Picture Time!

I have been terrible with posting pictures. I know. This post will be mostly pictures with some explanations. The first few are of the gingerbread house that my mom and I made. It is a first attempt for both of us, so pardon the uncreativity! (No offense, mom.) Maybe this means that we can only improve:)

I also thought that I should maybe post some pictures of my apartment, and am very excited to do that. Okay...update. I am trying to put pictures of my apartment up, but it is WAY too slow and time consuming. I will do it yet, but when I have a bit more time. Hope you enjoy these for now.

Sigh...

It snowed. I didn't want it to snow. I wanted it to stay lovely until December 20th. After that day, I do not have to worry about roads (for driving to and from Brandon) until I go back to school - and I personally think the snow should be gone by then.
As much as I dislike snow, and winter in general, I am appreciating it more this year than I usually do, and I think this is because it waited so long to come. Honestly, I kind of am enjoying this snow a little. But don't tell too many people. I wouldn't want word to get around that I might be enjoying winter. Really though, when I look outside (and it's not too windy) I can't help but smile because the snow is so pretty and sparkly. I like that. The other day I was brushing snow off of my car, and snow blew in my face. That made me smile. I liked that too. I almost giggled. Weird. Just thinking about the snow, and it flying in my face makes me smile a little right now. The thing that I think is making this winter so much more enjoyable is the fact that I have mukluks. And I love them. Love. They keep my feet and legs so roasty toasty, I don't even have to worry about getting cold. I need mukluks for my hands. They get cold.
It is exam time. Well, almost. Classes officially end on Wednesday, the 9th. Then I have 5 exams, an I am home free! I am very much looking forward to having two weeks during which I will not think about school - well at least not too much ;) I will, though, spend time with people that I like, and eat lots of really yummy food:)
I have figured out from some of my past postings that if I want people to comment, I need to have a poll. I like comments, so here's the poll. Actually, it's not really a poll. It's a question. Do you like the snow? Do you like that it's here, or did you want it to stay away a little longer. And also, because I really like comments, if you have time, tell me why you like the snow. Explain. (Sorry, that's probably really not nice of me. I hated it when teachers always put the 'Explain' part on questions in tests. It made the questions so much harder! Don't worry...I'm not grading you!)
Happy Winter, Everyone. Also, Happy 20 days 'till Christmas!!!

I'm So Bad...

At being consistent with blog postings! I'm sorry! One of my friends said to me, "Lori, I look at your blog sometimes, but you barely ever post something new!" So now I am taking some time to post!
This weekend has been wonderful so far! One of my friends from university came to my house for the weekend, and it has been fun hanging out and just spending time together and not worrying much about school! We've had a bunch of fun, and today she'll help us set up our tree, and get her first taste of The Amazing Race - something that she has no say about!
School is almost done for this term, thankfully! My last exam is on the 18th of December (I may have mentioned that before...) and that cannot come too soon! I'm to the point where I'm just really ready for a break, and really tired of school! Bad place to be at, let me tell you! My motivation has pretty much left, and I just want to have a break! It feels like even though this term has just sped by, it can't go any slower. That's a hard feeling to describe, but I think most of you might be able to imagine (or remember!) what that feels like.
We don't really have snow yet. Now, most people would say this with a frown, or a disappointed tone in their voice, but I am SO thankful! Driving back and forth from Brandon has been lovely so far! I love not having to worry about weather and roads - it's just huge load off of my mind. I know that eventually the snow will come, but for now I am just loving this 'clear road' weather.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, as well as this next week, and the rest of the weeks before I blog again:)
Thanks for still coming back and reading!

How Time Flies!

Okay, so I know it's been quite a while since I posted. What can I say? School is busy...sometimes:) I guess I've just been lazy and putting off trying to think of what to tell you.

1. On the school front, things are going well. I'm actually finding this semester fairly easy, especially compared to last year. People keep on saying how stressful and tough year 2 is, but right now I'm not really experiencing those things...and I'm okay with that! I still am enjoying school, and we are doing exciting things now...like needles!!!! I gave my first needle this past week, and it went really well! There's nothing to it, really;) The first one is done, so the rest should be fairly simple...at least that's my thought process!

