Your Deck Professionals

My summer job this year has been with CanPro Deck and Rail. We are your deck professionals!!! I came across this job opportunity when I delivered fliers for the company. This led to the boss asking if I would be interested in more steady work, which I was.

This job is different from any that I have ever had. I am the bosses assistant which means that my duties vary from day to day. I answer phones, man the show room, make bank and mail runs, clean the shop, chauffeur my coworkers around (that is a funny story), help install rail and am the companies "colour expert"! I really like my work though and am grateful for a boss who would take a chance on hiring me.

I honestly have the best boss and coworkers a girl could ask for. We have a lot of fun at work and are always laughing, joking, and yes even singing. Taylor Swift is definitely a company favourite! So, if you are looking for a deck and are interested in hiring a bunch of singing professionals let me know...

Caramel Popcorn

I love to make treats!!! So, today Heather and I tried a new caramel popcorn recipe. We also tried making it in the microwave instead of baking it in the oven like most recipes call for. I like to try new recipes, but am always worried about the outcome on the first try. And, because I was playing catch with Drew I wanted to make sure I had something yummy for us to snack on so I was worried about how it would turn out.

I hope by the look on Heather's face that this new recipe and technique was a HUGE success. Nothing to worry about at all. Honestly, this popcorn tasted like it was bought from Kernels! I can't even describe how yummy it was. Each kernel was perfectly covered with caramel goodness, and even before Drew got to my house, Heather, my mum, Kinsey and myself had almost eaten the entire bowl. Sorry Drew!

I would give you the recipe, but I can't as Heather and I are now taking orders, haha!

A Pair of Boots

I love cowboy boots! This pair belonged to my Dad. And photographing five pairs of his boots to sell on kijiji for my Mum reminded me of him. He didn't wear anything else...I am not even sure that he had another type of shoe. Wait, that's not true, he did have multiple pairs of gum boots!

My dad was a hard worker. He was strong. He was, in a big way, rough around the edges. He was a fiercely loyal friend. He was brutally honest. He was quiet. He had his struggles like the rest of us, but he was a good man. He was a good Dad. And I love him!

When I look at these boots I remembered all of all these things, and many more. I wonder if he would be proud of my life and the things that I have accomplished. I wonder what advice he might have for me. I wonder how my life would be different if he were still in it. One thing I don't have to wonder about is what he would be doing right now. He would be checking his cows or baling some hay. He might even be shooting some gophers. These things I am sure of. These things, and even these silly old boots make me smile.

Nice, Nice France that is...

So, I must confess that I did not take this picture today, but I wanted to post it anyways. This is almost exactly how that place is captured in my mind. (One small addition and it would be the perfect shot!) The sea, the stony beach, and in the back of this photo my favourite place to spend my time. I used to sit on a bench near that circular wall for hours. I would watch people, listen to a variety of languages, and think about my life, who I was there and who I wanted to become when I left that place.

I was thinking today about how much I miss Nice!! I miss my friend Adel. I miss conversation in French and English and a mash-up of the two. I miss learning about other cultures and religions. I miss long walks along the Promenade with no where in particular to go and feeling like I had all the time in the world. I miss my host mum, Marie. I miss her cooking, her frank way of speaking, her surprises and most of all her laughter. I miss being at school, and feeling challenged to become better, to learn more, to take risks, and to not be afraid of making mistakes. And, maybe more than any of these things, I miss who I was in Nice. Still the same Jen, but different somehow. Different in a way that sitting here now, I can't even explain.

I miss Nice!!!! And so I hope that it's not cheating to post a picture that I took almost 6 months ago now, but even if it is, I needed to post this.

Big Rocks

I gave a lesson today at the retreat about priorities. The object lesson I used was this jar of rocks. I piled them all up and asked if they would fit in the jar. I could see that some of the girls were skeptical that they would fit. They do of course, I had tried it earlier, but they only fit if you put the big rocks in first, the medium sized rocks second, and then the small rocks last.

The jar represents our life. The rocks represent all those things that we do in life, or our priorities. So, the lesson is that only by putting the "big rocks" or the biggest priorities first can we fit everything into our lives.

A big rock in my life is my family. I love my Mum and my brother and his girlfriend. I am grateful for their support and hope that I am a support to them. We have so much fun together. I know that no matter what happens in my life that they care about me and want the best for me. We have gone through some difficult challenges together, but it has only served to bring us closer and to remind us how important the time we have together is.

Another big rock in my life is my faith. Matthew 6:33 reads, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." This scripture comes during the Sermon on the Mount delivered by the Saviour himself, which means "these things" are the blessings promised in the sermon. Here our Saviour Jesus Christ, pleads for us to be faithful and to make faith and Him a big rock in our lives. I make faith a big rock by praying, reading sacred scripture, attending my church meetings and the temple and doing my best to follow God's commandments.

