from the inside

Courageous

2011-10-05T00:01:00.001-06:00

Attention Everyone!

Do whatever you have to do to go and see the movie Courageous, in theatres now. Someone recommended it to me and told me that it was a must-see for everyone, and now I'm telling you the same. It was by far the most outstanding movie that has ever been in theatres and the best that I have seen.

Faith and Integrity. Family and Fatherhood. Jesus Christ and the Atonement.

I laughed, I cried, I cheered - like the synopsis said I would. It was the first movie I have been in where everyone applauded at the end.

I was so blown away and so impressed and so so grateful that a movie of this caliber was made and released in theatres. The world needs more movies as wholesome and impactful and as truthful as this.

"If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." (AoF13) - this is definitely one of those things!!!!

Go see it. Date Night. Family Night. Whatever. Just go. Then tell your friends.

You will be glad that you did.

Magic Show - a technological revolution

2011-10-02T23:15:00.000-06:00

This impressed me. Take 5 mins to watch!

September Happenings

2011-09-29T22:00:00.001-06:00

From my recent life

Seika - she's the family dog, but really she's my dog since she loves me most. She doesn't go out until I go out and she follows me everywhere. Just loves to be where I am. It's great.

It's hay season. I spent many long hours doing this. It's like mowing the lawn....but the lawn is really big and so is the lawnmower.

The plus side is that this was my first time cutting (usually not my job) and I didn't break anything (nor did anything break when I was using it - used to be my plague). I also had plenty of time to listen to my favorite movies, the latest General Conference talks, and my playlist of favorite talks.

Almost lost another finger. Just skinned it instead.

When I was cutting in Bishop Hatch's field (after ours was successfully completed), I came across this HUGE rock in the middle of the field. Luckily I didn't break anything because of it - it was so big that I had to roll it out of the way. It's heavier than it looks. Couldn't even lift the sucker. Well maybe I could have if it had been a life or death situation.

Then I pressure washed the cutters after (there are two of them). Do these pants make me look fat? I personally enjoyed the front bum look I had going on (which isn't apparent in the picture).

I don't have a cute new baby like Alana and Angie (they really are soo cute!) so....fat pants and tractors is the best I can do. Later!

Schools kill creativity

2011-09-29T08:39:00.000-06:00

Check this out - it's funny and insightful. I laughed out loud in my bathroom brushing my teeth. Loved it. Ken Robinson from TED.com

I'm still alive

2011-07-08T23:41:00.005-06:00

It's pretty bad that I haven't posted anything since February. I just keep putting it off week after week and the events I want to blog about keep piling up and the pile gets more and more intimidating....so I decide to wait until the next week.

I'll catch up on the last few months later - including my two brothers leaving on missions, my emergency trip to utah and my finger miracle.

Let's just keep it light and random for now. Here are some things that I am doing and/or highly recommend:

I am reading:

(amazing!!)

(just finished it)

I am craving:

Deep Fried Mars Bars - with extra cream & chocolate and a side of ice cream

(Don't have my own photo handy right now)

I am loving:

Artistry Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15 (tint 3)

This is my go-to for summer instead of foundation. It's fantastic - evens out my skin tone and gives my face a healthy glow!

(www.freedomleaders.ca)

I am following:

The Daybook

Busy Bee Lauren

i believe in unicorns

steoffrey language

Travelling Triplets

I keep up with those on:

(I used to use Reeder but this app is free and allows you to add/delete subscriptions right on it)

Other apps that are awesome and free:

(K this one isn't free, but it is sooo worth the $0.99 - Best messaging app I've seen for iPhone. It allows you to send text, pictures, video and audio in a user-friendly interface. You can also make calls on it. It either uses wifi or data. I use it to send pics and videos (which are expensive via text messaging), and to talk to friends/family in the USA, Hong Kong and Australia for no extra charge. I wish all my friends had it!)

(Think walkie talkie or instant voice messaging)

(Part of the MobileMe collection. You can view your own and others' MobileMe galleries....such as your brothers who are on missions. Yep, I can view all of their pictures on here)

(Handy handy tool that enables me to easily manage 6 email accounts at once).

(Hopefully you won't need it, but you want it set up in case you ever lose your phone! From the world wide web you can locate your phone on a map, send a message to it, turn on a really loud and annoying signal so it will be found, remotely lock it or even erase it. That's pretty fantabulous.)

(If you likes Words, then try this! It's a cool twist on Hangman that you can play with friends or strangers - I am personally still waiting for my friends to discover this)

(choose your filter and create a supa sweet photo like this!)

(Facetime has been a disappointment for me - I've never been able to get it to work overseas, and you still need a wifi connection. Skype works great anywhere for audio and video calling.....or at least I think so. We used Skype to video chat with our parents who were in Mexico while we shopped for couches for them, and I don't recall having a wifi connection...but I may be wrong.)

I would like to do more:

(so I better get started! Goodnight.)

Provo Hospital

2011-02-28T18:58:00.001-07:00

Elliot, your balloon was delivered!

All it takes is a little innovation

2011-02-09T16:19:00.002-07:00

Remember the time that I slept over at the condo on a Saturday night and had to create a Sunday outfit out of the few items of clothing left in my room there?

I decided to rock a sweater dress and I found some tights to keep my legs semi-warm in the Edmonton winterishness. But I needed a belt or a big necklace or something..............none there.

As I scanned my room for ideas, my Anthropologie headband caught my eye and the lightbulb went on. Yes my hips & waist are obviously larger than my head but it's stretchy and I was desperate. Church was great, and now my headband fits my head perfectly (and doesn't give me a headache).

Just go with it

2011-02-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

I like when I start to reply 'cool' in a text message and my phone suggests the word 'coolness'.... and I just shrug my shoulders and go with it.

Sister Patterson

2011-01-12T16:45:00.002-07:00

The missionary season has begun again! First we say goodbye to Mel.....

On Monday Brent, Russell and I took a drive out to Wetaskawin to say goodbye to our good friend Melanie Patterson who is leaving to serve in the Scotland/Ireland mission. I am going to miss her but I am also so excited for her to go!!! She is going to be such a great missionary. Go Mel! :)
We took a few iphone shots as we had a little party in the hallway after a relaxing hot tub session, where we....

wrote messages in her book, moisturized our hands, filed our nails,

and posed randomly.

It was a jolly good time. We also left a couple pics on Melanie's camera of us so she won't forget us (top right & bottom left).

Funny story about me and Melanie - we knew each other back in high school. But back then, we were basketball rivals. She was from Wetaskawin, I was from Devon. She was a point guard and so was I, so we were very familiar with each other on the court. I always liked playing against her. We had respect for each other and some sort of unspoken friendship. We didn't know that the other was LDS.....I figured it out first when I saw her wearing a BYU hoodie at her home tournament one year. I wasn't surprised at all. She found out when she saw me in YSA a couple of years later. She may correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember her telling me that she had always thought there was something different about me and she wasn't surprised either when she found out. Since then we have been in the same ward for a couple of years and have become really great friends!

See you in July 2012!!!!!

Do You Hear What I Hear?

2010-12-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Here is one last gift that couldn't be wrapped beneath the tree.......

To: Our Parents

Love: Jacqui and Kristi

(our first duet ever!)

Christmas Flash Mob

2010-12-08T10:49:00.002-07:00

PVC

2010-12-08T00:13:00.000-07:00

If you don't know what to do with all your extra PVC, here's an idea.

"I'm so blown away right now" is what I wrote when Brent shared this on Facebook.

Scary Driving

2010-12-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this today - the 19 most complex and dangerous roads in the world. I kind of want to try driving on them all....except for maybe the road of death in Bolivia.

CHRISTmas

2010-12-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

It's right in the word my friends. Christmas is about Christ. It's so easy to get caught up in the worldly views and traditions of the holidays and be way too busy, stressed and distracted to remember that we are really celebrating the birth of our Saviour. I can't wait until I can line up to see him one day......which is what this post by Shanae Jones is about. Check out the incredible story and song!

I met Shanae when I went to Hawaii for Christmas in 2008, and although I don't know her very well, I have enjoyed following her blog(s) over the last couple of years. She is great friends with my lovely cousin Angie though! Being in Hawaii and meeting all of the great people there and seeing the friends that Angie and Mike have made over the last few years makes me want to move there so I can experience something like that as well. It's just not the same in Edmonton. There is no spirit of Aloha and Ohana and everything else that BYU-H and Oahu bring. There are no oceans and beaches either. But also no tsunamis,which is a plus I guess. My skin is so freaking dry here though - I can't stand it. Oh Hawaii, how I miss you.

Anyways, please read the story and watch the video! I loved it.

Ideas?

2010-11-29T12:52:00.002-07:00

I am participating in a Christmas cookie exchange on Saturday but I'm not sure what to make! Does anyone out there have ideas? I could search online but I trust the people I know better to have recipes that are for sure tasty....

Please help!

25 Years

2010-11-23T20:09:00.002-07:00

Happy 25th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Here's a tiny glimpse of some of the memories you have made together...and there are plenty more where these came from:

( thank you for coming to my convocation last week!)

Love,

Jacqui

P.S. - Also a happy 25th birthday to Angie!!! Love you too :)

New app

2010-10-13T12:11:00.002-06:00

So yesterday I reconnected with one of my good friends from school. She and I spent many long hours together in the library working on papers and studying for exams and teaching each other. I don't know what it was like on her end but I know I wouldn't have made it through some of those 400 level biochems without her. She helped keep me sane. And learning things together really saved me on those tests. She is one of the few people that I can study with because we think at the same level and strive for the same grades. Oh I'm SO thankful for her! She is awesome.

