education

Dear life,
I enrolled in your program without full knowledge of the particulars. You see, there are a couple courses I ended up in that I don't recall signing up for, and the ones I did choose are not at all what I expected. Please accept my resignation, effective imediately.
Rachael.

rad girl

...and guy

i wish your plan was at all successful

Pride and Prejudice

i found an old edition of this book in my room and thought it would be a nice distraction to reread it.

As the temperature has peeked (i do not mean peaked) above zero i took a walk and sat upon the war memorial enjoying the sun. I am concentrating on finding which character i feel the most similar too. So far i think either Mr. Bingley or Mr. Darcy, although their personalities are polar opposites.

Elizabeth "and your defect is a propensity to hate everybody."

Darcy: "and yours," he replied, with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

I'm not sure which side of this exchange I'd be on. I was planning on saying I empathize more with Darcy, but I think it's a close call. I have the faults of all the characters and the benefits of none. I must be Caroline Bingley. HA. WOW actually... I fawn over the guy who would rather be left alone, I insult people to make myself look better, I am super proud. yup, definitely Caroline. No, I hope I not so cruel as all that.

(P.S. the part where Harry and Hermoine dance in the movie is probably my favourite.)

relapse

I'm still in love with him.

Sherlock Holmes that is.

here are reasons why:

1) Dry wit

2) sense of the dramatic

3) frustration with ordinary minds

4) looks. (he is really attractive in my head)

5) enthusiasm for his field

6) scintillating insights

those are the main things.

the ultimate test

i finished my coat last night, and as today is -29C i decided to take a walk. it is wonderful, coat passes the test.

i also wore my hiking boots for the first time.

i went to a coffee shop and this guy who came to a dress fitting last week works there and served me and totally didn't recognize me.

No one gets to see the coat until in person.

I am not so eloquent today. blaaahh.

an inspirational person

I have this friend, she is fantastic. I was thinking about femininity lately and she is probably the best example of it ever. when i think of the Proverbs 31 or Titus 2 descriptions of women she is who i think of. Wisdom, modesty, strength, humility... now i'm just fawning. that's okay though. she deserves it.

She is also loads of fun. only pic i had... smiles.

my coat

(pics for Vikki, in case she doesn't get a chance to see it in person. [thanks for being encouraging to my mom.])

interfaced and faced now, just the lining to go. coats take lots of hours. definitely the best thing I've made.

my mom is just the cutest. LOOK she's making a salad. is that avocado? broccoli salad? i shall never know. curses.

her new hair cut is very sweet. HEY that's my fleece! blasted mailing fail. it's very nice

Shawn Spencer

I am in love with another fictional character. it happened quickly. i could hardly help it. if anyone loves me they will buy all seasons of Psych on DVD for Christmas as well as Shawn, if he is available.

But in all seriousness now: this show is hilarious. the banter between these two characters ^ is hysterical.

(bobbi and i had an awesome plan to each marry one of them and be next door neighbours with one big pool going through both our backyards. actually it was gus and shawn's plan, but we are getting in on it.)

The lego store

I went here yesterday. Apparently it is the only store of its kind. a beautiful place. you can build your own mini figures out of a combination of torsos, legs, heads and hairs. I built myself but i couldn't justify purchasing it. also they had sweet keychains with lego star wars characters, yet they only had the lame characters. seriously. like the little green pilot for the rebellion. no yoda, han... well. i can't think of any more cool ones. they did have chewbacca. Lego is stupid expensive though. One of the male store attendants chatted with me for a while. that was nice human contact. he was probably 17. sweet. at least he wasn't fictional.

I just went outside for mail

none for me unfortunately.

it was recently pointed out to me that i'm depressed. go figure.

I have decided to cease my witty correspondence with a certain fictional character. It was just too depressing to read of his old age and retirement. And, i realized, very pathetic. R.I.P. S.H.

I was planning on making this long but i have nothing to say. symptom of the depression i'm sure.

peace out.

S.H.

My parents have expressed a desire to meet you. I feel with the direction things are headed perhaps we should acquiesce.

Meet me at Charring Cross Station for the morning train. We are going to the Continent.

