Secret Santa

Every year for the past 5 years, my friends and I get together and do a massive secret santa. It has grown considerably since we first started, due to more friends being initiated into the group. The evening usually looks like this: we arrive with food, get drunk, eat a turkey dinner, do the gift exchange, then get more sloppy. It's the day I look forward to most in December, mostly because it's the day after the semester is officially done, and it's the first chance to get messy. But also because I get to see friends that I haven't seen for awhile, and genuinely have a hoot or two. I feel as if this Christmas tradition that we've had since grade 11 could, and possibly will continue on even after we're all married and have kids. Well, at least I hope it does!

Here's the main group shot starting from the most recent. (p.s.- please excuse my bald head in year 2's photo. Apparently I thought I was a gang member. p.p.s.- have a great holiday!) :

The Room of Vanilla

This past weekend was my friend, Codi's, birthday. It was decided that we'd all go on a party bus to Vanilla Room in Langley, to get drunky. Of course all of Abbotsford showed up. You can never get away from Abbotsford... All in all it was a good night! But here's the thing, you know when you go out to party, get a little drunk, wake up the next day and chuckle about a vague memory? Well it happened to me the next morning. I was waiting in line to get into the club, when a girl introduced herself to me. She then offered me a drink from her water bottle within the first couple of minutes of talking to her. Me being me, I hesitated for a split second, then took a swig. She assured me after I handed the bottle back that it wasn't a date rape cocktail. She then proceeded to laugh, which what I like to remember as a hysterical laugh. Looking back at that memory...Hmm, that could have gone a lot worse then it did. But it didn't, and I'm living to tell the tale.

But ANYWAYS, here are some pictulas of the night.

This Is Africa

This is a journal entry from when I was on a plane home from Zambia, Africa in 2008.

"I miss the smells, the sounds. Touching everyone, waving at everyone. Hearing everyone scream in our house because they see a cockroach. The constant drumming, the smell of the Buseko detergent. How we all had freezing cold showers for a week straight because nobody could figure out how to use the shower. I miss listening to the girls scream EVERY single night before bed. How we all visited the babies after our long day. Away Dr. Rob. The mosquito nets. I miss how we got to show the poor children love by making them simple braclets. I miss the kids at Grace, all the kids at Buseko. T.I.A. I miss how you have to be an agressive driver to survive driving. How the monkies threw shit at Rob, and then how HE CAUGHT IT! I miss the constant dirty feet, and my sandle tan line. The way the sun rises, and sets. Believe it or not, I miss our run down van that we all swore was going to break down. Then on our last day how it ACTUALLY broke down. I miss how we all had specific seats in our van and the dinner table, and got pissed if somebody else sat there. How it was alright to cry there, and how nobody would look at you like you're a fool. I miss how for two weeks straight I stuffed all of my clothes under my bed in a heaping pile. How I can talk to Pastor Randy about the woman next door, and how her 'hooters' were always hanging out. I miss how when we forgot to take our malaria pills at dinner we would run as fast as we could to get them screaming MALARIAAA!!! I miss how I played 'guess which hand the rock is in' for a half hour straight, and didn't get bored once. How everyone stared at us calling us mzungus. The random sayings on the back of the buses; FUGITIVE!! How much fun you can have in a dirt field with a stick that had a flag on it. Running away from the children to a random house, and them pounding on the door screaming mzunguuuu! I miss sports day. How when Mumbi brought us our clean clothes they were stiff like boards. I miss the constant hard boogers, only because they were caused by African weather. Also how we woke up at 6am everyday and thought 8:30pm was outrageously late. I miss Steve and his voice; TAYLOOOW! But most of all, I miss the bond that I created with Peter, a 17 year old boy at the time. By the end of the trip we considered each other brothers. To this day, I'll never forget the hardships he had to endure in his life."

And now for some good 'ole quote memories:
"I wish my coke was vodka"
"Zamloaf"
"HAANS NOOOOO!"
"Krotcha"
"T.I.A."
"Breast feeding bus"
"AH AH AH AH EEEWAAY!"
"Moo moo moo moo moo mulishani
NSHIMAA, NSHIMA, NSHIMA, muli!"
"Mwanacachi mzungu"

Now here's some favourite photos of mine taken on my trip:

Oh life..

School is coming to an end, and life is soo stressful. My time management is seriously lacking this semester, but do I care? NOPE! I have a paper due at 2:30p today, and have I finished it? NOPE! I have an exam at 7pm tonight, and am I ready? NOPE! I always do this to myself, and after every semester I always say this line. I think almost every university student says this line as well. But on a lighter note, I registered for all my classes. I will be taking psyc 250 online, intro archaeology, canadian politics, and human services. Such an array of different classes, which I'm kind of nervous for, but excited as well!

Just got back from my exam, and I think I did well. A passing grade for sure.

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Now here's the recent photos, that aren't so recent, but recently tagged.
They were from this past summer, at an old co-workers wedding. =)