Anyways, she also got the new iPhone4 recently (last year we both had the crappiest phones ever!) so she showed me some of the apps she found and there are some pretty sweet ones!!! One of them allows you to do cool things to photos so I tried that out today. You can erase and add color to whatever part of the photo that you want.

Last night Russell and I went on a random date. We just wanted to spend some quality time together. So we rode the LRT. So romantic right? I actually had a great time! He showed me a bit of the art gallery that he had been to earlier and we walked down Jasper ave to find him something to drink then got back on the LRT to head back to my car. Photo #2 of us in two years is above. We really need to get an actually nice photo with both of our full faces one of these days.

Checked something off my list

2010-10-12T10:47:00.003-06:00

Thanks grandma for the reminder that I convocate next month. I finally checked my UofA email and realized that I had an email that has been sitting there for six weeks about my graduation.
I have officially confirmed that I will be attending and I have rented my gown!

Somebody might need to remind me on Nov 17 to go pick up my gown and my convocation packet in the evening. The ceremony is at 10:00 AM on Nov 18 and I can bring 3 guests (extra guest tickets become available at 9am on Nov 18 if other students don't use all of theirs).

I never got around to getting grad photos. I figured I could do it later but now that I'm not in school I have no idea how I can do it. I used to see a booth and sign up in SUB but I don't go there anymore so it's not like I'm going to find out that way. Anyways..... it would be nice to have some, but I doubt that will happen unless anyone can offer some help! I went in circles trying to find info online.

ps. the "big" event takes place at the Jubilee.....and I am kinda bummed now that I didn't do this in June when all of my friends convocated. I will be all alone :(. But there is a luncheon in the afternoon - the June people didn't have THAT!

he said

2010-10-10T17:58:00.000-06:00

"Jacqui, I am the best. Remember that..............Jacqui, did you hear me? What are you laughing at?"

-Brent Neilson, 5:56 pm Oct 10, 2010

I think writing it down will help me to remember. (note: I was laughing because I was typing it as he said it. I just happened to be starting a new post right when he randomly started talking)

when I was in high school...

2010-10-08T07:30:00.002-06:00

Now that I have my new computer (and I restored my "old computer" onto it), I came across this again. Welcome to me in Grade 12. I wore this for every gym class.

Just kidding. It was for beach volleyball day.

Good news

2010-10-06T13:26:00.001-06:00

I just found out that I am getting a new computer!! Finally.

I called future shop and James told me that it just got back and it was decided that it needed a fourth hardware repair and thus it is a 'lemon'. It makes me wonder whether it actually arrived today or if it has been sitting there for a while and they just hadn't called me yet. It has officially been 3 weeks for the third time in 3 months that my computer has been in for repair- 9 weeks total for them to realize that they can't fix the problem. Kinda funny? I think so.

I'm excited to get back to the organization, efficiency and productivity I have been missing.

Be Clean?

2010-10-05T13:49:00.000-06:00

This morning I took the pressure washer to the ranger....only sprayed mud in my eyes a few times. The rest just landed on my face and body.

Test#2

2010-10-03T23:44:00.001-06:00

Okay so the first attempt worked but there was no title. This time I am going for a title and a photo. I only know how to post/email one photo at a time though. Looking for tips that will allow me to send more than one please!

After conference today Russell fell asleep on the couch. I think he's cute....And that it looks like his legs end just above his knees in this picture. Haha. Awkward!!

2010-10-03T23:37:00.000-06:00

Just seeing if I can post from my phone. That could be so handy if it actually works. Anyone know how to add pictures to your email after you start composing on an iPhone? Because I sure don't!

Design

2010-10-03T23:33:00.000-06:00

HELP NEEDED!

I don't know how my blog should look. Was the white on black impossible to read? Does the black on white "look better, worse, or the same?" (That's the line my optometrist always uses).

Sunset

2010-10-03T23:05:00.000-06:00

You know those times when the sky looks gorgeous but you know that by the time you go to grab your camera, it will be gone?

I've had so many of those - But no longer! I have an iPhone now. I'm always ready.

I was driving the Ranger out to feed the horses just as the sun was setting.

Soft and cute.

On my second trip out with hay the sky had already changed to this:

Love it.

glimpses of life

2010-10-03T21:58:00.000-06:00

Over the past couple of weeks....

random shots, random thoughts

1. The fam & Russell went to watch Troy play football. Unfortunately we have missed the last two games due to work, but that's okay because mom just shows us the highlights online.

Random fact: Russell has been home for over a month and this is the only picture we have of us. Kinda sad.

2. I realized that it's autumn. It was like the leaves all changed overnight. I love the colors. Now they have pretty much all fallen off though. I guess beauty is short-lived sometimes.

3. I got my hair cut and colored. It was starting to get awkwardly light in color so I've got more of my natural color back. I miss the fullness that it had pre-snip (It looked so great when I curled it) but I am happy to get some texture back into the crown like I am used to.

A little unknown fact: my head is really flat in the back and I hate it. Kristi and I both suffer from flathead syndrome actually. We try to combat it with a good cut.

4. I was driving through Warburg and this caught my eye so I had to stop to take a picture of it. I'm thinking of painting my fence/deck/house like this.

Purple, lime green and orange - Priceless.

Can you imagine how much work that would be? Just think about how much thought and effort and planning went into that. They even matched the house to the fence.

5. I drove some tractors and balers out to the field, which takes between 2 and 3 hours each trip. Thank goodness for ipods (even though mine is a little screwed up still and my favorite songs won't even work).

7. We were getting ready to go outside when Bo came up to Brent, sat down, put his paw up on Brent's knee, then laid his head down on Brent's other knee and started leaning - Full weight on Brent.

It was funny.

8. Saturday was Craig's 19th Birthday. Grandma T's traditional birthday card was waiting for him on the fridge and this was the picture in it (with a little surprise tucked behind). My high school grad in 2006! Look at how little all the boys were. Now they are all taller than me and my face is fatter. Maybe I should do something about that.

9. Craig, the birthday boy. As you can see, he loves kittens. These two were found out in the arena when they were really young and we brought them in and took care of them.

Random Fact: Craig has some unknown viral or bacterial infection in his throat and he can't swallow. The day before his birthday he had a bad fever and for his birthday dinner he couldn't even eat it or his cake because his throat hurts so much. And he spits in a cup. It's gross. Happy Birthday to him eh? Hope I don't catch whatever he has.

10. One time I looked down and found this kitten sleeping in my pocket. It went in head first. It climbed up my leg and crawled in there all by itself.

11. Sometimes I find them cuddling like this. They still don't have names yet. Mom says they should be "black kittie" and "gray kittie". She seems to be the only one who thinks that's a good idea though.

Adorable

2010-09-28T10:35:00.001-06:00

How cute is she?!?!

I hope to one day be as trendy and stylish as her. Seriously, this is awesome. I hope my daughters are just as adorable. I also hope I have daughters.

Mac-less

2010-09-27T18:45:00.000-06:00

I feel like.... my life is on hold without my computer. Over the past four months, it has officially been out of my hands more than it has been in them. First it spent 3 weeks at Westworld computers, where it wasn't fixed, then it spent 3 weeks at Future Shop, where it wasn't fixed again, and it is now on its 2nd week at Future shop again...where I am assuming it isn't being fixed AGAIN. The funny thing is that every time they give it back to me they tell me they did all these 'tests' and it works fine (and I believe them because they are the experts, after all), then as soon as I get home and use it I discover that all my weeks of waiting were a complete WASTE. It still doesn't work.

There is a major sound input issue. I would post a video to show what I mean by this, but, of course, they are all on my computer which I do not have. Those of you who have skyped with me or gmail video chatted will know exactly what I mean. The sound has been described in many ways: gremlins inside my computer wreaking havoc, annoying static switching from the background to the foreground, like I am typing rapidly even though my hands are no where near the keyboard... etc. It switches from no sound coming through at all to only static (which, to people wearing headphones, makes them jump when it starts up with no warning), to static plus my voice, to my voice with static in the background...and back to no sound again.

So back to how my computer is really an important tool in my life.

Without it I haven't been able to:

-access my contacts (I got a new phone and many of my friends have no idea what my number is because their numbers are on my computer)

-stay up-to-date with my emails (I have multiple email addresses and I use the Mail application to manage them all. Many of my old emails that I need are also in there organized into folders I can't access from the internet)

-make blog posts (photos always make posts better)

-put Brittany's wedding video and pictures on discs for her (and blog about her wedding - I was a maid of honor this summer for her)

-manage music on my ipod and iphone (due to me not having my computer, my entire iPod was actually ERASED an hour before my family went on a 10-day roadtrip. I was freaking out as I scrambled to find some of my music from backup harddrives to make some sort of playlist for the road. Thank you Craig and Troy for that. I don't know what you did to my ipod but it still doesnt work properly - some songs skip all over the place like they are possessed and I have no idea why).

-sync my iphone with my iCal and Address book and iTunes and iPhoto and Mail. (MAJOR frustration for me)

......and the list continues.

Luckily there are other computers I have access to so I can do some things. My brothers get pretty annoyed when I have to take their laptop every week so I can do my online guitar lessons (which obviously need a computer and sound).

