ShiZaam!

Click here to enter my FAHB-U-LOUS new website. I've complained about Blogger and Pyzam for long enough that Bjørn sat down and figured out a new design for me. He didn't hand-code it this time (though he does plenty of that), but he definitely pimped it out, so it said Jenny ALL over it, complete with a Colophon, blog and wishlist. The many advantages of marrying a computer nerd.

It is a new address, so if any of you are cool enough to RSS feed all your blogs, you will have to re-subscribe to it by clicking on the Feed link. Enjoy.

Lost in the communication world.

It was bad enough that I was in between cell phones for almost 2 weeks, but this weekend, all of a sudden my new AT&T phone, which I have had for less than a week, stopped working. Everytime I try to make a call, it says "service unavailable" and apparently nobody has been able to call me.

What a pain in the butt. I'm "troubleshooting" with the AT&T guy right now. Apparently, all it took was turning the phone off and on again. Of course I DID try that this weekend, and it didn't work! Oh well, at least it is working again.

Nuetro viaje

Photos from our trip are up. Here's a couple to wet the appetite. Click on 'em to head to the whole she-bang on flickr.

One of the funniest moments, was definitely seeing Bjørn as a clown for kids skits :)


Oh and here's the quick slideshow we made for the Mexico presentation at the Vancouver church.


QUICK HIGHLIGHTS - there is just too much amazing experiences God took us all through, but I will give a brief list -
*One of our youth finally opened up about his life, after 6 years of being a part of our group, and at the end of the week, Bjørn had the honor of leading him to Christ.
*One of our youth was allowed to leave Rehab early to come on the trip, and she actually had a good time!
*1 HUGE rededicated life from a girl that has been a part of the youth group for 9 years.
*LOTS of questions and curiosity about God from our non-Christian youth
*crying and intercessory prayer led by youth every other night

Carla's (our leader) prayer for the trip this whole summer was that the big moments would happen back in Vancouver, and not all in Mexico...and it is amazing to see how God is making that happen already.

Chaos.

I guess I didn't fully consider how starting a new job and moving to a new house would be a lot to handle at one time. But these are some of the funny combinations it has brought about:

1. Not cooking: because I don't have energy (due to job) nor a proper kitchen (due to moving)

2. My whole life revolves around packing, organizing, moving and unpacking (due to moving a new house, and due to setting up a new classroom)

3. Looking professional on the job: due to not having a working shower when first moving into our place, I take a backpack and shower supplies to my aunts and uncles' every morning to shower. I can't find my clothes, because I still haven't unpacked my closet. Once, I do find my clothes, I take a "laboring" outfit and a "professional" outfit to work everyday. The "labor" outfit is for moving and organizing the classroom, and the "professional" outfit is for meetings and home visits in the afternoons.

Luckily I have had some life-saving people in my life the last couple of weeks:

1. Bjørn: moved everything the first week and would work until 11pm every night, when my mind would stop functioning at 9pm.

2. Peter & Esther: My in-laws came up 2 weekends in a row to clean up our new place, clean up our old place, and move furniture in both houses, and make repairs around our new place.

3. John: My uncle oversaw and worked hard to install a working shower in our "new" house. As well, as helping move furniture and make repairs with Peter all around the house.

4. Mike & Marty: also did a deep clean of our new place, after their son, Mikal moved out to go to TWU.

Thank you to all of the Eides and Bulthuis'! I don't usually do props on my blog, but let's be honest: you guys deserved it this time. 

We're back.

And You guys thought we were moving out for good! Bjørn and I are HAPPILY living again at 936 Van Dyk Rd. (a.k.a. Bjørn's grandparent's very stylish 70's home)! This was our welcoming poster the first time we moved in. I guess we were old news this time, as we didn't get anything!

Where you been?

answer: working my new job. 

What's that?

answer: early childhood specialist, a.k.a. preschool teacher at Nooksack Elementary (neighbor to Sumas). 

What do you do? Team teach a group of head start (government funded group) in the mornings with a head start teacher, and teach my own group of 10 preschoolers in the afternoons. 

Are you overwhelmed? Well, I'm going on my first home visit to go over 13, yes that's right, 13 forms with parents of one my preschoolers. I just learned about the forms yesterday, so it's a little fast. 