R.A.

what I have learned

1) It snows a lot here

2) Calgary is prettier than Toronto

3) I will get more practical knowledge and marketable skills if i take a 4-year fashion program

4) Of all the jobs I worked there is a correlation between how much I enjoy it to how much my employer likes me

5) there is no easy way to earn money

6) People suck and marriages like my parents' and my brother's are the exceptions not the rule.

7) 25 year olds who live with their moms aren't always messed up, but i'm sure the majority are.

8) God always has a reason, and I don't regret this experience for a second

Dear Mr S. Holmes,

I very much enjoyed my visit and our shared pipe and port. I am glad that our continuing correspondence is congenial to you as well. That Watson eh! so reluctant to commit crimes. i'd be happy to be your partner in that as well. Perhaps this evening we can break into an abandoned building and ambush criminals. Or we could stay in the rooms at Baker St. and you could play your violin.

yours truly,

R.A.

Sherlock Holmes on women:

"and yet the motives of women are so inscrutable. you remember the woman at margate whom i suspected for the same reason. no powder on her nose - that proved to be the correct solution. how can you build on such a quicksand? their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling-tongs." -sherlock holmes, the adventure of the second stain.

Dear Mr. Holmes,

I should very much like to inquire as to your confirmed bachelorhood. were you a real person i should think we two to be well matched in every ways. i would be interested to listen to you ramble about the intricacies of crime to no end. I would not oppose your use of cocaine, unless you felt cared for by my objections. i would appreciate your genius, and i flatter myself in thinking you may appreciate mine. I would write up our adventures in a far better way than dear Watson, but we should keep him around as an entertainment.

i shall call at 6 after the evening meal if that is compatible with your schedule to discuss the attractions of my proposal.

sincerely yours,

rachael agnes of cambridge and wales or some such English land.

blue flowers by rachael

this is my sweater. I felt it was time to begin my professional career so i made labels. if you zoom in you can see all the imperfections, Ruby noticed them all. but honestly, i don't really mind, it's nice to have someone that thinks like me in this respect.

memorable scenes

long walks

bicycle rides

cottage visits

jumping off bridges

late night talks

I can't think what my favourite memory is. I must assume I haven't lived it yet. But if i chose one it would probably have occurred in an exceptionally beautiful place, likely outside, with one of the few people i'm truly close too.

rooftops and towers

the motorcycle ride

camping

Adventure... s in Odyssey

I've been listening to a lot of Adventures in Odyssey lately. lots of good stuff in there. I especially liked their star trek parody. the Kirk and Sulu imitations are priceless.

this here is Connie. i like Connie because she is awkward and girlie and entirely stereotypical. gotta love stereotypes, odyssey sure does.
Whit is so entirely fictional he is actually Iconic. I love him. I wish that I did everything perfect, ran an ice cream shop, and gave awesome advice despite never making mistakes. I also envy the fictional stereotype kids that have access to his epic persona. One thing that was cute is that Seth said his dad reminded him of Whit. Kids really see their elders in the purest light. I miss the days when my parents did everything perfect and I had no responsibilities. just kidding, those days sucked, and what am I even saying, my parents are totally still perfect.

what up. i have almost solved a Rubik's cube and i'm scared to move anything in case i ruin my progress. capitalizing 'i's takes far too much energy. i quit. sorry dad.

garin

this picture makes me pretty happy. I miss my bike.

I'm a great photographer.

because my dad gets bored without pictures...

i'm sure that's unreadable. ahh well. sticker is for mum-woo.

I do not feel this way.

neither do i feel this way.

there is no uglier vehicle than the PT Cruiser.

especially when it has a ridiculous flaming paint job. (literally flaming)

you may think that the cube eco-friendly cars are pretty bad, but just look at a cruiser close up. hideous.

I thought this was going to have a point, but I forget it. I guess the horrific appearance of the monstrosity out front has drained all my creativity like kryptonite for superman.

"he thought that I should marry you."

"and what did you think?"

"I thought he was right."

10 points to anyone who knows what that's from.

a week's work

I'm so stoked to find this picture with the guys face attached. probably my favourite all-time.