2. I love this weather. Seriously. I mean, no snow for driving in...who doesn't love that?! Last year by this time, I'm sure that I was driving in ice and snow to get home on the weekends, but this year that hasn't happened yet, and I am SO thankful! Driving in gross conditions is one of the things I dislike most, so this is splendid! I was at my grandma's today, and she said that a year ago yesterday in her diary she wrote that my aunt and uncle had to shovel her driveway! I love no snow yet:) If this is our global warming, bring it on!

3. Apparently it's 49 days till Christmas. I saw a sign today. Isn't that kind of exciting? That means that I have less than 49 days of school left!! Actually, our last day of school is on the 9th of December, so that's only a month. YAY! My last exam is on the 18th, and that's only 9 days later, so only about 39ish days left...so excited!

4. Thank you to those that answered my poll. Now I know how many of my readers are deprived of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. If you're not already jealous, I'll just have you know that my lovely mother made another batch yesterday...yum:)

Peek-a-boo into Lori-Life

Well, it's been a bit since I've let you all peek in at my life, so I guess I should bring you up to date.
School is busy. Have I mentioned that before?! There are constantly things happening, and it's super hard to stay on top of everything. Despite that, I am still enjoying myself. Clinical continues to throw learning curves every week, and I am just hoping that I am taking them in stride and not making a fool out of myself all the time:) This past week we were assigned new patients, and I had the wonderful experience of having one patient who loved playing with her stuffed platypus - she kept me smiling:)
Lately I've been spending more time at my two friends' house. Jess and her roommate graciously let me come over and hang out ("try to study time") and use their internet! My "free" internet at my apartment has suddenly disappeared, so now I can no longer check email, update my blog, or do my online course whenever I want. I could go to BU and use the internet there I guess, but going to Jess's house is much more pleasureable:) I enjoy it a lot and have been going over almost every evening!
This weekend I must bake. Please leave a comment if you have never heard of or had Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. I'm doing a poll. Literally. I have talked to so many people this week (including my roommate, Jess, her roommate, and other people in my class) and they have all never ever heard of those muffins. If you've never heard of them...you're missing out! They are absolutely scrumptious!
Well, I guess I should get on with homework. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Check!

Tuesday was my second day of clinical. To say the least, it was a learning curve! We started out with bed baths. It's one thing doing it on a manikin, and another doing it on an actual person! Even though I was painfully slow, the patient was very understanding and not upset at all.
First bed bath? Check!
After I gave the bed bath (with the help of my wonderful partner who has been a health care aide, and guided me through the process:)...) my IA said that she wanted someone to help her give a different patient a shower. Since my partner has done that (because she's been a HCA) she said that I should go do it. So, I went with my IA and this patient to the shower room. My IA then proceeded to say, "Okay, so I'll get you set up and then I'll be back in a little while." Whoa! So, I then gave a shower. Just a note - we did NOT practice that in lab...that was a learning experience!
First shower given? Check!
Today I baked an apple pie. Yes, I finally did it! I haven't tried it yet, so I'm not exactly sure how it tastes, but I'm thinking it should be okay. I might have put a tad much sugar in, but I guess we'll find out. Better sweet than sour, right? It didn't even boil over on to my other pan, so I am quite happy about that! Even though I haven't tried it, I am bringing it to my friend's house for supper, and we WILL enjoy it:)
First apple pie made? Check!
Thanks you to all of you who kindly left a comment after my last post. I liked that. And it kept me smiling all week! Hope that this week has been good for all of you. Wanna keep me smiling some more?
Comments kept me smiling all week? Check!