I JUST WANT MY COMPUTER BACK AND I WANT IT TO ACTUALLY WORK!!!! ....actually I want a new computer, which I should get if future shop finds a "hardware issue" this time. On the fourth major repair they declare the machine a "lemon" and send me home with a new one. I think it is time to just do that. Obviously nobody knows how to fix it anyways.

ERRRR!!!!!!!!

After this experience I will only purchase my apple products from the Apple Store. At least people there are helpful and know how to fix things. Future shop has to ship it away to BC for their techs to look at it. Unfortunately there were no Apple Stores in Edmonton when I purchased my computer originally. Next time, though, I'll be there.

time for change

2010-08-24T08:04:00.000-06:00

So...this summer has been really busy for me. It's always GO GO GO! ... and I haven't had any time to blog any of it. My computer has also been away for a good portion of the summer getting "repaired". It's in again right now for second time because they didn't fix the problem with their last attempt. It took them three weeks to do nothing. Much appreciated.

No pictures right now because they are on my computer. I'll have to do a Summer 2010 overview when I get that thing back.... probably in 3 weeks again.

But for now, here's the latest news:

Russell is home from his mission!

Tomorrow I get home from my family roadtrip....and I get to see him finally.

And I'm going to leave it at that because I don't know what else to say about it yet.

I'm SO PUMPED for Alana and Luke's wedding this weekend though! See you all soon :).

XOXO

A girl's simple pleasures:

2010-07-04T20:44:00.000-06:00

(I came across this online today and I thought it was brilliant!)

Letting your hair free from a pony-tail at the end of the day.
That smooth sensation you get all over your body right after you shave.
Taking your bra off after a long day.
Getting ready for a day you been looking forward to.
Chillin’ at home, no make-up, bed hair, basketball shorts, in front of the TV snacking endlessly on junk food.
Knowing it’s your last day of your menstrual cycle.
Going through your bags of new clothes… that were on sale!

These are the moments that I don't have pictures of, but I can picture perfectly.

Do you agree girls?

I guess I should celebrate

2010-05-03T19:52:00.000-06:00

Recent news from my life: I turned 22 and completed my undergrad degree.

I guess I should celebrate.

Review

2010-04-09T09:39:00.001-06:00

A+ goes to The Last Song. Recommended by Jacqui. Go and see it. Bring kleenex. I'm a tough one to make cry in movies. But this one got me.

.....and that boy is a stud.

My first summer read will definitely be this book...... if you have a copy, can I please borrow it?

"Sometimes you have to be apart

from the people you love.

But that doesn't mean you

love them any less.

Sometimes it even makes

you love them more."

Fruity

2010-04-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

Apple makes my life both easier and harder. You?

i DO learn things at school

2010-04-03T23:18:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it feels like the endless hours I spend studying, both in and out of school is all in vain - like I am really not learning anything. It's like when youare sitting at the dinner table and mom or dad asks "What did you learn at school/church today?" Of course, you automatically reply, "Nothing." (Because you really can't recall learning anything, although if given some cue or asked a specific question, you can most likely spit out a whole wealth of information). Anyways, it feels like that. Most days I conclude that I learn nothing in school. Or at least nothing that is actually important or relevant to anything in life.

But then there are those days when I talk to other

people and realize that I have learned a lot. I just don't notice most of the time because I forget that those other people don't take the same classes as I do and thus the things that seem second nature to me are completely new to them. At first you may think it's silly that I fail to realize this, but really, it's to be expected when the people I most often talk with about school stuff are the people in my classes who know the same things as I do (except we all feel like we don't know half the things we are supposed to). So.... although I can't just straight up tell you everything that I know (you'd have to ask me specific questions or get me talking on some subject), I can share a few interesting "nothings" that I have been studying today.

Some of the concepts I could choose would take hours to explain, probably with you having to take an introductory course for my explanations to make sense, so I'm going to stick to some basic interesting facts/stories.

From BOTANY 380 (Drug Plants)

Let's start with morphine and heroin. Morphine is a compound found naturally in the opium poppy.

Upon its discovery, morphine

quickly became popular for reducin

g both the physical and emotional aspects of pain. It was initially administered orally, but when the syringe was invented in 1853, they switched to giving the drug hypodermically. Morphine injections were used extensively by the American military in a number of wars, including the American Civil War (1861-1865). They thought it was great because it was quick to administer and it was very fast-acting and effective.

What they didn't realize, however, was how addicting it was. Following the wars, there was a high percentage of veterans that were addicted to morphine. They became known as having "Soldier's disease" or "Army disease". Due to morphine's addictive nature, drug companies sought to create a drug that worked just as well but was not addictive.

Then came heroin.

It was synthesized in 1874 and marketed as a harmless, non-addictive substitute for morphine and codeine (a related compound). In 1900, medical literature called heroin "the perfect drug; less harmful than morphine and nonaddictive." Five years later, they realized they were mistaken and reversed their opinion. Medical literature in 1905 declared heroin as being the most addictive form of opiate, rather than the least.

The Lesson: Don't always take scientific claims as fact.

Next topic. Have you ever wondered how aspirin came to be? It is currently the most widely used drug in Western pharmacopeia (drug library).

So here's how the story went. There are a variety of plants, including willow, which contain a compound called salicin. When you ingest the plant, your stomach breaks down salicin into salicylic acid, which acts as a pain reliever. Since the 1700s, this was a common and inexpensive treatment for pain. However, it had some serious side effects: stomach pain, bleeding and nausea, which are all definitely less than pleasant.

Thanks to a man named Felix Hoffman, however, a solution was found. To help his father, who had arthritis, Felix developed a less acidic version of salicylic acid that would also reduce pain but without the adverse side effects. It was acetylsalicylicacid (ASA)....aka aspirin ("a" for acetyl and spirin for Spiraea, which is the name of one of the plants that produces salicin). Although it only has one tenth of the ability to relieve pain than morphine does, it also has other effects that morphine doesn't. Apart from not being addictive, aspirin can reduce inflammation and fever in addition to treating pain.

An interesting point to make is how the name aspirin became so widespread. 'Aspirin' was initially a brand name, labeled by the company that created it (Bayer company). But at the end of WWI in the treaty of Versailles, Germany gave permission for other countries to use the name aspirin, then later ruled that any company could use it. Nowadays, aspirin has become the common name for ASA.

The Lesson: The techniques that the world currently uses to solve problems are usually not perfect. There are always improvements that can be made. Don't feel limited by what is already out there. YOU can create something new and better.... it may even make you rich someday.

(I have more stories, but I'm sure I'm boring you. If you are still interested, then ask me sometime about the Opium Wars between Britain and China)

From Psychology 365 (Advanced Perception)

Your perception of time can be affected by various factors. Here's a funny story about how one such factor was identified:

In 1933, a physiologist named Hudson Hoagland was tending to his wife who was sick in bed,

when he noticed that with her fever, she seemed to have a very skewed sense of time. If he was gone for two minutes, she complained that he had left her for hours. Intrigued, he decided to run an experiment on her. He measured her temperature, then had her count to 60 (a subjective measurement of one minute). He then compared the time she counted to the actual number of seconds that had passed, and found an interesting relationship. Higher body temperatures seemed to speed up time perception! She counted faster when her fever was higher, which means that a minute to her was not really a minute at all - it was much less. So when her husband left for two minutes, to her it felt like hours because her internal clock was counting too fast.

The Lesson: Never waste any opportunity to do an experiment (even when it involves sick family members). You never know when it will lead to an important discovery.

These are some things that I have learned. So what have you learned?

180th Annual General Conference!

2010-04-02T22:44:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited for general conference tomorrow and sunday! I love having the opportunity to hear from the prophets and I always come out of it learning so much and feeling so uplifted. I wish we could have conference every two months instead of every six.

Oddly, one of my favorite parts to watch is when a session ends and the general authorities are leaving. As they file out, they meet up with their wives, who are also filing out in order. And then they walk out, arm in arm, and they are so happy. I love that.

I'll be looking out especially for a wink from Elder Nelson.

He and his wife Wendy spoke at my stake conference a couple a weeks ago (they are hilarious by the way) and told us a little bit about the talk he was preparing, which is on family history work. After he gave us a little sneak peak, he said "I'll wink at ya."

I hope he winks at me.

I am also looking forward to seeing what answers I find to the questions I am bringing to conference. Are you bringing questions to conference? That is one of the things Sister Nelson invited and encouraged us to all do. I was planning to all along, but I'm still glad that she reinforced it.

confession

2010-03-31T10:06:00.001-06:00

maybe I'm selfish, but I'm HAPPY that Alana is still home.

(I'm going to try to keep her around as long as i can.... don't tell anyone)

Got Talent?

2010-03-29T21:49:00.000-06:00

If Sandra Bullock had played this song for her talent, she for sure would have won the Miss America pageant!

Thank you to Brent for showing me this video. Even though I got mad at him for playing it so loud when I was trying to write a paper.
Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies On Crystal Glasses @ Yahoo! Video

James Galea puts Harry Potter to shame

2010-03-26T13:19:00.000-06:00

This guy is insane! Prepare to be amazed.

please participate

2010-03-24T13:33:00.000-06:00

Remember my friend Sheneez whose indian wedding I was the half-japanese bridesmaid for? Well when we met up today at school during our break she introduced me to something called Doodle. Has anyone heard of it? It was new to me. But I tried it out and made a poll. Let's all test it out together. Click on the link below and answer my question please (and fill out the comment section too if you can)!

http://doodle.com/8wufqgp53rt3n2cm

the people of Costco

2010-02-27T23:43:00.001-07:00

Have you ever seen the videos about "the people of Walmart?" They are quite hilarious and ridiculous.... in a humorous and sometimes disturbing way. But I bet you have never heard about the people of Costco. They are just downright absurd. I don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for them. You be the judge....

