2006 - Staying Connected

What I like about Christmas in Canada -
.......

snow

...... except this year there was no snow.
I must admit - that though I enjoy the warmth - I now understand a bit why so many people insist on a white Christmas. the entire atmosphere is different. the sounds are different - blanketed - quiet - soft. I enjoy that quiet excited feeling that comes with snow.
What I like about Christmas anywhere - celebrating the birth of Christ - He's pretty universal that way :). I like going back to the wonder of a virgin birth - the Joy of the birth of HOPE, and hearing the story (the history...his-story) over and over again.

what I don't like about the "Holiday season" is the shopping culture - I don't like feeling pressured to buy and accept gifts - that really people don't use or need! so this year I was happy with the way my family handled it - see below.

What is something me and my family do -
this year my aunt and cousins cancelled "Christmas". we did spend the day together - but no gifts, no extra trappings, decorations; just good food and good company - it was great!!! the best I've had a long time.

What was the food like?
well, this year - the young ladies ("kids") got together and we did the baking. we made extremely yummy coconut swirl brownies - if you like coconut and chocolate it's like a collision of HAPPINESS!!!!! we also made "soft and chewy" chocolate chip cookies (can we say YUM??!!!); dried fruit bars and chocolate cake!! then my aunt made dinner - Crabslegs, smoked turkey, fish, seasonsed rice, stuffing (I'm a lover I admit), asparagus {you haven't had asparagus until you've had it by my aunt:)}.


looking back on 2006
I'm ashamed to admit it - but I really don't want to look back on it. Or think about the things I would change. ... I'd change so much. don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad... but I'm excited for 2007!
to mention the good stuff - it would be living with my favourite (now) long distance roommate (who only became long distance in september). I enjoyed shamelessly enjoying the OC, s'mores and countless other guilty pleasures. I laugh when I think about us. Had it just been one person doing the things we did, they may have been called 'antisocial' or 'odd' - but two's company! so we had a good time.
stuff I'd change would be relationship wise I guess. I'd be a bit more decisive and more cautious with my feelings, emotions, actions.
how have I changed? I think I've learned a lot about myself this year - I haven't neccesarily grown stronger - but I've recognised strength in myself (which always makes a person stronger!). God has been teaching me so many things that I'm only excited about what I'll learn in 2007 and excited about what will happen. (excited, and I must admit - terrified - but I'm working on letting Him handle the fear).

looking forward to 2007
I graduate this year!!!!! very exciting!
and after that is a huge ledge from which I will jump (and fly!) - that's how I feel about the future right now - I have no idea what's in it. .. but at least I know who holds the future :)
what do I want to happen? I want to go to Barbados for a bit and soak in as much sun, sand and salt water as is humanly possible (don't worry - I'll be sure to apply sunscreen). will I stay there? I don't know - as I said - currently the future is an unknown (a sort of blank - in the way that a canvas is blank - and mostly inspiring).

new year’s resolution
to be more disciplined... who am I kidding .... to be disciplined!! you know - keep all those resolutions I've made for the past several years (you know the usual suspects: exercise, journalling, constructive reading, spiritual discipline)... I've decided that discipline is the biggest thing lacking - so I'll work on that

I just want to take a moment to say HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I wish all you ladies (and male readers that I don't know about) a safe and prosperous 2007.
I've enjoyed reading your blogs, learning your thoughts and staying connected for the past year - as the new year takes me into the unknown I hope we can all keep in touch and remain a supportive community.:)

(heart) tulip

MERRY CHRISTMAS

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20061220/cx_pr_uc/pr20061220
preteena - censored

glad I'm not censored like preteena. but I must say - this year I've felt that way more and more. like if I'm being offensive to the general public by enjoying one of the most important times in my year. I feel like in society's effort to be "inclusive" to everyone we have excluded an entire group: Christians and Christmas!

so, I reclaim it for the week and thank all of you who have said it already (especially Hun - who was the first to send me a Christmas card! - talk about being inclusive:)!)


