School begins!

This past week I was finally able to calm my back to school nerves. It was nice to get it out of the way actually. When I anticipate something for a long time, I often reach the point of wanting to just 'get it over with'! I was like that with moving too. We talked, planned, prepared, answered questions, explored various options and packed billions of boxes. When it finally came time to move, I actually felt a huge sense of relief. It was kind of the same with school. On Tuesday and Wednesday I had orientation sessions. The first was just a chance to meet faculty and students in IDS and the second was for all new students in the faculty of grad studies. Both helped me to ease into things around Dal. Since then I've had two classes: one for Gender and Development and the other for Development and the Philosophy of Social Science. It is refreshing to be back in my field and thinking about development again. However, I wasn't exactly thinking it was fantastic as I ploughed through the readings for philosophy last evening. Oh how my brain has forgotten academic-speak! Those readings are heavy. Still nice to use my brain again though! I really love the campus too. It is quite beautiful and old and I like spending time there.

Here is my back to school picture!

As I mentioned in my last post, I started one more sewing project to help ease back into the swing of things. Here are a few shots of the chitenge placemats I've been working on.  There is a different chitenge on each side so it is reversible!  Actually, we've been working on it together, because Matthew helped with pinning and drawing on the pencil lines for me to machine quilt it. We had a mini assembly line going. So fun!

Here they are without binding. (I'll post some more once they are complete.)

This is a shot of one of my favourite chitenges. I think it is beautiful! 

Don't you want to come for supper and eat supper on one of these?! 

Milestones

Today I have been on this earth for 28 years. That sounds quite old to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sensitive about my age or afraid of becoming old. Quite the contrary in fact: I can never remember how old I am! When people ask me "How old are you?" or worse, "How old is your husband?" I have a moment of panic, because I do not know the answer! I've even been known to say the wrong age just to give an answer. Of course, I don't realize that I've said the wrong age until it is usually too late to correct myself or too embarrassing. Isn't that strange? How can somebody not know their age? I think this is why I am always surprised when I do pause to consider my age and I think, "How did I get to be that old?" I am not disappointed by it though, because I think I have wanted to be "grown up" my whole life. Yet I am learning that "being grown up" is a strange thing.  I keep waiting to "feel" grown up but I rarely do.  I am beginning to think that such a feeling will never come, because every stage of life is new and one must continually figure out each chapter as it comes along.

I think I must mark milestones in life by markers other than age, such as where I was living, what hair cut I had, what my favourite clothes were, who I was with, what I was reading or studying, etc.  I don't know why but its the way it is. Until I was about 25, I was always inclined to say that I was 19. Which may indicate that 19 was a big year for me, and it indeed it was: I was living in Zambia, had long hair, wore chitenge skirts/tank tops/pata-pata shoes (flip flops) and a jean jacket nearly every day, had the sweetest tan of my life, and experienced some of the most influential events and formed some of the best relationships of my life. It was a life-changing year. A game changer.

Now, life certainly did not stop at 19. I have continued to have amazing experiences, meet fantastic people, and I began to share my life with my best friend 4 years ago.  I have many markers of time since then: working at Procurity, living at home, living with my roomies, dating Matthew, going to Estonia, studying CERTESL, going to Zambia with Matthew and Alisha, starting University, being engaged, getting married, both of us being full-time students, Emmanuelle being born, graduating, Matthew graduating, and soon starting an MA. And there are several smaller indicators of time under each of those markers. Time is amazing to me: memories can feel so far and near all at once.

I am thankful for the many experiences I've had so far. I live an extremely blessed life. I am particularly blessed to go through it all with Matthew. Sharing memories with another person adds a certain richness to life. So, here is to hoping that the next year is full of many more wonderful experiences, relationships, and memories. Also, it would be nice if my memory could start to take notice of my age and remember that I am, indeed, 28. That would ease the panic I feel every time I'm asked the dreaded age question.  They do say that wisdom comes with age, so perhaps I will have gained enough wisdom over the past 28 years that I will finally start to remember it!

The calm before the storm

The last while has been lovely in many ways. We have had absolutely no schedule and no responsibility. That is refreshing. We have enjoyed staying up late watching random movies, some from home and some borrowed from the public library. Sleeping late has become the regular schedule. We've had time to read, bake, cook some delicious meals, walk to the harbour, become familiar with our 'regular stops' in the city (like grocery stores), and experiment taking the bus to a few different places. Rest is good.

Of course, this can't go on forever. Real life will start next week for me as I begin grad school with a couple of Orientation Week activities and then my very first class on Friday. The following week will be full and I'll even get to go to the first session of the undergrad class that I will be a teaching assistant for; it is called International Development and Activism. Should be right up my alley!

The other day my idleness caught up with me though. (If you didn't know, I don't really 'do' life at a slow pace.) I started to feel anxious about Matthew not having a job and then started to worry about school and not knowing where on earth I had to go for my classes. I decided that I won't allow worry to ruin my rest. So I headed downstairs and ran on the treadmill for a bit to get some endorphins pumping through my body. Then I came upstairs, cleaned up and pulled out my sewing stuff. I had just enough time for one last creative project before classes start and I started to make chitenge placemats. (Even though we don't have a table in our dining room yet, they will be useful eventually!) It felt so good to pull out material and start ironing, starching, and cutting. Yesterday I even found my way to a fabric store and got some solid material to use as the border. Last night Matthew helped me to pin on some borders. Today, the sewing begins! I don't know what it is about a project like this, but it is so inspiring and motivating. I just love it! And they are going to be so nice. I'll post pics in the next couple days.

