Back in the Saddle...

...er, desk? Either way, I'm back to school. Yesterday's classes went pretty well and my one class so far today has gone well. I'm on a break right now and then I have 2 more classes.

After playing with my dogs in the snow (fun!!) and then a disappointing loss for the Oilers on Friday night (Evan and I had fun at the game though), I began my journey back to school Saturday morning. I flew back to Dallas and despite some delays, the day was long and tiring but decent. Then my uncle had a great sermon at church on Sunday (possibly a blog post coming from that later...) and then I had a nice visit with Papa & Nana before I headed back. Started the drive back and despite some boredom, I managed to keep the tunes cranked till I hit Little Rock where I picked up Nikki at the airport. Catching up the whole way back, we then unpacked a little and crashed into bed. Yesterday I finally got to see Matt (in chapel and 2 classes) and then we watched a movie on my laptop last night. It's good to be back :)

I found my textbooks way cheaper online this semester so I'm just waiting for them to come in... and I can't believe this is my last semester of undergrad...!

Sidenote: Matt's injury turned out to be a sprained shoulder and today is supposed to be the last day he has to wear the sling. He's pretty sore but with some pain meds and careful movement, he's doing okay. Aside from being asked a gazillion times what happened to his arm.

Highlights From The Final Week

Well my break is coming to a close... but the final week has been pretty good. A little more laid back than the rest of break (which is nice) but still filled with some fun times...
-Saturday was lunch with Phil & Cheryl. It's become a tradition for the 3 of us to hang out at least once every time I'm home. Saturday night I hung out with Evan and watched Canada beat Russia 7-4 in the World Juniors semi-final. Then we played foosball, wrestled (proud to say I won that match!) and then Battleship.
-Sunday was getting to see a bunch of peope at church in Edmonton and a bunch of us went out for lunch. Met up with Dallas at West Ed for some bowling, glo-in-the-dark mini-golf and shopping.
-Monday was some errands with Mom, watching Canada pound Sweden 5-1 in the final (see Proud to Be Canadian), and then having a hilarious game of Catch Phrase with Mom and Dale. Sadly, had to say goodbye to Mom since she left Tues morning for the buying show in ATL but I know she's gonna have a great time.
-Tuesday was a Costco run with Phil and then laughing till we cried watching Get Smart back at Dad's.
-Wednesday was a relaxing day. I finished The Mad Trapper by Rudy Wiebe (that I started Tuesday nite). It's a book of Norm & Marian's that Dad had recommended I read . I interrupted Improving Your Serve so I could read The Mad Trapper and give it to Dad to give back to them. When Dad first described it to me it sounded kinda weird and not something I would really like but once I got into it, I was zipping through wanting to find out what happened. After dinner, Dad and I played some crokinole and watched M*A*S*H
-Today I went to Phil's and helped her make some cookies and then we played Wii all afternoon. While there is always a lot to laugh about whenever Phil and I hang out, perhaps one of the best quotes of the day came from my dear prego friend when she said "I thought I felt the baby kicking last night...which is funny cuz I don't think it has legs yet". (I love you Phil!) After dinner, I got to talk to Uncle Bill & Aunt Norma & Dallas on the phone and played a little Catch Phrase w/ Dad. Said goodnight/goodbye to him since I'll be leaving to go back to Mom's after he goes to work tomorrow.

Sidenote: and now I'm waiting to hear from Matt... he is at the ER right now w/ a possible sprained shoulder/broken collarbone. He hit a jump wrong snowboarding today and landed on his shoulder. I know it's not as serious as it could be but I'm still kinda worried...prayers would be appreciated!

Looking Back on Other Chapters

Just today I found this folder called "Special Emails" that I had saved from back in high school and my early college years. Some were funny or encouraging responses to those crazy email surveys that my friends and I used to send around relentlessly; desperately wanting to know people's opinions of us (and if they thought we were nice? friendly? more than a friend? funny? hot? crazy? etc). Some were sweet emails that people had sent during some rough times in high school or when I first went away to college to tell me to have a great time and let me know that I was missed. Some were a little more painful to read - they were from a certain boy that I deeply loved at the time and for a time I thought the feelings were mutual or at least growing in that direction (...until he unexpectedly dropped me and got back with his ex...)

Anyways, I thought it was interesting to find this folder and look back on all those times in my life. There was a lot of hurt back then... but there was also a lot of good times and good friends/family. And it's interesting to see how it all has unfolded since then. I was deeply hurt when the aforementioned boy dropped me but since then I have realized that although I dreamt about marrying him, it never would have worked. Not to mention that I have found a guy that I love even more and who treats me better than I have ever been treated. I dream of marrying him too but this time I think it's a little more realistic... :)

Oh yeah, if you haven't noticed, I'm feeling a whole lot better about things with Matt. We've been able to talk quite a bit the last few days. His words even made me cry night before last... but don't worry it was in an incredibly good way. I have never felt so loved, respected and special. He makes me feel like I can do anything and that I'm the only girl in the world that he wants. I can't wait to see him again in a few days...!!

Ok I'm sorry to turn this ridiculously mushy... but it's the truth :)

Proud to be Canadian

OTTAWA -- Canada won its fifth straight gold medal at the world junior hockey championships, beating Sweden 5-1 in the final Monday night.

The streak ties Canada's record of five consecutive titles in this tournament from 1993-97. Canada's 15th gold at the world juniors also matched Russia/Soviet Union for the all-time lead.
Canadian players jumped all over the ice to celebrate after the horn sounded to end their latest victory.

"There's nothing like it at all," forward John Tavares told TSN. "Listen to these fans. That's five, Canada. Five. That's what we were talking about."

Canada will go for a record six golds in a row at the 2010 world junior championships in Saskatoon and Regina.