This looks like the Wawa dump. the 70s were pretty rad.

This reminds me of my grandpa Mike for some reason. I guess it's the glasses.

Lessons

This week in bible study we read James 3 and talked about taming the tongue.

My mom used to get us to memorize this passage when my brothers and I spoke harshly to each other. I'm sure Stephen had to memorize the whole thing. I wish I'd memorized more. It's very practical passage.

I was trying to figure out what precisely GOD wanted me to change. I had narrowed it down to being a heart issue. I was listening to sermons on idolatry and I got a letter from my mom and it kind of converged on this:

What am I doing to be more like Jesus?

Specifically, I need to trust in GOD's sovereignty and not in my ability to manipulate.

I need to realize I'm not as smart as I think.

I need to no longer judge people.

I need to be less hard on myself.

Adventure... and tea

This picture makes me miss hanging out with my dad. (I was watching America's funniest home videos yesterday and there was a motorcycle in one of them and they referred to it as a Harley, when it was clearly a Gold Wing. silly folk can't tell a cruiser from a touring bike.)

This picture makes me miss Joanna. We had a tea party on the Anne of green gables bridge. GILBERT STOOD RIGHT HERE!!!!

~

Adventure sneaks up on you. But you have to take the first step. Just one. Then you'll find it at every corner and junction. There is so much out there.

Tea does not sneak up on you. You brew it actually. Well, I do. Lots of people have no idea how to make a flippin' cuppa tea. But anyways. Tea is a good thing.

Adventure is a good thing. It gives you opportunities to learn and grow. Opportunities are everywhere. Did i say that?

Tea is a perfect drink to have epic conversations over. Even better that coffee. Ya.

Adventure is full of surprises.

Tea is full of antioxidants.

(this is something I wrote when I first got to Wawa. I thought it was amusing.)

Home is where the heart is

I have been feeling a lot better lately. A few days ago I called my phone provider and changed my plan, and today I switched phones, which was an ordeal. Tomorrow I'm getting out rent, and hopefully getting a credit card, although I might have to wait 'til I've worked longer. blah blah blah. all this to say that I feel pretty mature/independent. I'm going to be just fine.

My heart is in my chest. I'm going to keep it with me from now on.

You still cross my mind from time to time. And I mostly smile.

Andria-La Dispute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rOcYi_y0a8&feature=related

This is nice.

" So, dear, no matter how we part, I hold you sweetly in my head.

And if I do not miss a part of you, a part of me is dead.

If I can't love you as a lover, I will love you as a friend. "

dear Caleb, I'm sorry I snapped at you when you told me of this song.

Speak Now.

The point of this album was to "speak now" like they say before wedding vows. Taylor writes a letter at the beginning which is super duper cute. She explains that the songs are all letters to different people of things that she doesn't want to go unsaid. Some are grumpy (Dear John, Mean) some are classic cute (Enchanting) and there is even one not about boys! awesome.

"I think most of us fear reaching the end of our life, and looking back regretting the moments we didn't speak up. When we didn't say 'I love you.' When we should have said 'I'm sorry'. - Taylor."

The album inspired me to say all the things I have always wanted to say, and I was going to write letters. But then I realized I always say what I think I should say, when I think I should say it. I don't think I have any regretted missed moments, and I don't think I say a lot of stuff I regret either. So I have everything figured out. No big deal.

Elnora

Today we went to Elnora to do a mini fashion show that I modeled in. Proof:

I hemmed the lining of this bad boy.

Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures of myself, which is why these are awful. Good thing I'm gorgeous. :)

So this one little old lady says after the fashion show, "unfortunately the model was a little fat, but what can ya do." She was kidding. I laughed really hard. There were some really cute ladies there. These two designs go together, the wedding dress and matching bridesmaid dress (obviously?). The ladies were pretty scandalized by the length of the bridesmaid one.

So me and Ruby bonded. We bought T-Swizzle's new album and it's very good. Very Taylor Swift. She said she would make me a Taylor Swift style dress. Score.

I'm an awesome assistant.

