New Year, New Blog(s)

Hello all! 

Happy 2013! It's hard to believe that the break is almost over, and that in a couple days students all over  the nation will be back to textbooks and early mornings. Early-ish mornings. Lucky me, most of my classes don't start until after noon. 

As mentioned in one of my last posts, this new year is bringing with it a brand new bloggity blog. It's not up and running yet, but soon! So be ready for that.

Also, I've decided to start a new blog for myself. Over the break, I realized that I haven't been entirely honest with myself this semester, or with the people around me. I've been excellent at putting on a brave face, but the truth is that if you are reading this, I care about you and you care about me. I probably need your love, support, and prayers as I try to figure out this chaotic, crazy thing called life. 

Being back in BC has made me realize just how much I cherish this province and the people in it. Christmas and New Years was fantastic - there has been so much love and laughter. My time spent here in Abbotsford has been a celebration of the many personalities, passions, and quirks present in my family and friends. If I didn't know how much I loved them all before I left, I sure know now.

And these MOUNTAINS! 

This was the first year I strapped on a snowboard with zero trepidation. I'm usually nervous for the first run of the season, but this year I was too electrified by the beauty of the hill and the anticipation of the run to feel anything but exhilaration. Many thanks, as always, go out to Matt T and Allan for patiently teaching me how to board over the past couple years! 

Something about being home has made me realize what I've been missing for the past 4 months. I've been missing myself.

Often times in London, I felt consumed by homesickness. I lost my motivation to do well in school, as well as any passion I was feeling for the subject I was studying. I know that in order to flourish, to be the best version of myself that I can be, certain changes must be made to my daily routine. 

I don't really do new years resolutions, for two main reasons: 

(1) In my mind, resolutions and obligations are way too similar. I don't want to make chores for myself. Any changes I undertake in my life must come from a place of love - love for God, love for others, and love for myself (in that order). 

(2) I truly believe that sustainable change cannot be forced. The desire and will to break bad habits, to adopt new practices, and to step out into the unknown comes entirely from God. 

By His grace, I will know what changes need to be made in this upcoming semester. By His strength, I will be able to adapt and grow.

With that being said, January is a time for new beginnings. It brings hope. Even though I am not really looking forward to returning to London, I am hopeful. I don't have resolutions, but I have a desire to learn more about myself, about nutrition, and about where I see myself in the future. No doubt a time will come to sit down and compile some specific, measurable goals. 

The gears in my brain are already moving!

What is your goal for 2013? Whatever it is, I encourage you to pursue it with passion. In February, your goal may no longer seem so attractive. Persevere, even though you no longer feel like it. In March, you may hit a roadblock. Work through it, never hesitating to ask others for help. In April, your priorities may change entirely. Be accepting, flexible, and know that God has a plan. 

So Happy New Year! Thank you to all the people who made my break so flippin joyful. 

Keep following! My personal blog is going to be making a jump to a new format, at the recommendation of a friend. If I like it better, there it shall stay! I'll keep you posted ;)

Pearson International

Hello all!

Greetings from Pearson International.

I am fascinated by airports. The whole idea of being trapped in a flying metal tube surrounded by strangers with naught but your Chex mix for comfort is abhorrent. It makes perfect sense that airlines would want to convince their paying customers that this odd conglomeration of security and Starbucks, rushing and waiting, and 24-hour bars isn't stressful at all - it's bliss!

So relax. Sit back. Get your shoes shined. Grab a magazine, a coffee, and an extreme pita. Enjoy the freedom of the pseudo-city while you can, because in a couple hours it won't matter how clean the washrooms were, or how frothy your latte was. 

You'll be stuck in the air, as far from Starbucks as you could possibly be.

I'm not a nervous flyer, and I find airports pleasant enough. But the real magic is when you get to where you're going, drag your suitcase off the baggage claim, and run straight into the arms of your waiting friends and family. 

7 hours till BC. 

Post semester, pre-holiday musings...

Hello all! 

I do realize that it's been a very long time since I've posted anything. I can explain. A large stack of textbooks and assignments fell on me and I've only just managed to extricate myself from  the rubble. 

One more pesky exam to go, and then it's back to beautiful BC! If my Facebook feed is correct, the Fraser Valley has experienced greater snowfall than London. Climate change, anyone? 

This semester has taught me a lot of things. (Nothing about Chemistry, though it did try.)

First of all, Abbotsford actually has a lot more going for it than I realized. Specifically, the people. And the dancing. How I miss the people and the dancing...