Today we helped Kristi and Greg move into their new house. Afterwards we (the roommate-brothers and I) stop at Costco with Auntie Sheila because we don't have our own Costco card. It's a Saturday, so naturally Costco is jam-packed and we have to fight for a parking spot. Auntie Sheila takes a cart and goes off to pick up her items, and we grab another cart and head the other way to get what we need. We meet up halfway through then eventually split up again before we head to the till, which is where the story really begins.

I'm standing in the shortest line I can find with my cart. I call Auntie Sheila and tell her where I am - she's on her way over to meet me. There's so much cart traffic that when she gets there she has to wait a little while to find a way through. I definitely picked the best line - it is moving quite quickly and I start unloading my cart as Auntie Sheila rolls up beside me. I'm pretty sure this exact scenario has happened a million times in my life. The lines are long, so I go stand in line while mom grabs the last few items and she meets me before I get to the till - it's called time management, smart thinking, etc. I have the right to do that. Or so I think.

As soon as Auntie Sheila gets there, the old lady behind us immediately says in an angry tone that she was in line, and Auntie Sheila tells her that she is with us (she is the cardholder, in fact - the line isn't going to move anywhere without her). Most people would leave it at that - "Oh, they are together. She wasn't just cutting in front of me." But no, this lady is not most people. This lady is one of the people of Costco - she AND her middle-aged angry daughter, who starts complaining as well. "That just isnt right. You can't do that. We have been waiting in line..." and so on, and so on. Blah, blah, blah. I don't hear everything she is saying to Craig or what Craig is saying back because I am still unloading the groceries. I tune in just as the crazy ladies are saying those last few statements, to which Craig just says "whatever" and turns away (after repeating themselves three times already, they are obviously not going to change their minds and there is no point in arguing with them)....... At this point, they raise their voices even higher in order to first complain to the cashier and to then call for a manager (pssst......old crazy Costco ladies, the people around you are staring). The manager comes and says that we are allowed to do that; she even implies that it was smart of us to do so. The crazy ladies get even more mad and continue to complain. It was as if we had committed some serious crime and deserved to go to jail. "That isn't right. They can't do that! We have been standing in line waiting and she just comes in here in front of us!"...and on and on and on. We say "it doesn't really matter. By the time you finish complaining we'll be gone". They boldly reply, "it matters to us!"......blah blah blah.

Well, lady, first of all, nobody but your angry mother is agreeing with you. The manager doesn't agree with you, the cashier just told me "this is why I drink after work" and the guy loading the cart just rolled his eyes and sarcastically invited my brothers to work at Costco because it's so great. Second of all, you didn't even wait in line that long! You got in line right after me and it was the quickest Costco line I have ever been in in my life. It took less that five minutes. So stop whining about having to wait soooo long in line. Third, it is taking you longer to complain than it is for us to get through our entire order. Auntie Sheila's addition to the order took all of 30 seconds to ring up. You're just slowing everything down for yourself and for everybody else behind you in line because you are a crazy, angry lady. And you obviously learned that from your mother, who is just as crazy and angry as you. I am so glad that I was raised by a gentle, kind and charitable mother. (Thank you, mom, for being a good example to me. Unfortunately I did not turn out as nice as you though - see below).

Oh, and about your final 'crazy Costco lady' comment to us - "You are terrible people", which you just repeated multiple times. Are you serious? I am a terrible person. Okay, what did I do wrong again? Did I hurt you? Did I just punch you in the face or stab you? Did I just steal your car? Did I break the law? Do you even know me? Have I ever been called a terrible person before in my life? If I am a terrible person, then does that mean you are perfect? I was once told that when you point one finger at someone else there are three fingers pointing back at you (try it with your hand). If you, crazy Costco lady, aren't a terrible person, then shouldn't you be able to show a hint of compassion or charity and stop yelling at us for this apparently terrible crime that we committed (because we are terrible people) and just let us pay and leave in peace? You are still complaining and we are already pushing our cart out the door and you will still be filling out a complaint card when I am driving home. If such an insignificant incident can get you so fired up, then I wonder what your life is like outside of Costco. Are you always this angry? That's a lot of stress on the system you know; It will probably shorten your lifespan. Have you ever thought about that? One last thing, did your immature, crazy-angry-Costco-lady hissy fit get you anywhere? No. The only thing it got you was more frustration (because nobody agrees with you), probably a headache (which I already have so thanks for making it worse), and possibly a shorter life.

I know that I am far from perfect, but I have never considered myself a terrible person. Why didn't my friends tell me this earlier so I could have prepared for this situation? Oh well, at least I learned a few things from the experience - there are crazy people at Costco, not all old people are nice, mothers have a significant impact on how their children turn out, i have a five-star mother, and last but not least I am a terrible person. Who knew you could learn so much at Costco? I should just quit University and go there everyday instead.

quote of the day

2010-01-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

“Every day, tell at least one person something you like, admire, or appreciate about them.”

- Richard Carlson

He's Real??

2010-01-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

I really need to see this movie.

we all know i needed this one

2010-01-29T00:23:00.000-07:00

Stinky Situation?!?!

2010-01-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been around someone that SHOULD require a 10-foot free zone because his B.O. smells so bad?

Today in my Chem class, which is 2 hours, I found myself in one of these stinky situations. I usually try to find a spot near the front of the class, that way I can see the board a little better, but today there was only one spot left... so I went for it. BAD MOVE CRAIG!!

I was sitting by this girl who looked harmless, also looked like she took at least one shower a week, but I was wrong; she smelt ridiculous. But I already picked my spot, I already put my jacket on the back of the chair; at this point I'm committed to the spot. The moment I realized this awful smell was coming from her, I was trying everything to make it stop!

At first I was just casually covering my nose with my hand and turning in the opposite direction between taking notes, but that didn't work. Pretty soon I was breathing in through the collar of my shirt and holding my breath, this kind of worked for a bit but then I got a whiff and I almost puked. At the hour mark of the class, we get about a 10 min break, and I wasn't going to waste it. I figured breathing through my shirt and holding my breath was the best method, but the shirt needed a little assistance. So I grabbed a sampler cologne that I had in my bag and headed out to the hall to spray a little on my shirt. Once I started walking back into the class, I was feeling pretty good about myself; I was feeling like I might have just beaten this stinky situation. I went in there with a little to much confidence and forgot to breathe through my shirt and I smelt it again. At that moment I just gave up, I put on my jacket, packed my stuff up and left, still 45 min left in class!

The stink won, I lost, that's what it comes down to. I just know that one of the main criteria's for my future wife is flawless hygiene, because if she stinks, I'll kick her out....

------>Craig Leon Neilson

Red Mittens

2010-01-28T15:55:00.000-07:00

57. That's the number of Canadian red olympic mittens I encountered as I walked to and from classes on campus today. And that is only a small sampling of the total University population that I even saw. Please note: that number is not even counting my own mittens or the mittens that I know some of my friends and my brother was wearing at school as well. Those are just the ones I physically saw in the few minutes between classes. I wonder how many there really are out there......word on the street is that they almost didn't make the mittens when they were planning out merchandise. That could have potentially been one of the worst decisions ever. Everyone knows that Canada is cold and that we wear mittens, DUH. Evidence? -- the mittens are by far the biggest seller of all - most stores are sold out.

Anyways, I am proud to say that the UofA student body supports Canadian Athletes.

GO CANADA!!!

Double datin' it up in the South

2009-12-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

This event took place November 21. Sorry Auntie Sheila for keeping you hangin' for so long! School really took it out of me this past month. I thought I'd make it up to you by doing an iMovie project. So, ENJOY!

it's coming

2009-11-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

tomorrow i get to spend with best friend/cousin alana. and the next day too. and I couldn't be more excited!

i KNOW we are going to have a good time. hopefully we'll come home with some good stories to share (if you are really lucky, embarrassing ones).

and maybe we will take some photos... because the number of pictures we have together can be counted on my fingers!

Bring on the weekend!!!

Wanna be Canadian?

2009-11-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Predictions!!

2009-11-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Alana got her mission call in the mail today. She asked me and the boys to make predictions of where she will be going before she opens it this evening...so we did.

I'm not sure if this will make it to you through the email Alana, so I thought I should post it just in case!

ps. to see where she is ACTUALLY going, check out this awesome video.

Resolution

2009-11-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

Next year I am committing myself to have fun at Halloween. I have been looking at all the halloween blogs and facebook pictures and wishing more and more that I could have been a part of it. Since I started University, I have always had exams to study for so I've spent the holiday doing just that. For Halloween yesterday, I studied for a solid 14 hours. Next year I'm dressing up and going out. I actually enjoy costumes - but only if I have time to make them good and think of something creative. Go big or go home right?

Lullaby for Lana

2009-11-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is for Alana. I just learned so it's still a little rough and I often make mistakes....either I forget the lyrics, or the next chord, or how the guitar and the vocals go together (I sometimes lack the required coordination) and the list goes on! But just ignore those parts and try to enjoy it anyways:)

ps. this is a cover of Chase Coy

Highlands' Halloweener

2009-10-25T21:36:00.000-06:00

Jacqui: The ward Halloween activity is tonight. Wanna go? We don't have to dress up. (I had originally decided not to go.. until I found out I didnt have to wear a costume!)
Brent: Okay.
Jacqui: Hey! Let's go as basketball players! Go get your stuff, let's see what we've got. I know I have an old jersey here somewhere. (Apparently I change my mind quite quickly.)

