"What are you doing? Go to bed, you sons of bitches! "

Just a quick post before I head off for the weekend...
I have adjusted to being home well and have kept myself quite busy, despite not having a job. I am switching bedrooms, from the master bedroom upstairs (the whole upstairs) to the crawl space on the main floor. It makes me sad, but I am lucky I got away being up there for as long as I did. I painted the room brown, taupe(ish), and pink. It is cool, it looks like neapolitan ice cream. Mike you would like it. Anyways, I will post some pictures when its done. It has been a lot of work, sanding, priming, puttying, ripping out baseboards, oh and I found hardwood floors under the carpet, so I am gonna have them redone.
Last weekend I took a bunch of youth from my church to a retreat at a camp in Fort Frances, Ontario. It was a wonderful refreshing weekend. The speaker is probably one of the best I have ever heard, and I really think the youth gained a lot of knowledge and new ideas about being a Christian and how to hold onto that. It is so easy to go on retreats and have spiritual highs, but this speaker really just put it all into perspective. I love being with youth and we had a lot of fun goofing around as well.
This week I spent some time cleaning up the yard, weeding, cleaning out the gutters etc. I also hung out with my aunt and baby (Ethan). He says my name now. We are best friends.
I am heading out now for the weekend on a canoe trip. I am so excited. My cousin Matt will be my canoe partner, should be some good times. We have two portages tonight, and three lakes to get through so I am a getting all pumped to go. I am waiting for him to get here so we can get on the road. The rest of the group is heading out later on tonight because they have to work.
Oh I have a job interview on Tuesday with this place called the Family Center. I will be doing research, and developing programs for preschoolers. Teaching them life skills, building friendships, sharing etc. They had out the materials to their clients. Sounds like a great summer job. I hope it all comes together.
I am also pretty sore, so I hope I don't freak out in the canoe. I have been playing Ultimate Frisbee in a city league, and I got cranked in the head by this super intense wacko (you know the type). Also I was riding my horse for the first time this year so my va-j-j is a little bruised.
I also watched Life Aquatic this weekend. I was enthrawled.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo Oilers!!! Even though my dad wants Anaheim to win.
My ride is here. Out to paddle I go... I hope I don't get swamp leeches on me.

Camping

I was going to write all these amazing stories about what we did when we were camping, like swimming, eating good food (vegetables sauteed in beer, and seasoned with Pretzel salt), great tunes, awesome people, Paul the campground host (who was slightly obsessed with me being from Manitoba), skinny dipping, hikes, steam rollers, railway tracks, secret caves, and kites -- but... I don't feel like it. If you would like to hear a good story, I will type, but I don't know if you do. So instead here are some pictures. Lots of them:

"Respond all loyal hearts to Dordt; our Christian college we acclaim."

G R A D U A T I O N

So what to say... I cannot believe 1. I graduated, and 2. it was almost a week and a half ago. Here are some pictures of the grand day. I wish I would have worn my hair down. I wish I would not have have stayed up so late the night before. But it was a wonderful day. Mom, Aunty Alice, Justin and Lissa, and my dad all came down.
This picture was taken by Amber Apol. I took my camera up there cause I thought it would be fun. And it was. I got lots of sweet pics of my friends.

I had the privilege of sitting it the seat that allowed me to walk in first to the grad ceremony, with Amber. We did a big high five as we stepped up on stage. We also pretended to trip a lot of people we knew as they walked past to get their diplomas. Lots of laughs.

Matt Kunari (a great camping chef) and Rachel Echardt (who doesn't like smelly dish towels).

My roommates and I took pictures that were not necessarily the usually picture. I particularity like the pile-up, although I could barely breath. It is so different to not be living with 5 other girls anymore. So many fun times. I couldn't live like that forever, yet I know I will miss it. I will miss Tara blasting her Christian music, Cassie cleaning by throwing Tara's and my stuff at our 'area', Shawna starting her homework as I went to bed, poking Rachie in the boob or just attacking her, and Heather getting everyone to play pepper, or talking about how much she loves pepper.

That is Josh. Josh is extremely cool, and funny, and talented with the guitar. Josh reminds me of Lemony Snicket. Every time I read A Series of Unfortunate Events, I picture him as the narrator - especially in this suit.

That older gentleman with Gwen and I, is none other than the Dr. Syne Altena. He happens to be one of the most esteemed Professors at Dordt. He is truly a piece of work. My favorite part about this picture was how excited he was. I think I might develop this picture and send it to him so he can frame it and put it in is oh so sweet HPER department office. As we were taking the picture he goes, "Oh my Canadian friends!"

This happens to be Justin. Not my brother Justin, or my uncle Justin, but my really cool friend Justin, who hails from southern Ontario. I was really sad to say goodbye to him. He always beats me at canasta. He also doesn't like many desserts, like anything with whipping cream, or pie, or strawberries. And why am I friends with him you ask? Because you don't have to like desserts to be cool.


Dena and I. I love Dean, she is a true sweetheart. We had a lot of fun camping together, more on that later, and more pictures of us too.

Mom, me, Gwen, mama Bakker, and Hannah. I think my favorite part of the whole grad ceremony was singing the Dordt College Alma Mater, looking directly at Gwen and the two of us making insanely exaggerated facial expressions an doing gay actions... "And find with friends a Christian joy in camaraderie."

Loneliness

Campus is dead. I hate being here. I almost left 6 times, various things stopping me. Like trying to find Chris Wyenberg to get his stuff. But I stayed and we had a lovely bonfire at Carolyn's house. It was a random grouping of people, basically my friends and my roommates friends. I found it to be slightly awkward, but I was amused by watching everyone interact. I did kill a lot of time yesterday between cleaning my room and the bonfire. I did some feeble wandering and ended up in places that made me ache with sadness. I stood in Jeffy's apartment looking longingly around hoping for something familiar to appear. Nothing. Went up to Justin and Mike's apartment, again more aching and despair. I went hoping to make all the sadness and pain go away, hoping that everyone leaving was just a bad dream. But as I entered their room I was stabbed with the emptiness of the apartments. The only comfort was the sick smell in Justin and Mike's room that is always there. It smells like 4 guys, and sweat, and mustiness. Sorry guys but it your room does have a smell.
Covenant church this morning was wonderful, Herm was so pleasant and I just found more people I will miss. The Bakker family. What will I do without Sunday muffin nights, or Hannah and Levi. Ahhh. I will miss Herm, he is so real and genuine. I saw many professors that I admire, will I ever learn again? Just kidding, that was being too dramatic.
Anyhoo, I just went through peoples rooms in SV looking for food to take camping. Kinda fun (I am really bored). But we leave for camping in 40 minutes and that is what I have been waiting for. Katy and Dena are on either side of me frantically trying to finish papers. Muahaha. It sucks, I feel bad. Oh well. I think I might go back into the room down the hall that has everything people gave away. I got some dishes to take camping, Dena got a sweater. I have no guilt taking stuff from there because I dumped a huge load off myself.
I can't wait to get off campus because there are too many memories and no people. Every time I walk in to my room I am shocked that nothing is in there. You'd think after sleeping there last night I would realize, but no, I get jolted every time I open the door. Sad to stay and sad to go. I hate emotions.