The time is near!

Have you ever experienced a moment where you need to stop and remind yourself to breathe?

Life is crazy busy. Good. But busy.

My ongoing to-do list leaves an anxious knot churning in my stomach, but it sure feels good to check things off my list!

The remainder of this update basically falls under three categories: Practicum. Social Life. Italy Preparations.

Practicum

Spending my days teaching is so much more fulfilling than sitting in university classes. Mentally exhausting? Yes. A lot of work? Yes. A huge learning experience? Yes. Worth it? YES. As I had hoped, this experience has been a confirmation that I am in the right career path. I'm definitely making mistakes (and hopefully learning from them), but I'm loving every second. Heading into teaching I had always thought I would want to teach high school, and never junior high. Now, however, I definitely feel the pull towards junior high. What an interesting age group! Granted, I hated junior high. But it is much more fun when you are the teacher! Chemistry is a lot of fun to teach, and I've learned that there is a LOT of prep work that goes into everything that teachers do. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've also learned that when I forget something, stressing over it makes me slightly crazy. I have awesome mentor teachers who provide me with really good feedback, and overall the experience has just been really good. I finish December 17, and I know I will breathe a huge sigh of relief when it is over. But I also know I'm going to miss these kids and teachers.

Social Life

M & C - the two sides of my triangle - are insanely busy with school, since they are both trying to graduate this year. Add that to the fact that I'm not at the University right now, but rather in Spruce Grove, and it isn't surprising we don't see each other much. A further complication is the limited amount of free time I seem to have with all this planning/prep for my practicum. On the flip side, most of my free time seems to be spent with J. A certain somebody that I seem to like... a lot. And for some strange reason he seems to like me back. Curious to see where this is going to go with time. God is at the wheel of our lives and our relationship, so I can hardly wait to see what is in store for us!

Snowboarding season is finally upon us! Hoping to get to the mountains once (maybe twice)... before I give up my season for Italy.

Italy Preparations

Flights booked? Check. Leaving Jan 1st, returning Apr 4th. Insurance in place? Check. Funds in place? Check. Allow me to elaborate on this one. I have been really stressed about having enough money to relax while I am away, so I applied for a few scholarships. 1st one - a discount on my accommodations while I am gone, based on financial need. 2nd one - actually not a scholarship, I appealed my loan to get a bit more money. 3rd one - I forgot about it. I applied wayyy back in September, never thinking I had a shot. 1st one - Check! $1000 off my accommodations. Following this one I examined my situation and figured I needed about $1500 to make it through. 2nd one - Loans informed me they could give me ~$500 more. 3rd one - What a lovely surprise email informing me that I was receiving a $1000 scholarship. Necessary $1500? Check. Praise God! He seems to know exactly what we need, and when we trust that He will provide... He does.

After Dec. 17, when I no longer have to worry about practicum, the final details will begin to fall into place. Packing and tying off loose ends. This is going to be an adventure of a lifetime! Now, about leaving J behind. God is at the wheel, and if this relationship is something He wants for us... I know we will make it through. This doesn't mean I'm not going to miss him... a lot. Nor does it mean it will be easy. But it does mean that when I come home... that moment will be awesome.

Friends

What is a friend? I looked up the definition at dictionary.com, and the typical response is: someone who you care about and cares about you, someone you have a lot in common with, someone you can trust, etc. But what about a best friend? This is someone who you care about and cares about you unconditionally, someone you can trust with all your hopes, dreams and secrets. I think sometimes we confuse best friend with favourite friend. Even someone who really is your best friend, may not always be your best friend. When your lives start to take different directions, will you always be best friends? Or will you now be just friends, and move on to new best friends with more similar lifestyles?

I had a best friend when I was young, then I had a new best friend when I moved to AB, then when I graduated I again, had a new best friend. I had a best friend when I got engaged, and a best friend when I got dumped. I had a best friend whom I travelled Europe with. Most of these best friends are different people. I am again faced with the dilemma of my best friends moving on to new and better things, and me getting left behind. I have one best friend who is getting married. I have two best friends who are graduating from University and/or moving out in the near future. I no longer know who is my best friend by definition. All of these best friends I still would call my closest friends, but I don't know who the friend is that I am supposed to trust with all my hopes, secrets and dreams. I don't know who the friend is that is going to be there no matter what. I don't know which friend I'm supposed to go to when I need a shoulder to cry on.

Maybe what God is trying to tell me is that there is no human being who is your best friend by definition. At least not permanently. From time to time there will be that special friend who fits the definition, but lifestyles change and people move on. But the only one who will be there through the good times and the bad, the only one who will be there even when you reject Him, the only one who will wait patiently for you to get your head on straight, is God.

Whitefish Weekend

Wow, what a weekend. Colette, Michael, Ryan (Michael's friend) and I went with a group called Downhill Riders to Whitefish, Montana this past weekend for some killer snowboarding. Just what I needed, despite being behind on homework as a result. It was a blast to get away and try a new mountain that is too far away to do a day trip. Also, it was a lot of fun to go with a group of strangers and make some new friends. The bus ride down was a big party, and the bus ride back was... slightly more restful. Here's some pictures of our adventure:

Aren't we cute?

We must have been a ways up, we passed through clouds to get to the summit

The trees were just coated in snow - regardless of the amount of powder lying on the runs

Happy place...

Drool...

