I Feel We've Had Breakthrough Today

One of my earliest memories is a scary one. Until today I wasn't even sure it was a real memory, or just a nightmare I had once.
Every so often this memory comes to me, and I think, "Man, that is so freaky..."
It is scene that plays in my head, where a tall male mannequin magically comes to life in a department store. That's all that I remembered, but when I was little it scared me SO much, that I can still picture the mannequin quite clearly in my head, and for years I was wary of mannequins when my mom took us shopping to The Bay.

Well, oddly enough while Kate was writing "Today's Special" on the chalkboard menu, one of the instructors walked by and said, "Wow! That's what that show was called. I was just talking to someone and trying to explain this old 80's tv show to them, but I couldn't remember the name. It was called 'Today's Special!"
I asked him what the premise of the tv show was. He told me it was about a mannequin that came to life at night.

It was a turning point in my life.

At last I can be assured that this sick and twisted vision was not of my brain's own making. Instead I was only traumatized as a young child.
Here is a youtube clip of the show. Its so weird seeing this after all these years....maybe now I can begin to piece my life back together.

Thunderous Storm

The other night I fell asleep to the pitter patter of rain on the roof...quite soothing.
A few hours later, I was awakened by the loudest crack of thunder I think I have ever heard! It was a bit of a scary moment! I froze into a rigid, confused little ball. The rain had become a torrential storm, beating against the building on all sides, and an icy cold draft stole through the window, snaking its way around my neck and beneath my warm duvet. My roommate was away so I was alone in this big old room, while the room became fully illuminated again and again as lightening struck, and thunder boomed milliseconds afterwards.
I was right in the very center of this storm!
I still can't believe how loud the thunder was...seriously, it was so intense and crazy. It sounded like the property was ripping apart from the very core of the earth. I'm not one to be afraid in a thunderstorm- I actually think they are fantastic, and enjoy them very much- but I'm not going to lie to you...I was a little freaked out. This one sounded like it was right outside my door. And it was. I wondered if our building would be struck by lightening and set on fire. Luckily, we were spared.
However, a tree in the high-ropes course just behind us was struck, and ruined.

The next morning it was all anyone could talk about.
All us BC-ers were so wowed, but everyone from East of BC was like, "We get storms like that all the time!"
Craziness! It was a first time for me!

Seven, and Counting...

This would have been so much more effective if I had started it like...in January.
I'm putting up a little text box to the right, so you can see and understand the craziness that is this year. Love is in the air...
Every time another friend/acquaintance gets engaged, that number is gonna go up. Because it seems like the "In" thing to do this year is get married...I don't know why, but apparently its popular! ;)
This week alone, I've discovered 2 more engagements (CONGRATULATIONS LAURA!! :D), and I'm expecting that this will be a monthly, if not weekly, occurrence for the rest of the spring. Everyone's getting hitched!

Unfortunate

I think my alarm clock died.
I didn't hear it go off today.
In fact, I had exactly 30.0 minutes from the second I woke up, until the time I had to be in class.
I arrived with exactly 2.28 minutes before I would be labelled "Late".
Don't ask me to do the math. All I know is that breakfast was forfeit, as was personal grooming, and I basically flew from my warm snuggly blankets to my cold hard car in less than 3 minutes.
I wasn't even entirely sure that I wasn't still in my pajamas when I got to school.
Which was a little unsettling.

EDIT: the alarm clock wasn't dead. Maybe I was?

My Lizzie is All Grown Up and...

Getting Married!

Congratulations to my friend Liz & lucky Mr. Tim Taylor, on their engagement!
I'm so excited for you both :)
Your names make me laugh, and knowing how perfect you guys are for each other makes me smile.

Wonder-Melon!

I stumble across the strangest things when I'm Google-ing.

This is Why You Pray

On Tuesday Matt and I had big plans to tour the Mitchelstown Caves, then head up to Cashel to see the sights there, which included museums, historical walks, and of course, the famous Rock of Cashel (which is in fact an ancient castle/cathedral type ruin). We pored over our guidebooks (if you want to know, "Let's Go: Ireland on a budget" *Matt's* is waaaay better than "The Unofficial Guide to Ireland" *Mine*) and struggled with the bus routes and times the night before. We figured we had it planned quite well, and walked down to the bus stop for the 9:55 AM bus Tuesday morning. I even called the caves ahead of time to make sure they were open. I was feeling very confident and pleased with the touristy day ahead of me.