Pilgrimage of the Kindred Spirits

Recently we spent several days in PEI on vacation. It was so much fun!

First, we took the ferry from Nova Scotia to the island and then spend that evening and most of the next day in Charlottetown. We went to the musical "Anne" and it was so much fun!! Then we drove to the north shore and camped at Cavendish campground right on the shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence for three nights. It was so beautiful and a neat experience to see the ocean from our site. We had perfect weather every day except the last full day that we were there....then there was a scary rain/wind storm. I was kind of a chicken, but our tent proved to be a good one so I was thankful. The highlight was going to Green Gables! I have wanted to go there since I was little and read the Anne series for the first time. We are kindred spirits for sure and it was such a treat to go see the beloved Green Gables and to see her world. It was also wonderful to learn more about L.M. Montgomery and visit the site of the home where she grew up and where she wrote 4 books, including Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. And Anne/L.M.M. weren't joking, there really is so much scope for the imagination in PEI!

Boarding the ferry.

Matthew on the ferry. 

First lighthouse on PEI! And check out that red earth!

Fish and chips!

Province house in Charlottetown. We watched a light show on this building on the first night it gave some history about the province and about Confederation.

Our campsite.

Eating breakfast at our campsite.

Eating breakfast another morning.

 My first Anne display! (There were PLENTY more just like this one!)

So many gorgeous Victorian homes with intricate detail.

Matthew, shootin' the breeze with John A. MacDonald. ;)

A visit to the Anne of Green Gables chocolate store. Oh how I wish I had hair like hers!

Down at the Charlottetown harbour.

Beloved Green Gables!

 A view from Green Gables. So pretty, its no wonder Anne loved it so!

In the front room

 Matthew Cuthbert's room

 Kitchen....can you spot the "Raspberry Cordial"?!

 There it is!

 Anne's room!!

 The smashed slate....just the beginning of her and Gilbert!

 Spare room.

 Marilla's room. Prim and proper, just like her!

 We took a walk in the Haunted Woods. They really were kind of spooky!

 Foot picture on Lover's Lane. It was lovely!

 Sand dune on the beach by our campsite.

 Red rocks on the shore.

 L.M. Montgomery's grave in Cavendish. (It says MacDonald, because she married Rev. Ewan MacDonald but continued to publish books as L.M.M.)

 Visiting the site where L.M. grew up. This is the well.

This is the foundation of the house she grew up in. Unfortunately, after her grandmother died, L.M. moved to Ontario to marry Ewen MacDonald and the house was not cared for, so it just got old.

 This was the view that L.M. looked over from her window in that house. The desk where she wrote Anne of Green gables was at her bedroom window, so this is what she may have looked at while writing. Cool eh?

We drove to Dalvay by the Sea....why? Because that is where William and Kate visited when they were here this summer!

And as luck would have it, we found them!! ;)

Fancy hats in the Avonlea gift store!

We came home via Confederation Bridge.

 Here are a few treasures we picked up along our travels. The bottles are Lemon Olive Oil and Cinnamon Pear and Wild Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar. They were at the Olive Store in Charlottetown. So cool and delicious. We'll have some yummy salads at home now! The mugs are the two most recent additions to our "random pottery mug" collection. And the book is the short autobiography that L.M. wrote in 1917, I did not know about it but was lucky enough to find it at her historical site. Such a great read!

So much fun! Can't wait to go back!

Walking for Jack

Last night we joined a memorial walk for Jack Layton. It was a neat experience and a great tribute to his life and work for Canada and the NDP party. He will be missed!
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1260058.html

Fun mail!

Two days ago we received our first piece of mail at our new address and it wasn't just a bill, it was fun mail! My dear friend Natasha is studying in the UK and she sent me a pair of earrings from her travels to Prague over her school break. I love them! And getting fun mail is just one of the best things in life. :)

Missing these sweet faces:(

We spoke to Shannon on the phone this morning. It was so great to hear her voice and to hear about what has been happening around there in the past couple of days. When we were in Regina we spent ALOT of time at her house and even lived there for the last ten days before we moved. She is such an amazing big sister and friend to us both and I just love her.

Then another sweet voice came on the line and it was Emmanuelle! How we miss that girl. Every time we talk about her, one or both of us gets a lump in our throat and our eyes well-up! This morning was no exception. That little "Hello auntie!" or "Hello Uncle" just squeezes my heart. We were really so blessed to live close to her for past few years and watch her learn and grow and get to know her personality. She is just so wonderful. And so is her little sister, Karyss. What a little sweetheart! She was almost walking when we left and eager to get moving faster! When we see her next time she'll be walking all over the place and talking too! That is a crazy. Although we'll miss out on lots of her "firsts" at least all of that learning will eventually lead to her being able to talk to Auntie and Uncle on the phone! And when they get to come visit we will have scoped out all of the good parks in our neighbourhood and we'll be ready to play like never before!

Beautiful!

This morning we received these from a dear friend as a house warming present!

Thank you Janet, you are so thoughtful and sweet!