Firsts

Well, I have had all of my classes once, and today was our first day at Brandon General Health Centre (BGHC). We didn't provide any care today, but instead got a huge tour of the entire hospital. It was pretty cool, but I was a little lost too. It's a pretty big place, but it was nice to see all the different areas of the hospital as a student. Things are explained in greater detail than if you're just general public. I like it:)
We were also given a more in depth orientation of our floor, A2, as I mentioned in the last post. I am very excited to be placed there. Our Instructional Associates (IAs) told us that A2 is one of the best parts of the hospital to be placed in for the first clinical. Yay! It seems like the majority of the floor is elderly people, so that will be fun! We've also been told that the nurses and patients on the floor are generally really open to having students around, and I'm definitely glad about that. The last thing I want is trying to help people that don't want help from me!
Anyways, good first week back at school. I have learned that there is a TON of reading to do. Seriously a ton. Oh my goodness. Yesterday I went to bed earlyish (yes, I'm making that a word now) because I was tired from reading. Not tired of reading (although kind of that too...) but tired from reading. That didn't really happen so much last year. I mean, I was supposed to read last year, but I didn't really read a whole lot...sorry mom;) This year though, reading is more expected, so I'm trying to keep up from the beginning instead of fall behind right at the beginning. Being proactive. Yay me.
Because of all this reading, I have not yet been able to make the apple pie that I so want to make! I was going to on Monday, but then I read. I was going to today, but then I read. Tomorrow I might have time, but I might read. And then in the evening, I am going out and having fun:) Tomorrow is my dear friend Jessica's birthday, so we are going to Montana's for supper to celebrate. I don't know if there is post-Montana's celebrating happening, so I don't know if reading will happen after that. Then it's Thursday, and Thursday's a bit of a busy day, so I won't be able to make my apple pie then. Then it's FRIDAY!!!! WEEKEND!!!! So I won't make my pie then!
Next week maybe?!
One last comment. If you read my blog, comment! I like getting comments. They make me smile:) So, please keep me smiling all week long!

Back to School!

I have had my first two days back at school, and I am excited:) Today we received our clinical groups and also were told which wards we'll be going to...starting on TUESDAY! I am going to be on A2 which is part of the Assiniboine Centre, attached to the hospital. It is an orthopedic surgery rehab as well as medical rehab unit. I think that this will be a great place to start, and I'm so happy.
So far we haven't had any classes that are going to require papers, so that is also a reason for excitement! We have been introduced to our lab, and it looks like fun too! I do know, though, that although all of this looks like so much fun, it will be a lot of work. Our instructors have told us it will be a lot of work, and a LOT of reading, but in the end it will be worth it.
Our apartment is absolutely lovely! What an improvement from last year! Oh my goodness. This year we are living in an apartment block that is about 5 years old. The appliances are wonderful, we have a great living room, a nice bathroom, and no mice:) The best part? It's cheaper than last year. Yup, it really is! What a blessing!!!
Sorry I don't have any pictures this time - maybe next time.
Have a good one!

Summer Happenings

Well, in my last blog posting, I said that I hoped you wouldn't have to wait another month before I blogged again. Oops. Sorry about that. It has been a month already since the last post! Time has been flying by. It seems kind of like summer just started, and tomorrow it's exactly a month until I start school!

In my last post, I talked about going to BC for my cousin's wedding. That was a blast! I hadn't seen my cousins in a very long time, and being able to spend a weekend with them was so much fun. I wish I could have stayed longer, but there's always that thing about coming home...

Last weekend my Derksen family went up to Clear Lake for the long weekend. This is something that is looked forward to by everyone for the entire year leading up to it - we have gone up there for eight years now. As soon as we leave, we already start talking about next year:) My cousins and I went on a photo shoot, and unfortunately I don't have those pictures to post, but we definitely got some good ones!

Yesterday I went to the second of my August weddings. Both that I have gone to have been very nice. Next weekend I don't have any to attend, but then there is a wedding each of the following two weekends.

Right now my sister and brother-in-law are out. They are heading back to PA tomorrow, which is really too bad. They could stay for a while longer, and I would be perfectly okay with that:) Time always seems to go by so quickly when they come out.

Well, I'll leave it there for now. Hopefully the summer has been as good for you as it has for me. I'm just hoping that we'll still get some warmer weather:)

It's Been a While

Wow. Okay, it's been about a month since I posted anything. I know that is a really long time, and I've been thinking about posting for a while already, but I never know what to blog about! Let's see if I can find some key things to point out about how my summer is going so far.

