identity crisis?

Life happens, and so do distractions. I have to admit that I haven't been totally on track with this whole writing businack but... :) luckily my fans are faithful. And who has the time to sit at their computer when the sun is shining, there is ice cream to be eaten, motorcycles to be ridden, fires to be roasting hot dogs over (or if you're Leigh, plastic), pickup trucks to be hot tubbing in the back of, significant others to be saying goodbye to...

My special friend moved to Revelstoke today and I am...jealous. I mean I miss him and all, but somewhere between sadness and lonliness lies a small tinge of envy. He is living my dream. Snowy winters with deep, beautiful powder, steep skihills, gorgeous valleys and mountains, lakes, peace and quiet, hiking, boating, the nearby okanagan, vineyards, fruit farms...darn him! Why do I live in the city??? I am squandering my youth in this concrete jungle. And as for all those who are taking off to Golden, seriously guys, take me with you. I'll sleep in the bath tub.

Anyway, all ranting aside, life is pretty cool. I've had a few adventures in the last month. I've been eating alot of aquatic life lately (lobster, sushi, octupus, raw tuna), which is a little weird for a fish-hater. Apparently my hatred was unfounded. Nowadays, you can give me anything that formerly had gills, fins, tentacles, or an exo-skeleton and I'm game. If it can swim or hold it's breath for an extended period of time...I'll entertain ideas of it lying on my dinner plate. I've also acquired an addiction to bubble tea, vietnamese soup, and vietnamese coffee. And I know how this might all be sounding, like I'm turning asian or something...it's like I don't even know who I am anymore.

Back to the whole seafood thing. I have to say, I find boiling live lobsters to be a little cruel (even if they do sort of resemble my nemesis, the arachnid). I was sort of tempted to stroke the poor little crustaceans tentacles as it kicked it's numerous legs in a desperate, but futile, attempt to climb out of the scalding liquid. I wanted to console it and tell it that it would be alright and that I really hadn't intended on cracking it apart with my metal tools and scattering it all over my plate (and sometimes the floor...and wall). I kind of wanted to save it from that awful fate and make it my pet. I sort of questioned how well it would have gotten along with Leigh's cats though. I pictured them not playing very fairly with my pet lobster - constantly excluding it from their game of tag (because he would have an unfair advantage with all those legs) and batting at his tentacles. The lobster probably wouldn't be able to climb on the cat jungle very well either. Or jump up on the bed. I dunno, I think he would have been pretty fun to have around though. You know, a different kind of pet. But then I ate him. And he was delicious.

Poor little guy.

life happens

Have you ever noticed how some of the coolest adventures and best times of your life happen randomly? As in, if someone hadn't been spontaneous or creative (either yourself or someone else), you wouldn't have gone on to all those crazy places and have all the fond memories that you do (of course some of the trips took alot of planning...don't think I'm trying to take away from someone's hard work)? At least that is what I have been finding as I look back in time. Things just happen, and some of the best things that have happened I couldn't have conceived on my own. I guess I'm not just talking about events that took place, but also the people I have met and some of the things I have learned. I suppose that is what I mean when I say that life is better lived unplanned. God is so much more creative than I am. I have come to realize that life is so much more fulfilling, exciting, colorful, joy-filled, beautiful, amazing, etc. when we let God guide us through it.

And without further adieu...some of the more amazing moments in my recent past:

The West Coast Trail Summer 2006





Idaho Roadtrip Fall 2006




Hawaii Spring 2007





Kayaking Trip Summer 2007


I thoroughly look forward to the next adventure...I'll just have to wait and see what awesome things 2008 has in store. I'm excited:)