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

(heart) tulip

Wash your hands!!!!!! (a rant)

It amazes me (and absolutely disgusts me) how many people don't wash their hands after going to the toilet. I just passed a girl heading straight from her stall out the washroom door and I had the urge to say "excuse me! aren't you forgetting something?!?"
I surpressed the urge and have settled for a blog rant.

wash you're hands
we are fortunate enough to live in a developed country
this means that healthcare is relatively accessible
but it doesn't negate the risk of disease spread
wash your hands!

healthcare may be "free"
but it certainly is not cheap! (what do you think your taxes are for?)
save yourself the hassle (time and the money) of getting sick!
and don't make others sick!
wash your hands!

so you think your hands aren't dirty because you think you didn't "touch" anything?
that doesn't mean that the person who opened that stall door before you didn't have/do something nasty!
wash your hands!!!

"Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infections." (Health Canada says so!! and it's true!)

grrrrr, tulip

*edit note - you may notice that this was posted at some unearthly hour in the morning. The time is not wrong - it was too early for truly coherent thinking (even now I'm still struggling...)
so I've edited a line or two.

Some thoughts - and the value of money

• there is a guy across from me wearing a sad-looking Santa Clause hat. Probably a dollar store edition. I'm glad he's in the spirit of the season, but gee - the hat's not that merry.

• thought directed to library rats - (you know, like mall rats they're those people who just go to the library to hang out - because clearly they're not there to do work - otherwise, why would they talk to their friend for a *SOLID HOUR* or have an entire(ly too loud) conversation on their cell phone). Do you even go to this school? I don't mind if you just came play games on the computer (I do that sometimes) - but if you've come to talk - and disrupt my work - please go elsewhere!

• thought directed to the person who thought up my chemistry labs: "You're joking right??!!!!.... but no, your not joking are you? you're quite serious."(you really want me to read over 40 pages and spend 15 hours of my life for less than 5% of my mark)

• thought directed at a certain someone: I wrote you into one of my stories.......... you were the villain

I recently dropped a quarter on the subway. a guy in a suit picked it up and gave it to me - he said "it's so hard to come by, you don't want to lose it that way". I was struck by the idea that a quarter is valuable (and that this man knows the value of it). It really is - and yet - I always seem to forget that.. Thank God I can forget it, even for a second. that speaks of the relative luxury of my life. I'm not rich - don't get me wrong (in fact - like many students - I'm in debt!) - but for the past two months I've had two pennies to rub together (literally, I'd find 2 cents in my pocket) - I read somewhere that makes me more fortunate than 2/3 of the world. I have enough food to eat and enough clothing to wear and I can read - I'm rich!

(heart) tulip

A wedding

On Saturday I attended the wedding of a dear friend of mine. Here are some thoughts and observations I made.

1. Isn't society strange? Two people and their parents become virtual superstars! for one day. 100 people and more), everyone knows their name, listens to their words and stories about their lives, and cares about how they dress. It is sort of odd.

2. This pair of pseudo super stars may become changed under the spotlight. A shy, quiet, soft spoken man becomes a confident, smiling seducer (have you folks ever seen a garter removal - can we say hot???!!!!!), and a friendly, outspoken, confident woman becomes a blushing bride, a giggling, crying puddle of happiness.
...... Kind of odd.

3. Marriage has the potential to be one of the most astoundingly amazing parts of life. God has allowed for the coming together of two people (and the two shall become one), for better or worse.... for good. Someone who will be (is?)(can be)(hopefully is) your soulmate, your best friend {and for the ladies they can also be your chauffeur and your butler as my wise friend put it! :)}.
And society comes together to give you one heck of a send off - isn't it great?!

4. the best speeches are the shortest, or the ones with actually funny jokes (not uncomfortable jokes where the crowd feels obliged to laugh politely, no, the funny ones where there is spontaneous raucous laughter and you repeat it for the person beside you who was in the washroom at the time)

5. even if a wedding is good, even if it's great: everything goes smoothly, no one trips, the dj is great and the food is delicious; even if all these things fall into place - nothing can compare to a job that has been well done. A wedding where all the little details have been worked at with love, and care by friends and family. Handmade centre pieces, homemade desserts, a special ordered guest book - it's the thousands of details that show time and effort and spell L O V E. love of a bride for her groom, him for her, parents for their child, a family (a village!) for their children.
love

I get all warm just thinking about it :).

(love) tulip