Cody Hodgson scored twice for Canada, led by former NHL coach Pat Quinn. His team also got goals from Angelo Esposito, Jordan Eberle and defenseman P.K. Subban.

Tavares had two assists and finished tied with Hodgson for the tournament lead with 16 points. The 18-year-old Tavares, from Oakville, Ontario, was selected the tournament's most valuable player. He is a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2009 NHL draft.

"I can't say enough about all the guys, all 22 guys, the coaching staff," Tavares said. "There's nothing better than this."

Dustin Tokarski made 39 saves for the victory.

Joakim Andersson scored for Sweden and goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 26 shots.

The 20,380 fans at Scotiabank Place set a single-game attendance record at the world junior tournament. It was the fourth time a new mark was established in Ottawa, and it erased the previous high of 20,223 that was set during Canada's preliminary-round game against the United States.

The audience included Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Throughout the tournament, Canadian players not only produced world-class hockey on the ice, they also represented our country with tremendous dignity and pride off the ice," Harper said in a statement. "I want to commend all of the players, coaches, volunteers, families and staff who contributed to this successful tournament.

"This is a well-deserved victory," he said.

The U.S. finished fifth at the tournament.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

In Case You Were Wondering...

...My new camera came in yesterday! I took some pics with it today and while I haven't had time to play around with all the features yet, I think I am very satisfied with my purchase decision. No cognitive dissonance here!

...After Matt faxed that birth certificate stuff from work I thought I would just have to wait for them to mail it to Mom's house (preferably/hopefully while I was home for the break). Turns out that when I got home I received a letter from them saying I needed to call them because my order had been suspended in the system (they had to write me a letter for this? why not call or email? why the heck did they ask for all that extra contact info only to mail me a snail mail letter??). I tried calling but of course the office was closed for the holidays so I had to wait till the 27th before I got through. The lady said I needed to send another copy of a piece of identification. Apparently you need 2 pieces although they never specified this on the fax form they so kindly told me I needed to use instead of an online submission. I ended up going with Dallas to the office one day when we were at their house and I scanned my DL and faxed it from there. There's no way it's going to get here before I leave so Mom's gonna have to mail it to me AGAIN. Now I just have to wait... probably for them to send me another letter that something is wrong with it...

...I don't know when I'm getting married. Just to clarify with everyone. Got it? So get off my back and stop the incessant questioning. I'm about to go ape on the next person that asks me that irritating question...

...30 hrs of distance + not getting to talk much + me nearing that special time of month when my hormones are out of control and my emotions tag along for the rollercoaster ride = me feeling really insecure about things right now. We had a little fight last nite via text messages (oh technology!). We ended up working it out (also via text message since he still wasn't home) and got to talk online after he got home but it still sucked. Also...the aforementioned incessant questioning isn't helping my feelings of uncertainty right now...

...I like ellipsis points...and I'm going to go before I say something I might regret...

The Concept of Self

Like I have mentioned, I have been able to read over the break and it has been glorious. I'm currently in the middle of 2 books (The Power of Touch by Dr. Phyllis K. Davis which I started during my travels home and Improving Your Serve by Charles Swindoll that I switched to after I got it for Christmas from Dad). However it is the latter of these books that I would like to talk about for a bit. I just finished the 2nd chapter as of last night but I came across this passage last night that I found interesting. Since the whole premise of the book is about becoming a servant, I thought it was wonderful that Chuck made the following clarification:

"Now before we get too carried away, a couple of statements need to be made to clarify the issue. First, a good self-esteem is not the same as selfishness. Without a strong belief in ourselves, we are easily crippled and wounded in life. A poor self-image is not to be equated with humility or the mark of a servant. As a matter of fact, without a healthy ego, we become fragile, easily bruised, counterproductive people.
I like what Mrs. Chuck Noll said about her husband, the former coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers:'He's got a very sturdy ego, but as for vanity - none".
Let's not confuse a strong, sturdy self-esteem with vain selfishness. They are not twins, by any means."

I rather enjoyed this perspective on servanthood. I think too many times we think that to help someone else we need to become a worthless doormat and never be proud of our accomplishments. While I am fully aware that too much pride can be detrimental (one only has to read classic literature to discover the effects of this fatal flaw), it was refreshing to be reminded that it's okay to be confident with the person God has made you and the talents you have. It is only when we believe in ourselves that we can truly and effectively help others.

I'm sure I will have more to say about this book as I read through it but that's all for now!

And So Another Year Begins...

After 4 days of various (but fun) activities with the McNalty clan, Dad and I went down to the farm for a couple days. There's not much to do this time of year except feed cows and listen to Norm's views on women getting married, staying home and having kids and how Marian was already doing these things at my age. (Sorry, I love the man to death, but I didn't need those comments this time around). Alas, the frost and snow on the trees was pretty and I got to ride around in the tractor when we fed the cows so not all was lost. I came back to Mom's yesterday and after some errands in Leduc we just settled in for a cozy nite at home. We watched Canada beat the USA 7-4 in the last round robin game of the World Juniors (My Canadian pride was sure kickin in then!) and then watched the Oilers lose to Calgary 6-4 (boo!). Good friends of the family (Lorie & Shakey) dropped by about 11 and we watched various performers on TV and rang in the New Year. My boy called me at like 1:30 my time and talked for an hour and a half because the people he was hanging out with had already gone to bed but he wasn't tired yet. It was a good start to the year.

Like I mentioned in previous posts, I have been able to do a little non-school-related reading over the break. Here is a quote I came across that I found fitting for the New Year...

"Waste no time feeling guilty about the past; instead promise yourself that the future will be different" - Phyllis K. Davis, Ph.D

Happy 2009 Everyone!