dreaming over the ocean

first off.  not sure if i like the new way the blog title is set up with the photo... what do you think?  so, i got this off of a prodigal's musings . great quote from CS Lewis. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.” i have thought that it was quite applicable to everyone's life.  and, it hit my life, today.  love that ...

so, this past sunday was fantastic. i love the fall. and, what a perfect thing to do, other than spend time with friends, and do fall activities like "Apple festivals"? these are some photos from the event, which i went to with my friend and co-worker, Joanna. She is 6 months preggers, and her baby is due at the beginning of Feb, right on her own birthday! Hot mama! yay! however, by the time i got there, the 10 million pounds of apples were all sold out, but i was able to do such things like: pose by nice fall scenes with water and trees, and  of course, apples! jumping into random john deere like tractors:  competing in apple peeling contests:  overall, joanna's was longer than mine, by about 1 cm or so... and eating things with apples in them.  like pies.  and hot apple ciders. and taking pictures of the leaves, and the water droplets. TERRIFIC!  (thank you joanna for the photos!)

So, this video is pretty neat.  I watched it on Simon Whitfield's blog.  i love reading other athlete's blogs.  cause, it is soooo inspirational.  it is neat to read about people doing the things that they love to do.  but, winning the ironman world championships?!!?  now that  is a great feat.  and, i love how he sounds so non-chalant about it.   for the last couple days, i have had a hard time getting out of bed, and to make myself have a productive day. all i want to do is lay under the covers all day long.   something is just wearing a little thin on me these days.  my motivation. inspiration. drive . is at quite a low right now.   i want to run this 1/2 marathon.  not for any reason, but to give myself a sense of accomplishment this fall.  running is so hard for me.  out of the three bits of a tri, it is the one i enjoy the least.  i just think that when you have to carry 174 lbs of weight by yourself, it is hard.  and, for some reason, i find it more boring than the othe...

it shocked me today, that it is Oct 15th.  what does that mean?  i will tell you what it means.  in two short months, it will pretty much be christmas.  and, in a blink of an eye after that, it will be new years.  and, so, while recently reading an old journal entry of mine, i realized that it is time to re-look at my new years resolutions from this past january, to have a check, to see if i have accomplished them.   so, it was on this post that i told you about my desires for the new year, and the amazing christmas break i had.  let us evaluate.  Get back to personal journalling again. to find the extraordinary in the mundane. not so bad.  not great, either though.  as of late, I have had more of a ambition to journal privately.  especially since i have had so many personal changes going on in my life.  so, this is not a fail.  but, not a total pass, either.   Get a better grip on my finances; pay off my bicycle, and my credit card. check.  done and done.  WOOT! Travel to the eastern ...

but, it was election day yesterday.  I got up bright and early to go to the polling station down the block, right when it opened, at 7am.  'x'd my little circle, and proceeded on my way.  then, waited.   and, since i am not super savvy on politics, and i do not choose to create conflict via a blog, i will stick to a few minor points that made me interested in an election that there was not anything to be excited about.  and, also, i would like to highlight the note that I am a 25 year old, attempting to live as greenly as possible, student, who is passionate about underpriviledged populations.  so, it is not all that hard to determine where my political spectrum lies, and how my vote is cast.   First, why the heck did stephen harper even call an election? i think it was early.  and, the fact that we still have a minority conservative government proves to me that not much has changed over the last 2.5 years.   having been away from Canada during the last 2 federal elections, I f...

i love love love thanksgiving.  and, it is tomorrow.  I celebrated last night, with friends of mine, both known and [previously] unknown, by a potluck thanksgiving dinner.  it was amazing, and so much fun.  good food, good laughs, good wine, good dessert, good people.   and, tomorrow, I will run the Turkey trot   Gotta love throwing in a 10km race on thanksgiving morning, just for the fun of it.  and, at least there will be a man dressed up in a turkey costume.  in fact, that might be the highlight of the day.  the 13 degree, rainy forecast will definitely not be the highlight.   but, nevertheless, I am excited :) 10k's are so much fun! so, race was great.  it was pretty funny, it reminded me of swimming in a triathlon, where aroud the corners, it get so tight, and on the straights, you try to find a line, or someone to stick behind in order not to get trampled down...  Try putting about 1700 people on a 20ft wide path, around winding corners, with small pilons in the way, and tell...

this is in West Virginia. the place that was created for autumn. Not my picture though. Someone once told me that God created seasons to remind us of life. and, to remind us that in order for new life to occur, death must happen. and, as awful as that sounds, it rang true to me today. I rode my bike through the roads of Vancouver, and noticed how much the season is changing. the air is cold. the trees are yellow and red and purple. it is raining more often. and, it is dark early. and, often, people get sad when the fall comes, because it means that the grey winter is on its way. but, i thought about the leaves, and how they have to die, in order for the new life to happen in the spring. those days when the trees turn pink with cherry blossoms, and then green. and, i gotta admit. i like the fall. i like how it is so crisp, and fresh. but, a different fresh than spring. i think that my life is finally feeling.... well. i am not 100% sure of how to explain it. maybe finally i am startin...

so, this past week, my mum has been in town. The last time she came to Vancouver, it was on a trip with Makayla, out for thanksgiving, 2 years ago. Needless to say, lots has changed for me in this town since then. The occasion for this trip, was that her youngest (living) sister was getting married, out in nanaimo. So, she stayed on Thursday, Friday, and Monday nights. Time was passed with swimming, home cooked meals, meals eaten out, sushi, and movies. It was a great time to catch up, seeing that I have not seen her for about a year. Here are a few photos that she took with her camera. My Mum, Uncle Don, Auntie Kathleen, Auntie Maureen. i am always shocked at how similiar they all look to eachother. My Mum, Uncle Don, and Myself, at "The flying Beaver" for Lunch. i would like to mention, that Don has done 7 triathlons (sprint distance) this year.  to me, that is just shocking.  he also told me how he has a friend who just completed his 100th Ironman. This has been sin...

So, tomorrow night, there are 3 things that are occuring, simultaneously, that will have my attention drawn towards... 1) Canadian Party Leader debate 9pm, EST 2) Vice presidential debate, 8pm CDT 3) Grey's anatomy, episode2.  9pm PST. #1 is entertaining because it deals with my future.  #2 is entertaining because it will be about foreign policy, and that might be laughable.  i am curious about how Palin will perform.  #3 is entertaining, because it is entertaining.  and, patrick dempsey is a hot man. ;) today's outward bound quote of the day.  Not 100% sure that i agree with the first part, because we need to learn to believe in ourselves outside of other people's valuing us, but i still kinda like it.  especially the second bit... "We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is something valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight o...