Unfortunately our bus didn't arrive until around 10:30 (I think...?) and the bus driver charged me for 2 tickets instead of one, so things got off to a rough start. Not only that but the driver seemed new and I wasn't sure he knew his route, so I was paranoid he wouldn't stop at the caves since it wasn't an official stop. I was very relieved when he pulled over on the main highway (motorway) and dropped us off across from a clearly marked "Mitchelstown Caves 3km" sign.

The weather was gorgeous! For the first time in weeks, it felt like a proper warm spring day! Beautiful.
The road we walked along was quite a peaceful and picturesque country lane, with the Knockmealdown mountains ahead of us and the Galtees behind. It wasn't long before we came to an intersection in Burncourt with more signs, one indicating we had 1.5 km to go. Not so bad.
When we arrived at 12 pm we bought our tickets from the elderly woman in the house, and waited for the next tour to start at 12:30.
Since the weather was so nice we didn't mind, and whittled time away sitting at one of the little picnic tables situated outside near the surprisingly large paved parking lot. I wasn't expecting a parking lot at all to be honest, since the caves are privately owned and operated by the family.
Nevertheless, it seems to be a popular spot since it wasn't long before a variety of other tourists arrived, including very typical American family, and three non-English speaking, non-smiling, French tourists. Despite my losing our tickets five minutes before the tour began, and then finding them again, we DID finally get to enter the cave, and we had a pretty sweet Irish guide that was pretty funny and enthusiastic.
There was a no photography policy which SUCKED because the caves were suuuper cool! Really amazing. Right from the beginning it was fun because the stairs were really steep going down, and everything was wet and dripping and warm (12 degrees all year round, which was warmer than outside!) and the ceiling was low, which was ok for people of my stature, I only had to bend my neck a little. I felt sorry for anyone taller. The guide told us how a farmer by the name of Michael Condon discovered the cave 170 years ago when he was mining for limestone. He dropped his axe and it fell into the cave. Farmer Condon proceeded to explore the cave by candlelight. (I can't imagine doing that. I think I would wet myself)
Essentially the caves haven't changed since then. They have installed some concrete steps and rails, and lights, but the actual cave shape is the same. And its huge! The caverns were enormous! We only saw a small portion of it as well. Off limits there was one tunnel that came to an underground lake, and a opening with a 20 foot drop, and one or two other parts as well.
The formations inside the cave were absolutely amazing! Not so much the stalactites and stalagmites ...I'd seen bigger and better ones in the Guatemala caves...but the ripply "ribbon" formations and strange shapes and "faces" in some of them were really cool! There were even crystal bits in some, and we even saw a fossil of a coral on the cave wall! It was so neat! Apparently in the next couple years they will open up two more caverns to the public.
Anyway, Matt and I were pretty pleased with our well-spent 7 Euro, and feeling very positive, we weren't too concerned about the minor detail that we didn't know where to catch the bus to get to Cashel. That was mistake #1.
"Let's head to Kilbehenny," we thought. "It's only 2.-something km, and its a town so a bus is sure to stop." So we started walking in the opposite direction we came from.
Oh foolish young mortals.
That was BIG mistake #2.
We walked and walked and walked and walked.
The distance seemed longer going this way. Maybe its just because we knew time was running away on us. It was 1:35 PM when we got out of the cave, and we had sort of wanted to be IN Cashel at that time. Not walking down a very, very, quiet country road towards a small town hoping to catch a bus that MIGHT pass by.
After a very long time, we emerged on the side of the highway. It didn't look to much like a town as...the side of a highway. So we headed to the nearby Gas (Petrol) Station and asked how far it was to the nearest bus stop.
3 STINKIN' MILES.
What the heck?! So pretty much we would have been better off if we had gone back the way we came after the cave tour. Darn.
Anyway, we didn't waste time crying over spilled milk, so we started walking on the side of the highway. Which I hate. Because the cars go so freakin' fast. After walking for what seemed like infinity hours, with people staring at us because we are crazy for walking this way when there is nothing for miles, we came to an overpass under construction, and we didn't dare venture going through with all the big semi-trucks threatening to smush us against the concrete. So we crossed the highway to what looked like a side road that would lead us back on after the overpass. Needless to say...it didn't.
I won't say that going this way was Mistake #3 though, because I think going under the overpass would have been the Final Mistake Of Our Lives.
It was probably around 2:30 around this time I think. The road ended up leading us away from the highway and back into the countryside.
It was very...peaceful. And frustrating.
Eventually we arrived back at a familiar intersection. So we went back to our original bus drop off point. Thinking, hoping, praying, that maybe the bus would pick us up.
Actually I was having an ongoing one-way conversation with God for most of the afternoon. It consisted of,
Thanks for the great weather God, because this would have been pretty bad if it was raining, but honestly it would be really nice if you could send someone to offer us a ride to the next bus stop. Or even better..Cahir. And if you were feeling really generous they would be heading to Cashel. That would be really awesome. And maybe they could be...um...Christian, cause that would make me feel more comfortable. Please? Because I'm getting pretty hungry and tired, and we really wanted to see Cashel today, and this is kind of ridiculous. And it will be scary if it gets dark. I could call someone but I would feel stupid, and its the Easter Break and I don't want to disturb them. PLEASE GOD SEND US A WAY HOME!!!
We arrived at the place the bus dropped us off and traffic was heavy, and no one was likely to stop to offer us a lift, and technically it would be illegal for us to hitchhike there anyway. So we just kind of stood there despondently, looking sad and hoping the bus would come by soon.
It did.
But it didn't stop despite the frantic and idiotic waving of my arms. (Thanks for backing me up there by the way Matt...:P)
After that it was major decision time. We had a few options.
1. Hijack a car merging onto the highway.
Neither of us are comfortable driving standard transmission. Next?
2. Bust out the puppy eyes.
I tried. Didn't work.
3. Walk.
Oi, my aching bones! Its a LONG ways to the next town.
4. Call someone from Fermoy.
I reeeeeeallly don't want tooooo.....
C'mon God! I prayed. We really need a ride. Please.
Would you believe that just at that moment a big truck pulled over right in front of us?
And would you believe that it was Peter, someone I knew from church in Fermoy?
And Would you believe that he was headed to Cashel?
I didn't believe it at first either.
But he was.
God is so good.
Peter dropped us off on Cashel's main street and we walked to the Rock and spent an hour or so taking pictures.