We came back with jerseys, shorts, socks, sweaters/jackets, bags, balls ....and matching gold pants. YES.
Thank you to Craig who picked up the sweatbands.

...And we were the 3 of 5 people who actually dressed up! There were only 20 people there though.. kinda sad. But we had fun. The other costumes? I regret to say I didnt take a picture. There was...a shadow and swine flu (A pig with wings and fangs). Brilliant.

The pumpkin-carving contest.

Some of the contestants

The final lineup - minus Craig's.

Shyla & Brent and the PIRATE!

(with a bloody sword, patch and earring)

Craig and the... snowmobiler?storm trooper? Darth Vader?

(ps - he did have a team,he wasn't a loner)

THE AWARDS.....

Most Creative
(Lara Litchfield and Sister Poulin)

Most Detailed
(Derek Paxman and Sister missionary)

Most Awesome
AND
Most Scary

(Me and Daley Patterson)

PS - This is the Jaq-Jack. It's me (notice the side-swept bangs) puking!

And here's a look at our last-minute costumes.

You're supposed to throw on "three"

We even played some basketball while we were there....why not right?
K Maybe the funniest part was how I wore my sweatband like an actual headband. If I ever actually wore one in a game, it would look more like the boys'. But I wouldn't actually wear one so it doesn't really matter.
No way can I palm a men's ball.

Here you can sorta see our socks. Brent and I were wearing legit Wildcats Basketball socks. Mine has the logo on the sides, Brent's has the name running down the leg in the back.

Bring it.

roommate miscommunication

2009-10-20T22:13:00.001-06:00

Can I just tell you a story about my day?

Well first lets go back a bit... so I live with two of my younger brothers. A couple of days ago we ran out of eggs, bread and yogurt - three of our staple foods. Yesterday morning Craig went to Save-On-Foods and got only MILK just so he could make his pancakes. And of course, I gave him heck for not picking up the other items while he was there.

And now today. I get up early and study for 5 hours before my midterm (which was out of control by the way....Each of the 7 questions was a page long of just READING, was strictly problem solving and was worth 9 marks...about Herpesviruses such as Human Simplex Virus and Epstein-Barr Virus (which is what causes 'Mono' by the way)....except the ones on the test were actually hypothetical viruses, not the real ones. Let's just say it wasn't what I expected and the whole class took an extra 30 minutes to write it). Then I go to my next class, where my prof mostly just shows us You-tube videos about rats and pigeons in Skinner boxes. When those long 80 minutes are finally up I walk to the LRT station on campus. And when I hear the "Next train, Claireview" message on the intercom, I am one of several who start running for the stairs. When I get home, I drop off my bag, grab my purse and head to my car to take care of some errands - including a stop at Safeway.

But that's not actually the story.

When I get home, my brothers are there...and I discover that I am not the only one who stopped at the grocery store. We ALL did - and we all picked up those items that the fridge was missing.

So now we have 72 eggs...

(Brent bought one carton, Craig bought one and I bought 2....all 18-packs of course!)

....5 loaves of bread...
(Brent and I opted for whole wheat-two loaves each and Craig went for the "faux-whole wheat"...he always complains about our bread choices)

...and 5 liters of yogurt (Strawberry is our favorite - I guess I didn't need to tell you that though... And they were all on sale!)

...talk about OVERKILL!!

Needless to say we had a good laugh....and our fridge and freezers are full.

The Results are in!

2009-10-15T09:20:00.000-06:00

Can you see all eight differences now?

Thank you everyone for playing. Erika, you are sure on the ball! I think you had the answers within 30 mins of me posting the photos. Kristi, I know you would've got them all too if you had been there sooner. Auntie Sheila, sorry...but the dresser color doesn't count just like my haircolor doesn't. That was just a lighting issue that I needed your expertise to fix! The award goes to Mike for "most determined" - he may or may not have lost sleep over finding the eighth (and most important) difference .......my BRACES!!!

It's true! Round two of brace face is officially over. SMILES all around :) .....Now maybe people will think I look my age.... maybe. Or maybe not.
PS - I'm 21, not 16.

Lets play a game!

2009-10-11T17:26:00.000-06:00

Ignoring the fact that the lighting is totally different in the photos which makes my hair look either brown or black.....Can you find 8 differences?

GMU?

2009-09-25T07:44:00.000-06:00

It's true, Grant Macewan College (aka Gmac, GMCC, Macewan) is now Grant Macewan University.

But GMU just doesnt have the same ring as UofA. I guess you just have to say Grant Macewan University every time?......well that is a mouthful.

I am interested to see the changes that will happen over the next few years at Gmac now that it is officially a "University". Is it going to expand in size? Are they going to put more focus into research? Will tuition increase? Will they have enough courses available for science students to complete their degrees?(After my 60 credits there I couldn't have stayed there even if I wanted to). Will they eventually offer all degrees available at the UofA? Will it ever actually have a University 'vibe'? (That was a big difference I noticed when I switched from Gmac to UofA... and I liked it). Do we really need two Universities in our city?

I guess we will see...

new roommate

2009-09-19T14:37:00.000-06:00

Look who moved in!

Craig is officially a college student! He and his desk may or may not be best friends already.

On Sunday we went to Highlands' ward for the first time as a TRIO.

Now that there's three of us, hopefully people won't think Brent and I are dating.....I really don't get how people thought that in the first place when we look so much alike (see above photo).

Blair has more to say

2009-08-25T11:51:00.000-06:00

"Jamie can't compete with this!"

Check out Blair's outfit for the first day of school......and ID photo. He is open to suggestions for how to make it even more awesome......and i THINK he has officially challenged Jamie to the best worst first day of school oufit.

The outfit currently consists of... a girl's sweater, a girl's hat, goggles from Princess Auto and a bandana. He is still trying to find something for his bottom half.

And here are just a few more faces of Blair. Some of these pictures I forgot I had, and the others were just taken last night.

the many faces of BLAIR

2009-08-24T20:36:00.000-06:00

"You guys are boring. All you do is smile."

-Blair Neilson

Well Blair, I just want to say thank you - for not being boring.

Ladies and gentleman, the many faces of Blair Neilson:

Let's tour the town!

2009-08-13T22:41:00.000-06:00

Today Mom sent us on a bike tour of Picture Butte. She labeled a map with our destinations, then took off with Grandma and Grandpa to Lethbridge to pick up free binoculars and to see if they were winners of $25,000.

We set out shortly after.

First stop: The high school.

SO prepared....I wore my authentic school sweater for the outing.

Second stop: the old sugar factory

We almost rode right past it!

Taking pictures while riding a bike isn't as easy as it looks.

Neither is trying to pose while riding a bike. Troy was so busy looking at the camera that he almost made me crash.

turning left

to the third stop: the Old Tractor Museum!

Troy filled 'er up

Then we checked out the tractors...

I thought this one looked like Mater's cousin. He and Troy see eye to eye.

Craig has big muscles.

We stopped at the school just in time for recess.

A four-way teeter-totter - once brent got on, it didn't really teeter or tot.

The teepee merry-go-round

Around and around we went.

We wandered around some more until we heard Craig's excited calls and hurried over.
He found this.

.. and hopped right in.

"Look, there's hats!"
Sure enough, there was a HUGE box of hats behind the seat.
...and he put one on.

"We're gonna crash!!!" face.

After we convinced Craig that he couldn't have a hat, we looked around some more.

That's when "the boss" came.
"I'm not here to scare you off, keep looking around!"

So we did.

the "trike-tor"

Old Chev

Japa-manpowered cart

on the railroad...

The railway snowplow.

the boys climbed inside

All this sightseeing was making us kind of hungry. So we hit the road again in search of a tasty treat.

Fourth stop: Mom and the kids' old hangout spot - The Frosty Dip (aka - the highlight of our tour)

waiting for our food...

We were quite satisfied! Best onion rings we've ever had. Thumbs up for the poutine, chili dog and bacon&cheese dogs. Beef dip gets an OK.

Then dessert (We went all out).
~1 eggnog milkshake
~2 strawberry/raspberry frozen yogurts
~2 banana splits

Just as we were starting our desserts, look who dropped by!

Of course Mom took pictures of us enjoying our tasty treats.

How was it? It was all great! Banana split - to die for. Eggnog milkshake in the middle of August? Well, Craig liked it. Frozen yogurt - a little too sour, but good enough!

All fueled up and back on the road!

Me and my tour map.

Fifth stop: Mom's old house, number 401. Just so you know, they closed in the car port.

Sixth stop: Mom's old Elementary school.

Seventh stop: the baseball diamonds where Grandpa used to coach.

in the dugout.

CHEER!!

(these photos are slightly blurry due to me laughing and them moving so rapidly)

Check out this sweet play....

the pitch

the hit

and the catch

(brent running to get the ball - it's over the fence. HOME RUN!)

We tried to do a slow-mo video and found out that Craig is pretty much a super fast ninja.

And that was the end of the tour! We had to hurry home so Craig could use the bathroom. There were a couple stops that we missed because Mom wrote too small, but that's okay. It was a good tour.... and we were kind of getting wet from the rain.

ps - Grandma and Grandpa did not win $25,000.

