) Together we have been to two Jets games, and this winter we are planning to change that to a whopping three!
Because I simply cannot think of anymore...The End! I hope you feel inspired to go out and invest your hard earned cash into a $5.00+ drink from Starbucks. <3 ;)
My very first trip to Canada as merely a "visitor" has come and gone. Eleven days sure fly by. Eleven amazing days, actually. ;)
While in Canada, I was really excited to get back to the US. I was missing Jarryd, my apartment, and my routine; but I was more excited to get back with new goals in mind and to start things afresh here.
I'm currently on my third day back here in Maryland, and I have already been flummoxed in whirlwind of emotions. I was so happy to see Jarryd, but sad at the thought of no longer being able to call up my best friends and hang out at their house or invite them over. I was sad I couldn't see my parents on a weekly basis, or anyone in my family for that matter.
Without a doubt the biggest sacrifice of moving to a new country have been my family and friends. Nothing could ever top that. I love Canada, and my family and friends are what Canada is to me.
I'm happy, I'm sad, and I'm also fearful.
I'm scared that nothing is going to change. I'm scared that I'll be living in this restless state of mind forever, working at a job that isn't my dream job, and longing for a depth in relationship with family and friends that I may never achieve here.
Take it one day at a time, I suppose.
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:22-26
P.S.- A blog post about my Canada trip is in the works! Stay tuned! :)
Clearly I have been repressing my childhood memories of getting overactive butterflies in my stomach any time I would even step foot into an airport. Not to mention the extreme nausea inside of an airplane.
Nonetheless, that was then and this is now. My fear of airline terminals has long subsided and now when I step into an airport I feel nothing but excitement.
It is quarter to seven (PM) and I'm sitting in the Minneapolis International Airport, in Minnesota.
I'm drinking my liquid version of my saving grace, Starbucks, and reading my shiny brand new book, Why Not Me? to fulfill my craving for comedic and raw literature. Obviously I ripped the jacket off of the book because we can all agree that book jackets are insufferably irritating, yes?
Just the fact that I am presently in the state of Minnesota is just so grand! Firstly, I love this state. I've been to it many times! I have the fondest of memories road tripping to Valley Fair with my siblings, and camping with my cousins in their camper. And let's not forget how great the Minnesota Wild is!
But most of all, this moment is so crazy because I am literally a six hour drive from my hometown. SIX HOURS! I haven't been this close to my Canadian home in a year and four months. It's both and amazing yet surreal feeling. It hasn't quite hit me yet that in just a few days I will be back there, seeing all of my friends and family once again.
And it hasn't quite hit me that in less than four hours I will be hugging my second oldest sister and brotherinlaw. How amazing will that be?!
I have missed my Canadian home so so much. A part of me is scared I'm never gonna want to come back to my Maryland home. Haha! But don't worry, I left my hubby behind and I could never leave him for longer than I already am, I honestly miss him already! *blush*
Me to Jarryd: "When you bake two batches of oatmeal cookies, and cook a salmon and asparagus dinner and your kitchen is STILL clean...this means you have reached culinary success!"
Hooray for multi-tasking and cleaning-as-you-go!
I feel like the cleaner your kitchen is while eating, the better your food tastes. ;)