-Oh this one is easy:) It's definitely the happiest thing that will happen this summer. I received my acceptance letter into the Faculty of Nursing at Brandon University!!! This means that I only have three more years of school and that I will be graduating in 2012! Crazy:) This Saturday I am going shopping with some friends and we are going to get our scrubs, stethoscopes, shoes, and stuff like that. Yay! I am really looking forward to it!

-I have been working at the pool a lot! I am enjoying myself, and right now I am teaching adult lessons, which I particularly enjoy.

-I have ordered TONS of free samples from online sites. I love it! There are so many offers for samples of multitudes of products! In just a few weeks I will have so many samples of so many different products. Not only is it great that you get stuff for free, it gives you an idea if you like a product so that you can keep your eye out for that product.

-On that same note, even if you really like a product, I am learning not to buy it unless I can get it for a really good price. In my last blog post, I talked about some of the deals that I got when I went shopping. I am planning to shop by coupons from now on. This doesn't mean I won't be buying things that I need, but I will try to be more concious of my purchases and save as much money as I can. I am a student, and I would love to stay debt free throughout my school years. Even if you aren't a student, couponing is a great way to save pennies so you can use them elsewhere! If anyone is interested in knowing some of the sites where I get coupons, freebies, and other info to help me save money, leave me a comment, and I will let you know what I use!

-This, apparently, is the summer for weddings! I am attending what seems like a lot of weddings this summer, and I am very excited! The next one I go to is next weekend, and it is in BC! My cousin is getting married there, and I am happy to be able to travel to BC to be there for her special day! After that, August will be the busy month with four weddings.

Well, that's about all for now. I will try not to wait another month before I post again! Hope you are all enjoying your summer!

Fabulous Finds

Well, I can't say that I did as well as Cheryl on my shopping trip, but I think I still did well! I went to Shoppers Drug Mart today, and although I don't think they always have great sales, I scored well today! Coupons + Great Sales = Happy Savings in My Wallet! Here's what I got.
-Herbal Essences hair product on sale for $1.88, but used $1.00 off coupon, so $0.88.
-Arm & Hammer Toothpaste on sale for $1.79, but used $1.00 off coupon, so $0.79.
-Satin Care Shave Gel on sale for $2.99, but used $2.00 off coupon, so $0.99.
-Electrasol PowerTab Dishwasher Detergent on sale for $3.49, but used $3.50 off coupon, so made $0.01!
I gave the detergent to mom, but kept the other stuff for myself. Also, Lays chips were on sale, and although I didn't have a coupon for that, it was still a good price - $1.88 for a bag of chips. There was a limit of 4 and then they were $1.99 a bag. I bought 3 bags for mom - she's going to pay me back, though:) and then I also bought her 2L of chocolate milk for $3.00.
Although it often seems that our neighbours south get the better deals, there are great deals to be found here too! Thanks to a website I look at, I snatched these up! Boy was it fun!

Woohoo!

So, my landlord called today to let me know that someone has rented our apartment starting today!!! That means that we will no longer have to pay rent:) Oh I am so happy! We did have to pay for May, but other than that, we're good to go for the summer. Yay for getting money back!
Happy Monday!

Jumbled Thoughts

Well, it has been a little while since I last posted. I feel like I don't have much to post about, but we'll see what I come up with. Just a warning - it'll probably be very random.

The pool is open again. It actually opened last Friday. I haven't worked tons yet, but that'll come. Starting on Monday, I'll be teaching lessons from 4-6. It might be a tad chilly. Good thing I have a wetsuit:) I am not working this weekend which is kind of nice. I must say that being a headguard does have it's perks. One of them happens to be the I get every other weekend off.

I'd love to go to Pennsylvania and visit again. Really I would. I had such a good time and I want to go again for a longer time! I don't think that will actually happen in the near, near future, but it's definitely in my future plans.

Tomorrow is the first day of June and I think that is crazy. It feels like May went by SO fast, and now we're already about to enter June! Hopefully June will be many degrees warmer and much less windy than May:)

Oh Happy Day!

