Moving on Again

Well the student teaching part of this year is officially over.  We returned this morning around 11:30 from a fantastic week of backpacking in Spruce Woods.  I had a lot more fun than I first thought, and my body isn't as sore as I had expected.  Both positives in my mind:)  I actually enjoyed myself a lot and would definitely venture out on another backpacking adventure sometime in my future (not too soon though!)    Here are a couple photos from the adventure (well actually just the first and last day, as I have already sent my camera on to Winnipeg to wait for me to go to camp).

Here is our group getting ready for the first 

day of hiking.  We went through the Spirit sands and enjoyed a day of desert life!  Everyone looks so perky still!  and clean!

This one is ME! with my pack on...sorry about the sideways rotation.  Just turn your head and it's not such a bad picture:)  The pack weighed about 50lbs at this point...by the end it was probably down to more like 40lbs.  I've definitely grown some new leg and back muscles.  Great exercise if anyone's looking for a creative way to exercise!

These last two were taken at our pick-up site 5 days later!  WE survived and loved it!

What a fantastic opportunity and experience.  I can only hope that my future teaching jobs will be as positive and rewarding.

And onto the next move...tomorrow afternoon I will be taking the bus into Winnipeg to start my Manitoba Pioneer Camp adventures!!!  Sunday afternoon will be my arrival on the island.  I'll have a chance to visit with my Baba tomorrow which will be nice since I haven't seen her for over a month now.  I am so thankful for each chance I get to spend time with that blessed lady.  

So this will probably be the last post for a little while.  At least until I get settled into island life and figure out where I can hook my computer up to internet.  It might take a bit of time...we'll see.  

BUT snail mail is still working, even if emails do not...I love getting mail while I'm away (or at home for that matter) and I will write back if you send me something.  This summer, you can send me mail at this address:

640 Broadway Ave

Winnipeg, MB R3C 0X3

CANADA

Take care and enjoy the spring!

And She's Off...(not quite)

My title may be slightly looking into the near future, but it's almost true:) Tomorrow is my last day in the classroom for this term. It's been a pretty slow week. There were 5 students who stayed back at school instead of going on work experience, so I've been supervising them in the class and trying to help them wherever possible. No lesson plans, no real teaching, just some relaxing and trying to look busy:)-

Next week is the big adventure...hopefully I'll be smiling like this girl in the picture after my backpacking journey. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be encountering scenery quite this beautiful, but our route will have its own beauty I'm sure. Speaking of preparations for backpacking...I need to put in a little advertisement for MEC (Mountain Equipment Coop). I bought a new pair of hiking boots back in January in preparation for this trip. I water-proofed them and started wearing them everywhere in an attempt to break them in. By the beginning of April, after trying many different types of socks, adjusting the tension in my laces, etc, but I was still getting blisters when I walked with these boots. SO, at the urging of my sister and mom, I emailed MEC about their 'rock solid' warranty and they happily told me I could return my boots for a full refund or choose a new pair. WOW. After 'wearing' my boots for 2 months, they still took them back without a question. I was amazed. This makes me a MEC customer for life! And I encourage you all to consider MEC next time you have to make an equipment purchase...they're good people.

SO yeah, my life right now consists of packing for camp and backpacking. My camp packing schedule got bumped up by a week, so I will be having a late night tonite after going to watch a production of AIDA being put on by Neelin High School. Fun times!

I'm going to post my newsy update on this blog, and it will have my mailing address for the summer...come on people, you know you want to write me!!!!!

Where does the time go?

Hard to believe it's been 10 days since my last post.  I don't know how things go so quickly.  So what's happened since the last time...let me think...

-had a fantastic 30 Hour Famine with the youth in my church.  There were 24 kids who came and they raised over $2200 which I think is fantastic.  I'm hoping that while the kids won't forget the fun times they had, they will also remember some of the lives of children in poor nations that they heard about.  We really tried to make it real to the kids participating in the famine that they might be hungry for 30 hours, but some kids are hungry every day.  I don't know how much stuck with the kids, but hopefully even a small piece of awareness is in them now that wasn't there before.

-Taught a couple fun lessons to my kids at school.  There are only 2 more days of full class with the kids in my placement.  Next week most of the students will be at work experience around the province and then the last week of April is my big backpacking expedition!  I'm already thinking and planning for the food I will bring on this trip.  I love cooking on expeditions so that should be fun.

-I've been doing some pilates with Kendelle, which is really challenging but I like it.  Actually, I need to do them tonite (it's been a few days since we last got at it).  I definitely work up a sweat while doing them, but I think they're interesting and they allow me to work at my own ability level which is great.

-Camp is taking a bigger part of my thoughts these days.  Only 2 1/2 weeks till I'll be out on the island.  I'm excited to be able to live in the great outdoors for 4 months.  And having no tv won't be so bad either:)  The community that will be out there is looking really fantastic.  There are quite a few people joining the team who I've never met which will be great because I'm always up to meeting new people.  There are also some people coming out for the spring that are good friends from the past few years when I've been out.  All in all I'm sure this is going to be a great year.  I'm looking forward to seeing how God will work in miraculous and amazing ways yet again.  There is something special about camp and watching God at work and living in a community that is working to reflect Christ.  It's really exciting!

