Sunday's Hike

So on sunday I proposed to some friends that we go on a hike. We discussed places that are close to edmonton to hike rather than the mountains. Although the mountains would be ideal for hiking considering the majestic beauty of it all, I just wanted somewhere that didn't require any gas. So we went to Elk Island Park for a 10k hike. It took us 2 hours and 45 minutes! We were pretty tired by the end of it, and I just laughed so much because Steven was considering going hiking on the long weekend, as in hike with your backpack to the place you want to sleep and the only stuff you have is the stuff you carry on your back. It would involve hiking all three days of the long weekend and hiking for most of the day. He was considering this and I told him that he should. I have never heard him complain so much as on this hike, holy moley. He kept saying "well I definitly made up my mind about the long weeknd!" He HATED it, and it was only 10k. I seriously do hope that I can at least once go hiking in the mountains this summer some time, maybe with Steve if he can handle it!

Bummed

So things at the bank haven't really been working out. The person who helped me got sick and so I won't have the money till next week even though I have the car in mind that I want to buy and am waiting to buy it - if only I actually could! Anyway, I can't move out this weekend either even though everything is totally packed up in my room (it's so weird.) So I'm a little bummed.

Update on a busy life...

Wow, I didn't realize how much time had passed since writing the last blog! Anyway, thank you laura for the reminder! I have my job, and it requires me to work most evenings. I know that this is pretty sucky, but it is a little bit ok considering a lot of evening stuff requires very little paperwork and just includes making supper and taking the kids out to fun events like swimming, bowling, fort edmonton, playgrounds, and other fun things. I have had my first 12 hour shift already and it really wasn't that bad either, even though it was quite long. This saturday I have another 12 hour shift from 10-10. blah. Oh well. Hopefully I can put in my time and can hope for better hours in the future. The kids that I have worked with primarily are pretty great kids. I have worked at three different group homes so far and they have all been so diverse. I think that is what I like the most out of this job. Although one day I did come home angry and upset at the night that had happened. It involved some grade sixer's ganging up on me! ha ha, it was pretty horrible, but I have some new skills on how to handle it....I don't know if it's going to work but it is what the boss said to use! So I am going to be busting out the new Jess with skills never seen before. Don't you wish you could just watch me in action? ...at 10pm at night? Moving on. I almost have a car. yah, almost. As in another person who needs to help me has a emergency leave of absense! AUGH! Even though it has only happened twice, once from my new job and once for getting money from the bank to buy my car, it seems like it has happened way too many times! So hopefully I actually get my answer tomorrow like they said and buy the car tomorrow, otherwise.....man oh man. Moving on again. I am moving out this weekend.....if the bank will let me. If the car will promise not to break down (It's a 94 grand am) Every time I think about writing a blog about my life I feel so burdened knowing there is so much to write about! Anyway, now that it is done, I should finish up with some other big news: Steven graduated last week from Computing Science from the UofA with Distinction! My boyfriend is the smartest. Anyway, I should probably stop writing now.

work? car? home?

Well, the organization I plan to work with has been kinda messing things up, after 700 phone calls every day this week I finally found out why they haven't phoned me. Someone had to leave for the week and left my papers on their desk. Anyway, now I don't start till Tuesday which is good, but it has still been 2 weeks now since I came back from my trip, and not working. Not to mention I didn't work the two weeks before I left because no one would hire me if I was leaving right away. This also makes it impossible to move out or get a car. So moving out will have to wait, (I'm thinking about 2 weeks) and trying to buy a car is now in full swing. I will have to see how this new job goes, two of my friends working in a group home quit on their 2nd and 3rd shifts. So this is not good encouragement. At least I have solace knowing that there are tons of jobs out there, the only issue is how much people pay, which generally in social work, is not very good.

Last night we had a baby shower for Steven's cousins new baby girl! I got her the cutest dress with lady bugs on it and this super soft yellow outfit thingy. It was really nice and while we were there I found out she has a blog! I was so excited, so I'm going to be adding her to my cool person's list! Everyone there was also talking about facebook quite a bit and how it is not restricted by age, everybody has facebook now and it's awesome! Yes, I quite like facebook and blogger. I think its great that people can write things for other people to read, it makes for a very inclusive life.

Dominican Fun Times

That was an amazingly awesome trip. SO MUCH FUN! In the pictures you can see from the top:

1. The girls chewing on sugar cane, you don't eat it, you just chew it and so much juicy sweetness comes out!

2.The boys pretending to be sharks when we went to swim with sharks and sting rays.

3.The girls pretending to eat the coco plant. Usually when a coco plant is ripe is goes from green to yellow and then to red.

4. This is when we went on an outback safari through the country side. There is hardly any pollution, the air is so pure and clean, our tour guide told us that although the dominican people who live in the country may be poor, none of them ever go hungry because of the wealth of food.