Woohoo! I am pretty excited because I received an acceptance letter from Brandon University's Bachelor of Nursing program!!!! Now I don't have to worry about not getting in anymore! This means that if all goes well, I will graduate in 2012! Wow! That sounds pretty crazy right now, but it is exciting too!
Hope your weekends are going as well as mine is!

Fun in the Sun

Well, after reading Cheryl's blog, I think I need to update mine as well! I have been enjoying my time in PA so incredibly much. It really has been a very long time since Cheryl and I got to hang out for so long, and (as much as I love you mom & dad) by ourselves! It is so much fun:) So, what have we been doing?
On Thursday night, I went with Andy & Cheryl to a class that they are taking called Financial Peace University. Cheryl has told me a bit about it, and instead of making them miss class because I was here, I just tagged along. Wow was it good! There is so much for me to learn, and I would really like to take the whole course sometime. You can check out the website at www.daveramsey.com It's very interesting stuff.
On Friday, Cheryl and I went shopping for deals! I ended up getting a really nice pair of shorts for only $9.00, regular $30.00...SCORE! Cheryl also bought a few things. We looked at clearance racks first and then after that looked at the regular priced racks. Let me tell you, after looking at clearance rack prices, regular price was not even tempting!
Saturday morning was a little earlier of a start than I had anticipated, but it was good:) We went to yard sales with two of Cheryl's friends. We started around 8:00 and walked around looking. In PA they do it differently than at home - a smarter way. There are little communities within the cities and each community decides on a weekend that they will have yard sales. Then, that weekend, lots of people come through and you don't have to put up individual signs for yourself. You can have a yard sale even when it's not "your weekend", but most likely less people will come through. If that description is wrong, hopefully someone from PA can correct me! Cheryl and I weren't really expecting to find much, but Cheryl found a sectional for their basement and we also each got a pair of really nice shorts for a few dollars! Talk about great bargains!
Today is kind of a lazy day - though Cheryl and I will be heading into Harrisburg this evening to lead worship at HDC (Harrisburg Discipleship Center).
I am having an absolute blast here. I kind of don't want it to end, so I just won't think about that right now:) I'm hoping that this "bargain-hunting-learning-and-yearning" won't leave me, and I'll continue to try to find the best deal. Who knows, maybe Dave Ramsey (on DVD) will make an appearance in Winkler in the future...

Excitement

Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow is the long-awaited day! I am going to PA to visit my sister and brother-in-law. And I am excited. I am going for about a week! I hope they don't regret allowing to come for as long as I want! We are going to have a grand time, though, and their weather is so much nicer than Manitoba's, so I am looking forward to that as well!
After I come back from my trip, the pool will be opening, and then I'll be busy with that. It'll be nice to have it open again, and also to have pay checks...woohoo! My bank account might actually start looking a little more encouraging!
Enjoy the next week or so!

Searching

I am looking for a few things for my apartment for next year. I have looked on Pembina Valley Online and know that I need to go look at MCC as well as garage sales. I am looking for a bookshelf to store my text books on, so it needs to be durable to weight and also, I do want it to look nice. I also am looking for a couch. I don't want to pay too much because I am a student. I still do want something decent that does not belong in the garbage. If I don't get called to work in a school tomorrow, I think I will attempt some garage sales. It doesn't cost anything to look, so I may as well! If anyone reading this is having a garage sale, let me know! I might want to come and take a look at some of your stuff!

Mission Accomplished!

I'm done! I actually finished school a week ago today. I am so glad to be done. It feels wonderful. Yesterday we moved out of our apartment, so that is done too. Unfortunately no one has agreed to rent our apartment yet, but we're still hopeful that someone will before May 1.
Another note of happy news...I'm going to visit my sister and brother-in-law:) I am so excited! I am leaving in 18 days! Wow that sounds soon! I am going to visit them for about a week. They said it didn't matter how long I stayed - I sure hope that they still think that after I've been there for a few days!
Well, I better get going. I have to make sure that I get to grandma's on time to watch America's Test Kitchen with her! I love cooking shows :)
Have a good weekend!!!

Time flies when you're having...fun?

