Of Hackers and Mountain Tops

Post Whitney Houston's death, a friend of mine posted a complaint about people in general. She asked why the public cares more about Whitney Houston than the fact of our freedom of speech rights are being taken away. I understand her criticism and I understand people's reactions. However, she made her point and it did make me think about this new bill that is being passed.

I don't agree with premise of the bill.

I don't agree that our freedom should be limited. I don't like it at all that the government will now legally be able to hack into our computers and phones. (Btw, if it's legal, does the word 'hack' still apply? They're taking all the fun out it!) But honestly, don't kid yourself: our computers and phones haven't been private since they were invented. I am not claiming that there is someone looking or listening 24/7 but they have the capabilities to do so.

My thoughts are numerous on the subject but that is all I am going to post for now... simply because I haven't researched enough to even make casual remarks. Which is what I just did. Lol.

And about Whitney's death? Death so young and at the hands of overdosed fame. It has happened before and it will happen again. That does not make it any less tragic. I truly hope she is finally at peace. Death and life deserve our respect, regardless of other things that distract us. She was a true artist; her voice was a gift that not many people are given.

On a brighter note, Jesse and I recently arrived home from our ski trip to BC. It was a great year for skiing. The conditions were just right. One day, it did rain at the base of the mountain but when Jesse and Sam went to the top, they said it was all powder.

There is a sense of paralyzing fear when I'm standing on a mountain, looking straight down and wondering how I am ever going to make it down without killing myself. That is me every single time. I keep wishing for the time when my confidence will trump the frightened part of me. I am glad for the experience because it forces me to face my fears and do what I am afraid of most. Ironically, I am not afraid when I am careening down the mountain at top speed; it's the turns that scare me. The fear seems irrational to me, even at the time... but that doesn't stop me from being terrified. :-)

My husband was with me every step of the way. He has been on the mountain since he was pretty young and is an amazing skier. He likes skiing stuff like black runs and moguls. But when I was on hills, he was with me. He never left my side. He never stopped encouraging me, either. When I would do something he thought was excellent, he'd tell me. All in all, he is pretty much the perfect husband. ;-) I love him so much. On a note of people who stuck with  me, Sam was pretty decent too. :-) She went and skied by herself as well but she skied a lot with us and we enjoyed her company.

One accident: it was due to my lack of confidence. I managed to land awkwardly and twisted my knee pretty badly. It actually hasn't hurt with that much intensity since before I had surgery. I felt something pop and twist and grind and oh boy, was I hollering. Jesse and Sam got me untangled pretty quickly. Because it only takes a little twist or landing the wrong way to make my knee into a walking watermelon, I was sure I was going to be incapacitated for the rest of our trip. We were way up the mountain when this happened and I wasn't sure if I could even stand, let alone get all the way down. Sam said she'd get someone to come get me if I couldn't get down. But I decided to give it a shot and we made it back to base with me still on my feet. The most amazing thing is that after that, my leg didn't swell much and it felt completely normal after two days. Yes!

Sam is so not a PDF person. She prefers a distinct lack of feelings. We know this very well indeed. She's also Jesse's younger sister, so of course, we like to torment her. How do we torment her? Oh. The normal ways. Make sure she's looking when we hold hands and stare dreamily into each other's eyes. And there's the loud comments... "I misssssseeedddd you!" "Can we cuddle now?" And we kiss. A lot. (We always kiss a lot but we make sure to kiss especially a lot when she's in the room.) Poor Sam! Hehe.

Well, it's getting closer to suppertime and the chicken is smelling awesome. I love chicken. :-) Btw, we had the most divine bison burgers the other day. Yum.

mOre snaPshoTs

    Jesse asked Sara what his name was. She thought for a moment, then she said,             "I'm Jesse."

Avoiding a skunk waddling across the highway and having my husband still congratulating me on this feat two days later.

Forgetting to bring any night clothing with me on the trip therefore, having to buy new ones at Superstore in Regina. It was a mistake that turned into a good thing: I LOVE them. They are so warm and cozy, I could wear them 24/7. Unfortunately, I can't! (Professional image up-keep.)

Watching Ghost Protocol in the Galaxy theatre and feeling my stomach churn over the tall building with lots of glass part. I think I may have yelped a couple of times.

Going to Boston Pizza and eating at midnight. They have the most delectable Christmas dessert there: Peppermint Brownie Delight. Side note: Jesse and I aren't big fans of peppermint and chocolate mixed together. I mean, come on: two great flavors, why mix them? But the picture of this one was pretty convincing so, we ordered it. Picture this: two hot brownies, two big scoops of vanilla ice-cream (the kind with chunks of vanilla in it), raspberry syrup and chocolate syrup drizzled over, then... the final touch: crushed peppermint candy canes over everything. It. Was. Heavenly.

Our second test of 'in sickness and in health'. Half an hour before we arrived at my parents, Jesse came down with some sort of head cold/flu. His fever was very high, he ached all over, he was shaking and shivering and coughing. At one point, he was so weak that he couldn't even move. I finally got him to take some Advil and that seemed to help keep his fever down. He doesn't often get sick, but when he does, he REALLY does.

