Stuck in a Furrow

So. This is what I'm wearing today. I love my pink pants and they make me feel spify. When I wear them with my black wrist cuff and rockstar t-shirt and Vans, I feel punkish. I may not look punkish...but I feel it. I love my pink pants.

It appears that Cara also likes her pink skirt. She is wearing her pink skirt...which is the same hue of pink as my pants. We are wearing the exact same outfit,down to the white tanks and black tops...me in a sweater and her in a button down.

So far only 7 people have commented on the fact that we look like boobsie twins. And I do enjoy the comment "so...did you plan this?"

Yup! Cara and I call each other each night to see if we can perhaps match our outfits to one another.

Seriously.

I was inspired to change my blog after seeing the updates that everyone else was making. Yes, I'm following the crowd.

Bear with me as I play around.

This is how my life has been for the past 2 years....

"Hey Crystal, wanna go see a movie this Tuesday?"

"Oh sorry...I'm working"

"Hey Crys, a bunch of us are heading out for drinks on Friday, you in?"

"Crap! I have to work"

"Wanna hang out"

"Um...I would but my life is run by this stupid jewelery store!"

Well, as of tonight about 1.5 hours ago, I am free of my part-time jewelery store job! YIPPEE! It is such a nice feeling to know that yes, I can have a social life again and have my evenings free and gasp! Maybe even go to the gym like I keep saying I should.

So, here's the shortform of why I quit. We were robbed and my headoffice was being jerks. Big jerks. I wasn't working but my manager, who was, was demoted because of the robbery and then I was accused of theft (which was kinda accurate, I did have stock out of the store but I was told to "try it out"). The straw that broke the camel's back was when they said that we had no right to ask for A) better locking showcases or B) more staff on the floor, and that we had nothing to cry over since it wasn't like we had a gun pointed at us. Um...excuse me? So, until I get accosted with a weapon or sprayed with pepper spray (like Ben Moss did last year!) I have no reason to worry about my own safety. That's baloney, I say! Hogwash. Shite!

I quit. Filled in the form and handed in my key and said buh bye!

A small, miniscule part of me will miss being in the jewelery business. I was just starting to really enjoy it and the thrill of a good sale. But, I'm sure that those feeling will pass.

Oh look...there they go!

P.S. Just as a sidenote...the thieves literally PUSHED in a showcase sliding door and reached in and stole about $45,000 worth of Canadian diamonds. Then they casually strolled out while both saleswomen were busy with other customers. Those are some good showcases!

There is something so fantastic about your own shower, bathroom and bed!

I just got home from a weekend of camping with the parental units. We went to Kelowna to watch my bro race in the 8th Annual Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival. It was fun and although the weather wasn't perfect, it was sure better than being here in the snow! Craig's team placed 47th out of 137 teams, which is pretty damn good, if you ask me. (If you are wondering how I figured out their placing, just remember that I had an 8 hour drive home!) There was around 4000 competitors and 9 divisions, even a seniors division which had the average age of some of the teams at 65! There was even a WWII vet racing in one of the boats. That is incredible....and slighty funny is that one of these teams, was in the division just above The Red Eyes. Those are some fit seniors....I think they were called Lift What's Dragin'. How creative.

I enjoy camping with my parents for a few reasons: They pay for everything. I offer, they say no. It works well for me. There is also no shortage of food and munchies includng licorice. We also partake in some alcohol. I got a flask for my birthday and it has gotten a lot of use on weekends like this!

Since it is Monday and I should post a top 5 list....here it is for today.

My Top 5 Favourite Vacation Memories!