My life really isn't all that interesting these days.  Spring has finally sprung and I"m loving the sunshine and warmth.  Green things are poking out of the ground in the gardens and the trees are going to burst in a couple more days.  I love the newness of Spring!

Loving the Little Ones

Hi All. Well my spring break is just about over, and it's back to the grindstone tomorrow morning:) Well it's not really that bad, but I wouldn't complain if vacation time was a little bit longer. I think I'll be getting used to this Spring Break thing without too much trouble when I'm a real teacher.





So I had a great trip out to Calgary, visiting with old friends and their cutest son ever. I had so much fun just living with them and playing with the little guy. Spending quality time like that makes me want to be a mom sooooooo bad. I just need to find Mr. Right and then we can get going:) No seriously, even though I will be finished my schooling next spring, I would be so happy to just be a nanny or if it worked out, a real mom and not worry abou getting an official teaching job...don't tell my parents who have struggled along side me as I figured out what I wanted to do with my life:)- as it might cause them to pull out their hair! Anyways, it's not like becoming a mother is a possibility any time really soon, but the nanny idea has been percolating in my brain so you never know where that might lead.

Here is a picture of the little guy I spent time with in Calgary:)

It's kind of crazy with my teaching placement, as there are only 9 class days left with the kiddos for my term. I am getting excited and kind of nervous at the same time about the 5 day hiking trip that will end my placement with this class. I'm sure it will be fun, but at the same time I'm not sure how my body will hold up with such a physically demanding trip. I think the longest day is only 13 km but with a 50 lb pack on my back I'm sure that will be plenty! The whole dehydrated, limited variety of food is also something that doesn't make me too excited but I'll make it work, and it's not like I don't have a few extra pounds to lose:) Just think of it as training for the upcoming canoe trip season!



So yeah, that's my life. I don't anticipate anything too crazy happening this week but you never know!



One last thing, I am planning and participating in the 30 Hour famine this weekend...so if anyone still wants to support this amazing cause by sponsoring me (for a tax deductible receipt of course), send me a note or click on this link and donate online: http://www2.worldvision.ca/famine/20184881



Make it a great week!

Spring Break!!

Here's what's new in my life:

Well my 3rd week of student teaching is over half done and Spring break is only 2 sleeps away!!!  It's just as exciting as a teacher as when I was a student.  There's something about the anticipation of a holiday that is really great.  Some of the teachers at my placement school are going on a trip to France for spring break which is pretty great (for them at least).  The extent of my holiday time is to drive out to Calgary for a bit of a visit with some old friends.  That's pretty great too!!!  I'm really excited to get back together with Rayna, Michael and Rhys (their 2 year old son).  Rayna and Michael were my youth pastors way back in the day so I always love spending time with them.  I've even promised to make a batch of authentic Ukranian cheese & potatoe perogies while I'm out there so that should be fun too.  I will be driving out with my parents, brother and brother's friend (who's pretty much like a brother) so that drive shouldn't be too bad and we'll be there by supper on saturday night.  I"m excited:)

Besides the anticipation of Spring Break, school has been pretty fun so far.  It's really neat being in a class with such a different focus and style.  The students direct much more of what happens on a daily basis and it's all about experiential learning rather than learning the facts.  Trying to make the tasks and projects relevant to something the kids are interested in.  THere is usually a big range of topics to choose from (the kids actually choose for themselves).  The teacher has a very different style from what I experienced in my last placement but it's great to learn and observe in a new setting.  I am definitely seeing some things that I want to apply in my class one day but also some things that I won't do because they're just not my style.  It's been a good placement though so far.  I am learning lots just about the world around me too, not just teaching stuff.  The kids have a 'tree test' this week which pretty much means we'll go on a walk in the neighbourhood as a class and the teacher will ask the kids to identify trees as we walk by them (with the proper latin names).  Learning the latin names and being able to identify the trees of this city has been a highlight for me in the last week.

Those are just a few of the going-ons of my life.  Nothing too exciting or special but I'm okay with some 'status quo' living for now.  Camp is quickly coming up so that will be 4 months of adventure and new things:)

Take care for now.

Cravings

hello all: It's been a little while since I said hello...so here it is, HELLO!





Last Sunday afternoon I had this craving for pumpkin pie...it's probably my favorite type of pie and there are obviously none for sale at the store this time of year so I decided to make one. I even took a few photos along the way because i was so proud of myself for making a pumpkin pie from scratch. I didn't even use a can of filling...frozen pumpkin, home made crust all by myself!!! and in one afternoon. Here is a little photo map of the process:

Proudly showing you the bag of frozen pumpkin that will be transformed into a pie!



While I was making the pie crust I sort of missed the bowl and this was the result...did you know that if an egg hits the floor out of it's shell it won't stay in a nice oval shape!!?!?!