Ruth got herself into some trouble for being too noisy while Jesse was trying to sleep. Hannah scolded her soundly for almost waking up her "brother-in-law"... the idea of a five-year-old having a brother-in-law cracks me up. And it gets better: Sara is two.

Exchanging presents at Lindsey's place. She got us several awesome gifts but the one I am going to mention is the SKITTLES!!! Hehe. I love having friends who get you what you want for Christmas.

Sitting in our living room and not having to worry about the mosquitoes. They are finally gone. Good ol' Raid.

Getting the mail and seeing that my new camera had arrived. I am (so, SO!!!) excited about the camera. Jesse is excited about the tripod. And Snow is happy because ...

....he got salmon flavored Kitty Treats for Christmas. (Jesse calls them Cat Crack.) We're good cat owners because we only give him one at a time. Amen.

Celebrating the New Year with my family and many folks from the Endeavour Church. It was a lot of fun and we rang in the tick-tock of Midnight with a rousing chorus of Onward Christian Soldiers. Mainly because I was too exhausted at that point to think of anything else creative.

Jamming with Ellie and Lydia for the first time in months. I actually can't remember the last time we did that. It was good and it brought back pleasant memories of our family band and all the hours we used to practice together. I am glad we were able to bond in this way over the years. Music is magic and it is definitely alive and well.

Eating supper at Brewsters with Sam. This restaurant is also where two dear friends waitress, so between Jesse, Sam, Gillian, Brie and awesome, awesome food, it was a pleasant experience for me. I will be going back there again.

Watching five different movies in two days while in Regina. We watched The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Arthur Christmas, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. All were brilliant. I definitely want to review each of them for Ponderings. What a treat to be able to go sit in a darkened theatre and watch things come to life on the big screen.

It was -4* C. today. In January. In Saskatchewan. That's really warm. And the snow and ice were all melting and falling off the car. Weather predictions say it's supposed to last all week. ::happy sigh::

Today my husband told me I am prettier than Marilyn Monroe. (In context, it doesn't sound weird. Lol!) It never fails: he makes me feel beautiful, smart and best of all, strong and good. I am really blessed to have such a man.

The best snapshot of the week is simply that God answered my prayers regarding several matters: Jesse and I drew ever closer through this holiday season, the visit with my family went well, Christmas with the in-laws was so good and last, but most certainly not least, Jesse is getting better.

Happy Holidays for all, forever. Cheers!

3 More Days!

Lindsey's here so we're going to be keeping busy all day. :-) Today: get wedding stuff to the Hall, go over a to do list that Samantha made for me, contact Laurette about potted flowers, try on my dress so Lindsey can bustle it, start making favors, getting spaghetti recipe from Shelly S., talk to the photographer, clean up around our house, get the trailer set up, wash beddings, and the list goes on and on... it's going to be a busy day!

On Infinite Truth, Babies and Their Wisdom, Wedding Planning and Beautiful People in My Life

GROW old along with me!

The best is yet to be,

The last of life, for which the first was made:

Our times are in his hand

Who saith, ``A whole I planned,

Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!'' 

 

When I was searching for quotes to include in our wedding invitation, I immediately googled Robert Browning. I love his poetry and his attitude towards life. It is always poignant and full of double meanings. My search revealed the first two lines of this poem... Jesse and I both liked it, so we used it. But I never read the rest of the poem. It is a selection from his: Rabbi Ben Ezra. I just skimmed the rest of the poem and found it very thought provoking. He asks such hard questions about life and death, the meaning of it. Should he have faith in The Infinite Truth (God)? 

The days are passing so quickly. Yesterday we had our garage sale for the last time. Now it's time to just get rid of all of the stuff that is left. We made well over $200, if my calculations are correct. And, what's even better, we got rid of a lot of things we didn't need. We found out something: Jesse drives a harder bargain than I do. That's pretty scary considering that Jesse doesn't drive a hard bargain at all. Lol!

My sister-in-law-to-be Samantha and I sat down yesterday and discussed wedding all afternoon. We hammered one million different things out. I threw ideas at her and she considered them then proceeded to tell me why they would or would not work. Haha! It's so good to have her in my life. Between her, Lindsey, my sister Lydia, Michele and Jesse, the wedding should be a success. 

We thought of several different ideas that really thrill the socks off of me. One is to have my dad and brother make an square garden arch, like the one we had in Melville. The other is to have an old weathered garden table and chairs sitting on stage with all of the flowers and candles... I'm not sure how much I should divulge right now so I'm going to stop.. but you get the idea of what the wedding is going to be like. :-) 

This month I am going to be working 16 days, going to music camp for five, going to Saskatoon, Regina and Swan River... all the while, planning like crazy. To top this all off, I need to get my teaching schedule figured out for October. But that will have to wait for a little bit.

Anyways, that's all I have for now. I hope you are having a beautiful weekend and a worshipful Sunday. I have been learning so much about God lately. It's so true that He never ends. We cannot ever learn enough about Him. People ask me questions that I can't answer... why would God create people who will always be dependant upon others for care? I don't know. But sometimes I glimpsed truths in their difficult to understand words that astounded me. Perhaps these are the babes who know more about God than we 'normal' folks could ever comprehend. Food for thought.