Secondly, being away from all the people you love most is very hard. Very very hard. And yet, humans are so resilient. All around me are students, homesick and exhausted, with their laptop screens burning holes into their retinas. It seems that by this point of the semester, we're all just so done. But despite the exhaustion, the stress, the pressure, and the burnout, so many people remain kindhearted and attentive to the needs of others. Y'all know who you are, if you're reading this :) I can't thank you enough! 

Thirdly, I have RIDICULOUS expectations of myself. 

In this program, there is a high standard to live up to. There are hundreds of intelligent and enthusiastic individuals studying Nutrition at Brescia. We're expected to excel, and rightly so. I'm thankful that the faculty at Brescia actually expects something from their students. It's nice to be believed in and challenged. 

At the same time, all throughout this semester I've had to remind myself of WHY I want to excel. Is it pride? Perfectionism? My perceived identity? 

At the end of the day, God calls me to be faithful. Not a genius. Not a superhero. Just faithful me. I want to do well, but not for the sake of grades. I am passionate about what I study. I'd rather not burn all that passion out by obsessing over percentages. 

I tend to catastrophize when it comes to these things. 

I won't say any more about that, except that I hope I'm getting better.

Fourthly, this morning I learnt how to make a frittata. It was delicious. 

Pretty much. 

I can't believe I will be flying into Vancouver on the 18th! I feel as though it was ages ago that Allan and I flew into London. It looked so small and condensed from up in the sky (urban sprawl, thy name is BC). But time is so strange - it also feels like the semester just started yesterday. 

If you're reading this and you're on the BC end of my life, see you soon! If you're on the London side of my life, then thank you for being a friend. 

To all the readers, I promise I will be posting much more frequently! 

Stay tuned in the New Year for a little collaborative effort between myself and another fantastic foodie. It'll be grand. 

Merry Christmas! 

Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't think I've ever experienced such a pretty fall. In a month or so, I will probably be grumbling about the fact that I don't own a car. But for now, walking or biking to Western under all the colours is one of the best parts of my day. 

There's something really calming about walking to class. Sure, the stretch from my back alley doorstep to the top of Brescia's hill is about an hour, and sometimes I feel like a sherpa with my books (and all my study snacks). Nevertheless, when the air is fresh and there's no chance of rain, nothing clears my head like a walk.

Do you guys ever just pause life to go for a walk? I seriously recommend it. Sometimes, life can wait. We're all so busy, right? Wake up, school, work, study, eat, sleep, wake up, rinse and repeat. Sure, we're productive. But we can be so busy being productive that at the end of the day, we lose track of what we're even trying to produce!

Why is it so hard to turn off our WiFi, unplug our earbuds, break from our incessant texting, and just Be? 

This Thanksgiving, I'm very thankful for the slow moments. 

I'm thankful for those walks under the orange trees, the lazy mornings and the coffees with friends. Im thankful for the time spent making new friends, and the time spent chatting with people I love from home. 

I'm thankful to have friends all over this big beautiful country. I'm thankful that no matter where I go, God will be there to strengthen, comfort, and challenge me. 

This October is jam packed with business. I've got midterms, assignments, and oodles of volunteering coming up fast. (Some of this volunteering is pretty sweet. More on that later!)

But first; Turkey, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. Yum :)

Buckets of love and thankfulness to the Groot-Nibbelink family, who invited me to spend the weekend with them in their lovely Cambridge home! 

One last thing! Please pray for and support the NET Canada teams, who have recently hit the road! 

If you don't know who they are, check out their website:

http://www.netcanada.ca/

I had the amazing opportunity to attend their Commissioning Mass in Ottawa at the end of September. Here's me and the lovely Sarah Cottenie - soon to be a BC girl! 

To all my people in BC, Alberta, Ontario, the States, or wherever you are...

I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU! 

xoxox

...where did all the hipsters go?

Well then. I do indeed realize it's been a while since I blogged. However, I have received zero frantic messages citing desperate need of an update. Clearly, I don't have enough followers.

Never fear, ye few but faithful. I occasionally have a few things to say.

First off, I feel that it is important to highlight some key differences between London and my beautiful British Columbian homeland.

1. There are very few hipsters here. I think there were some at the very beginning of September, but they have since disappeared. There is only one logical conclusion - in the dead of night, the entire hipster population was devoured by a drunken fraternity. Good choice, frat boys. I commend your healthy alternative to McDs.