Fun. I don't think that's exactly how I'd classify exams or anything, but I guess when I'm talking about how the time has flown by, I'm referring more to the school year as a whole. It seem like not that long ago that I was moving into Brandon, getting to know a new roommate, learning how to navigate around the university, and learn about what going to university really means. Now, I have 3 days left. 3 DAYS LEFT!!!!!! I am very excited:) I had 2 exams yesterday and I have a 3rd one today. Tomorrow is a day off and then 1 exam Friday morning and 1 Saturday morning...then it's off to Winkler to go to my cousin's wedding! I am super excited.
Well, I probably should go study. It just had been a while since I posted anything. I was planning on posting sooner, but the Internet was being silly. I guess I can't complain too much since I'm not paying for it:)
Enjoy the rest of your week...I hope it's as happy as mine!

I'm like a Cucumber...

Except for being cool and collected. I'm calm. I think. After tomorrow I shall be a little more relieved. Tomorrow I write my A&P lab exam. I think it might be hard. I am taking a study break right now. I also am not too worried about it. I am not sure why. I really need to do well, I don't know everything, and I am calm. Kind of an interesting combination, I think, but whatever!
Well, I should go back to studying.
By the way, if any of you know someone who wants to rent a place in Brandon starting on May 1, let me know PLEASE! Thank you:-)
Have a good weekend!

The Promised Pictures

So, here are the promised pictures of the M&M cakes. Enjoy :-)

My Deepest Apologies

I know that I said that I'd post pictures of the cake that I made, but unfortunately I left my cord to connect my camera to my computer at home in Winkler. So, when I go home this weekend (yay!) I will put those pictures onto my computer and put them up so that the cakes can be viewed.
I hope your week is going well so far - this week there's not really assignments or anything crazy for me, so it's kind of a relaxing week, but next week will be crazy busy. I'm enjoying the little break before the insane end-of-school crunch happens.
Have a good one:)

SURPRISE!!!

So, I have been excited for this particular weekend for quite a while now. Today is my very good friend Michelle's birthday. Her boyfriend arranged for me to surprise her by going to her house and being there when she arrived home. And boy did I surprise her:) She was speechless! It was so much fun. And still is fun! I decided to tread down the cake decorating road again, so I made her two M&M cakes since she is in love with M&Ms. I haven't put those picture on my computer yet, but I hope to soon, and then will put them up for all to see. I was pretty happy with them, especially considering that one of the cakes fell into five pieces. That did not make me very happy. But now it's all okay because icing covered it all up and it was scrumptious! Anyway, that is the excitement for this weekend. I hope to put pictures up very soon, so stay tuned!

Smiling's My Favourite :)

Okay. So the real reason for this post? TOMORROW IS THE WEEKEND!!!! Woohoo! I love weekends. They make me so happy:) When I drive to Brandon every Sunday night, the countdown starts. Really seriously. That's what happens. As we pull in to Brandon, someone in the car will mention that there's only five days till we get to go home again! Brandon is not my home. I don't think it will ever be my home. There was once a time in my life when I thought that I'd never live in Winkler for the rest of my life. I now have absolutely no problem visioning that. It's totally fine with me. My weekend is going to be so good because:

1)Tomorrow I'm going to WBC's dinner theatre called The Pirates of Friedenschanz. With a name like that, how can it not be hillarious? I am so excited. Should be a good time. I am going with two of my friends, Monika and Christine. We'll have a blast I'm sure, and probably bust a gut laughing too!

2)On Saturday I'm going to MCI's musical production of Anne & Gilbert: The Continuing Story. I think that's what it's called at least. I am going with Monika, Christine, Monika's sister and someone else. I don't know who yet. That's okay, we'll find a fifth person:) We're going to MCI for dinner before the show, so it should be really good. I'm pretty excited for that too.

3)As crazy and silly as this might sound to some people, Sunday night The Amazing Race is on TV. I watch it with 2 of my cousins and we have such a blast watching it together. It's not the same without them. I love Sunday nights for that reason:)

Okay, enough distracting myself. Now I need to go finish that paper! Oh. It's been a really, REALLY long time since I've posted with pictures. So, I will leave you with a few pictures that I got from my brother-in-law. They made me laugh. I hope they make you at least crack a smile, if not full out laugh:)

One Month!!!