Other rocks in my jar are my friends, my work, playing the piano, reading good books, making pie, playing games, and swimming. Because I have my big rocks in place there is room for these things, and many more.

I challenge you to record what you are doing with your time for a week. Those things that we spend our time doing are our priorities, I know that is true. Then, once having recorded how you spend your time, decide if you need to change or realign your priorities. Try to do the most of the best things, lots of the better things and good things that you enjoy too!

Strong Women

This weekend, a group of women from church and I, went on a Relief Society Retreat to Badger Valley Ranch near Beazer. On our way to the cabin, we saw this old chicken coop leaning precariously in a pasture. I knew the moment I saw it that we could make a funny picture from it. Megan, Ashley and I posed as if pushing it over. Yes, we are strong women!

As the evening progressed and into the next day, together with the other girls, I laughed, cried, shared my hopes, fears, joys and testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, now looking back on the weekend and thinking about this picture, I know that I was surrounded by strong women.

They are not necessarily women of great physical strength, but women who are strong because of the strength of their testimony of Jesus Christ. Women who face trials head on, knowing that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them and who promises them that no matter what obstacle they face in life that they can overcome it because He will be their strength. Women who understand that even during the hardest times in their lives, in times of uncertainty, weakness and struggle, that they can overcome anything. And that as they humble themselves and have faith in Jesus Christ that they can be strong.

The Lord himself, taught this very principle to a prophet named Ether who lived and taught his people nearly 1600 years ago.

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Ether 12:27

It was this weekend, and is my privilege every day to be surrounded by strong women.

The Temple

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I took this picture tonight in Cardston. This is the Cardston Alberta Temple. As I drove by, I was reminded of the shining beacon of light and truth in the darkness of this world, that temples are.

A temple is literally a house of God. It is a holy place where sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ are performed. As I attended the temple tonight, I felt of the love that God my Heavenly Father has for me. I felt peace. I felt happiness. And I felt gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of my Savior Jesus Christ.

I'm a Fungi!

A mushroom walks into a bar, and he sits down. The bartender looks at him and says, "I am sorry, we don't serve your kind here!" The mushroom replies, "Why not? I'm a fungi."

This joke is one of my brother's favourite jokes to tell. I was reminded of it when I saw this mushroom growing in my mum's yard. It is just about the size of an football. I love silly jokes, but it seems that whenever I tell a joke, that I mess up the punch line. This means I rarely tell them to people, but I love hearing them.

I will leave this post with another really silly sciency joke I heard from an amazingly great guy last week...

Why did the algae and the fungus get married?

They took a lichen to each other!

Get it? A lichen is a simple plant consisting of a fungus growing symbiotically with algae. Yes, I know I am a nerd!

O CANADA

I am so proud to be Canadian. As Terri Clark says, "I am a Northern Girl". I am proud to be from a country of acceptance, peacekeeping and hockey. I am proud to sew a Canadian flag on my backpack and know that because of this symbol I will be received warmly where ever I am.

It seems that everyone, everywhere, recognizes the maple leaf and therefore recognizes me.

Traveling is important to me. When we travel we learn about other cultures, religion, customs and people...not to mention that we learn a LOT about ourselves. I have travelled extensively since I finished high school, but I have always known that I would come home. How could I not?

I love the maple leaf, and when I saw this flag waving nobly in the Southern Alberta wind just a block from my house, I had to stop and try and capture it's beauty. Often, as I travel around the world I stop to take pictures of the country's flag. Most recently I photographed the French flag, the Spanish flag, and the flag from the Principality of Monaco. The only other time I have taken a picture of a Canadian flag was at Vimy Ridge. For Canada, the Battle at Vimy Ridge is a significant historical moment. Some have even declared this battle to be Canada's birth of a nation. So too is it significant to France. The land surrounding the ridge itself and the monument built there was given by the French to Canada. There, the Canadian flag is flanked by a French flag and the Canadian Red Ensign.

As humans we ascribe meaning to symbols. For me, the Canadian flag represents freedom. It means peace. It signifies respect and dignity for all people from all places. It represents Canada's beauty and an abundance of natural places. It stands for courtesy and quiet confidence. It represents diversity and a celebration of differences. I LOVE CANADA!!!

Ellis

Ellis!!!! This handsome bulldog belongs to my brother and his girlfriend. He is probably the funniest dog I have ever known. When he is excited to see you he sneezes, on you! He snorts a lot because of breathing issues, poor guy, and he snores so loudly that I can hear him in the basement when he is upstairs.