Are you excited? Very. Not only is the job better pay, it is full time, full benefits including retirement, and I get to work with some preschoolers in Spanish (something I have been super interested in since last spring). 

How was your guys trip to Mexico? Incredible. It will require several of its own posts. 

We outta here!

Time to build us a house, e-speak-a some spanish, and learn from some Great Mexican people.

Don't expect to hear from us for a week or two. We out.

Sunday afternoon is the beginning of "Mexico Missions Trip 2008." 

We are having the whole team over for dinner and then departing for Seattle. Sunday evening, the whole team is staying at Bjørn's parents' church in Port Orchard. Fly out Sunday morning. Mexico 2008 from Monday to the following Tuesday evening.

Wednesday morning head up to San Diego to surf, water ski, boogie board, etc. as a team fun day. Thursday morning, the team departs and Bjørn and I start our Anniversary trip. Sunday morning: fly out of San Diego to Seattle, drive home. 

The next week: move out of our house, maybe start a new job that Wednesday (with the school district). I do have an interview with Lynden School District tomorrow - career center counselor/secretary. Ya never know.

Herb garden meet the world wide web

World wide web, meet my herb garden. 

Lots of mint, 2 chives & a little thyme

my blooming tomato bushes and 3 different types of Oregano

     It's taken almost 5 weeks for my garden to take off, but now not only do I have all these lovely herbs pictured above, I have lemon basil, regular basil, Rosemary, and a little cilantro. 

     As many of you know, Bjørn and I are moving out at the end of August and back to the Eide Compound (where 2 of Bjørn's aunts and uncles already live), into Bjørn's grandparents' old house- still in Lynden. Thus, it makes me sad that we are leaving our healthy herb garden soon. Maybe I could transplant 1 or 2? Or at least pick a lot the day before we move out. At least now, I know I can garden a little! I was definitely doubting myself for about a month there.

We know how to celebrate

For our one year anniversary, Bijørno and I went out to dinner and dessert at Arms Reach Bistro in Deep Cove, BC, where Bjørn had proposed to me me 1 1/2 years ago. It was much more fun to be there in good weather (compared to January) and healthy (compared to having mono). 

Arms Reach Bistro - Anniversary

Arms Reach Bistro - Proposal Night

On the Dock.

Am I the only One?

That can't fill out the "word verification" correctly the first time, when trying to leave a message on some one's blog? Everytime, I psyche myself up to do it, and blip, try again. Maybe I'm dyslexic? Or just dumb. 

And this is how we celebrated our hike...

lunch

and a nap.

So we took a hike...

After sleeping under the stars (at the Eide compound), last Friday night, Bjørn and I left at 7:00am Saturday morning to go for a hike near Mt. Baker. The drive was beautiful.

We hiked up Goat Mountain trail. Bjørn purposefully neglected to tell me that the map at the Ranger's office indicated our hike was one line straight up the mountain. 2.5 miles all switchbacks in the woods 1.25 miles in an upper meadow, and one 360 degree phenomenal viewpoint.

 

En preparacion

In prep for our missions trip to Mexico (and more because I want to), I am meeting with a Spanish tutor to brush up on my espanol. 2 hrs/week. I am very excited. I start this week. 

No puedo esperar!

The Nobodies

I ran across this poem from a classmate from twu, and it really caught me. It is his translation of a well-known Uruguayan journalist, Eduardo Galeano. Galeano describes himself as "A writer obsessed with remembering, with remembering the past of America above all and above all that of Latin America, intimate land condemned to amnesia." This piece he laments the place of the Indigenous people of Latin America in the eyes of fellow citizens.

It is more powerful in Spanish, so if you know any, I recommend reading it in its original context. But here is my attempt.

The Nobodies

"The fleas dream of buying themselves a dog and the nobodies dream of leaving poverty
That one magic day suddenly good luck will rain, pouring rain of good luck
But good luck doesn’t rain: yesterday, today, tomorrow or ever
A sprinkling of good luck doesn’t fall for the nobodies that call for it
Even if they wake up on the right foot
Or if they change their broom at the beginning of the year

The nobodies: the sons of nobody, the owners of nothing.
The nobodies: the no ones, the lowest of lows, dying in life, the doomed, doom forever.
The Ones that are not, even If they are.
The ones that don’t talk a language but a dialect.
The ones that don’t have a religion but superstitions. 
The ones that don’t have a culture but folklore. 
The ones that are not human beings but human resources.
The ones that don’t have a face but a number.
The ones that don’t appear in world history but in the police blotter of local papers.
The nobodies, the ones that, are even cheaper than the bullet that kills them"

Eduardo Galeano

Original en Castellano.

