Who Loves Margarine?

A couple of weeks ago, I made some macaroni and cheese for lunch. That was the first and last time I have had macaroni since I have been here. Why you ask? Let me tell you. I took a bite of it and thought "Hmmm...this tastes a little funny" but I couldn't quite figure out what it was. I took a couple of more bites, hoping the taste would go away, but it was most defintely still there. Unsure of whether it was just my own tastebuds, I got Jessica to taste it. She took a bite and then promptly spit it in the garbage. We decided it tasted like the smell of compost. Yuck.

We weren't quite sure what made the macaroni so disgusting but I threw it out and went on with life...that is until supper time. We were having potatoes and I LOVE potatoes. It might actually be an obsession. Anyway, I put some margarine on my potatoes and then started to eat them. I only took a couple of bites when I noticed that they tasted a little bit off...kind of like my macaroni! Thanks to my skillful deduction, I figured out that the common factor in both these food ruining moments was the Becel margarine we had all been so happy to get, opposed to the hydrogenated, saturated, trans fat, heart attack margarine we had been using. We all took a whiff of the margarine and it smelled simply disgusting.

Being the good Dutch people that most of us are, we called Becel which is actually Unilever Canada and told them our sad margaine story. Monica (a girl from my dorm) was the one who actually called, and having never tasted the margarine, she told them it tasted like pesticides. Exaggeration never hurts. The lady on the phone told us to dispose of it immeadiately and talked on and on about all the different reasons it could have gone bad. Then...the magic moment came when she said that to replace our margarine, we would get four free coupons for Becel!! That made our day. Today these coupons arrived in the mail along with a letter which read:

Thank you for contacting us regarding Becel Margarine. We are very sorry to learn you had this experience.

Our company is dedicated to marketing products of only the highest quality and safety. Providing superior products at competitive prices is our commitment to you. We are concerned when we hear of a problem involving one of our products and will share your comments with the appropriate staff.
Thank you for bringing this important matter to our attention. We regret and inconvenience this situation may have caused you. Please accept the enclosed with our sincere appreciation for using our products.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Hooper
Consumer Services Rep

Aren't they nice? The only problem is that the coupons expire on December 31 and we probably won't be able to use them all. Margarine anyone?

It's Brother, not Bother

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.
Clara Ortega



My whole life, people have pitied me for not having any sisters. They say how awful it must be to have all brothers and ask me if I have ever wanted a sister. The truth of the matter is, I can't ever remember really wanting one. Sometimes I wished that I could have someone to share clothes with, but that was about it and now that Kerri Lynn is a part of the family, she has taken care of that problem quite well. If people took the time to think about it, they would realize that youngest + only girl = spoiling!

Now that I live with 7 girls, I am realizing just how lucky I am to have all brothers. I could always count on taking as long as I wanted in the bathroom that I had to myself. I could always count on there being lots of the food in the house. Serioulsy, the girls here eat nothing and therefore when they make meals and do the shopping, it is in accordance with their hating habits. A handful of pasta? Half of a tiny chicken breast? Maybe I just eat a lot, but I honestly don't know how they aren't always hungry because I sure am. I have also realized just how much most girls don't understand boys. Yes, they are kind of messy and they do say slightly off colour things and often forget to inhibit their bodily functions...that is just how they are. Deal with it. Despite all this, I do get along wonderfully with my dorm. They are all wonderful girls, but they just aren't the same as brothers.

I am truly thankful for my brothers in so many ways. I am thankful that they took me outside of my Barbie world sometimes and let me play boy games. I am thankful that they helped me play sports. I am thankful for their sense of humour, even though I didn't always laugh. I am thankful that they encourage me. I am thankful that they teased me. It helped me to not take things so personally...although I think I may still require more help in this area. I am thankful for their protection and all their advice. I am thankful that when we fought, we were never angry the next day. Boys don't hold grudges.

Most of all I am thankful for the examples they have set for me. They have had to learn many things the hard way so that I don't have to. They have experiences which I can draw from and learn from. They work hard in everything they do and they inspire me to do the same. I am proud of all of them and I hope that they are proud of me too. So much of who I am is because of my brothers.

Have I ever wanted a sister? I think brothers are just fine, thank you.

Henry

I would like to introduce you to Henry. Henry is an acquaintance of mine. I have known him for exactly three weeks, not a day more and not a day less. He is an awkward little fellow, quite short and round. He is always smiling, but I don't think he is happy. I know he is hiding some dirty little secret.

Every Thursday, I spend four hours of my evening with Henry. He follows me around, but doesn't say a word. It might not be so bad, except he is constantly tripping or falling over. He doesn't move around large objects very well, so I have to pick him up time and time again. Don't feel sorry for me though. I chose to spend time with Henry. If I knew he was going to be like this, I might have reconsidered. Now I am stuck with him. At least I am getting paid to be his "friend."

Henry is at home now, most likely sitting in the dark. I think he likes it best that way, but I can't know for sure. Someone just told me that's where he belongs. I don't think I will ever get along with Henry. But I guess I just have to suck it up.

This is Henry.

At Least You Can See the Floor....Kind of...

I know you have all been anxiously waiting for these pictures, but I can assure you, they were well worth the anticipation. What you see may or may not shock you, depending on your understanding of the male mind...or just the mind of one Jordan Van Dyk. I would like to point out however that the room is quite nicely decorated and the closet is well-organized. There is hope!







Obviously Jordan is happy in his surroundings. Just look at him smile.

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.