realizations

That it is easy to accumulate alot of useless stuff. that useless stuff is surprisingly difficult to get rid of. that although falling down my staircase is extremely painful, I love battle wounds (if you can call falling down the staircase a battle). that there are alot of interesting places to visit and things to see on this earth. that life is more fun lived mostly unplanned. that doing taxes can be satisfying. that I have a surprising amount of inner geek. that boys who sing and play guitar are easy to fall in love with (ie. jack johnson). that it is nice to have someone to cook for you. that getting mail is one of the loveliest things ever. that it's all in my mind. that I own some of the most resilient tetras ever hatched (they refuse to die!). that humor makes the world a little more bearable. that the sun makes life a little more bareable. that I would really love to reside in a tropical country right now. that, according to the advice of my 89 year-old patient, I should never grow old. that there is a huge need for grace, but so little of it demonstrated. that some of the simplest pleasures can be found in a box of popsicles (that's a little affirmation for julie). that I know alot of really interesting people. that starbucks should never be allowed to play opera music. that life is better lived in the moment. that God is alot more creative than I am. that randomness makes the world go round. that my timing is often very off. that life is very short. that you can dance anywhere. that some of the most thrilling activites are made even more thrilling when done naked (ie. naked cliff jumping, naked bungee jumping, naked bowling). that life is more fun when you rap about it. that bananas aren't all that bad. that is it cooler to speak in sentence fragments.

good morning starshine, the earth says hello!

I never thought I'd be saying this but...I love mornings! I love the feeling of getting up...starting the day early and getting the most out of it. You know, instead of sleeping through the brilliant, rising sun and chirping birds, getting out of bed to enjoy the fresh beauty of a new day...
And yes, this is Jenna writing this post. Shocking hey? Anyone who knows me well knows that historically, morning has been my mortal enemy. In the past, not only did I not wake up until most of it was over, but even after I pulled my sorry, lethargic self out of bed I still wasn't fully conscience until closer to dinner. Yes it's true, I was not born a morning person. But recently I have started to realize that I have been missing out all these years. There really is nothing more enjoyable than getting up and going for a walk first thing in the morning. It is such a wonderful thing. And today while I was strolling down a river valley path with some friends we encountered a loonie and two quarters lying in the middle of the path. How does that old adage go? The early bird gets the cold hard cash? If that's not positive enforcement then I don't know what is. At the very least it was enough to buy a coffee to wake one of us up enough to open our eyes. It is tricky trying to navigate an icy, twisty path with closed eyes...

Jitterbug stroll

knee slap, knee slap...breaktime!

jitterbugging penguins

Well, I realize that I've been gone for quite some time and there is a good chance hardly anyone reads this anymore...but I'm going to write something anyway. If anything this is for Julie, Lowell, Duane, and Kevan. The ones who won't let me forget about this blog.
It sort of seems as though I should be writing this from a distant country where there are new and exciting things happening aroud me everyday. Writing about daily life in Edmonton is a much more challenging task. I suppose this means I'll have to be creative. Either that or write about how this city seems to sneak farther north everyday and how, if we're going to live in such a artic climate, we should at least get to have penguins waddling about. How awesome would that be? In BC we had herds of deer in our yard all the time. I'd much rather have to walk through a herd of penguins in my yard to take the trash to garbage cans in the alley. Perhaps it is all wishful thinking. sigh. I'd even settle for polar bears. anything to take my mind off of this harsh weather...I'll bet it's really hard to be concerned with -40 degree temperatures when you have a ravenous polar bear nipping at your heels.

Back to the whole blogging thing, does anyone really blog anymore (other than Lowell, Julie, Duane, and Kevan)? I mean, is it just me or was blogging just a phase that died out as soon as facebook came on the scene? Am I trying to relive an era long gone? Luckily I am into myself enough that I don't need an audience to write to:)

I really don't have much to say this time around, but it is a start right? Like Cher, even though I probably should have stayed in retirement, I am back on the scene. But before I go I want to share a video of the new dance I have been learning in my swing dance class. Actually it's a really old dance, but still really awesome. A couple of months ago my grandma wrote to me and told me how she had been doing the jitterbug at a senior dance over christmas. I didn't really know what it was at time, but now that I have been learning the jitterbug I find myself impressed with my grandma's agility. I mean, she is old. Maybe this is arrogant, but I find that I am sweating buckets by the time I'm done the jitterbug stroll. I am starting to worry that my 87 year old grandma is in better shape than I am....