Ellen DeGeneres - Twitter!

2009-08-12T20:28:00.000-06:00

Ellen posted this on her twitter today. Check out the vid: "One of my most inspirational guests ever tells me today he remembers nurses watching my show while in his coma! http://su.pr/1WyfqK

Some things haven't changed

2009-08-11T00:24:00.000-06:00

I don't have a sister to do girly things like facemasks with. Luckily Troy is a good sport about it when I ask him to join me. Here we are in 2006....
Now three years later in 2009, I have braces and Troy is taller than me, but he is still my substitute 'little sister' when I need him. Thanks Troy.

another funny

2009-07-25T19:18:00.001-06:00

I came across this blog randomly...and it made me chuckle. Check out the post here!

Funny Video!

2009-07-20T08:53:00.000-06:00

Watch this

Hello

2009-06-28T10:57:00.000-06:00

For my last two guitar lessons this year, Dan asked me if I wanted to try recording. So we did! I learned a lot of things, and I had so much fun. Unfortunately (for me, not him) Dan is moving to Nanaimo, BC next month, so this was the first and last time I'll get to do this with him. He's an awesome guitar teacher and a fun guy. I keep going back because I just enjoy learning from him so much. Next year's online lesson's just won't be the same, but I'm still looking forward to it. Thanks Dan for all you do! I'll miss our Spruce Grove lessons. Have fun kayaking on the ocean and watching the waves hit the beach from your kitchen window... I'm not jealous or anything.

Here's our project! It's not actually a video... just an audio with a couple visual aspects at the end:)

I know the fam has heard this song many times now. We've got Alana's version, Erika's version and now mine! I sang this song at my recital a few weeks ago. Dan suckered me into performing... I guess I would've felt bad if I didn't play in the last recital.

Something to think about

2009-06-15T23:08:00.000-06:00

And we almost convinced them to stay

2009-06-07T00:06:00.000-06:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, here's seven thousand. Uncle Doug will fill in the rest......when he gets back to Calgary....right? Or I will do it after I get some sleep. It was a long day and it was lots of fun! Thanks so much for coming up and playing for me Jamie and Jenelle, and thank you Uncle Doug and Auntie Judy for bringing them. Like the ref said, you are great athletes! Haha. You played awesome and I wish I could've had you all season!! Love you!

...and I wish you could've come Alana. There's no way you ended up working with all that snow down there!

Oh, and at one point today we were at Michael and Kristi's old High School. So.... we checked out your pics. At least Drew won't have to perm his hair to get a fro like this. It will be allll natural!

It's too big

2009-06-01T08:19:00.000-06:00

I finished the video at 6:30 this morning and I've had an hour of sleep.

.and it's too big to post anywhere.

I'm so mad.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

2009-05-31T20:46:00.000-06:00

I love you Grandma. Happy Birthday!! I'm working on a video that I will get up tonight hopefully. How about we call it your birthday present??? You'll love it. I better get back to it and get 'er done!

Coming soon..... "Life on the Farm"

Check out the other, better posts for Grandma Takahashi:

Auntie Wilma

Uncle Doug

Angie

I want to learn more.

2009-05-28T14:17:00.000-06:00

In grade 6 I did a biography on my great grandmother, my mom's grandma. Her name is Teru Shimbashi. A couple weeks ago I read about her again. I'm eager to learn more and hear more stories. I know that some of the people who read this will have some. So just throwing that out there everyone!!!

And if you aren't a Japanese relative of mine and haven't already seen this, please read this post on Auntie Wilma's blog, then check this out on Uncle Doug's!

No longer a secret

2009-05-19T12:57:00.000-06:00

At the end of the summer last year we went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Picture Butte to help do some clean up and painting .....and hanging out! Grandma had no problem finding some of our parents' old clothes to paint in. The only problem was that we wouldn't wear them to paint! They were just waayyy too cool. We put them on to take pictures instead!

First, here are Grandpa's famous Diamond Willow walking sticks. I still have no idea how he makes them, but every Grandchild has one and they are so special to us, just like the sweaters Grandpa handknits for us. I have two sweaters in my closet and my stick is right by my bedroom door. I've gotten lots of compliments on it Grandpa. I think I got the best one too.

I will number the photos, because there are many. Feel free to choose your favorites!

1 - Look at my sexy Wranglers! Someone told me they were Auntie Wilma's.... I was just checking out my bum in the mirror. No 'big' deal - or at least that was what I was hoping for.

2 - There wasn't one pair, but two! I am also sporting a Japanese Canadian Tshirt and Jamie's got a rad hat and super cute tee we found in the stack.

3/4

5- Those aren't Jenelle's cropped pants. We found those too. Haha.

The one and only Jaaaaammmiiieeee!
6/7

8 - I love this one.

Troy may or may not have been feeling a little left out. Or maybe he wanted to relive his young childhood days where I dressed him up as a girl because I didn't have a sister. This is the shirt and headband he found.
9/10

11 - The 'bend & snap' from Legally Blonde. It just never dies with him. He's been doing that since the movie came out in 2001.

Now these fine ladies are modeling the choice cut of basketball shorts from our parents' youth. Look above and compare to the basketball shorts worn today (Those were the shorts I gave to Troy so yes, girls wear them too). Quite the contrast, I'd say!!

They were pretty sweet though, not gonna lie. And we found matching ones!! Woo-hoo!!

Watch Jamie and Jenelle do their thing:
12/13 "long, lean legs" ....has anyone ever done Winsor Pilates?

....Then we found a pair for Craig!
16

From bottom to top: Sharon(Jenelle), Doug (Craig), Sheila (Jamie)
18/19

20/21

22

26/27 - I told them to get ready to Jump... Craig really took that one to heart.

28/29 - Ka-BAM!

There's another one with 'Wilma' (Me) taking the photos, but somebody else has it.....

And that's what we do when we go to Grandma's house.

Can't wait for this year's photos.

Old English... As in... my Grade 9 Language Arts assignments

2009-04-29T14:55:00.000-06:00

English/Language Arts has always been one of my most hated classes. Not because I'm not very good at it - actually, my teachers/professors have always told me I had talent. In fact, my English prof in my first year of College tried to convince me to switch my major. No thanks. I can produce some solid essays, but I feel like each one I write will be the death of me. Words come, but very s...l...o...w...l...y. I've always hated English because it stresses me out so much! I have spent hours upon hours writing essays. Some of them were produced overnight - I would literally write ALL night, read through it once and edit it an hour before class, and hand it in. It was a good thing I read through it before handing it in - I often had some MAJOR, but quick issues to fix (all due to my tired brain writing some incomprehensible sentences).

Although I hated the actual writing experiences of my life, I'm glad I had them. I enjoy reading the things I wrote! Today I came across my old Essays and some poems.

Maybe I will post some of my old poems later. For now, I thought this one was kind of interesting. I wrote it in grade 9. Writing poetry is not one of my talents. I just had to do it to pass school :).

The Boy

In my life when I was sad,
There was one boy who made me glad.
He was such a funny lad.

He stood out from all the rest,
Studied with me for a test,
Helping me achieve my best.

When I stood alone in gym,
He asked if I'd be partners with him,
After he had turned down Kim.

Although his friends did not agree,
He often times hung out with me,
We talked and laughed up in our tree.

He always told me, "I love you, "
And I told him, "I love you too."
That's just what big brothers do.

by Jacqui Neilson

{AH! March is gone!}

2009-04-04T18:01:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged about march AT ALL! So many great things happened in this third month of 2009!

In March 2009 I......

.... wrote five tests, 2 papers, and did 6 assignments,

....and didn't read these enough.

But I did...

....go to the Garneau theatre,

...to see Slumdog Millionaire,

....then eat Pharo's pizza,

...all for the first time, and all in one night!

Then I...

...celebrated my mom and auntie sheila's birthday,

...where I was 'out-bowled by my mom, auntie sheila, and kristi.

I also....

....had cookies delivered to me by a thoughtful friend,

...drove around with Brent a lot,

...made sure my James Franco poster will fit on my wall,

...and almost missed Joe's baptism because my basketball game ended late!

I really enjoyed....

... hearing Keaton Hatch's farewell talk,

... learning how to/making four ties for missionaries and pre-missionaries,

....and becoming a Red Eye Champion for the first time! I stayed up all night to play sports such as ....

....innertube waterpolo,

....ultimate frisbee, wall climbing, kickball,

...wheelchair basketball,

...sledge hockey,

...(where I scored the winning/only goal),

...volleyball,

...walleyball,

...and a scavenger hunt!

....They don't call us the FEROCIOUS FERRETS for nothing!

Goodbye February!

2009-03-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

It was the last day of the month so I had to make it FUN FILLED!!

I started off the morning as a supporter of Erin and her team in the Indoor Triathalon at the UofA. I woke up late so I missed the swim (Matt) and half of the bike (Bethany), but at least I got to see Erin run! She did great :)

My little runner, Erin

The team!

....then we scooted across the street to the institute to head up the Pancake breakfast. Everyone helped out and there were some EXCELLENT pancakes created. Mmm.

The best pancakes were made by the boy in the kitchen, Jeff Bennett!

I am known to multitask....Here I go again. I have a midterm tomorrow and really, I didn't have time to be there, but I wanted to help out! I read while I flipped and then Brent called me.....

It seems like Erin and I are always cooking or baking together this semester! haha.

