Traveling Blog!

I found another distraction from packing- We needed a traveling blog! Of course it can't wait until after we've moved, I needed to do it today. I woke up this morning, made myself a cup of coffee and away I went. It's pretty. Not going to lie, I'm really impressed with myself. 8 months ago I didn't even know what 'code' was, I'm not a computer geek, I'm a geography geek. But darling s-in-l taught me that this is fun, and pretty. And pretty is what counts.

Without further ado, I present

Southern Constellations.

Funny story, I've been working on this all morning, while Joel was sleeping. So I get him to look at it when we meanders upstairs, and I spelled constellations 'constillations.' So I had to delete it and start over again. Oh Jen. And I had spelled meanders 'meyanders.' I think spelling is overrated.

Are all your needles in one place?

I am brilliant. These are the kinda things I come up with when I'm suppose to be packing. I was going through my craft stuff ::scapbooking,painting stuff (from my Pretty Rain Boots, sewing, knitting...:: My stuff was driving me crazy, because it was in a mess in my craft room- which I never used since isolated craft rooms are uninspiring. Anyways...My knitting needles were in assortment of bags, all with various half balls of yarn. It was messy. So I decided it didn't have to be messy.







It was fun playing with my sewing machine (a dee-lightful b.day present from my mom a few years ago!) I don't play with it nearly as much as I should. But it's always there when I really want it. And this was my first time playing with the embroidery stitches on it. Fun Times! I think I should buy some pretty fabric and sell these on Etsy.

It's Official!

Joel and I are going to South America. We're flying from Vancouver to Lima (Peru) on January 11th, and leaving Santiago (Chile) on April 14th. There's no turning back now, the tickets (& insurance) has been bought- almost $3000 for the two of us. *ouch* I don't think I've spent that much on anything besides tuition.

We've decided to take a semester off classes, and by the end of April we'll have been out of school for an entire year! In May, J and I both got GIS (Geographic Information Systems) coop jobs until August, and we've both been asked to extend our terms until the end of December. Obviously, it's an amazing opportunity to learn more about a job, because these past 4 months has just scratched the surface. We have been blessed enough to *coincidentally* get two of the best paying jobs, for two of the most understanding employers ever (side note: my Mom passed the belief onto me that coincidences are God's way of having people in the right place at the right time) Anyways, this opportunity with our coops is also providing us with the chance to save money--besides just making ends meet. :-)

We decided South America is the place for us, 'why' you ask?
~Want somewhere not English speaking
~Patagonia & the Lake District
~Want to learn about cultures & ways of life different from our all consuming parasitic Western life
~Learn to tango and/or salsa...other J just doesn't know it yet
~Penguins, condors, flamingos, viscacha (check them out!!)

I could go on forever about how excited I am & the things we'll be doing... so I'm staring a blog devoted to our preparation, and we will be posting on it whenever we get the chance down there. Oh how the internet has made my life beautiful. No matter how much I want to live a simpler life, I cannot imagine it without the internet.

Don't take it all too serious

I just had to laugh when I saw this... oh our Green World.

Simple Solutions

So I have two new simple solutions for you, that I have found, well- SIMPLE!

I told you a couple of posts ago that I had a stress breakdown and cleaned my bathroom using Method cleaning products. I can't tell you enough how much I love them. One of my favourite perks- I really hate cleaning with gloves, and these guys encourage you not to use them! Woot Woot!!

Second Simple Solution is cleaning up my body! No more chemicals being spread all over it! Who knows what that crap does to you anyways! About a month ago I found a local 'artist' who makes all their product called Nezza Naturals. They're redoing their site, but check them out anyways, and then check them out again!

I bought the 'Tea Tree and Pepermint' Shampoo and Conditioner. I LOOOOVVVEEE it! Smells great, feels great, and cleans my hair without chemicals! Downside, they need prettier bottles. Not going to lie, I like pretty packaging.

Ooh, and price wise: Method, pretty much costs the same. I found my stuff at Safeway on sale, and it was the same as that Mr.Clean crap. The Nezza Naturals set cost me less than $20, but it's been a month, and I'm bearly an inch down the bottle.

Just do it. Go natural. For yourself & for the Earth.

Pickle Problems Solved!

I Did it! My first ever canning experience by myself! Woot Woot! And it was easy! I made 16 jars (some of my 20 pounds of pickles were icky). Aaaannnnddd..... ALL OF THEM SEALED! EVERY SINGLE ONE!