5. Not so much a vacation but most of the times when we would hurry and finish the 4 o'clock chores, pack up the boat and head for Pine Lake. We would play in the water for about 3 hours, never coming to shore, even eating Taco salad on the water and then pack it all back up and head home.
4. Letting the box of crayons melt on the seat of the car. It was freakin' hot and we were at the waterslide in Kelowna. Craig and I were too young to know better but we did think it was pretty! Dad was mad and he still bitches about it. Oops!
3. The Vacation From Hell. We drove through the States and up into the Okanagan area. We were unable to find a hotel in Coeur d' lane and had to spend the nite in the Explorer. It wasn't comfortable. When we got to the cabins at the lake, the boat broke. Then broke again and broke a final time. I'm sure there were more than a few bad words spoken.
2. Disneyworld when I was in grade 11. You are never too old to enjoy Mickey Mouse and The Tower of Terror!
1. Going to East Trout Lake with mom's family. We fished, waterskiied, ate, played Dutchblitz with Dustin and rode our bikes for hours around the cabins. There is even some nice video footage of me attemping to get up on skis. I look completely dorky in a wetsuit and the fact that there were no curves for miles sure didn't help! Craig was kept telling me he wasn't taping my many attempts but he lied!

Ah...good times....

I was talking with a co-worker about my trip to Africa today. At SP, it is not unusual that I've been to Africa as at least 1/2 the staff have been overseas, most of them numerous time. It is exciting to hear how God has given us so many passions about other countries and what I feel about Mozambique, someone else feels about Cambodia or Nicauragua or Lebanon. As we were chatting, she asked me what my favourite experiences were so here is my list (and accompanying pics!) of my trip.



5. Walking with the lions. I got to spend 4 hours in +40 degree heat walking with 2, 18 month old cubs who could tear my face off with one swift swoop! I touched their claws, felt a tongue and realized that dying by lion mauling would be pretty traumatic. It was incredible though...I'd do it again!

(the next pic in this series is of me jumping up as the lion "playfully" took a swipe! What's "playfully" when he could eat me for lunch?!)




4. Elephant Safari Ride. I woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 to ride an elephant for 1 hour on a safari through the Zimbawean brush. We only saw a few bush busks, impala and warthogs but it was completely worth it and we got breakfast in the deal. I walked bowlegged for the next 3 hours (and you thought horseback riding was bad!). We got to feed the elephants and let me tell you, there was a whole lotta snotish substances coming out of their trunks. Nasty! This elephant kept swinging his ears and whacking me in the head so my sunglasses kept falling off. He is actually kneeing and I am perched on his kneecap. I wonder if they'd let me do that at the zoo?

3. Victoria Falls was incredible. It was the sole reason that I ventured from Mozambique to Zimbabwe. I couldn't bear to be that close and not see the falls. They were incredible and my pics do not do it justice. I was there in January so there wasn't much runoff yet but it was a bazillion times more impressive than Niagra. In the spring and summer, there is so much water flowing and mist that you actually can't see anything. There are 7 falls that make up Vic Falls and David Livingstone actually landed on 1 miniscule island between the falls when he discovered them. I think he is one lucky bugger as the fall to the bottom would not be fun. These falls are about 100 m down and the noise was intense! I was so glad to get to see the falls!



2. 111m down in 4 seconds. That is the length of a football field and I WILLINGLY jumped off a bridge at that height. It is the tallest bunjee bridge in the world and has never had a death. I figured those were good odds...with over 10, 000 people having jumped so far. As the nice bunjee workers wrapped the blue kitchen towels and frayed bungee rope around my ankles, I remember thinking that IF the rope snapped and I plummed to my death in the Zambezi river, that no one would know who I was and my parents would be quite worried when I didn't get off the plane in 1 week. It truly was quite the adrenaline rush and as they hoisted me back up to the bridge, they asked if I wanted to go again...I said no...but now I wish I had done it again. After all, there is something so fun about flying through the air and free falling that far down. I have it on video (which cost me an arm and a leg. Thank God for Visa!) and I still can't believe I did it.


1. My boys. I love these guys and wish I could visit them all the time. Maybe in the spring...here's to hoping! We email back and forth and just today, I found out that they are mailing me something! I can't wait...and it has spurred me on to send them the package that I keep promising. They keep asking me when I'm coming back to see them and it makes me sad to think that it may not be for awhile yet.

Tino S, Noah and Justino.

So...those are my highlights. I also did a few other things, some of them not so bright such as crossing the border into Zambia with a strange man, but I'll save those for another post.