First, forgive my inability to rotate this picture for you...Next notice my enthusiastic expression as I roll out my pie crust!

As the pies enter the oven...yes there was enough filling and crust for TWO 2 pies...

THE FINISHED PRODUCT...So tasty, just add a bit of whipped cream on top!

That was my adventure last weekend. This past week has been busy as I start to settle into my teaching placement. It's a lot of fun and a lot different from my last student teaching placement in the fall. We spend a lot of time outside and just being active which is great for my health but takes a bit of adjustment after the lazy life of a student. Lets just say that I have been in bed by 10pm every day during the week and wished that it could have been sooner:)

This week holds new adventures and fun. We'll be travelling down to Boissevain to learn about organic farming, strawbale houses and how to safely use an axe to chop wood. We'll also be spending a day on the riverbank inspecting duck boxes and installing 8 new ones for Ducks Unlimited. It should be a fun week. I'll actually start teaching as well which i'm looking forward to.

Hard to believe how different my life is compared to 1 year ago when I was ini the middle of my time in Ethiopia. Wow. I'm excited to see where God will lead me in this coming year.

Until later,

AWESOMENESS!

Hi All.

I've safely returned from an amazing week of winter camping. I had such a great time living out in the bush and just soaking up the beauty of Creation. The sun was shining almost every day and we didn't even freeze our butts off:)-

The kids in the group are really great. Some are a bit odd, but still fun to spend time with. If this could be my job I think I would have the best work days ever. There was one night of spectacular star gazing during our trip. I don't think I have ever seen so many stars out. And to top it off, the two trip leaders were super knowledgeable about astronomy so we were guided across the night sky and I heard so many interesting things...don't ask me to repeat many of the facts but it really was interesting. We went wolf howling...no response from the wolves though. We also went bird watching and searching for animal tracks. I learnt some interesting facts about animal and plant life in the winter boreal forest so that was good too. We even got a 10km ski in on Thursday afternoon.

Needless to say I was a little tired out when we got home Friday afternoon. I was in bed by 9pm on Friday and slept till 8:30 Saturday morning. I don't think I've had that much sleep at one time in a long time. I had a great week and I am looking forward to my upcoming student teaching placement with this group of kids starting on March 10th.

Here are a couple photos from the week out at Whirlpool Lake, MB.

The 3 muskateers!

All packed up and ready to head down the trail on day 1!

A New Kind of Adventure

So Monday morning I head off on another new adventure.  WINTER CAMPING!!!  It sounds like a lot of fun (at least I think so)!  I know some people think I'm crazy to CHOOSE to live out in the bush for 5 days in the WINTER with a group of teenagers.   That's right, chaperoning here I come:)  

It's been a busy week as I tried to finish off school work in preparation for my time away from school while I'm camping but I got it done.  Today was fun as I cooked and prepped food for my camping trip.  I made this great batch of muffins (carrots, zucchini, apple, raisin, spice and other goodness) and I also made a tasty batch of hummus.  I'm more excited about eating on this trip than being outside for 5 days I think.  Being on a camping trip will definitely be more fun than staying in school for the week though.  

The challenge of actually packing everything I"ll need for the week (including 12 Litres of water) into a 5 foot plastic sled still awaits me tomorrow.  It should be interesting.  I'll try to get a picture of me and my gear before I head off.

Speaking of heading off, I'm signing off for tonite-I've got to sleep:)

Cheerio!  See you again next week.

A New Look

Hi Friends.

I thought it was time for a little face-lift around here. I saw a couple of other people who had personal photos as their header and I was inspired!

My week has been busy but good. I went to a thought-provoking presentation about the status of women in Afghanistan. The woman presenting is Vice-President of an organization named Women 4 Women and they focus on helping women and girls receive education and other human rights that have been removed since the rule of the Taliban. She had lots of interesting things to say. I would encourage you to take a look around the site if you have a few extra moments.

My big plans for the weekend include::::HOMEwORK! Yup, the exciting life of a student continues. At least I finally have some serious motivation to get me going. Classes are quickly coming to an end for me and to make that time even shorter, I decided today that I would help out my co-operating teacher for this placement coming up and chaperone the winter camping trip during the last week of february. This means I have to get all my major projects and papers finished in the next 2 weeks. YIKES!!!! I''m gonna be a busy girl but it should be a lot of fun to go on this camping trip and I'll learn a lot just interacting with a class full of students. Probably more than my 'education' classes back at the university.

The other exciting thing coming up in my life is that next weekend I'm heading out to Saskatoon to spend some quality time with Tari-Lynne and Mike...well mostly Tari-Lynne:)- It's Manitoba's first year with a long-weekend in February (Louis Riel Day!) so I'm planning on taking advantage of that which means I have even less time to get all my school stuff done. Okay, so I better just say farewell and get into bed so I have energy to get a serious stack of stuff (did you like that aliteration!?) done tomorrow and Saturday (and Sunday probably).

Make it a great one!

Vanessa