Merry Christmas to All!

It's hard to believe, but I survived until Christmas day. I think I'm worse than many children with my anxious anticipation of gift giving related to Christmas. I just get such joy with seeing people open gifts that I have chosen for them with care and consideration. I had brought some things home from Europe to give as gifts this year, so that was extra fun because I relived some of my memories of the trip while remember where I had picked out the gifts.

Christmas dinner was extra special for me. I invited a woman named Patricia who moved to Canada a year ago from El Salvador. I had only met her twice before at the Lighthouse bookstore where i work, but she was willing to take me up on my offer for dinner. She came along with her boyfriend and her oldest daughter. It was really neat to share Christmas with this family who doesn't have much for them here in Canada. Patricia works at the Maple Leaf Hog plant in Brandon here. I'm excited about developing this friendship some more. I love learning how other people live in different cultures. We're going to try and get together so that she can teach me how to make "papousa" (Spelling?!) and I'm going ot teach her something like perogies.

On Boxing Day I went into Winnipeg with my family to celebrate Christmas with my dad's family. It was great fun! We had family pictures and went on a sleigh ride out in Birds Hill Park. Of course there was much good food. It's not Christmas unless there is lots of delicious food to stuff yourself with all day long!

The only bad part of this Christmas is that I ended up with a case of bronchitis. I woke up Boxing Day morning feeling quite yucky and felt like gremlins were living in my chest. Things just went kind of downhill from there over the day and then over night. By the 27th, I could hardly get up off the couch. SO upon return to Brandon I headed down to the walk-in clinic and came out with a prescription for some antibiotics. I'm hoping to be back into a semi-healthy state by tomorrow morning. I already had to phone in sick from work today so I can't really take another day off. I'll be off to work tomorrow morning whether I feel like it or not.

Merry Christmas to all and wishes of a Good New Year!

Healthy?

Yesterday I received my final immunization in prepartion for my departure. I'm not sure that I'm exactly healthier now that I have so many foreign antibodies floating around in my blood but the health professionals tell me I am prepared for travel. The only health related things left are a TB test (to prove on paper that I don't have tuberculosis before going to Ethiopia) and to buy my malaria prevention medication. It's definately a wake up call for being thankful for medicare when you start paying for your own immunizations. The rabies series that I just finished yesterday was $200 a needle. Yikes!! That's enough to make the needle sting twice as much.

More exciting prepartion...I bought my ticket for Toronto in February. I'll be leaving Winnipeg, MB on February 2 at 9:15am and flying to Hamilton where my uncle will pick me up. I'm going to spend the weekend with my cousin who lives in Guelph and then get dropped off in Toronto for my orientation week. I should be flying out of the country on February 11 or 12. Crazy to think that my departure is in less than 2 months!

Heads up to all my faithful readers (you know who you are :) ) I changed my Europe photos again incase you're keeping track.

I put my Christmas picture into this blog. I sent this photo out to a few of my friends, but postage is too expensive these days so the rest of you will need to look online if you want to see me dolled up. This pic was taken at my best friend's wedding in September.

Tour Of Europe

Hi Friends: In preparation for all the pictures I will share with you in the duration of my African tour, I thought I'd take you through Europe first. Every few days I will try to change the pictures on my blog. That way you can see some of my favorite spots from my time in Europe. If you're really bored, and you actually spend time looking at my site, I'd love to share stories about any of my pictures if you're interested. This is a by request only type of information:)..hehe..

I love seeing pictures of beautiful places, hope you do too!

Bon Voyage!

Oh FRIENDS!

Speaking of Friends, I was inspired by my friend, Rayna's, blog about friends in her life. I too am so thankful there are friends to share every emotion with. Many of my close friends are moving away, I guess I am moving on and away too as we are into that part of life. My best friend was married in September and moved away to Saskatoon, SK and now another really good friend will be getting married in May. My sister and another good friend are away at school in B.C. and its just weird how everyone's lives are moving onward and in different directions. It will be interesting to watch and see how our lives change and whether we stay together and in-touch as we continue to move apart (literally, on the globe!).