5. The girls before supper one day. I'm showing off my t-shirt from the outback safari.

6. Taking a horseback riding break. And if you read my previous post, this break was very much needed for me. We are chewing on fresh coconut.

7. A section of the resort we stayed at. You can see our rooms, we stayed on the third floor in the top left hand corner.

8. Erika, Marla, and Kylie wiped out from boogie boarding. It's pretty intense.

9. Marla, Erika, Steph, and I.

10. All 13 of us at the sharks and sting rays tour.

the dominican is a great place....Happy Mothers day mom!

Happy mothers day mausha! This is a picture from Steph and I´s balcony of the day it rained! Tuesday. The rain was really cool, I got very burned on monday so I have been just putting on TONS of sunscreen these past few days. This is everything that a tropical vacation should be and everything that I dreamed it would be. It is the vacation of my dreams. Steve and I went kayacking today on the ocean! there was coral reef sticking out of the white breakers and we almost tipped over! It was so scary! hitting the coral reef would have really hurt! Thank goodness we didn´t tip over......then the resort has these entertainment people who got us to play this game for some prizes, Steph won, but she didn´t want the half hour massage, so she gave it to me! now I am the happiest girl in dominican! tomorrow I am going to try for the 5th time to get my legs tanned! but its been close to impossible to get any kind of tan or burn going on there.....It´s like the whitness refelcts the light back. Take that sun. This past week I also went and snorkeling the coral reef which was pretty neat, so beautiful, so many crazy fish, also during that trip we went swimming with sharks (nurse sharks) and sting rays. Nurse sharks are not dangerous, so it was scary cause they were right there swimming right beneath us! Last night we went for a sunset horseback ride along the beach....believe me it sounds 100% more romantic than it really was! But that was still fun, I am VERY sore from that trip... mostly because my horse loved to straight out run and my stirrups stretched out longer than my legs, so I was only holding on to the saddle without a handle. When that is the only thing you are holding onto...it is soooo impossible to pull on the reigns....to say the least I was a little stressed and a little sore from all the bumping. So when we went back after a much needed break, I very sneakely said that a different horse was the horse that I rode there and had a much more pleasant ride back home! sneaky I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Happy mothers day mom! I love you soooooo much! I tried to call collect but you weren´t home! So sad. Happy mothers day anyway! Tonight is the spanish buffet....not too sure what is going to be different about this one compared to Mexican and Dominican food night.....the best one so far has been bbq night.....although I have been quite adventourous in my food these days....rabbit, duck, and goat have been the different kinds of meat I have tried. And there is alot of mystery food here.....the desserts are kinda questionable......I never know what is actually going to be ok with my stomach... Most people here are not too sick....but there has been some considerable talk about the runs.....but it has been an incredible time so far, this week the plans are to go on a dominican country side safari, and to santo domingo the first place that columbus apparently landed in all of north, central, and south america! love you all!

today I'm leaving for a tropical vacation!

hey everyone. guess what! I'm going to the dominican republic today! na na na na boo boo! Well technically I leave at 12:30am saturday morning, but I have to be ready to go today! I have everything packed except for:

1. 1 pair of flip flops (perferably white...that sun is hot!)

2. ziploc bags to put my shampoo and conditioner and all other liquids in

3. my toothbrush - because I want to use it before I go

4. and I think I need more american money than originally planned, so I gotta get that yet...

5. and canadian money because unfortunatly we have two stops in canada before we actually leave for the dominican.

Other exciting things!:

1. one of the girls is fully moved in and living in my new house, I helped another girl move in over the weekend, although she wants to still sleep at home rather than in the new house. I think people don't really want to sleep there alone. So anyway, our house finally looks like a home and it's so exciting!

2. I set my cousin on a date with one of steve's roomates! I heard from both sides.....and both sides said that they had a good time! In the words of him: "It went really well" and her words "we got along great" sooooooo, is love in the air? well, when I get back from the dominican I will blog about whether or not he actually phoned her.....and whether or not she agreed for a second date!!!!

3. I know this is lame, but the rain is making everything soooooo

green and pretty and I can't wait to come back and see everything

in full bloom and thick in foliage!

4. Christine got a tan! ha ha, I'm just kidding christine! She does have a rather fair complexion, and in her words "Jess, I've never been this brown before!" So I'm excited to see that! I wish I could put a picture up of her, but I don't have any of her super dark!

5. Nothing is for sure yet, but I'm pretty sure I have a job at a group home so this is good. Money is good.

All this excitment is just too much for one person! ha ha......

Anyway, blog you all in a couple of weeks! Adios!

p.s. this blog took me soooooo long to write because of the pictures! AUGH!