Peter then picked us up and drove us back to Fermoy. We stopped by the Happy Chan chinese takeout, and stumbled home, completely wrecked. I fell asleep around 5 or 6 pm in my clothes, and didn't wake up until 7am the next morning!Anyway the important thing is that we got to Cashel and took lots of pictures.
Haha! Just kidding.
The important thing is that we survived. And took lots of pictures.
And there were valuable lessons learned. Such as plan the details. Bring a snack and water. Make sure your phone is charged, you have extra camera batteries and memory chip, have cash, and don't forget to pray and expect an answer.
And if you ever get the urge to pray for me, please don't ignore it... :)

The Great Flood of Fermoy

Check this out...



When I told you its been raining buckets lately, I wasn't exaggerating!
Fermoy has flooded!
Well, part of it at least. The stretch of stores just down the road from my place are all closed for flooding.

The river is sooo high, and a couple roads are blocked off, and a field is completely submerged.

For once I wasn't the only one carrying a camera, so I didn't feel self-conscious about snapping some shots! (Unfortunately I think I may have damaged my camera with all the damp it has seen here. The pictures haven't been turning out so well lately. Grrr....why am I so irresponsible?!)

I did some errands this morning and that was the extent of it.
But by the time I headed back mid-afternoon there was only small dry spot to cross on. I had to cross the bridge again after 3, and walked through an inch or so of water. Car traffic was being funneled by the garda. At 4:30 the water had risen so much that no cars were being allowed across the bridge, and it was several inches deep. One garda was ferrying poor stranded pedestrians such as myself across the flooded road. I was so excited thinking I was going to get a ride in real Irish police car!!!


But then he drove off and didn't come back, so I had to walk through it. It only came up just past my ankles, but the water was FREEZING!!! When I got home I quickly changed into my new warm, dry slippers, but snapped a picture for the blog of course ;)

The day was actually beautiful, sunny and warm, and it seemed like everyone made it out to take pictures, survey the damage, and talk with neighbors. It was like a big town get-together! Fermoy even made it on the news. Sadly, it sounds like the damages will be quite high, but they are used to flooding here, so it hasn't come as a big shock to anyone. Its just that this has been the biggest flood in a long time.

