blogging done for now

hello to everyone who reads my blog

as you probably know I haven't written for a while and I don't really plan on writing anymore blogs. I enjoy facebook a lot more, it is a lot easier to put up pictures and such. So good bye, this blog was fun but I have only one friend that still writes blogs so it is not very condusive to good conversation...thanks for reading!
Jessica

Branson Trip

So this weekend was Steven and I's much anticipated road trip to Branson Missouri. It was a four hour drive straight south and on the way we stopped off to go to "crystal cave" similar to the other cave we went to in May, but this one was more on the primitive side. It was discovered in the early 1800's and not much has changed since the 1930's except for the lighting. We got a tour from a 91 year old gentlemen who took us with a few other couples and a big mennonite family. There was an old native american graveyard inside and some carved symbols on the walls from them as well. Pretty crazy how old that cave is. After that we went to Branson a town of 6'000 people - but astonishingly it was freakishly packed with tourists so that it was faster to walk than to take a vehicle....I thought that when people told me that Branson's traffic was bad they were just being extreme, but I have never been in traffic that bad that started early in the morning and ended at about midnight. It was crazy. I would compare it to New York (from what I have seen in the movies.) I think that the traffic could make it or break it for people visiting Branson. Thank goodness for our GPS that saved us many times and we found back roads that we never would have found if it wasn't for our navigation tool. ANYWAY, we went to a ventriloquism / magic show (very cool), ate at a diner where all the waiters and waitresses sang to you (some of them were even final contestants on american idol!) and went to a hollywood wax museum. We also went to the historic railway and boat landing on the river. We walked through "historic branson" and it was really enjoyable. Steven had crab for the first time (or at least he doesn't remember eating it before) at "Joe's Crab shack." On sunday we were invited by Brook and Scott from our church to join them at their parent's lake house. So we went boating, tubing, and swimming, and had a really nice time with them. Swimming in lakes down here is wonderful! The water is SOOO WARM! Like a nice bath! The funniest part about that day though was this dog named "gary" which was funny from the start, but he was about 5 pounds, 8 months and full grown. He had an underbite and a lion-looking face, but just this scrawny little thing, and he was always in trouble which was funnier because people were yelling "Gary! Stop that! Gary! Get outta here!" And he was such a trouble maker too. So it was all day long. And if you haven't figured it out yet, Gary is my dad's name, so that's why I found it so funny. Anyway, here are some pictures from our weekend, and the dog in the pictures is Gary. Pretty funny looking dog. (or rat some would say) So the weekend was a lot of fun and definitly worth the trip!

Removing shoes before entering house = VERY WEIRD

Although not as embarrassing as before(e.i. communion story), this is another embarrassing church story. So last week at church there was a women who had severly broken her arm horsebackriding. Our pastor Eric announced that it would be extremely difficult for her this week to be making supper so if people wanted to donate their time and make her supper, he was sure she would appreciate this. So I decided that I would help and make her some supper. Soooo. That week after preparing a crock pot roast for Sarah and her teenage daughter, Steven and I drove to a gorgeous acreage log cabiny type house. Sarah anserwed the door and so we stepped in and removed our shoes. Well Sarah thought this was really strange and not wanting to be rude we explained to her that we were Canadian, this is something that Canadians do that American's obviously don't. She was quite shocked and kept asking us questions about why and how. Anyway, we had a little visit at her house and then went home. At church yesterday Pastor Eric thanked a particular couple for bringing Sarah and her family a supper, and didn't mention Steven and I which was fine when all of a sudden from behind us we hear: "And Steven and Jessica brought us a lovely roast!.....(she pauses)....and they took off their shoes before they came in!" Everyone is kind of silent because this isn't exactly something that is funny, more like strange for these americans. So then she goes "They're Canadian! and they take their shoes off!" And still everybody is quite silent because this still doesn't really explain why us Canadians take our shoes off, it kind of just made us look like weird fanatical shoe removal freaks. So then Pastor Eric asks rather suddenly..."so are their shoes still there?" (Scattered chuckles from around the congregation...) Then Pastor Eric says, "Thanks Steven and Jessica for coming all the way from Canada to deliver supper for Sarah" The church kind of laughed... We said "no problem." And then the church service kind of went on as usual.....but I still feel pretty weird. So, it doesn't sound all that embarrassing....but trust me, my face was red.

Soooooo, nothing much new to post, I'm pretty much just writing out of boredom.

So Steven and I finished our two trips back to Edmonton this summer. It was really nice and sometimes I really don't know what we are doing in kansas city at all.....everyone we care about lives in edmonton. I hate to complain ... but I'm not doing so well right now. Not that happy to be down here really. Other than that tonight I have an awkward situation that I must deal with. So. Here it is: One lady from Steven's coworkers wives invited Steve and I to taco dinner and uno playing with some olympic watching I'm sure. The trouble is I just got a phone call from another one of the wives who was clearly not invited to taco and uno night, and invited Steven and I to a movie. I hate it when I'm the one who has to deal with other people not inviting eachother to whatever.

It has been really nice weather down here. Not too hot at all, and not really even that humid can you believe it! I almost cannot since it has been unbearable since May. It makes me really excited and I have been outside a lot more now.