Can you tell I am in a good mood? I don't know why.

Road Trips

I think road trips are a great way to find one's self.

NAHH! I just think they are fun.

This is a picture I took on the way back. Alberta is really flat. Other than the whole mountain

deal. Ruby and I went to the West Edmonton Mall (or WEM as we locals call it) it is large. I really wanted to jump into the fake ocean, but I think they thought of that because they surrounded it with concrete so you can't jump from the upper levels. (unless you had amazing balance and a wicked standing long jump.) sigh.

WOAH, this was interesting: we delivered a dress and the lady lived in Harry Osbourne(of spider-man)'s apartment. not literally. But it was super similar. Ruby agrees. Also, she owned a boa constrictor named Pandora, i.e. Don't open Pandora's box. haha. NOT. Snakes are okay, but owning one is creepy. especially when it's big enough to eat your seamstress' assistant. EWWWW. Okay, I'm over it now.

the desert.

I was just feeling sorry for myself, and I got to thinking, I was so happy back home with my family and friends all around. That was just peachy. Why'd I have to go and throw that away? Then I realized how that sounded. I'm an Israelite in the desert. Egypt was not cool. So what if the food is crumby (a pun!) and the landscape bleak? God is taking me somewhere.

God, and the lone fox

This is the first thing I saw when I got to my room in Calgary. Don't ever let someone tell you God doesn't speak anymore. It was just leaning against the wall in front of the door, there were others but they were faced away.

When I left my job with Marilyn she gave me a copy of Annie's favourite book, Fox Walked Alone with a sweet dedication in it. The gist of it was that God would guide me like the fox. Which he has, and will. For now I walk alone.

The Woo

I never thought I'd miss a dog.

Lake Superior

This is one of the most beautiful places on earth - that I've seen. ha!

I was trying to make my dress look awesome enough to get me into design school.

I don't know if it worked, but Aimee and I had a great time photo-shooting.

I went swimming 3 times before it got too cold, the first week of October was lovely.

The lodge is also a beautiful spot.

hmmm. Not sure if the attempt to show you was at all helpful. The thing in the foreground is the equipment shed, it's rather doss. The lodge you can kind of see part of... I wasn't thinking about what I'd want to show people. I took this picture messing around with aperture and such on my new awesome lens that my dad got me.

(One thing about Alberta is that it doesn't get the epic range of colour Ontarians take for granted in the fall. I saw a cool bird yesterday though.)

AHH. And now the doss auto. This is what ran out of gas on the side of highway 101. Oh, you've never heard of the 101? That isn't remotely surprising. Never put your trust in a turkey.

Back to doss. Apparently it's British slang for grungy or crappy. We used it to describe everything, it was hilarious. I highly recommend the doss accommodations of the staff building and the lodge. But don't attempt to use the doss-barrow as it falls apart all the time. Dave did try to fix it before I left, so let's hope it's better.

Anyways. I had an amazing time at NSA and that experience is likely the reason I'm in Calgary now. David made a great surrogate dad, especially with the name being the same.

If you're ever passing through Wawa stop in. They will be happy to give you the doss-est experience of your life!

today I made a dress.

today I made a dress. It was green and silky. I did good - sorry, I did well.

Also i did some wedding dress finicky things and sewed some buttons and hooks onto things.

I'm going to make a coat. here's a picture of the design. as you can see, Ruby has a whole lotta scissors.

and as you probably can't see this is an awesome coat. i'm going to find army green wool and line it with patterned silk. maybe with some secret pockets. also i want to put lace around the hem. cool, eh?

Away from home.

so. this is a picture of both halves of my equipment. and, no, I'm not ever going to get sick of that joke.

Calgary is pretty sweet. It isn't super cold yet. I have done some wandering, but not much.

Interestingly liquor law is not controlled provincially, so there is no LCBO. which means like 20 liquor stores everywhere. alcohol may be the one thing that is cheaper here. OH, except gas. 92.9 plus 5% GST. what up.

Other things that are different: traffic lights are sideways. thats weird. almost all roads are named by numbers. streets run north - south, avenues; east - west. ya. more later.