And sure I know that this isn't my "internet day", but I figure news like this can't be kept waiting. It needs to blogged about while its still fresh...so don't give out to me about breaking my restriction. Spirit of the law, not letter of the law, ok?

Milestones

Today is a day of Milestones for me!

First of all, this is PJ's 100th post! Though is has taken an extremely long time to reach the third digit, I like to think it is because I prefer quality over quantity :S
Secondly, today is the fourth and that means I've been here for precisely five months!!! I can't believe how fast the time flew. One more month to go!

Lastly...today I have received an email which may strongly direct and influence the next few months of my life, and bring me closer to my goal of many years: travelling to Ireland.

Its a long story...I'll abbreviate it as best as I can.
I was looking for a way to experience Ireland without being a tourist...I wanted to do something meaningful while I was there. I mentioned that in passing to a friend I met as a kid, who now lives in Afghanistan with her missionary parents.
Well her pastor there used to pastor a big church in Ireland, so she asked him if he knew of anything and then emailed me back and said, "Hey Look, I've got you a contact in Ireland!"
So through a friend, of a friend, of a friend, I was put in contact with someone in Fermoy (A little place in Southern Ireland...I looked it up. Its situated almost exactly there I wanted to be!) who I emailed a few days ago.

The whole process has just seemed to ridiculously random and coincidental that I felt it couldn't be just luck!!! (Even if we are talking Ireland)

I've been nervously awaiting a reply since then, and finally received it just a few minutes ago!

The email begins:

"Jill,
It has been a real blessing to hear from you. All of us in the Fermoy Fellowship have been praying for such a long time for someone like you to volunteer to work alongside us for a season so I guess we are all hoping that you are an answer to prayer."

And I am hoping they are an answer to mine!

Though as I read on, I became more and more nervous. What they are looking for is someone young like me to come and work with the kids and young teens in their little church. I won't be a youth pastor by any means, but as Harry (the guy I'm in touch with) says, all the leaders are 45-50 years old and they want a "young person" so come be an example to their kids!

SCARY? I THINK SO!

Firstly, I love kids, but I've never been a "kid person"...but I really felt a change in me after this last week of counselling at Woodsman. And I feel a sort of peace about the whole thing.

I'm not about to make any rash decisions guys, but I think I want to do it! (Which is really weird for me...)
So...I'm going to pray, pray, pray! And if you want to join me in that, go right ahead!

Its Booger-Freezing Cold Out There!

The Bus decided to randomly take a different route today, so naturally I panicked and jumped off way up at the top of the hill where I knew for SURE that I wouldn't be carried all the way down town again.
I FROZE.
Its soooo cold out there!
And imagine how stupid I felt when the bus took a quick circle route, and then came back up the hill passing me by on my way down. WAAAAHHHHH. I would've cried but my tears would've froze.

Warning: Wedding Spoilers!!!

Today I had my first-ever wedding-dress shopping experience! Friend Ange is getting married next August, and being one of those females who've anticipated and planned their wedding almost since birth, she has already got the majority of the Big Day organized. This was the day to tackle the dresses, and I tagged along as Official Honest-Opinion-Giver. I also snapped a few pictures :) Above is Ange (center) with her bridesmaids, including her sister, cousin, and two close childhood friends.

She was just in her element trying on all the gorgeous gowns!

They decided on a chocolate brown, bunched-skirt, pink-sashed, strapless dress for the bridesmaids. Miraculously it looked fabulous on every one of them, despite their unique figures!

Ange decided on this dress in the end. She looked so beautiful in it, the picture doesn't do her justice (my camera really let me down today. More than half the pictures are completely useless. I'm going to have to invest in a better one). Sorry that all the pictures are messed up and the text is not in the right places. Blogger has not been kind.

This is sick...

(I've had a bad day so I'm ALLOWED to mooch off someone else's blog today.)

Anyway, check this out, and get a little insight into why its so hard to look like the girls on tv, or in the magazines. (Its actually really interesting. )

All Grown Up *sniff sniff*

Back in the day, when the boys spent their days trading hockey cards, shooting each other with squirt guns and "exploring" the sand pits, my mother had a fourth son named Sam Bastedo. A funny little kid with a squeaky voice and wild curly blonde hair who basically lived at our house, especially during the summer (bottom picture). One of this little guy's favorite activities was playing the drums- something we all knew he did, but didn't really think about. Until he grew up and moved away to Vancouver with his band, Whitfield! The last time I saw Sam was about 3/4 years ago during the filming of Mike's home-made war movie, "The Thousand Yard Stare". But guess who I saw at work today?! Sam and his brother Joel! It was such a weird experience. Joel said hi to me and I was staring at him going, "I think I know this guy" and then it clicked, and I was like, "Oh hi!" and I kind of looked at this leather-jacket-wearing black-haired rocker dude beside him and then dismissed him because I totally didn't recognize him! Joel laughs and says, "This is my brother Sam!" and it hit me and I totally freaked! It was the strangest feeling ever! (the top picture is what Sam looks like now. He seems just about as confused about the change as I was)
It's SO weird to see people grow up and change like that!!!