Tonight I took him for a walk. He can't go very far...only around the block before he gets too tired and needs a drink of water. Luckily, we have a kiddy pool in the backyard for him to cool off in. He is so handsome that people always stop and look at him going by...wait maybe that is because he is snorting the whole time, I am not so sure now.

A Pie Creation

Today after Sunday dinner, I served this pie creation. I was little skeptical that I could actually come up with a yummy dessert on my own. I like to cook, but the scientist in me comes out. I need a recipe! Well, I guess I should rephrase that, I needed a recipe. I came up with this one in the freezer aisle. It is quite rich, but the judges, Trish, Drew and Kinsey thought it was really good...and so did I.

1 tub of Cool-Whip

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 can frozen Lemonade concentrate, thawed

Mix together and pour into a 9 in" graham cracker crumb crust. Refrigerate to set.

World Championship Miniature Chuckwagon Races

Chuckwagon racing is pretty famous in Alberta. It is exciting to watch the horses race around the barrels, hooves pounding and the ground shaking. But, when those horses are under 3 feet tall it is SO funny as well. Miniature horses are quite cantankerous and have hot tempers. They are very competitive as well, which means that watching them race is very entertainment. My favourite part of watching the races is seeing the drivers, most of them big tall men sitting in tiny wagons with their knees bent up around their ears...well not quite ears, but they look funny to say the least. Unfortunately this year I didn't get to see the races. My mum and I sold tickets at the gates and then Kinsey, Eden and I went for a tour of the Remington Carriage Museum. I worked at the museum for four summers and it was fun to be tour guide again.

Summer FUN!

Tonight was so fun! Drew and I watched one of my favourite movies, Sweeney Todd, and then played with glow-in-the-dark sidewalk chalk. Unfortunately none of the glowing pictures turned out, and using my flash to capture our artwork means that it appears to be daytime. Oh well...This is a picture of Drew holding the whole world in his hand. You can also see evidence of our delicious peach and nectarine milk shakes. And yes, we did slurp up the last bits of goodness out of our cups with straws!

Creature Theatre

Tonight, some friends and I went to Creature Theatre presented by the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre at Galt Gardens. So fun!!! Well, for a nerdy biology girl anyway, it was great! The presentation was about the Grassland ecosystem that we live in, and the importance that each species plays in that ecosystem. Grasses, insects, Richardson Ground Squirrels, snakes, raptors, and even bacteria shared their stories with us. I absolutely loved it. Then again, anything that teaches people about biology without them knowing it, is golden in my eyes.

The best part of the presentation was the audience participation. Children represented flowers, a coyote band, and one little boy was an owl's assistant. The entire audience stood to become part of a snake's army troop, and the finale was a group sing-a-long.

This photo is of "Cowboy", a Richardson Ground Squirrel and his Coyote Band. If you look closely at the band, you will see how much local talent we have in Southern Alberta. Yes, she is playing her guitar upside down and backwards!! That is a remarkable gift for a seven year old if I do say so myself.

A Picture A Day

The new challenge is a picture a day. This is one of the challenges that Matt Cutts mentioned in his TEDTalk. I haven't planned any kind of theme for the pictures. I will just be looking for fun, interesting or inspiring things to take pictures of. I am excited at the prospect of capturing images that represent my daily life, however mundane or ordinary it may be.

Today...a fountain at Henderson Lake. Matea and I saw this fountain and we both knew immediately that it is what I should shoot for today. This picture captures a memory of an enjoyable walk on a beautiful summer night with a good friend.

The Push Up Challenge is Complete!

Today marks the end of my first 30 day challenge! 30 days really does fly by quickly. And, Matt was right they have passed by whether I liked it or not. So, the question I am asking myself now is, will I keep this up? The push ups I mean, not the challenges (to which I am not committed). I think the answer is a resounding MAYBE!! I am honestly kind of a slacker when it comes to any form of exercise that isn't swimming; however, I feel like I am in the habit of waking up in the morning and among other things, doing some push ups. So, here is to push ups!! Even if somedays they are the girly kind...

Stay tuned for my next 30 day challenge...

Half way there...

I am just over the halfway point in my first 30 day challenge. How am I doing? Good question!!! What is success anyways? I honestly don't know if I can do more or less pushups at this point, but perhaps the fact that I am continuing to try each day is more to the point. Because really isn't that what success is all about, trying.

I wouldn't say that I am a procrastinator, unless I choose to be, but it is fulfilling to really commit to something. And, to make the commitment not to something I am obliged to do like work or sleep for instance.

Also, my Mum has joined Ginger, Heather and I for this challenge. Way to go Mum!!!