2. There is an alarming prevalence of ball caps here. I don't know what it is about ball caps, but I can't take them seriously. Probably because they remind me of ducks.

3. London boasts a zillion Tim Hortons - but virtually no independent coffee shops. Actually, this might also be a logical explanation for the lack of hipsters.

4. People here don't know what rain is. They just don't know.

I promised an update about O-Week. It's been a while, but here's a bit of what went down;

Some really great music,

a lot of welcomes, 

and a giant spoon. 

(What, your Orientation didn't have a giant spoon??)

Classes are in full swing now. Speaking of which, SO STOKED to join the UWO Swing Kids! I mean, they surely can't compare to my abby crew - miss you guys so much! 

(You know I've tried to explain Blues to some of my friends out here? I get the weirdest looks.)

I could bore you all with details about my classes and whatnot, but... 

What's really important is that I'm rather enjoying it here. It's been tough, adapting to this new environment with so many people, none of whom are MY people. I knew this all along, but I have some flippin fantastic people in BC. There are times when I miss you all so much that it is nearly debilitating, but as a certain wise doctor used to always tell me, "This too shall pass."

And it will. The loneliness and homesickness comes and goes. I guess at the end of the day, I'm really blessed to have all those amazing relationships in BC, and infinitely more blessed with the opportunity to develop more in Ontario. I know that I am supposed to be here, and I know that God is carrying me through the rougher patches. And the easy patches. And all the patches in between. 

more later, but until then...

eat your vegetables.

xoxox

Scout Troopers and Stolen Bikes

Hello All! 

Welcome back to my blog. 

I've been in London for over a week, and it's starting to feel like home! It might have something to do with my messy room. Clean rooms don't feel homey. 

I have really gotten to know the Salvation Army store over the past week. I gotta say, I am the QUEEN of acquiring things for next to no money. While I was packing for this big move back in Abbotsford (a lifetime ago) I was rather heartbroken to realize that there was NO WAY my ricecooker was fitting in my bag. 

Tears were shed. Almost.

So imagine my delight when I found the same one in the Sally Ann ... for $3! Yay! 

And two bikes for $50? Yes please. No matter that one had a flat tire and the other lacked a chain. I'm too stubborn to buy a brand new bike when there's a deal like that.

Unfortunately, some sneaky jerk slunk behind my building and stole my lovely blue clunker in the dead of night.

Jerkface. 

The bike was five bucks, plus a patch for the tire. So I'd love to say, "easy come, easy go!" Except that bike did not come easily. Allan and I walked 2 hours in the blazing London sun to find the Sally Ann on the sketch end of town. We went completely the wrong direction, ended up at a Salvation Army childcare centre, where a very nice lady gave us directions and juice boxes. 

So I guess the nice juice lady cancels out the jerkface bike thief. I still like Londoners.

And one more reason to like this city! 

Yup. Just a random Wednesday.

My amazing, wonderful, talented, funny boyfriend flies back to BC on Sunday. Not happy. I can't even express how helpful and encouraging he has been over the past few weeks. Over the past... ever since I met him, really. To simply say that I will miss him is a gross understatement. 

But life goes on. UWO Orientation starts on Monday. O-Week with THOUSANDS of undergrads? You're gonna want to stay posted for that.

Hugs to all! 

No, not THAT London...

Wow. I'm in Ontario already. It really does seem like just last week that I got my acceptance letter to UWO. That was back in February, so I've had half a year to wrap my head around this concept. And to plan for the move!

Yeaaah that didn't work out so well. I showed up here without a place to live, a ride from the airport, or any sort of geographical sense of London. Because that's how I do, apparently. Just wing it.

Poor Allan. He's travelling with a crazy person.

Despite my most sincere efforts, I couldn't organize a place to live while still in BC. Communication was really difficult, soooo yeah, winging it...

God always provides, though. Our first day here, we stayed at (follow along, this gets confusing) our Abbotsford Denny's waitress' boyfriend's mom's apartment. With the fluffiest siamese cat you've ever seen.

Because where else would you crash?

Our second night we stayed at her mom's house. You know what I love about London? 

BRICK BUILDINGS <3

You know what else I love?

My school looks like a castle. Aw yeah.

I will be moving into my own place within the next couple days! Just gotta sort out some banking, and then I can buy books (ahhh my money...) and familiarize myself with London a bit more. 

Then I bust out the Mary Kay samples and make some friends :D Aw yeah. 

Stay tuned!