Things are starting to get crazy!!

1. I have started to pack for when I move on Sept 1. I have sooo much junk it's not even funny. Well it is, if you think about it as junk in my trunk. Tee hee. When did I become so weird?

2. I still have to sell some old textbooks, buy some new ones, and get my U of A One card. I also need to get school supplies, and if I am feeling rich, I will make a trip to Value Village for some "new" school clothes.

3. I am still working for the government until school starts, with a 1 day break to do a day hike in Jasper- and let's be honest, I should probably use that day to sleep.

One thing that I love about fall, is that it is harvest time, and I have planted a beautiful garden, with all sorts of vegetables. Mmmmmm... Take a look, and try not to drool. Trust me, it's unattractive.





Specimen A: Bell Peppers. I have red, yellow, and green bell peppers growing. These babies love direct sunlight, and lots of water. I haven't eaten any yet, but the time is fast approaching!

Specimen B: I LOVE romaine lettuce. The occasional leaf is a little bitter, but I have been using this lettuce in my daily salads, and it is delicious. I was particularly amazed at how long it lasts once it has been picked.

Specimen C: These are some of the precious few peas that I have harvested. My pea plants weren't in the best spot and they were attacked by bugs. Also, some of them died of thirst while I was away. They may have been neglected, but they were not forgotten.

Specimen D: This is my pumpkin plant. No sign of a pumpkin yet. Should I be worried? I am pretty new to this whole gardening thing, but it is almost the end of the summer. Where, oh, where are my pumpkins?

Specimen E: Strawberries. The cutest and sweetest strawberries that I have ever had, have been from my garden. It is too bad that I don't have more of them. I've only been able to eat 3 all year. The birds always beat me to them. If only I had some sort of weapon...

Specimen F: Mmmmm. I am totally salivating. This is spaghetti squash. It is named as such because when cut open and scraped out, the juicy squash is long and stringy like spaghetti. What are the odds?

Specimen G: Green Beans. You know what they say... beans beans the magical fruit...

Specimen H: Carrots. Simple the best! I love garden carrots because they are so crunchy and juicy. Usually I have quite the battle with the slugs over these puppies, but this year the slugs tended to prefer the lettuce. Woo hoo!

As you will notice, there are no pictures of me gardening. There are several reasons for this. When I garden, I get dirty. I have already displayed pictures of me covered in mud, and I don't want to be redundant. Also, I tend to wear slightly revealing clothes and my fanny is most often in the air, and I would not want anyone to have to witness such a horrific sight. Anyways, see you next week at the same bat-time on the same bat-channel.

REUNITED! No need to fear. Barbara and I have been reunited. We were apart for quite some time, but she is safe, and we are both happy. It will have been 2 weeks since I have seen her because I was a counselor at Especially For Youth, at the University of Calgary. I will be sure to make up for lost time.

EFY was such a blast. The classes were great and I learned a lot. The youth were fantastic. I really enjoyed spending time with them. I was so impressed with how strong some of the youth are in the church. The other counselors were cool, and I made a bunch of friends. I am really going to miss them. One of my favourite parts of EFY were the dances. The music was good, and I was seen busting a move on several occasions. The food was catered, so it was good most of the time, but I'm not going to lie, I prefer home cooked meals.

This is a pic of me at a ridiculous hour. I don't know exactly what I was doing, but I can't be responsible for my actions when I am overtired and wearing a bright lime counselor shirt. Apparently someone mixed up the memo, and thought that tangerine and lime were the new pink.

In the site office, there was a white board with various quotes and notes. There was one poem that I liked in particular. In fact, I chuckled heartily when I read it...

I wish I was a glow-worm

A glow-worm's never glum

For how can you be grumpy

When the sun shines out your bum!

Calgary-Week 1 "Full of Charity"

This pic is of me and my girls Calgary-week 1. They were so funny that they had me laughing so hard, that I started to cry. We were a tight bunch, and I look forward to seeing them kick butt when they are all grown up. I loved them like CRAZY!

Kathryn, me and Danielle. These girls rock, and I look hot!

For the service project, we cut and tied the tassles on blankets for the children's hospital in Calgary. While working on the blankets, we danced up a storm. Everyone hugged the blankets before we handed them in... so cheesy, but cute.

This is me and Sam. He was my co-counselor for "Full of Charity." He is an amazing dancer, hilarious, and super nice guy. All the girls (participants and counselors) had crushes on him.

This is "Full of Charity." It was a small group, but very talented and excited. We will all be BFF!

Calgary-Week 2 "Abide the Power"

This is some of the Calgary-week 2 boys. They are doing the service project. These boys were total stud muffins... if only they were 10 years older... Oh well! I'll have to set one of them up with my little sister.

These are my girls from Calgary-week 2. I could not believe how enthusiastic and full of energy they were. Not to mention, popular with the boys! Snaps for having such a fun group!

This is me standing beside one of the U of C graffiti rocks. Me and another counselor, Gloria, spray painted this during free time. We broke the rules for a bit and wore our pj's and flip flops to do the job.

This is a group picture of "Abide the Power." My co-counselor, Spencer, is on the far right. We won 1st place in the cheer contest. I was so proud!

After a tiring few weeks, mudwrestling ensued, as a way for many counselors to vent frustrations. Just kidding, it was actually Sam's birthday. I have never been so dirty in my entire life. I am still trying to clean all the mud out of my ears!

Here's Sam looking like a monster from a sci fi movie or something. He was very thrilled with the exfoliated effect of the mud.

This is me, Lisha, Kristi, Krystin, Gloria, and Gary. I had mud everywhere. In my hair, eyes, ears, mouth, and even where the sun don't shine. We were hosed down with really cold water, and then waited in line for the shower. I have never seen a dirtier bathroom. It was like a tornado had hit. I have no idea how people managed to spatter every surface with mud.

I had an amazing time at EFY, and I'll admit, I look forward to next year. I am currently going through a little bit of EFY withdrawal. I will continue to post when something exciting happens, but it may be a while because the next couple of weeks I will be attending a whole bunch of weddings. Maybe I will catch the bouquet! To be honest, I've been there and done that, and had no such luck. Maybe catching the bouquet is just a superstition! LOL... I am so witty.