A look back - years on today date.

The hope was a look back at the last 6 or so years on todays date but there are a few years I didn’t write in December, so November will have to do! Either way, I find it FASCINATING to watch the transition of language, lifestyle and sense of self as I start in 2004 as a college student, running away from God, drinking and smoking pot, to 2011 working wife, Christian, leader in church. Fascinating. All the while, noting how many things haven’t changed.



December 8th, 2004 – a blurb:

Tomorrow i shall study and finish this damn paper, then dad drives me home. i will study more since two of my 3 finals are thursday, but i will go out after i'm done studying and get somehwat buzzed if not drunk, then i will wake up and go to my essay, with all the notes i have rewritten into one large cohesive notebook, and take my open book test. i will then eat and drink with the kids from school till our next test. then after that i will get super drunk and that will be thursday, wait before the drunk i will have dinner with auntie sandy, john and grandma, THEN i will watch survivor or the OC THEN i'll get super drunk..just in case there was any confusion

Friday i will wake up far too early(11) and go to work. i will stay there and be tired or take the bus but that takes 2 hours...so not worth it. Then i will work all night, and then i will go home to sleep, and then go back to work for a dance party with the girls....360!

Saturday i will sleep in really really late and LOVE every second of it. I will then finish cleaning my house since that's important. I will go to work then probably knowing myself drink at sara's again since that's all i do.

**I still like survivor and if 360 was still on TV I’d watch it all over again**

December 10th, 2005 – a blurb

Another major event from February was gong to court about my car. I (With the help of my lawyer) do not get any criminal charges or have to pay a huge fine. I pay a small fine and loose my license for exactly a year, but I do not have a criminal record, and I really learned my lesson, a bunch of them. (PS this means that to this day, I only have a month and half till I can get my license.)

Also I saw a lot of Sherry; we spent many an afternoon drinking and smoking on my balcony watching the city. It was nice to have a girlfriend in Victoria, especially a new friend, because there is always so much to learn about new friends. I think this is when Sherry cleaned my house, but again June is a blur so I couldn’t really tell you.

Finally in August I realized although I like some people I work with at the Ramada and would still be there if it weren’t for the fact that the owner is kind of crazy, and deep down, really Cruel, I HAD to leave. I morally can not work for someone who degrades people on a regular basis. No matter how much she liked me, and always treated me well, she didn’t treat most other people well. Also the place was falling apart, we had weeks of no paper supplies because she owed monk’s office supply money and they wouldn’t send us things, or the power would go out constantly, or the phone lines would die, and we had customer complaints all the time, because the rooms weren’t clean. Plus Sally Ann is a big bitch and I’ve never in my life had someone be as rude to me as her. And I deserve better than that.

**I still you shouldn’t work for terrible people and if Sherry lives in BC I’d still love to be friends, just without the pot smoking**

December 12th, 2006 – a blurb

Christmas Banquet = so much fun

Trip to Vancouver = totally worth the lack of sleep

Visit with Jenna = refreshing

Work = making money

Church = super fun

Finals = only one left

Essay = not even close to done

Me = very tired and not looking forward to my exam in the AM

What a blessing to have such an amazing church family in Vancouver…I so miss being thre, and can’t wait to be a part of your day to day lives next year (fingers crossed)

**Tonight is our Christmas Banquet and they are still fun! I would have to say that other than the Finals and the Essay I still agree with each thing on there!**

Winter, 2007

I just called to say I love you - Actually I wrote because there are many of you I miss interacting with.
I just got a hair cut and dye...
I'm feeling good.
I am wearing my favorite blouse and sweater vest combo
I am happy
I am full
I am so busy but not overwhelmed
I am poor but aware that God will provide
I will be single for at least 6 months (not that that means there are any plans to date someone - but I don't like making year long commitments)
I will be getting a perm in March
I have 2 novels in my bag (Jill Mansell Novel's)
I have every book written by Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, Celia Ahern and Mirian Keyes.
I have been LOVING the song "Belief" by Gavin Degraw
I have also been loving Rap.
I have just got back from Washington
I have 3 1/2 big bottles of rose wine in my house
I have not fallen in love with any guys
I have fallen in love with this city (it has shocked me)

**I miss the sweater and blouse I refer to above. I am happy and full right now also! And I wrote this last entry exactly one year before Paul and I started dating, so I was right! The perm was a poor choice, I still love all the same authors, rap and drinks from Washington**

December 3rd, 2008 – a blurb

I am having a great day.

