three words: here it is

also known as... at long last...

So, I've been told by a good friend of mine to blog more. I see that I haven't blogged in oh so very a long time...May 4 to be exact and I'm trying to remember what exactly I've been up to since that time.

1. Course: well, I finished my semester on May 24, probably without the high grade that I was looking for. I thought I was prepared, but they always give you curveballs on tests. I couldn't understand what some of the doctors were saying and made a number of mistakes... iliopsoas and iliosoleus sound very much the same if you ask me. I'm hoping for a pass. If I do pass, I'll be starting to work on the next course, that way if Chickpea is causing some trouble and doesn't like the world as much as I want/expect him/her to when he/she enters the world in August and still is upset in September, atleast I'll have worked ahead and have some leeway.

2. Facebook. Enough said. If you're not on it, sign up, then add me as your friend. It doesn't beat the "old fashioned" way of communicating via email though. I like email. Call me weak for caving into the latest "techy fad" but when your whole family is one there plus lots of friends that you haven't seen for awhile (as in years) it's kind of fun.

3. Trying to deal with bureaucracy. Grrrr... do those people get paid more if they take longer in processing paperwork?


4. Visiting family: my Mom and Dad came over the long weekend and were pleasantly surprised by very nice, sunny weather. It was great. It didn't even flood. We taught them how to play "Settlers of Catan" and had several tournaments.

5. Flood threat. Moving books/boxes/items/etc. downstairs and upstairs 2-3 times. First we were going to flood. Then nothing. Then my parents were coming so I had to move back downstairs. Then we were going to flood again. So I moved the stuff back upstairs. Then we weren't going to flood - but did I fall for it? NO. The stuff stayed upstairs and will stay there until all potential flood threats are done. Probably the end of June or so. By the way, you would think that the town office website would have daily or atleast weekly flood threat updates... This is not the case for Houston. One day I saw it on the early News on Global and phoned up the district office. The conversation went something like this:

Me: I was calling about the flood threat I saw on Global news this morning. There was nothing on the website.

DO(district office): Oh really? It was on the news?

Me: Yes. Are there any updates? There was nothing on the website.

DO: Let me pass you on to someone else.

DO2: Hello?

Me: (repeat line one)

DO2: Well, the water levels went down today, so there is no threat.

Me: Will you be putting anything on the website? (you see the refrain here)

DO2: I think so. I don't know. Bye.

You see they are very helpful here. I find it so frustrating that we hear "updates" (fear mongering/gossip) passed onto us from every joe blow on the street who heard it from his best friend's cousin's uncle by marriage who's the flood engineer that the big one is coming... and yet the district website, where we're supposed to be getting all our local, up-to-date flood information from, HAS NOTHING TO SAY. As a bit of a worrier (an understatement for all those who know me), this is very annoying. So, I've been innundating them with calls in the hopes of spurring something to get done.

6. Not sure what else. Taking walks and soaking up the sun that has finally showed its warm face. Talking to family and friends on the phone. Trying to pick out baby names and trying them out... I think Shakespeare was wrong when he wrote in Romeo and Juliet

What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;

Sure the rose would smell just as sweet as if was called a skunk cabbage, but would it want to be asked for the rest of its life how to spell that? Or what about little known word/sound associations that will inevitably show up, because we all know that kids are crafty, and sometimes nasty little devils... Call me a little paranoid, but naming a child is a very important thing - he or she will carry it for the rest of his/her life and in some ways define how he/she is (did I tell you all the story of how I was almost named Pamela?) [shudder, horror]. M and I have ditched one of the names we had picked out and decided on something better (I like this one better anyways). You'll have to wait until August 5 or thereabouts to find out...

7. Outlaws. The boys of summer are back again to wreck havoc on the hearts of all the pretty blonde, Dutch girls in our church. jj. Seeing as how two of them are in steady relationships with great girls, I guess that will have to be left up to A. They've been up here for 1 week already, settled into their place (not ours!) :) and into new jobs. We're awaiting the rest of the family who are expected to be coming up sometime this week after an extended stay in the Valley. It looks to be another great summer of spending time with them, much like last summer. M and I are pretty excited about the prospect. It makes up all the time spent apart and talking on the phone for the other 9 or 10 months out of the year. Now, if only Chickpea will come before they have to leave for Chicago again...

8. Road trip. After being postponed a few times, first by me being sick and then by the flood threat (I technically should be down there now but I was advised against it)... I am finally making my way Down South for a whole week. Shopping and Starbucks here I come. So Alaina and Morgan, we have to get together, because I will be there for a week! I'm so excited. And my other sister D will also be there... I really can't wait...

9. My new favourite place. Safeway. Specifically, the Starbucks that will be opening up in the renovated Safeway. I almost danced for joy when the checkout clerk told me. Actually, I would have if the basket I was holding hadn't been too heavy. I have been denied for far too long. Yes, it is sad that this event elicits such a response from me... yes, we do live in the North. But the closest Starbucks to Houston is three hours away in Prince George.

10. So, May, how's this for blogging more? (and I will write a story for the other one, I was working through some glitches in my idea, and it finally came to me). That was my month of May - a good start to the summer.