Next stop: The Mustard Seed for my ward's Enrichment Service Project! @ 12:30
We learned a lot about what they do, the services they provide, the volunteers that help out, and the people they assist.

We washed chairs and tables..... and sorted clothes......

....and made PB and J sandwiches!

Highland's RS service crew!! :)
(Lara, Celine, Morgan, Me, Randi, Jenny, Lene)

The activities thus far brought me to 3 pm.... I hurried home to get my study on!!! I JUST walked in the door and when I received a phonecall from brittany:

"I'm ENGAGED!!!!!!''

I froze and my mind went blank. K, what? Who is this? (then I registered what I just heard and put all the pieces together)....WHOA!

BRITTANY IS ENGAGED!!!!! Congratulations to her and Robin. :)

...Jacqui approves. Robin is an amazing guy and I have no doubt that he will be a great husband. Brent also gives his thumbs up. Two for two!

....not the best picture of the ring. But in real life, it is GORGEOUS!!!! I freakin' love it!
The awesomeness of it cannot be captured by my photography abilities.

They invited Brent and I out to a quick dinner to celebrate!

I'm so happy for them.... Who doesn't love a happy couple?

...the rest of my evening is not blog worthy. I studied.....until I fell asleep. And I look forward to waking up at 2 am tomorrow to get the rest done :(

And let's not even talk about this upcoming week.

Cheers!

To: My Father in Heaven

2009-02-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you for blessing me with such wonderful friends and family who are there for me when I need them.

I am grateful for Erin and her thoughtfulness (and creativity). She's a friend I always want to keep. It's nice to know she's always looking out for me. Please bless her for her kindness :)

I am grateful for Kristi who saved my basketball team from defaulting yesterday. Although she hasn't played basketball since junior high she was willing to be our fifth player when everyone else was either too tired or too busy. She is such a hard worker and a great defender. I wish we could trade her in for the rest of the season!
Please bless her for her service and please help her calves heal quickly. She gets cramps in them just like me when she plays basketball. That's how I know she really is my cousin.

If there is anything I can do for them to return the favor, please let me know.

Love: Jacqui

It's not a secret.

2009-02-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

I know he's only gone for the evening, but I MISS BRENT! I'm just so lonely without him here.

Even though we don't always talk a lot when we are busy with our schoolwork, it's nice to know that he is in the next room and that he's studying too - probably harder than I am. Knowing he's there helps me relax and focus. I get nothing done when I'm all alone because I just have so much ANXIETY!

Every hour or so either I will go to his room or he will come to my office to see if the other is "still alive in there?" That's the line we always use... sometimes school feels like it really will be the death of me.

Sometimes we take breaks to make food together.

Sometimes I wait for him to make me food. Sometimes he waits for me to make him food. Sometimes we argue. Sometimes we laugh.

I load the dishwasher, he unloads it. Sometimes we switch.

I feel bad for those sometimes that I get mad at him. He's a good brother. He doesn't deserve it. He puts up with my girly habits and how I change my mind 5 times in 20 minutes. He carries me to the car when I make the mistake of wearing 3 inch peep-toe heels when it's snowing and cold. He changes the oil in my car. He compliments me on my achievements and skills, and encourages me when I am feeling down or lack confidence. He attends many of my basketball games even when they are really boring. He reads the scriptures with me (when we remember). He has MANY talents and many qualities that I admire and also lack myself. I am so glad he's my brother and my roommate of almost two years. I miss him tonight and I'll miss him even more when he leaves to serve a mission.

Thanks for being my brother, Brent! I love you!

I even love to "SMILE BIG" with you.

We can do ANYTHING!

2009-02-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Alana? Over the past um.... I'm gonna say 10 months, Alana has truly become one of my best friends. I remember when we were growing up and I always wanted to get to know Alana better, but I thought that she didn't really like me.....Turns out she felt the same way about me! Looking back now, it seems ridiculous. We sure wasted a lot of time!!!

But, we are making it up for it quickly. Since this past summer, Alana and I started talking a lot more and we discovered so many great things about each other! We are at the same stage in our lives; we have similar worries, concerns, goals, etc. As we experience similar trials, we are always able to lend an ear, strengthen each other and provide insight when needed. I am so grateful that Alana has been with me as we have grown together over the last year and I look forward to all of the years of learning ahead.

Even though we rarely see each other and we live in different places, I always feel like she is close. Thanks to the technology of today (mostly gmail and videochat) we are able to 'stay connected'.

I wish I could find the pictures from the basketball camps we used to attend together. People used to ask us if we were sisters... even twins! We didn't think we looked THAT much alike. But, we have seen recently as we video chat that we really do look similar. Since I can see the video feed of both alana and me simultaneously, it is easy to compare our faces. Although we look very different, we also have many similar features. I like it.

This all actually does lead to the real point of this post. As we all know, this past weekend was Valentine's Day - and I am one Valentine short these days... So I was thinking about how to spend it. Although I was invited out for some fun, I kind of just wanted to relax by myself. Alana suggested that I find a good book and read the whole thing. Great idea!

.....Then the idea just got greater and greater.

The first greater: "I should finish reading the Book of Mormon! ... I have been reading it cover to cover, but being so busy with school, it is hard to read more than a chapter at a time. It gets frustrating to stop in the middle of stories, so taking a day (or weekend) to read would be awesome!" Alana agreed with this. She would like to get through the Book of Mormon more quickly as well. (This statement led to my next idea)...

The second greater: "TOGETHER, we can read entire Book of Mormon this weekend. I'll read half and you'll read half. We can do it!"

Everything was set up perfectly - turns out that where I had last stopped in my regular study was 4 pages short of the center of the book and Alana had just started in 1 Nephi. So, I read the second half and she read the first!

Since it was a long weekend, we had until tonight to complete it. There were a few times where we didn't think we would make it... but we kept at it. We 'met up' online during the final 20-30 pages, and we read our last page together! WE DID IT!!

.WE READ THE BOOK OF MORMON IN ONE WEEKEND.

Here are our celebratory photos. Since we can't take a picture together, we just took shots of each other on video chat. Haha.

Me....the last page of Moroni

Alana .... and the first page!

...and I just think this shot is funny that Alana took. I have no idea what I'm doing in it.

I am so glad we completed our goal. I couldn't have done it without Alana. I didn't want to let her down so I kept on reading when I probably would have given up otherwise. After this accomplishment, I can't wait to see what else we can do! Together, we can do anything.

From Alana: "I honestly didn't think I could do it, but I knew that I had to. And letting you down and not doing it was worse for me than letting myself down. It made me realize how much time I can have if I feel the need to have it for a cause. I don't know where I found all those hours, but I did."

I love the Book of Mormon and I know it is true. I encourage EVERYONE to read it. If you have already read it, then read it again! There is so much to learn in those 531 pages, and although I have learned many things already, I know I am far from the level of understanding I can achieve with further study. I also love Alana and I am so thankful to her for taking on this challenge with me. Just like I accidentally said once at basketball camp, the next time someone asks if we are sisters, I will say, "No, we are twins." ....That's how much you mean to me, Alana. You are like my other me :)

Randomness: I embrace it

2009-02-12T21:03:00.000-07:00

This "25 things" um... 'thing' has been floating around facebook for quite some time now. I decided to take it to the blog level.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.) things you may or may not know about me.

1. I will secretly miss my braces when they come off.

2. I have a mild obsession with picture frames....and as a result, I have a lot of them. But most have no pictures in them because I never get around to developing my photos and I have a hard time choosing which ones to use.

3. I wish I had the motivation to actually work out. hard.

4. I often get demobilizing cramps in my calves when I play basketball too hard and too long.

5. I think about Russell everyday.

6. I have a fascination with watching (and listening to) musicians play instruments - especially guitar and piano. If they sing too, then my interest doubles.

7. I sometimes pretend I have special powers. Well, mostly I hope... I try to use them when I am too lazy to, for example, close a door or turn off a light. It never works. Matilda is my inspiration.

8. I actually get headaches when people talk about headaches. When I was growing up I got a headache everyday. I just learned to live with a constant headache. It sucked.

9. I've only had one migraine and when it happened I thought I was dying. It was terrifying to, for no apparent reason, lose parts of my vision and then all of a sudden start throwing up. It happened on April Fool's day in 2007 when I was at a chem lab review session.

10. I wish I had neon pink lined paper like the girl next to me in Biochem. I've been searching for it and have had no luck so far :(

11. (.... is my favorite number.) I don't have a favorite food, but I think food is my favorite.

12. Two years is a long time.

13. I LOVE to gross Brent out by talking about my menstrual cycle. I always remind him to that he better appreciate what his future wife will go through in order to have his children.

14. The people I tend to give a hard time to are the people I love most.

15. I want to take a photography and photo editing class.

16. I am realizing that I have many random obsessions but this list can only contain 25 items..... I love cute/trendy notebooks of any size. I have at least 9 right now that I write various notes, thoughts, etc in. - And that's not even counting my journal!

17. If I could have a massage everyday I would. I have never experienced a professional massage, even though massages are on my "top 5 favorite things" list.

18. I hate that my skin scars after EVERY time it is broken - no matter what the size or severity. Scratch? ==> Scar. For sure.

19. I love to be held. I also love how girls fit perfectly into guys' "cuddle crevice" - one of my favorite places. (I'm assuming that girls in general fit there. I know I do and it's just the greatest thing ever!)