Just a few random thoughts about friends...they really are sooooooo special.

I'd love to hear about how you deal with changing friends, and having to make new friends when you go to different places or your friends all move away!

Ciao! and, Feliz Navidad

The Randomness of Christmas!

It's been a whole week since I last shared anything with my faithful blogging friends. It's really weird having to work all the time before Christmas. Being a student in the past has always left me with some quality time to do Christmas preparations. I'm learning that Christmas can happen in a bunch of little steps instead of one big swoop after exams are finished. Today I wrapped all of my gifts and made my last-minute gift list. I only have a few things for stockings left and then I HAVE to stop buying presents. I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I love giving gifts. I have a very hard time stopping myself from buying more and more and more presents to give people. If my bank account could handle it, I would buy gifts for almost everyone under the sun that i can think up. Unfortunately, most of my money is going towards the big African Adventure coming up in less than two months. WOw, time is flying by!

I am missing some days of big bake-a-thon's in my mom's kitchen, but I guess I'll get over it. I don't have to work on Tuesday so I think I'll step into the kitchen and do some of my favorite baking. I love making sugar cookies, with cookie-cutters and then decorate them. It's a family tradition to make these animal sugar cookies. My favorite shapes are the rabbit, lion and gingerbread man (childish yes, but it's tradition:).

One awesome thing about Christmas holidays is that my friends are all home from school away from Brandon. My sister is home, and one of my best friends also came home from B.C. (They're going to school together). Tonite was an awesome night because it was a mini Mexico Reunion. Almost five years ago I went down to Mexico with five friends and four adult sponsors to help a church in Ensenada. WE became really tight friends, and so it's always special getting together. Two of the girls were missing from the party but the 4 of us had fun together. WE made fruit beer (aka huge bowl of fruit salad with frozen strawberries added to make the froth known to be found in beer!), and watched a crazy, dumb but we laugh anyways movie called "Head over Heels" I don't recommend it! Oh Friends. How I love to spend time with you.

Home For the Holidays!

Christmas can begin now. My sister, Kendelle, has come home from being away at school in British Columbia. Somehow our home just doesn't seem ready for celebrating Christmas until everyone is home. Kendelle put in a special request to save decorating the Christmas tree until she got home, so we're going to do that this weekend. Once the tree is up and decorated, the house feels ready for Christmas. One of my favorite parts of the Christmas time is bringing my gifts down to put under the tree and then having the anticipation of waiting for my friends and family to open their gifts. I LOVE giving gifts and so Christmas is an awesome time for me!

This year will be a bit different for me. It's the first Christmas that I am not a student and therefore don't have huge amounts of time off during the holidays. I actually have to work! yikes! I'm enjoying my new job at the bookstore, but it's still a change to have to work every day instead of relaxing with rest of my family. Both my brother and sister are students and my dad's a teacher so they all get huge amounts of time off around Christmas. My mom works at home, so she also takes holidays at Christmas. I'm the only one that has to work. But enough of the pity party!, at least I have a job that I enjoy and gives me good hours. I am going to need all the hours I can get to save enough money to get to Ethiopia in 2 more months!

I'd love to hear about other people's Christmas plans and traditions. I think it's always interesting to know what other people do to celebrate Christmas.

Job #3!

Well, I started my 3rd job this afternoon. I wasn't getting enough hours between my first two jobs to raise the needed money for my journey to Ethiopia in only 2 more months! (WOW) so I found another job. This one is at a local Christian bookstore called "The Lighthouse Bookstore". It is right across the street from the gym that I work at which is quite convenient. I really like the staff at the bookstore. I think it's going to be a good place for me to be during my next two months in Brandon. Another sort of job is doing odd jobs for people in my community for a financial contribution towards my trip. For example, I've done some baby-sitting and I'm also in the middle of painting someone's kitchen for them. I definately have my plate full with juggling all of my opportunities. All for the sake of children in Africa! After working 3 jobs today, I am ready to say adios and good nite!