The Best Day in the Best Place (On Earth)

So, I am currently sitting amongst my luggage at the Airport, not another person sitting in my row. I am quite content to sit alone and write on my blog, but I hate the feeling of looking consumed as I type out my story on my mobile. Yes, this little guy is handy, but makes me feel so bad.

Anyways, I am siting here drinking a carton for 2% and watching the soccer game from a distance, except I can't make out the score, so it's pretty useless. I have still an hour before I get picked up, and I plan on wasting that hour to people watching and scrolling on my phone. How boring, I'd have to admit.

The flight was amazing today, a beautiful sun and fluffy clouds in the sky. It was like flying above dust and when we ripped through it we seemed to disappear in a whole different place. So magical! I love the feeling of taking off and I also love the footing part from above the land. It's fascinating thinking that everyone else has somewhere to be or nowhere to be. That every person out there has meaning and is a part of this puzzle that God created to fit so perfectly together.

I love this province and flying over the lakes and beautiful farm land, reminded me that there is still good in this small world. Even if people are selfish and not fully living, we still have that good!

"The best place on earth" -BC

The Enchanting-ness of Ella

If you've ever endured in a mystical fantasy novel that captures your attention, along with your heart, then you know exactly how I feel about Ella Enchanted. It's not only an amazingly written spin-off to the famous story Cinderella, but a dreamy love-story where you get to witness the main character, Ella's, thoughts on everything that takes place.

The book's got this kind of modern approach to a well-loved fantasy land and every little detail is like being right there, present in the time and place!

Ella is my new favouritest heroine, and Prince Char? Every girl's dream prince... The story of love between the two was the best thing about the book, at least that's what I'm always drawn to. They send letters back and forth to each other at a stage of the book and it's almost hard not to miss their cute connection. After reading some lovey stuff, my dad actually asked why I was smiling the way I was when I walked by him. Yes, it gets you into that fluttery feeling!

If you're like the millions of other girls out there, and have seen the movie Ella Enchanted, know now that it does not compare to the book (as always). The book captures a whole different story and the movie recreated the story completely different! (I know, I know. You're thinking that every movie is always different from the book, but this one's story-line was totally changed!) I love both takes on it, but the book has my heart.

Ella Enchanted is like the story Cinderella to the modern age.

"And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after."   The perfect end to a perfect little tale. (It's an inside joke by the way. Read the novel and you're bound to find out why.)

The First Time Lost in the Woods

My sister and I decided to walk a new path, one that looked a little less taken, so it's no surprise we ended up on the other side of the mountain. We had taken the back trails from our yard all the time, so to think that there was some that we'd never really seen before was highly unlikely, or so we thought. Our plan going hiking was to take an old lawn chair and bring it up to a new lookout and then try and find it later, or the next time we felt like going up there again. Plans changed quickly when we discovered that nothing looked familiar and that the sun was going down too fast, making the whole forest look dark and creepy, just like in the old tales. We both were panicking because neither one of us had a phone or the time, we had only a plastic lawn chair for survival. We started thinking logically about what direction our house was in, but didn't consider going off the path, because, again, like in the old stories, we were taught that this was a "no-no". We also planned what we would do if we did get really lost and had to spend the night. Maybe we'd use our socks for gloves and both snuggle in the same sweater, keeping each other warm in the every-changing temperature. It was a funny little panic we both had and now I kind of understand why people are so grateful for the invention of GPS, even if I must admit I am too old-fashioned to use one. So, we kept walking on this path that was heading downhill, hoping to take us to a common path that either of us might have known. Eventually we got to a path I recognized and after at least two hours of stressful worrying, I started to groan and face palm myself for being so silly. It was an interesting night and one I will never forget. Funny how you don't know a path and where it will lead or may not remember a path once you've traveled it, but the memory of being lost in an unknown area stays with you forever...

Jr. JdF

Where to begin? On Friday, I set out with 30 other hikers to a grand beach where we stopped for our comfort-food lunches and played on the overhanging rope swing that was tied to a tree at the top of a cliff edge. It didn't quite fit my "safety first" guidelines, but I tried it out anyways, because it brought back memories of the first time I'd visited the Island.  After lunch it took us all about another hour to get ourselves back together and hike to our destination point, 6k away.

Not only was it a beautiful day to hike, it was a beautiful day to play follow-the-leader. My sister, Tor, was awarded job as "bear bell" (as written, the man who wards off bears with his bell) and lead our group through the deep evergreen forests. This basically meant big sister (aka: me) couldn't go ahead of her at any cost, and even though Tor never mentioned this, I know she was feeling quite dominant over me that day.

Our hike was sunny. We all got a little colour, but that was better than mosquitoes, which we saw none of. The sun actually didn't think about disappearing until about ten o'clock and it was glorious. The sunset was pink and yellow haze, and it seemed to vanish around the corner of the cliffs in the distance. Quite a sight!

 It was a refreshing starter hike to this adventurous summer and some newbies also joined us for a first-time experience. It was a great crowd, who ranged from age 5-50-ish and all together we were a loud and rowdy bunch, climbing trees, hunting for crabs, rock-jumping up the river and for the older folks, walking around with a mug of the hot brew and talking about family matter. I myself was a mixture of these two groups. Chasing crabs with their speedy crawling ability, I impressed the little boys, who, by the way, were convinced I had the magic touch to finding "crab kingdoms" under the rocks. On the other I was drawn to taking it slow and sitting back, snapping pictures and enjoying small talk with the more mature adventurers. All-in-all, it was a fabulous group of friends, new and old, and I gathered some great memories, in pictures and in my heart.