I have been having a great week again. Paul taught at KLMS on Wednesday which was awesome. I loved listening to him teach church history. So cool - I never thought history would be so attractive! Actually though I do really enjoy learning about history - especially when I really like the teacher. he's teaching again next week and I look forward to that.

I am fairly tired because each day I try not to see Paul but I so enjoy it! Instead of trying to see him though, he calls me! He says, hey, can we hang out? Or hey, want to come have breakfast? or hey, you're cool, lets have lunch. For the first time I am actually pursued! Marvellous!

Alright, I am going to sleep

**I still can feel just as giddy about being with Paul as I did in this post**

Winter, 2009 – a blurb

It is a rainy Thursday morning. Wind, leaves & rain whip past my windows. Rainy days always make me feel very contemplative….and actually quite content and thankful. I thought it would be fun to write about where Paul & I are at in life right now….what our lives look like on a daily & general basis.

God has placed me (& Paul) in amazing families (biological and spiritual). We each come from strong & loving families who offer us support, kindness and so much love. We share a church family; who whenever we need something will drop anything to help. A church family we both have the joy of serving in and with. We both live with friends who are huge gifts from God. My roommate Sarah has opened her beautiful home to me; she has created a space that is welcoming, clean & homey….and nicely decorated. She is funny, helpful and Godly. Paul lives with 2 of his groomsmen (Prakash & Daniel) and a friend. He gets to experience a time of complete bachelor living; complete with poker nights, empty pizza boxes and a bed that is really a futon in the living room…and a cot bed upstairs. He has 2 beds! Neither of which are really beds. He loves it.

We play A LOT of board games. Our current favorite is Settlers which we play religiously. One evening we played 7 times in a row! We adapt rules to make the game more exciting for us. We teach everyone we can get our hands on to play. We also love “Ticket to Ride” and any card game. We have started playing “Puerto Rico” with our friends Nick and Laura (Nick is one of Paul’s groomsmen) and that is also a lot of fun. We spend a lot of time laughing…at each other, at silly TV shows, at the funny things we both say. We meet with our pre-marital counselors Doug and Kari frequently…we have so much to talk about with them..plus we love playing Settlers with them and their kids

**We still love to play Peurto Rico with Nick and Laura and if Doug and Kari still lived here we’d definitely continue seeing them very regularly**

Winter, 2010
• I am VERY tired despite getting 8 hours of sleep (it’s 8:45am and I have been at work for an hour and awake for almost 3 hours)
• Last night, again, I dreamt that Zombie’s were attacking. It was stressful and woke me up early. Stupid Zombieland for being so graphic. I only watched the first 20 minutes of the movie and realized it was too much for me. Community also had a Halloween episode featuring “zombies” (Actually people with Rabies) and between these two I have had several really stressful dreams. I don’t like it. I usually have to wake up, turn on a light, read a book on my kindle while cuddling up to Paul, pray…then I can get back to sleep without dreaming of them again. And while all those things are nice to do, I sure hate having to miss sleep!
• I am going grocery shopping in the states with my dear friend Shannon this weekend. We will be spending the night with her great friend Shanna. Both these women are thoroughly enjoyable, and I always love time spent in the states. It should be a great visit…and I am running out of my favorite American groceries, so it will be great to have inexpensive milk, cheese, eggs and meat in the house again!

**Still love shopping in the states! Still have Zombie nightmares. Still read books on my kindle **


And today? Well I’m at work for Brookfield Asset Management, the day of the church Christmas Banquet (which I have mostly organized), still loving being married and so glad that I have documented so much of my life.


And with that I head back to work!