Today it was one month until classes end. ONE MONTH!!!!! Wow am I ever excited! It seems like forever ago when we started this school year, and I am ready for it to be done! I am really enjoying myself, but it is a lot of work, and I'm running out of energy. We are done classes on April 9 (hence the one month left) and then my last exam is on the 18th. That means one month and nine days till I'm done for this year:) That is pretty much just exciting! I hope that your Monday has been equally happy and thrilling:)

Never Again...

Will I stay a weekend in Brandon. At least not without my roommate. I miss her. I miss people. I wish I could go home right now. I stayed in this weekend to do a first aid course today. That was until 3:30ish. It is now 8:15 and I want people interaction! Even though I've already had that all day, I don't really like sitting in my apartment by myself. Oh well. Sorry about that little pity party.
Hopefully your weekends are going well!

The Final Stretch

Well, I have had my first day back of the last part of my first year of school! Did that make any sense? Anyways, it was very hard to be motivated during reading week. I knew the whole week that I had exams coming up. That, for some reason, was not enough to keep me doing work the entire week. I barely did any homework at all. I needed a break though. I was especially spoiled after the fact that the first term we got 3 weeks off school! This term now feels like it's taking forever! Alas, it's not, and there's only 8 weeks left until I'm completely done my school year. 8 weeks! That's pretty close. I've just got to keep pushing through and making it a good time.
Sorry for the short post. I thought I should at least post something, but I don't have all that much to say. Have a great week!

I Just Don't Understand

Okay. To get to my parking spot, I drive in an alley. There is a business building on the north side of our place and the alley is between the building and our house. Now, there's some random guys and he comes randomly in this Chevy Blazer with a scraping blade on the front of it. He always seems like he starts a job and never finishes it. Well, this time what he's doing is quite frustrating. He is scraping right beside the business building and pushing the wet, slushy snow right where people drive! Now, some with big trucks and what-not may have no trouble getting through the alley. My car, on the other hand, does have trouble. I didn't know who did this, but it was already this way yesterday. I got stuck yesterday. Thankfully it wasn't hard to get unstuck. Now, he's just making it worse. This does not make me impressed with him, and I'd like to go outside and ask him to stop, but I won't. Maybe he has a reason for this. I just don't understand what it is.

Cake Decorating Extravaganza

Well, I'm no Amanda (Amanda's Creative Cakes) but I decorated a cake for a birthday all the same. My friend Monika celebrated her 20th birthday this past Saturday. She invited me to go to a College & Career movie with her at her church, and we were asked to bring a snack of some sort. I wanted to make her a cake. I didn't want it to be a plain Jane cake either. So, I looked at a cake decorating book that my mom has, and flipped through it, trying to see what kind of cake I should make Monika. When I came to the "Sports" section of the book, there was a soccer ball. Now I know that Monika loves soccer, so I decided this would be the perfect cake for her. So I baked a soccer cake. And iced it. And I know that I'm not a pro, because it took me much longer than I anticipated :). I probably should have allowed a little more time and then I wouldn't have left the house in a mess! Oh well, that's what happened. Here's some pictures and a step-by-step of the process.

What the cake was supposed to look like

Here's the process. When I baked my cakes, they looked like volcanoes. I will NOT be posting pictures of that. I also didn't take pictures of that. Anyways, my mother (being very helpful) suggested instead of wasting the tips of the volcanoes, cut them off and use them as a filling with some icing in the cake. I totally wouldn't have thought of that. I was just going to eat them plain:)

Now here it is iced, ready to go!

All eaten up...well almost!

So, that is my adventure of cake decorating! It was a lot of fun, but I don't expect to start doing this as a hobby. I'd sure need to perfect my skills then! Enjoy your virtual taste!