Me!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No, I believe Jennifer Lynn was the only name my parent could agree on... it was also the most popular name of 1985, and the same name as my oldest best-friend since gr.1, who was born 8 days before me. I think I know more Jennifer's (variations) than any other name out there. Side note--in gr.5(?) I named myself Jenni, with the 'i' to try being different. I still kinda like it... but I'm not really a Jenni, just Jen.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
haha, well two nights ago I had a stress breakdown, locked myself in the bathroom, cried, got myself together, and scrubbed the heck out of it. (Yea for Method cleaning products, the cucumber spray worked Fantastic!)
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yea, it's fun and bubbly.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Chipotle Chicken
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nope, but I'm getting excited for when they come one day.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Hmm. Someone to do crafts with all day long? Someone who understands my sound effects? No, I don't want to be friends with them. They'd ruin all the fun, and I have Heather for crafting.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
I don't think so, but some would beg to differ
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
My friend Heather scared me out of it. (She bungee jumped into the Nile!) More side notes--you can bungee jump for free (or close to) on Valentines Day in Naniamo, if you go naked. *Cringes*
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Strawberry MiniWheats
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Skateshoes, heck no.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
No. Well, the only person I try to beat up is Joel, and he's much stronger than me.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Ben&Jerry's Chocolate Brownie with Cookie Dough
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Clothes
15. RED OR PINK?
Pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Amazing ability at procrastinating. Why is this not asking my favourite thing about myself? Positive thinking, People! (PS, that would be my smile!)
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Where do I start? I do miss all you guys after being on this Island for 3 years.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO LINK THIS BACK TO YOU?
Oui
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS (Or Kilt) AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Shhhh... I'm sitting in bed with the laptop. I'm in sleeping non-clothes
20. WHAT WAS The LAST THING YOU ATE?
Mmmm, last night... I think it was some yogurt
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Joel kinda snoring
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
The deep green or fuchsia pink.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Home-cooked food. Fresh cut grass. Bakeries. Coffee. Flowers. And my Sandlewood perfume from the Gap. (I'm not a Gap kinda girl, but mmm, their purfume!)
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My M-in-L... me being frantic over pickles.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO LINKED THIS TO YOU?
Si.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I really got into hockey last year. I can't wait for it again!
27. HAIR COLOR?
Faded brown... because I made a deal with myself that I should stop dying my hair because all the chemicals are really bad for the environment... it was a sad and hard decision.
28. EYE COLOR?
Hazel
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
This has been a fiasco over the last few weeks, because I want contacts so I can wear sunglasses, but apparently my eyes don't like them in. So I want to wear contacts.
30. FAVORITE FOOD(S)?
Lasagna!!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Motorcycle Diaries. I'm so excited for South America!
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
We've already been through this.....
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer. But spring is my Favouritest.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?
I like the all embracing hug with a kiss.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT?
Mmm, Val's Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Barb...and now You have to!
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
The rest of them....
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
South America on a Shoestring. Little House on a Small Planet. Lost in the Barrens. Did I mention I have a short attention span sometimes. Actually, I think it's that I try and do too many things at once....
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
No mouse pad, just touch pad.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Motorcycle Diaries.
42. FAVORITE SOUND?
My own voice...haha, just kidding. Music.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Tennessee. But soon to be Patagonia. Hopefully Tierra del Fuego.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
My thumbs bend back further than most
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Nelson BC
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Barb's

Pickle Problems....

So my dearest M-in-L let me know a couple of days ago that pickle canning season is here, and emailed me the recipe. She also emailed me the recipe for canning peaches. Yum Yum! This made me very excited, because not only do I feel bad about raiding her pickles & peaches every time I see her and rationing myself (and other J), but I really want to can. I think it's a very valuable skill that most people in my generation (and my m-in-l's) have forgotten. So if I want to learn to be more self-sufficient, then canning has to be at the top!

Anyways.... so I went to go get pickles last night. First of all, I only have 1 big pot with a lid (besides my canner)- and this is a problem with big batches of things. So after work I went to get one from a second hand store, but the 3 stores I went to had NONE! I was frazzled by that, because I thought a big pot would be the least of my worries. No, it was just the start. So that took about an hour of my time.... and I finally get up to Safeway, but they didn't have pickling cucumbers! Nor did they have Freestone peaches! I was pissed! So I called Save-on-Foods, and yes, they had what I was looking for- and to boot, they're on sale! Hurray! Problem solved.

Except getting home. As I said, I take the bus. Save-on-Foods is 2 buses away, and if I'm lugging 20 pounds of pickles and peaches (each) the bus is not an option. So I called to see how much a cab would be.... and it's $20! What! That is just not cost effective.

Needless to say, I didn't do the canning I wanted to last night. And by the time I got home after work it was after 7. *tear* And I don't really have time this weekend, seeing as that it's the last weekend before we move... and I haven't started packing... ooops. (Also another problem is getting moving boxes when I don't have a car!)

Ugh. I'm not very happy about all this.

But I will have pickles and peaches somehow. And hopefully they're not from m-in-l's cellar.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Hurray! We've made it 3 years. Only a lifetime left. I'm excited about that!

Our weekend of camping was wonderful. Pictures to come.

This pretty much sums up our time:

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes
on the grass on a summer day
listening to the murmur of water, or
watching the clouds float across the sky,
is hardly a waste of time.— John Lubbock

We're home... and have a new one!

Joel and I made it back from another surfing trip, alive, sore and exhausted. It was sunny the entire time! Which is unusual for the West Coast- the last 3 times we've made it out this year it's been a mix of snow, hail and rain, rain, rain. And yes, we've surfed in it all.