(Bottom Picture, Left-Right: Me, Mike, cousin Matt Peterson, cousin Laura Peterson, Tim, Sam)

Congratulations!!!

Well I suppose this is where I enter "that age" when there will be weddings every summer for the next ten years! Among the many exciting things that happened this weekend, Ange informed me that she is indeed getting married!
Next August she and her boyfriend Jay will be "gettin' hitched" and I'll of course be home from Ireland for the big day :P
Congratulations guys!

Confession Time

It seems like half the people I know already heard about this, so might as well fill everyone in all at once and be done with it.
Saturday night I drove my friend Ange out to the mall for some shopping and hanging out. At around 6 PM we decided to make a stop at a downtown coffee shop before heading home. The light turned green, and I accelerated and started to make my left turn and then- BANG!!! I slammed on the brakes and my jaw just dropped open when I saw a green car skid just past me (where did that come from?!?!) , the driver's door smashed in and the lady staring at me with wide eyes. Always being of the swifter set, I turned to Ange,
Me: "I just got hit."
Ange: "Yeah."
Then I noticed two things:
1) There was a big hunk of white metal peering at me from the other side of the windshield.
2) I was still in the middle of the intersection.
I finished my turn and pulled over, remembering to flick on my hazard lights. I was a little dazed. I mean this seems like one of those things that happens to everyone else. I made another brilliant comment.
Me: "I was just in an accident."
I figured I'd better look at the damage. The whole left front panel was torn open, the headlight smashed, and the bumper dragging.
Me: "Oh Shoot. I'm so dead. I just ruined my mom's car. She's going to kill me!"
Its safe to say that I am not one of those people who remains completely calm in an emergency. At that point I began to lose it.
Me: "Ange! I don't know what to do! I just destroyed the car! And the lady's gone and what do I do!"
Then it occured to me that Ange had a cell phone so I called the one person who I can count on to remain calm in an emergency: My Dad.
He answers.
Me: "Dad I'm so glad its you that answered and not Mom!" (I inherited my panicking abilities from the maternal line)
He knew from that point on it wouldn't be pretty. On his instructions I called the police and then we waited.
I couldn't remember how the whole thing happened- whether I had turned on a green arrow and it was her fault, or whether I had turned on a green light and it was my fault. I was a mess. Thank heavens for Ange and her calm reassurances that the lady was nuts-o and obviously since she drove off without exchanging names and such it was HER fault. Unfortunately we soon learnt that the lady had pulled into the Superstore gas bar and was wating for the police as well.
At that point something told me that my chances of getting out as the victim were slim.
Turned out that my instincts were correct. The policeman soon deduced that it had in fact been my fault . I had just not seen her coming and that was the cause of the collision. Fortunately no one was hurt.
I got my first ticket. Humiliating, but well-deserved.
And I just discovered that I totaled our van. Well Mom, now you can get a (...erm...I hesitate to say "new") car, just like you wanted to. Just a mixed blessing, right?...?
I learned many things from the experience.
1) that I will probably always be a little paranoid about left turns from now on
2) that even though my first thoughts were on the van, I should've been more worried about everyone's health, because as Ange so sagely put it, "You can't put a price tag on your life!" (thanks for keeping things in perspective Gella ;P)
3) My family really, really, really, loves me. Not that I didn't know that, but it they were so patient, kind, and forgiving about the whole thing.
I was especially touched when big brother Paul came home after taking a peek at the van, gave me a quick hug and said,
"I'm just glad you're safe Jill. Don't worry about the van, there's lots of vans. There's only one of you." (or something totally emotional and out of character , like that) and of course my Dad's comment on the other post.
I don't know what sort of reaction I was expecting (but I don't think it was positive) but my family just blew me away with how amazing they really are! Thanks guys!!!