I was quick to notice every familiar thing about this hike because once upon a time I, myself, at a younger age walked down the same path. "Hey that tree is familiar! Look! I think I've seen these rocks before. Oh, there's that creek again..." It was like watching a movie for the second time, I saw the big image because it was hard to forget and remembered the little, tiny parts that really stuck to me. It was also a funny hike because I realized it was my 2-year anniversary of meeting my Island friends. Oh the good old sea-folk...

What's it Like?

What's it like to be a tree, standing tall as can be?

What's it like to be a fire, when you are but one's desire?

What's it like to be a car, taking people near and far?

What's it like to be a tike, with an extra wheel on your bike?

What's it like to be blind, when somethings missing that you have to find?

What's it like to be a balloon, when you know you'll pop real soon?

What's it like to be deserted, when someone doesn't realize who they've hurted? 

What's it like to be a bird, singing every sing word?

Melodies of Memories

"Where words fail, music speaks." -Hans Christian Andersen

So my sisters and I have been obsessing over this "funky" song, by Simon and Garfunkel, from a gifted CD that is full of their greatest hits. It even includes live audiences, kind of a bummer, but kind of neat, I guess. The duo have this sort of whimsical vibe in their voices and the instrumentals are so miraculous, there is not a song to dislike on their album. Downloading this CD to my itunes was a big deal. It's to die for.

Today there was only about a minute interval between my songs, as I would burst out obnoxiously into aimless hymns. From Tangled to Bruno Mars, church psalms to old choir songs, I was singing like a songbird as I flew around the house going from chore to chore. I quite frequently erupt into singing, and I think it's just a noisy girl habit of mine. I'd rather be gracefully singing to myself than awkwardly murmuring and getting weird looks from the sisters. They do tend to give the deadliest of glares and also do well on making hysterical-looking faces, naturally. I laugh more at their faces than their jokes any day.

This evening looked like a fine time to take a sisterly bike ride, showing Tor a new way of riding, after all, she never goes anywhere but the nasty BMX bike trails by our house. They are deadly, all bumpy and dusty and steep.  "Road rash" is written all over them. Probably a boy's (or in this case Tor's) wonder. I decided to take her road biking up a wonderful little back road that I quite fancy, for it holds not only fun road curves and brilliantly tall trees, but also has a sturdy bridge over-looking a calm pond/river thing. It was a nice ride. With a calm, cool breeze, just enough light for some good pictures, and not such a busy road it was a great spot for a first-timer like Tor.

We ventured over the bridge, when we got to our little destination, and then snuck under it to catch a glimpse of some gorgeous waterlilies and feel the rumble of the ground when cars drove above us. It was a fine time, I'd say and a great way to spend an hour with my sister, catching up on things.

Did I mention our car broke down, which actually gave me the time to write this tonight? It's a long story...

Ash

 

It's Only the First Day...

I woke up, like most regular teenagers, after sleeping in and decided to be lazy, choosing a bowl of cereal for my breakfast. Boring? I'd say so. Having the ability to endure in simple little "short-cuts" is a mental goal of mine this summer, seeing as I always plan everything out, making to-do lists and spending too many good minutes on preparing my "health freak" meals. The cereal was nice, it was actually the best two minutes of preparation wasted out of my morning.

With my breaky in hand, I headed back to bed to sit down and enjoy some good time with a book. It was the Twits. Hear me now, I love overly-ridiculous humor and this was the best choice on a grey morning that it was. Roald Dahl has yet to be beat for my attention. After finishing the book in twenty minutes time, I pull out the new Archie, which will also likely be read before the day ends. Oh how I love Betty, her well-roundness and great personality... reminds me of myself sometimes. I can always rely on the good ol' Archie comics to put me in a good mood.

After some cleaning for my absent mommy, going on a joyous hike alone, and eating a gloriously stacked salad for lunch, I head out of the house and onward to my friend Kaat's (we pronounce that "cats", like the soft person that she is). At Kaat's we do some theater discussion and eat some of her scrumptious raw cake.  MMmm, it tastes too good to be healthy! I depart from my loving friends house late in the afternoon and go home to some BBQ dinner, again being in that lazy mood that today has brought.

Now we are off to my sister's soccer try-outs and my "daddy-daughter driving lessons".
Parking is not my niche. This was discovered after I scraped the curb for the first time and felt the tingle, or tangle rather, in my gut when I saw my dad's face after this minor issue. I must admit I am not a natural driver. I am naturally a back-seat sight-seer, who gets distracted easily by helicopters, bikers, deer, architecture, you name it! I just don't have the hard focus needed to stay fully alert. But I've never crashed or come close to hitting anyone or anything, I just don't enjoy driving like I don't enjoy math. I love it when it is going smoothly, but once you find something you can't master easily, you get upset. BUT, even though I don't enjoy driving I still love to be behind the wheel, with the window wide open, riding the curves like a child on a roller coaster...

After this little outing we got home and I practiced some beginner piano. I find it necessary to be able to play the most triumphant instrument in the world, built to give off every emotion in the simplest of effort and still sound beautiful. I am jealous of the child wonders who play piano at age five like a professional pianist for a ballet, but at least I am not waiting to take it up too late in life. My skill has not changed since I was eight, but I guess there is always something to work on then.

Today was a jumble of events and happily enjoyed by me.

Ash