I went to the pet store yesterday out of boredom to visit some puppies. Steven and I have discussed it and we cannot have any pets while we live in this tiny apartment and also while we don't live in Edmonton. (For various traveling and other reasons.) But I saw some "Morkies" (Yorkshire Terriers and Maltese crosses) a Dashund, a "Bichi-poo" (Bichon Fries and Poodle) ...that thing was the cutest most fluffiest thing you ever saw. Also a shetland sheepdog puppy and two Puggles! Puggles are apparently "designer dogs" meaning you specifically mix (in this case) one beagle and one pug to make a litter of puggles! There are no puggles making puggles I guess, this is a rule for some reason. Puggles are ridiculously cute! wow. I will have to keep them high on my list for particular dog breeds that I like.

So anyway, that is a puggle for your information. Try to control yourself before you call up the nearest breeder and arrange a similarily adorable creature to be yours.

I wish I could have a dog....someday though that would be nice.

Anyway, I got nothin. Hopefully I can get back into blogging....

Cariboo not accepted here....

So I decided to do some laundry in the basment of the apartment. It is a coin operated laundry machine. I looked through my quarters and found that I was short one american quarter. I was debating going to the store to get change when I had a genious idea! Why not use some of my Canadian quarters that were currently collecting dust? (We found that through all the sorting and moving in, we found some Canadian change that adds up to about $9) So I brought all my laundry downstairs (a load of whites) and put it in the laundry machine with a dash of bleach and put the quarters (and the one Canadian quarter) in their respected slots. Well that did not go over so well. After jamming it up and trying several times to just try to "slam through it"....I realized I wasn't getting anywhere. So.....I took all my laundry out and had to bring it to the laundromat. By the time I washed it the bleach had destroyed our duvet cover, and left some marks on a swim suit, and my favorite capris.

I attempted this quarter exchange last week, yesterday I checked on the washing machine and it had a sign that said :

"Washing machine broken... (coins jammed)"

Well I am certainly not going to complain about the broken washing machine. The brutal part is that the people who run these buildings know that Steven and I moved here from Canada and if I was to complain it would be too easy for them to put 2 and 2 together......

So I have to do my business (laundry business anyway) at the laundromat now....and I don't try to slip any Canadian Cariboo quarters in anymore... I learned my lesson.

Happy Friday!

This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding besides some of the ones with Steve of course! Nobody looks bad, everyone looks good!

So today is friday. Fridays are pretty sweet.....even when I had to work them they were good, and now they couldn't be any better! Steven and I try to do something new and exciting on the weekends and I don't know what exactly we will do, but I know it is going to be fun! Last weekend we went to the waterpark.....during this week we went to another waterpark. Maybe this weekend will also have another waterpark visit. It really beats the heat like nothing else. Anyway. I'm just excited. Weekends are the best. Steven and I bought two season passes to a place called "Union Station." It is an old train station that has been restored beautifully and has a space and science type center, an Imax screen, a planetarium screen, (the dome type screens), restaurants which we now have a discount for, gift shops, and other tours. So we think we will watch a 3-D movie about the ocean. I can't wait. Should be crazy! Other than that, there are so many fun things to do around here! I'm not feeling as homesick lately because I know that I am going back soon enough.

p.s. 12 more days till I'm back in Edmonton!

UPDATE. This is the latest Jessica and Steven news.

It is hot here. Seriously. Everyday I go outside and I just think "what the heck." The people here say that August is a horrible month. Apparently you just don't go outside. It's just so hot.

hmmmmmmmm. Sounds a little like Edmonton in January. With reverse temperatures of course.

Anyway. The past events of this week have been this:

Last tuesday (June 3rd) : A birthday celebration in the morning for two of the women who came down from Canada with us all. Cupcakes and coffee were on the menu.
-Later on that evening a crazy storm hit us with wind, rain, and hail. It hails here pretty much once a week. People get golfball size hail and never have I seen so many dented vehicles from hail. (This storm happened during our small group time.)

I can barely remember the rest of the week at all actually....
oh yes. Thursday. I went to the zoo with Shauna. It was so hot. Not only was I a sweaty mess, but I drank 3 big water bottles full of water. So I also went to the bathroom 4 times in the span of 2 1/2 hours. Next time I go to the zoo, I go in the morning. We didn't see to many of the animals, I guess they didn't want to be outside either.

Friday Steven, Tim, Shauna, and I all went to a Chinese place called Blue Koi. No Chinese people were working there at all.....But then again we aren't in Edmonton. I have noticed that I rarely see oriental people or middle eastern people here at all. Edmonton is more culturally diverse.

Saturday Steven and I went to see the Chiefs practice, kind of a rally for the fans. That was fun. Then we went to an outdoor waterpark in Independance. We put on lots of sunscreen so we weren't burnt. Then we were really tired and went home and watched a movie. It started raining and hailing again. Good grief. It's too bad we have no place to park our car inside!

Sunday was church, and then Steven and I cleaned the apartment, organized and went through everything we brought down and threw a few things out. We also discovered a few things we wished we wouldn't have brought down and have decided to give it away to Good Will or whatever they have down here. This apartment is small. Which in a way is good. Because we can only bring back what can fit in the Cavalier anyway! At the end of the day, (surprise) a storm with crazy lighting, thunder, and rain came, but no hail this time.

I have the countdown to come back to Edmonton on. 15 days now. Can't wait! That means 19 days till Amy and Aaron's wedding! Woe. That is crazy. I bought a dress yesterday at Target! So I am ready to go!