Needless to say, I'm sunburnt. (I feel like a broken record the number of times I say that). But- Joel is more sunburnt than me! Now that doesn't happen very often!

My surfing skills are improving, I'm getting closer to catching a wave. I really just need to take a couple of lessons and I'll be golden. Joel on the other hand was doing awesome! (Surprise, anyone? No.) He can get up everytime! Jealous Jen! (And a proud Jen because he's pretty sexy looking on a surfboard.)

So our campground SUCKED! It was like a parking lot where they charged people $40 a night to stay. With a trailer for washrooms. Ugh. So we left. Unfortunately the campsite was non refundable (of course!), so we severed our losses and took our friends car up a logging road and camped. It was awesome, I'm never paying to camp in Tofino or Uclulet again. So I guess it was a good thing we camped there?

And GOOD NEWS! We found a place for September, it's a one bedroom basement suite. It's really close to work for Joel (like 4 blocks close!) and a short 15-20 minute bike ride for me. Sweet!! The couple living upstairs own the place and they seem really nice, and the guy lived in Nelson for awhile! Small world, eh? It should work out great!

Besides that, life is good. Work is pretty crazy. I'm way ahead of where they thought I would be, so I've been tasked with a bunch of random mapping work. I love it!

I'll post surfing picks when our friends who went with us send them to me!

BC Day Shnanigans

I'm so stoked! Joel and I are going out camping -again- on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. We have a campsite booked at Ucluelet Campground, and our friends Meg and Adam will be joining us (and driving :) I'm sad we couldn't get a spot at Bella Pacifica, but anything makes me happy!

I went out last night and bought a wetsuit, MEC had them marked down from $250 to $110. I couldn't resist. Besides, it will last me a long time, and I don't have to wear one that someone else has peed in. Gross. (They always smell like urine. ewww.) So I'm really looking forward to surfing!!

Hmm, what else? I'm almost done the new Harry Potter book. Not going to lie, the first half was good, not great. I had higher expectations. But this last have has been fantastic! All I want to do is read.

It's been really fun having these books come out every few years. I started reading them back in 9th grade when the third one came out. I've been waiting for the conclusion for a lllooonnnggg time!

I hope everyone else has a great long weekend. Well- I guess for those of you living in BC.

I heart BC!

"I don't find it hard to be green, I find it fulfilling"

Rage Against Environmental Decline
By William Deverell



I believe in taking action, urgent action to save this wounded planet. Meanwhile, I sit here and wait for the mono titis, as I have waited for the last two winters, but they no longer come. Mono titis, they call them here in Costa Rica, squirrel monkeys — high-flying acrobats who used to scamper about jungle and orchard, joyfully filching avocados and bananas. They come no longer — their territory has been carved up by roads and power lines and the parking lots of hotels and condos, concrete goliaths rising above the remains of what was once a great rain forest.

Here and in British Columbia I have watched the wilderness systematically destroyed by quick-buck developers. Gas-guzzling SUVs roar up and down roads, or sit there, spewing exhaust, like panting predators pausing from the chase.

So we carry on in the false name of progress. We clearcut old growth, fish out our oceans, blight our lakes and rivers. As the world’s oil supply flatlines, we Canadians gloat – we’ve got the oil sands! So it’s full speed ahead as we rush lemming-like to the precipice. Though to be fair, that’s a bad rap. For the lemmings.

In subscribing to the mantras of economic growth and sustainable development (that favorite oxymoron of global warming deniers) are we simply uncaring about future generations, about the survival of humankind itself? Or did T.S. Eliot have us pegged bang-on when he said humankind “cannot bear much reality.”

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. We have bought the bafflegab invoked by selfish capitalism, whose power over the global economy, whose pervasive influence over politicians and mainstream media, whose hoarding of the planet’s overtaxed resources, whose spinning of convenient untruths, have all combined to dumb us down, to create feelings of learn’d helplessness, to cow us into passivity and submission.

Reduce, reuse, recycle — these are such simple and obvious antidotes to the Age of Waste they need hardly be stated. Respect for all life on Earth, for biodiversity, finding solutions to the overpopulation crisis before solutions find us — these are the concerns that consume my cranky senior years, the core issues that must be shouted, bellowed. Rage against the dying of the planet. Shed that comforting costume of liberalism, get a spine, be angry, be prickly, be radical — revolt against a system that stifles sustainable economic ideas while hyping globalization, unrestricted markets, and rampant consumerism. I cringe when the mass media equates growth with progress.

Fifty years ago Erich Fromm wrote in The Sane Society: “So long as we are more motivated to have than to be, we shall continue down the tunnel of consumerism. We shall do so despite knowing full well that the light at the end is not the sun. It’s the train.”

So I decline to be remembered by my descendants as one who didn’t warn about the onrushing train. I’m proud to be accused of being an anti-growth pro-slow tree hugger. I don’t find it hard to be Green, I find it fulfilling, it helps me keep faith that my little threatened friends, the mono titis, will return to share the fruits of our orchard.

For This I Believe, I am William Deverell in Costa Rica.

From: This I Believe