20. The cleanliness of my home affects how I feel. When it's messy, I am more stressed out and somewhat frantic. When it is clean, I feel more calm and peaceful. I can focus a lot better and I am much more productive. Sometimes I think it's weird, but I know it's true.

21. I would love to get stuck in an elevator for a length of time with James Franco.

22. I wish I had a slightly overactive thyroid.

23. I love pens and I am very particular about the ones I use. And right now I can't find the one I want and that stresses me out. I need to find it ASAP.

24. I enjoy evenings to myself.

25. I am afraid of trying and failing. In situations where I feel like that, I stop trying altogether. It is an internal battle that I have yet to conquer.

YOU HAVE BEEN TAGGED:
Karen Davidson
Auntie Sheila
Canangalang (with the "g" sounding like a "j) - if your name is in that mix, you are tagged.

One more thing: If anyone would like to "guest post" their random 25 on here, let me know and I will hook you up. I'm talking to: Mom, Grandma N, Grandma T, Auntie Kay, my brothers... whoever doesn't have a blog/have always dreamed of "being published."

This machine will do great things.

2009-02-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Soon.... expect many posts. Soon.

Missionary Fireside: Cultural Roots!!

2009-01-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, this was a LONG time ago now... but, I still love to talk about it! This was Friday, January 16th...Alana's Birthday!! I invited Brittany to a missionary fireside, which was centered toward new converts and nonmembers, and focused on the cultural aspects of the church. Many of the Elders and Sisters shared their talents with us and I must say that I definitely enjoyed them!

Three Polynesian boys played/sang a song entitled, "You can take the boy from the island, but you can't take the Island from the boy"

How perfect!! They did a great job - with ukulele, guitar, and three beautiful voices!! My bad for not recording it....

I felt like I was back in Hawaii!!! I definitely appreciated their music and dancing a lot more than I would have three weeks prior. I can't wait to go back!

The boys introduced themselves and where they were from as well as what island they were representing. The one the right is from New Zealand and has a wicked awesome accent. The other two boys are from Cali and ...some other state but they still hold their Polynesian culture as strong as the islanders I encountered in Hawaii! Love it.

Elder Happonen definitely wowed me with his skills! He is from Finland, came to my ward straight out of the MTC and reminds many people of Russell. In the second video I tried to zoom in on him...but I started recording out of focus....and it doesn't depict what Elder Happonen actually looks like at all. Anyways, the two of them just have similar body types...and other things. It's kinda funny.

But Russell can't do this!! (Although he has his own amazing talents) .... I wish I got a better angle so we could really see him work the keys. Enjoy.

After his mission, Elder Happonen is going to attend BYU and become a music composer!! He will be perfect for that.

Another thing my family would appreciate..... I should've got a picture of him with his CAMERA! He had a lens twice as big as Auntie Sheila's!! He was working with a photographer before he came out to the field. Way cool.

Oh, and you can't forget the Polynesian dancing!!! That was one of my favorite thing about Hawaii. Sometimes I like to bust out the "knee move," that really, only the men do. Tahiti men/women have the best dances of all the islands, in my opinion. The women are the hip shakers, and the men to the 'knee thing.' Haha. I will post that another time.

After the fireside, we went to support the bro in the EQ bball tourney!

Jacqui: "That's my brother!!!" (When Brent scores) I'm a great fan.... And to help me out, I have Rachel, who goes, "That's your brother!!" ------ Teamwork is key. I return the favor when her brother hits one as well.

Dang, I'm short :(

Bakeoff: The brother-sister SHOWDOWN

2009-01-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

So there was this one day where I signed into facebook and on my homepage news feed were some pictures of Maryn Davidson's unfortunate looking banana bread.... She looked super cute herself, though, so all was fine. Anyways, I obviously told my roommate/brother to come check it out as proof that I am not the only girl who can't bake. Brent was like, "we should make banana bread!" And we did. I got a recipe from Alana and posted it on the fridge.

The next day I came home from guitar lessons to a very pleasant smell in the kitchen. Mmmm. Brent had just finished baking banana bread - a batch each of muffins and a loaf - and he was cooking perogies and bacon. I didn't waste any time in sampling a muffin. SO GOOD!! Brent's totally got the baking genes. And he likes to (maybe he doesnt like to but he does it and he does it well) cook. Tell your lady friends.

Now for the second half of the story. Brent wanted me to try making it the next day so we could see whose was better. I stepped up to the challenge in my new, super cute apron that Brittany bought me for Christmas (sorry, I was so busy baking that I didn't get a pic). End result? I didn't screw up, and my bread was good. But Brent's was better. Maybe I'm too hard on myself, or maybe food just tastes better when someone else makes it. Or maybe his was actually just better. We will have to do some further testing to be sure.

Good job Brent! You cook, I'll clean. DONE.

Fast and Testimony Meeting

2009-01-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick little story....

It's back to school! There are new students that have moved into the ward, and many other people who have returned from Christmas holidays. In Highlands' ward testimony meeting, as always, there is a reminder note on the podium to introduce yourself before you begin......

Ryan Antoniuk goes up. He's been in the ward since first semester, so we all know who he is. He bears his testimony, as he always does, and it is great!

....then a few other people go up.....

and then asian boy #2 steps up to the podium.

"Hi. I'm Chris Shimbashi. I am Ryan Antoniuk's Uncle." (The congregation erupts in laughter)...."You can ask me about that later" (and he continues with his testimony)

And right after that, I went up. "Hi, I'm Jacqui Neilson. I am the daughter of the cousin of Chris Shimbashi and of the cousin of the mother of Ryan Antoniuk"

....just kidding. I didnt say that. But I should've.

In sunday school, Chris was asked to give the opening prayer, but the teacher couldnt remember his name so he addressed Chris as "Ryan's uncle." Haha.

Anyways, it was a pleasant surprise to see Chris in my ward! Another somewhat distant-to-me relative that I will get a chance to know better!

...And then my lungs froze

2009-01-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Oh I'm home alright.

How do I know? My feet are once again permafrozen.

It's hard to believe that only 17 hours ago I was on a tropical island with no worries except my ever-swollen-and-itchy bug bites. I loved it there! I would love to go back RIGHT NOW.

The things I already miss about Hawaii:
~not having to blowdry or style my hair
~no hair static
~wearing shorts and 'slippers' all the time
~the beach
~no cold shock in stepping out of the shower
~being warm, aka the outdoors NOT being extremely painful to exist in
~mochi ice cream
~Mike, Ang, Brylie, Tyken, Erika

The things I love about being home:
~my bed
~driving fast
~being able to check my mailbox

This is all within the last 7 hours that I have realized this! Who knows how long the 'miss list' will be by next week!

I hope to move to a warmer climate in the future. These Canadian winters might just kill me!

Mele Kalikimaka!

2008-12-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to Angie for taking our photos and making this slideshow! I tried to do it but I sucked...

For mom and dad

Love Jacqui, Brent, Craig, Blair and Troy

P.S. - The video is clearer on facebook, so watch it there!!

.the 23rd.

2008-12-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

The branches of this tree grow downward and become the roots.

As we were pulling up from our boat tour, Tyken was waving at everyone! He even got a bunch of other people on our boat waving back at him.

The Canoe Pageant

Each of the seven islands/villages had a representative canoe. They performed a couple of dances, etc from their native land.

My favorite were the yellow and orange girls from Tahiti. They are the 'hip shakers!'

We stopped to do an 'activity' at Tahiti. While we were waiting to start we watched this guy scraping out a coconut. We sampled the coconut bread that had been freshly made in the underground oven.

Then we learned how to weave with a coconut leaf! We made FISHIES!!!!

This is the boy's favorite guy of the whole center. The Samoan guy. He is expert at playing with fire.

Tyken loved swinging around the fish we made.

Photographer Angie

Angie and Tyken

For the cermonial song, everyone around the table had to join hands. This guy was just having too much fun and didn't want to let go after!

Our meal... Pig straight out of the underground oven.

Troy's Plate

This boy was the cutest thing I have ever seen!

We found out that the host of the Luau is also Brylie's teacher, Uncle Benny!!! He set us up with front row seats and he was an amazing performer!

Here he is on the ukulele. I was up at the dessert table with Brylie when he started playing between his legs....

...on his lap... and with his mouth!!

All of the couples celebrating their anniversary in December were invited to come up on stage for a dance. Uncle Benny special requested Ang and Mike to get up there too!

Everyone got fresh orchid lei's. My FAVORITE flower of all time!!! YAY!!

The night show. The Samoan guy returns to play with more fire!!!! There was a lot more dancing and tricks...but not on our camera!!

Here I demonstrate how the fish works. You actually 'catch' the fish!

.the 22nd.

2008-12-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

Across the island to Hanauma Bay to snorkel and relax. We didnt take any pictures of either of these two activities - we were too busy doing them! Craig and Troy saw a number of sea turtles.

Grandpa started feeding the birds and it wasn't too long before they were hopping all over him and wouldn't leave! Not surprising.

Craig made some friends as well.

We stopped to shop at the international marketplace in the evening and we passed this man on our way there.
But DANG! He was just putting the jacket away, not putting it on. We kept on walking.

But on the way back, he was all put together and sitting as still as a statue. If we hadn't talked to him earlier I would've thought he wasn't real. There were a few people standing there who looked as though they were unsure. I walked up with confidence and asked if I could sit beside him! He patted the spot on the bench beside him and I took my place....starting a line up of photos with him.

He was so funny. Our favorite street performer ever! So original.