LOS NADIE

"Sueñan las pulgas con comprarse un perro y sueñan los nadies con salir
de pobres,
que algún mágico día llueva de pronto la buena suerte, que llueva a
cántaros la buena suerte;
pero la buena suerte no llueve ayer, ni hoy, ni mañana, ni nunca.
Ni en lloviznita cae del cielo la buena suerte, por mucho que los
nadie la llamen,
aunque les pique la mano izquierda, o se levanten con el pie
derecho,
o empiecen el año cambiando de escoba.
Los nadie: los hijos de nadie, los dueños de nada.
Los nadie: los ningunos, los ninguneados, corriendo la liebre,
muriendo la vida, jodidos, rejodidos.
Que no son, aunque sean.
Que no hablan idiomas, sino dialectos.
Que no profesan religiones, sino supersticiones.
Que no hacen arte, sino artesanía.
Que no practican cultura, sino folklore.
Que no son seres humanos, sino recursos humanos.

I have seen this attitude present in Latin American countries towards the Indigenous people of the countries, and it is definitely present in North Americans' response to hearing daily international news of major catastrophes.

But I have to wonder if the last stanza ("The Ones that..."), isn't North Americans' attitude toward Native (American) people? I have to wonder if despite my 5+ years spent with Native people, if this isn't my own attitude many times?

Alaska Wedding ~ Day 2

Steph picked me up in the morning, and Amy and I spent the day running errands for her (and getting sidetracked at the Alaskan Brewing Co. headquarters). Last minute we helped the florist put together some floral arrangements.

sidetracked, originally uploaded by The Enforcer.

I hung out at Rehearsal, and took pictures

 

and then we headed to the yacht club for rehearsal dinner. That was a blast - phenomenal view in 3 directions, good food, good drink, and good times. Amy and I whipped up a last minute a round of "Who will..." game for Ross and Steph, which I learned at my own rehearsal dinner.

Alaska Wedding ~ Day 1

Bjørn and I spent the morning and early afternoon, "sight-seeing" Juneau. The weather was cloudy. cold and a little rainy. We checked out the tram (that Aaron got us free passes for through his work).

the tram...., originally uploaded by The Enforcer.

Then we parted ways to attend the Bachelor and Bachelorette parties.

A quick glimpse

Bjørn and I got back around 1 am last night from AK, to both have work in the morning. (I started teaching ESL summer school today - 3 hrs/day, with 7 kids in my class - talk about perfect!)

I've been editing/photoshoping all my pix, but here's a quick shot from Steph's Bachelorette party. We took a limo to the glacier (which happens to be only 5 min. from the town). 

We were all dressed in old prom dresses (Steph's happened to be from the mid-80s). More to come tomorrow. 

North to Alaska...

North the Rush is on. I don't know if any of you who had parents that made you listen to classic, yet terrible music....but my dad always made us listen to Johnny Horton. So when I thought of our trip to Alaska, my childhood came rushing back: 

Bjørn and I head North tomorrow evening for Ross & Steph's wedding (2 of my close friends from TWU). This is a shot of Steph and I at Stanley Park Christmastime - as you may note, Ross is intruding the picture. He's been doing that for awhile, and now I'm glad, they're finally tying the knot! They started dating only a few months after Bjørn and I. 

This is my first time to "The Last Frontier" (as their license plate states) so I'm EXTREMELY excited to be airborne again. This summer sure ain't slowin down for us. 

Starting it out with style.

Bjørn, the poor dear, has to go to work today, IN CANADA! So in order to get him ready for the 4th of July out of country, we played Sousa marches - and boy did he march! woulda made his grandma proud! And of course, our favorite was Stars and Stripes Forever - a true classic. We then got him dressed up in American colors, and now, I think he is ready to show them Canadians, what true American pride is! 

*Note: Bjørn did just get a 2 year extension on his work visa - so he can work in Canada for awhile more if he wants. Yay, for not having to find a different job!