The Love/Hate Relationship

Things I currently love!

1. Rotational Badminton
2. 'Left To Tell" A Rwandan Genocide Survivor's story
3. Sun, sun sun!
4. Our gas fireplace
5. Red River Cereal. High in Fibre.
6. Praying with friends
7. Walking through the river bottom
8. Facebook!
9. Unexpected compliments.
10. Eating healthy
11. Cross-Country Skiing
12. Shaving my brother's head!
13. Getting a memory card for my camera to take 830 pictures
14. Praying for God's Will
15. Mocha Cabana !

Things I currently hate!
1. Knowing whether to tip a hairdresser or not
2. Snow
3. Parking tickets
4. Not sleeping
5. Expiring Trial Newspaper subscriptions
6. Having no hot tub
7. Wigs
I can't think of any more!

Mel Out

Change: The Quality of Impermanece

So... I am feeling rather sentimental as of late.

Change. Change is good, right? I can't go into the specifics, please ask me if you have the time, however I feel compelled to break out into Amy Grant's

"Oh How the Years Go By"

And oh how the years go by
And oh how the love brings tears to my eyes
All through the changes the soul never dies
We fight, we laugh, we cry
As the years go by

There were times we stumbled
They thought they had us down
But we came around
How we rolled and rambled
We got lost and we got found
Now were back on solid ground

We took everything
All our times would bring
In this world of dangers
cause when your heart is strong
You know you're not alone
In this world of strangers

Now, these lyrics would seem to present themselves as poetry, however they can't be, because I am a self-professed poetry hater. So it would seem, that these lyrics are merely catchy phrases, with a bit of kick to them. They probably aren't good enough to be poetry anyways. Not that I would know, or that I am judging Amy Grant's lyrics...

Anyways, I am about to graduate... and it would seem that graduation has to bring 'change.' It's like the law of gravity. It has to happen. Maybe I should go to the moon. It doesn't happen there.

I am not bitter about change. Actually, I am slowly and inevitably mostly excited!

I am just realizing that when things do change, it's like there's no stopping it. Change happens in every single aspect of my life. It even manages to catapult into my family and friend's lives. Which in turn changes my life! I apologize for being so evasive about the specific events in my life that compel me to blog about change currently, however I will dedicate this blog to the top 10 changes in my life since starting University:

1. Moving away for school
2. Getting involved in IVCF
3. Living with girls. All 11 of them
4. a) Meeting my best friend
b) Living with my best friend
5. Studying Music. Gift divine.
6. Teaching!
7. a) Living in three places at once.
b) Teaching in two rural Albertan towns in the same year.
8. Getting Baptized
9. a) Meeting and getting to know some of the most amazing people in my life.
b) Seeing their lives change...
10. To be determined...

Mel out.

Fish in the Creek

Tracy and I reunite. To stay out of trouble, we treck through the trails of Fish Creek park.
We come across a backhoe.
Clearly this is too much fun.


































































We love mirrors.
We love nature.
We love Maps.


Until the next adventure.

Trip Down Memory Lane

I wish I had pictures. My mom sent me this today. She loves me and this is what she remembers so fondly:

I found one of my "mom's notebooks" - here are some of the entries about you!!!
Feb 20/87 Jordan and Melanie "reading" on the couch. Jordan sitting on Melanie's
lap!!

May 87 Melanie able to buckle up her dress shoes!

Sept 87 Melanie calls me from top of the stairs saying "Alison-Alison" also gave
Jordan an order and touching him on the back says "do that, honey!"

Nov 87 Melanie's favorite song "Jesus loves me "

Jan 88 Melanie singing nursery rhymes a lot and Jesus loves me

Mar 88 asked Melanie where did you get such a brother? She replied with a smile,
"in the garden"!

Apr 1/88 Melanie likes wearing dresses and won't wear pants at all-very insistent
about "dressy shoes" to go with.

June 88 Jor 41", Mel 39" Tracy 35"
July Jord 36.5 lb, Mel 30.5 lb, Tracy 35lb

Oct 88 Melanie hurt her lip and was crying- Jord came up behind and hugged her-then
she was lying on the couch with ice on her lip and Jordan said he'd read her stories
so she'd feel better. Also sang some nursery rhymes to her both sitting in the
chair now.(big living room chair)

May 89 Jordan puts his chair right next to Melanie's at breakfast and says "I want
to sit beside Melanie- she's my best friend"

Dec 25/89 Melanie opening a gift took off the wrapping paper, and looking at the
box says OH!! I've got my own cereal!! very excitedly--it was a shredded wheat box.

You were quite a character-- and (mom says lovingly) YOU STILL ARE!!!

Hall Buddies

This post is dedicated to my friend Lee. He has inspired to write something witty and deep.

I have hall buddies. What are hall buddies you might ask? Well, they are those special 'friends,'
you may or may not know by name- but whom you run into almost everyday of your University career. I have numerous. Let me tell you about them.

1. My first ever hall buddy has sadly retired this year- gone off to bigger and better things, however he has a fond memory in my heart. I think his name was Kieran. We would see each almost everyday. He studied political science. He seemed quite and subdued- however always intriguing in a political scinece sort of way.

2. My second hallbuddy is one of the concession re-stock men. You've probably seen him. Maybe 5'4, mustache, asian. He is brilliant. Dedicated sincerly to his work. Always re-stocking.

3. My gym hallbuddy is perhaps a little less by chance... His name is Adam. He works at the gym desk. I used to think it was great when I saw him folding the towels at the desk.

That's all. I am moving. My house is great! I'll post pics as soon as possible.

Mel out.

Fearsome three... reunited as roomates.