The Triangle Problem

Adding to what I said last post about being really happy with where my life is at the moment, highlighting on the friends aspect. I have a best friend, and a really good guy friend, and the three of us make a triangle. The problem with a triangle is that sometimes, three's a crowd. The difference between two people making decisions, and three people making decisions, is that the opportunity for harmony decreases. Let me explain. When two people make decisions together, they really only have to consider the other person's opinion, and eventually they learn what makes the other person tick, etc. Harmonic decision making is possible. When there are three people making decisions together, what often happens is two people come to one conclusion, while the third comes to another. Easy solution - majority rules. But that isn't really considering what that third person had to say. The problem of a triangle is that one person becomes the third wheel. In our case, the "third wheel" changes with each individual event...and at the moment, I feel like the third wheel.

I'm the youngest of the triangle, I live the most out of the way, and I've known the other two for the shortest period of time. I have the most deviant values/ideas from the other two, and have different short term goals (they are both graduating next year, while I have 2.5 years left after this semester). Sometimes, I just feel left out. We're usually pretty good about including each other in everything - but when things come down to a decision, sometimes they just tell me how things are and what's going to happen.

So, I'm frustrated. I'm sure it will all wash over, but it still sucks.

Update

I realized that I hadn't posted in a while, and figured perhaps it was time for an update! There isn't a whole lot new going on in my life. But perhaps what isn't new to me, may still be of interest to you! I started the winter semester of school last week, and so far my conclusions are as follows: school is going to kick my butt - badly! I picked some hard ones this semester, so I guess that means a lot of time spent in the books! Here is what I'm taking this semester:

1. Zoology 250 - Survey of Invertebrates (basically a class on worms, crustaceans, etc.)
2. Biochemistry 200
3. Microbiology 265
4. Biology 361 - Marine Science
5. Education Policy Studies 360 - Society and Education

Oh goody!! For those classes that I didn't put a title on, I think you can derive it's contents on your own. Besides school, I'm cramming in as much work as I can. I'm broke as broke can be....so I have to take any opportunities to work as I can.

And that leaves the social life. Whenever I'm not at school, work, or studying, I'm usually with Michael and/or Colette. Together, we make up a triangle. The Three Stooges! And no, I am not dating Michael (and neither is Colette for that matter). I feel the need to clarify this because we get asked that a lot. We're just good friends, and we feel very comfortable around each other. Colette and I spend time scrapbooking our Europe adventure, the three of us spend time snowboarding, having movie marathons, going to movies, playing pool, etc. Despite the hurt and the healing I'm dealing with in the background, I am happy with my life right now.

Got My Snowboard Fix

On Friday, the weather forecast for all of Alberta was a winter storm warning - with up to 20 cm of snow, gusting winds, and guaranteed bad roads. Many highways were shut down due to the large number of accidents.

The Marmot Basin snow report was over 200 cm of total snowfall, with a 191 cm base, and all runs open. And they have a new express quad that takes you from the bottom to the upper mountain. Previously you had to take two chairs - one express quad and one triple - to cover the same distance.

So what did a few friends and I decide to do? Drive to the mountains of course! We had just finished classes, and had been patiently waiting to get our snowboard fix. Besides, we weren't going to study for finals yet anyways!

Having successfully squeezed four adults (well two of us are really only half an adult each), and four snowboards into the Jetta, we headed out at 530am. The roads were crap for the first two hours of the four hour drive - or so I'm told. I scored a passenger seat - rather than the drivers - and slept through it. Oops? We finally made it - an hour and a half after opening, but we made it nonetheless. Conditions = snow, snow and more SNOW! Visibility = not so great. Worth it? Definitely.

Marmot has more snow now, than they did at any point last season. Shredding powder is a lot harder on your muscles than a groomed run, but the trade off is that when you wipe - it doesn't hurt. You simply create a large mushroom cloud of snow instead! We definitely had our fair share of solid crashes, but again, WORTH IT!

Probably our wisest moment of the day was deciding to stay at one of the Jasper hostels rather than driving home yet that night. Roads were decent (considering) in the morning, but had been expected to get progressively worse throughout the day. And it hadn't stopped snowing the entire time we were there.

You may have seen these on Facebook, but here are a few pictures of our adventure:

All geared up and ready to go!

Left: Colette, Right: Josh

Just look at all that snow!

Michael

I am so in my happy place...

Next time she'll do this off a 30ft jump. Right Colette?

A Night of Spontaneity

Now, first off, I apologize for the lack of pictures. They are coming! I promise! I wasn't the one with the camera, and she hasn't gotten around to uploading them to facebook yet. Complicated, I know. As soon as they are available to me, you can see them too.

Saturday night I worked until 9 with a few of my friends, Michael and Michelle. Since it was a Saturday night, we decided to head into Edmonton and do something, anything. Our first plan was to see Inglorious Bastards, but it was sold out by the time we got there. Our second plan lead us to the Keg for coffee and cheesecake. YUM!! Afterwards, we agreed that it would be lame to go home and spent a few minutes deliberating.

A night of spontaneity with a camera! The Toys R Us parking lot seemed like a pretty good starting point, and we found a few shopping carts to play around with.

How many lifeguards can you fit in a shopping cart? At least three...

We briefly toyed with the idea of getting pulled over by a cop, just to see if we could talk our way out of it. We settled for a picture of a cop car instead. (Good idea) Next we went to the legislature grounds...

I ran through the sprinklers. No one else wanted to get cold and wet. Lame.

Wading through the pools...

And then the camera died. But the night doesn't end there! We found a traffic circle and drove around it 10 times...got a little dizzy. Drove through the "buses only" section at the University...

Probably one of the funnest nights I've had in a long time. Can't wait to do it again, maybe with even more people!