I Fell Into a Trap

Well, only kind of. I didn't completely fall into the trap. I more or less challenged it. Let me explain. I believed Julie. Julie Van Rosendaal. If you don't know who she is, that's okay. I have a cookbook that is authored by her. I also had a lemon in my fridge. I used to have two, but one went bad, so I thought that maybe I should use up this lemon before it went bad too. I started looking at different recipes, ones for lemon buns, things like that. All the recipes that I looked at only used the lemon zest. Now maybe that's good, but I wanted to make use of the entire lemon, not just the zest. So I kept looking. I started looking in my cookbook by Julie. I came across a recipe called "Classic Lemon Bars." I looked through it and it pretty much looked great; it used only ingredients that I have in my limited cupboard, it used an entire lemon, and the caption below it read this: "These sweet and tangy bars are so delicious they rival chocolate!" I was a little skeptical at that statement, but I thought, "Rival chocolate? I've gotta try these!!!" So I made them. They smelled really good, and although the recipe said to wait until they were completely cooled, I had to try these delicious bars. I cut myself a piece, and it was okay. Definitely does NOT rival chocolate, but it's okay. I still like them. In fact, I think it's ironic how I'm not crazy about them, yet I keep finding myself wanting another piece. What's up with that? They are a little on the sweet side for me, but that's okay. I still eat them:) Anyways, that's my story about the trap that I fell into. So I kind of fell. But not completely. Maybe I just tripped over the trap. I am definitely over it now! I took some pictures of these bars, so I'm sorry that you can't taste them, but I hope you enjoy looking at them:)

Not quite as good as chocolate, but it'll do:)

Happiness is...

So far, I like this semester. It's not that I didn't like last semester, but I think I like this one better. Don't get me wrong, I really, really enjoyed those 3 weeks we had off because of the strike, but I think that classes this term are easier. Maybe they're not easier. Maybe I'm just getting accustomed to university life, and am accepting the work load that comes with it. No. I think it's just easier:)
Yesterday, my room mate and I went to look at the place we want to live in next year. It is quite nice and I'm excited! It's a lot less money than the place we're in now, and it's only about 2 years old...as opposed to the ancient place we're living in now. Okay, not ancient. It just needs some attention. Renovations wouldn't hurt this place a bit. It's okay though. We've made it our little home for this year. Anyways. We're going to be living in apartments that are for low income people...that would explain why there's a ton of university students living in them! There are 3 floors and we're going to be living on the 3rd floor in a corner apartment. There are lots of windows and a kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom with a door that stays shut:) It comes with a fridge and an oven, both which were purchased new when the apartments were built. The fridge looks ginormous compared to the one we have right now. It's a normal size fridge, but the one we have this year is one of the little smaller ones.
That's pretty much my exciting news.
Oh wait, one more thing...
2 DAYS TILL THE WEEKEND!!!!!

My Encouraging Evening

I just came home from a GREAT evening out! My friend and I went to a coffee place in Brandon called Forbidden Flavours. For those of you back home, it's kind of like Java Junktion, only I like it better :) It has nice leather couches to sit on and it's set up a little different, but the menu is pretty similar. Anyways, we spent about 2 hours there, and I really enjoyed my time. We got to talking about priorities in life, and she really encouraged me in a few things in my life. I need to change some things and straighten out my priorities. One thing I am changing is that I am not going to go on Facebook for a while. I'm not sure how long, but I am always very distracted when I go on Facebook and I spend so much time on it and I always am sorry how much time I've spent on it when I finally sign off. So I'm doing this as a trial. I've left my status saying that if people want to get a hold of me, they can email me. I don't think Facebook is necessary. Anyways, that's my first of a few changes that need to be made in my life. I was so inspired this evening and just completely encouraged. Wow. I love this feeling!!!!

Back to the Daily Grind

Well, I'm back at school. I think that it will be an okay semester. But I'm not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to April. Already. I just can't wait until summer arrives! I'm so excited for it. As much as I do enjoy school, it still is school and I do prefer summertime when it's so nice outside, dressing in layers is not necessary, and then I can get a tan!!! Oh well, that'll come soon enough. For now, I'll try to enjoy school and get the most out of it.
Oh, and just in case you're wondering, if a recipe says bake something in a 9x13 pan, listen to the recipe. Don't try to bake it in a 9x9 pan for a longer amount of time. The middle will not be done, and the edges will be burnt. Unfortunately I learned this lesson tonight :(