Friday, August 21, 2009

Back in the swing of things...

When I started typing the title of this post I was going to write 'Back in the Saddle Again', but wasn't sure if that was really what I was going for. Plus it just made me think of horseback riding which I want to do desperately. Anyway...Throughout this post I've included some photos from the summer. Enjoy!

For a few days after my brother and his friends left I was in a it of a funk. We had so much fun while they were here. Between a little bout of homesickness, mental exhaustion from finally completing my project and physical exhaustion from trying to party like a 21-year-old again, I needed a couple of days of laziness which involved lounging on the counch pretty much all day. After Jason and I's trip to Jasper, I was able to get my motor running (head out on the highway-sorry.Last Friday I officially graduated from graduate school. I am now a proud graduate with a Masters in Communication and a Graduate Certificate in Training. After about 5 years of being in grad school it actually feels weird to be done. I keep thinking about Monday which is when UNO starts school. It's been so long since I haven't been in school.


On Monday I started participating in a running clinic here in Sherwood Park. My goal is that after 10 weeks of the clinic I will be able to run in a 5k. After that I will reassess and see if I want to move up to the 10k level for the next 10 weeks. I have done very well this week as far as running.

Tuesday night I golfed. Let's just say that I was thrilled that I only lost one ball this round considering last time we played the same course I lost SEVEN!!!

The rest of the week I have kept busy volunteering for the local Festival of Trees. I jumped on board as the Volunteer Coordinator and I am looking forward to getting more involved in the community.

This week I also booked flights for a trip I am taking in September. My parents will be coming up the first week in September and then I will ride back to Nebraska with them. From there I will fly to Houston and stay with my cousin Emily for five days. From Houston I am heading to Vegas where I will meet my cousin Jennifer for a couple days of 'Living La Vida Loco'. From Vegas I will fly back to Edmonton in hopes that my work permit will soon follow.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Jasper









Jason and I arrived in Jasper today, it is about 3 hours from Edmonton. We spent the afternoon enjoying the Canadian Rockies and Maligne Canon. This place is absolutely beautiful. Tomorrow we are going to Maligne Lake to do some kyaking and then another lake to do a little swimming. Here are some photos from our hike today.





Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Thoughts.......


Jason and I went to see the movie Julie and Julia last night. Loved it!!!! It's about a married woman, Julie, in her late twenties who hates her job and doesn't know where her life is headed. She decides that she needs something to do to add direction and purpose to her life. (Something I have been thinking about a lot lately.) Julie has an obsession with Julia Child. (I do a mean Julia Child impression, ask Grandma Laura.) Julie decides to cook her way through the next year by cooking all the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' and blogging about it.

This got me thinking....what the heck am I doing with my life. This is probably not a great thing to contemplate at the moment considering the current circumstances that surround my life....living in Canada away from my family and friends, recently having finished my Masters degree in which I can't do a thing with because I am not legally allowed to work in Canada. That being said, I still need something to give me direction. Something to blog about that will be of interest to people, or something that will give me a release. I can't keep doing what I have been doing.....sitting around our townhome surfing the web and sleeping. I could do what Julie from the movie did and cook my way through a cookbook, but groceries are so damn expensive here I would be in debt after the first week.

So, I'm looking for ideas. What do you do that gives direction to your life? Please comment with your ideas. I know there are more of you that read this blog than I thought! Comment pleeeeease!!!!