This One's for You Mom!

For those of you who know me well, you are quite familiar with my great dislike for the warm tasteless liquid known as tea. I have never liked the stuff and have always said I never will. However, having a cold has apparently destroyed my tastebuds and in seeking comfort for my sore throat, I turned reluctantly toward tea. I am pretty sure all of our food money for the year is being spent on tea because we have a whole cupboard full of different kinds. I decided to try the apple cinnammon flavour because I quite like apples and cinnammon and thought it would be the least tea-ish. So I made myself a cup with a reasonable two spoons of sugar and I prepared for the worst as I tasted it...but...stop the presses...I liked it!!

That cup has been followed by at least one and somtimes two each day. Now the jury is still out as to whether this new found appreciation is only because it is soothing or if it is a genuine love of the stuff. On one hand, I am sad that tea is starting to taste good because in a weird way, I have prided myself in disliking it. When the table was set for breakfast, my spot was always the one without the mug for tea. Now I will be just like all the other tea-loving people in the world! (I would like to point out however, that I have only tried three kinds and Earl Grey is still thoroughly disgusting) On the other hand, if I truly like tea, this will allow me to avoid potentially awkward situations in the "adult" world when a host will ask me whether I would like tea or coffee, and I will no longer have to force a third option which they did not prepare for.

My cold is almost over and I don't know if I will crave that tea taste once my throat is no longer raw. I will keep you posted. But for now, I have joined the tea drinking ranks. Mom, if you are reading this, you are probably proud that I have learned to enjoy your favourite drink. This is officially my first act of becoming more adult now that I'm not at home. Just let me ask for juice once in a while.

Dorm Room

So here is my lovely dorm room. I am quite impressed by the quality of my room and although it was bare for awhile, I now have most of my personal touches added and it feels quite cozy. I even have a bamboo plant. My mom says they are impossible to kill. Obviously she doesn't have faith in my horticultural skills. Speaking of my mom, she bestowed me with many a parting gift, the biggest of which is the addition of a grocery store to my dorm room which I can conveniently store under my bed.



I did laundry yesterday for the first time and I think it went pretty well, except for the fact that I left paper in one of my pockets and now have have tiny pieces of paper all over my clothes. At least it was the dark load so all the pieces show up very well and I can now pick them off. Please don't tell my mom I didn't check my pockets. Please.

Party of a Lifetime

I am back from the wedding and it was absolutely amazing. Everyone looked gorgeous and it was so much fun. We pretty much had the hotel to ourselves for the whole weekend and everyone got to know each other a lot better. It all started with the rehersal on Friday evening and then a fantastic buffet at the hotel afterward. After that we just lounged around in our room...complete with a full kitchen, 3 beds, one hide-a-bed, and two bathrooms. The next morning the bridal party had breakfast together and got our hair and make-up done in the room next to my parent's, while all the men got ready in my parent's room. The weather was perfect at around 18 degrees. The ceremony went off without a hitch and the pictures seem to have gone well, except for a crying ring bearer. The reception was great wtih a lot of food, laughter and dancing. After the dance, the wedding party and a few remaining friends went to one of the rooms and just sat around talking...until it was decided we should break into the pool. So some guys stripped down into their underwear and dove in while the rest of us dipped our feet into the hot tub. That only lasted for about ten minutes until we were all pulled into the water with our clothes on...thankfully we had changed out of our wedding attire. No one got to bed until 3:30 that night. The next day, we went to the gift opening at the Haney's cabin and there was more great food, boating, and relaxing in the hot tub. Brad was driving the boat for the most part and I have never been on a more thrilling tube ride. Our family didn't get home until about 10:00 at night, exhausted, but with so many memories to last the rest of our lives. I am sorry that this post is so short and brief, but there are so many details and stories that it could go on for pages. If you want to see pictures, go to my facebook profile and there are 4 albums posted. Here are a couple of my favourite pictures.

Life by the Numbers

10 - the number of new items of clothing that I have bought (read: my mom has bought for me) before I leave for Ontario. Probably a little too much, but that's ok. Its not like I have a limited amount of stuff I can take on the plane.

9 - the number of hours I will be awake before arriving in Hamilton. I hate waking up early.

8 - the number of months that I will be gone. You people better miss me!

7 - the number of days before I begin classes in the strange and foreign land known as Ontario.

6 - the number of family members that I leave behind, because on Saturday, Kerri Lynn will officially become a Vanderberg. Or a Haney-Vanderberg, but that's still close enough.

5 - the number of friends I will already know at Redeemer. Maybe by Christmas it could be 6.

4 - the number of hours it will take me to fly to Hamilton. Flying makes me nauseous.

3 - the number of cousins that I get to visit in Ontario!

2 - the number of suitcases I have to cram all my belongings into. Suddenly, 10 new things don't seem like such a good idea. I guess I am wearing whatever doesn't fit. Maybe I shouldn't have left those sweaters for last...

1 - the number of lives I have to live. This new phase of my life is coming whether I am ready or not. Here's hoping I make the most of it.

Evacuation

Last night was my second last shift at Ric's Grill in the water tower. It was pretty much like any other night, full of a lot of smiling, "follow me's" and the usual whole lot of nothing. That is until approximately 7:50 when the kitchen burst into flames and the fire alarm started screaming its warning for us to flee the impending danger. It was chaos as people began screaming and rushing toward the elevator, only to find that they had to take the stairs down instead. Soon the flames started following us down the stairs and we barely escaped with our lives.

Well, maybe it wasn't quite like that, but there definitely was some smoke and a piercing alarm. Apparently, the hoods on the stoves stopped working, causing smoke to accumulate and set of the alarm. Funny thing though, when the alarm went off everyone just sat there and looked around. No one jumped out of their seat or thought that they were in any danger. Good thing it wasn't a real fire. None of the staff really knew what to do (safety first..ha!) so we told all the tables that it was just a false alarm and that they didn't have to leave...that is until the manager told us two seconds after we told everyone that we did indeed have to evacuate the building. Did I mention it was raining outside? So everyone goes down the 150 stairs and huddles outside in the rain. The fire trucks and ambulance come to check everything out and make sure that the building really wasn't on fire. Many of the people who were eating there were still standing around, as if they were determined to get that steak they ordered a half hour ago. News flash: the building has been evacuated and the grill can't be turned back on, unless you want to go through this whole ordeal again. You won't be getting your steak tonight ladies and gentlemen.

Eventually all the tables left, leaving a lot of uneaten food and unpaid bills and only the staff were left to freeze outside. Thankfully, some of the servers who were able to think quickly in an emergency situation remembered to grab their cameras so we could take pictures of the occasion. What a lifesaver. After it was established that there was no fire, we were allowed back inside and it was decided to close the restuarant for the evening. But what did we do with all that food, uneaten and untouched, you might ask? We ate it of course! (Shameless plug: the crab and shrimp stuffed mushrooms are soo good...and I don't even like crab, shrimp or mushrooms!) The manager bought us all a drink and we called it a night and left the building...this time becuase we wanted to.

Beatiful Prairies

I love the prairies. There is such great beauty in their simplicity. They will always be my home.