Jessica's Journey to Kelowna

As my title states, I did take a journey to Kelowna this last weekend. A solo journey. A solo journey with absolutely no cd player. Going through the mountains proved to be a very quiet time for me. Quiet when I wasn't making a lot of noise myself.
It started out with me leaving Linden without knowing how to get to highway 1. So I had to phone my mom. Thankfully she's detailed, so I could easily find my way. I guess I should also explain that I didn't bother to ask any questions about how to get to Kelowna, I had never been there before, and I didn't bring a map. Basically I was the least prepared I possibly could be...although I did have an axe and a first aid kit in my trunk. Never know when you're going to have to chop something down, or sling something up.
By the time I got to Salmon Arm, I figured something was wrong...I don't know why, because I had no idea where I was going, but I just had this sense that I had gone too far. Indeed I had...I had missed my turn ages before, so I backtracked a bit and found myself travelling through a very small town filled with people in motorized carts. It was amazing! They were trailing each other through the streets of Enderby. I locked all my doors and drove a bit faster. I figured that any town that had that many people in motorized carts, also had something creepily wrong with it.
Kelowna was a very intersting city...it is full of men who will shamelessly check out any female, and who hit on any woman that moves. Here is my story: Crystal and I were sitting on a beach enjoying the beautiful weather when two guys went by in a boat, craning their necks the entire time. They had an entire lake in which to boat, but they chose to go back and forth in front of us for about an hour. It didn't end there though. I decided to go swimming, and Crystal was on the beach trying to convince herself to get into the water, when all of a sudden the boat came up behind me and started coming into shore. I lost control and "awkward Jess" took over...she started scampering out of the water, to where Crystal lay laughing hysterically. Crystal then looked at me and asked, "Are you going to be sassy?"
"I don't know..." I replied.
The guys came up as close as they could get and then asked us if we knew of any pub on the lake...Crystal told them that there was on on the other side. Then they asked what we were up to, to which I replied very robotically, "Catching-some-sun".
"Really? Catching some sun?" Crystal asked.
"It was the best thing I could come up with"
All this was happening while the guys were watching us from the boat.
Shockingly, my super lame comment didn't ward them off...rather they asked us, "Want to go for a boot?".
Neither of us truly understood the meaning of the word "boot". I reckon that was just as awkward as my "catching some sun" comment. We very awkwardly declined. Well, I very awkwardly declined. Crystal did so with much grace and poise.
We did meet one guy that wasn't very good with the ladies...we went to a copy shop so that Crystal could get some stuff copied for a book she made. The guy asked her what her name was so she said, "Crystal...C-R-Y-S-T-A-L".
"Yup...C-R-Y-S...", he said, while proceeding to write her name with a "K".
Crystal repeated herself, and so did he, but he didn't change a thing. So then I said, "You're saying 'C', but you're writing 'K'".
Then he says, "Oh, I was thinking of my dog".
Seriously? His dog? Wow...
I pulled out one more incredibly awkward thing while I was there...Crystal was parking and Kyle was directing her from outside the car. I had my window down and I was watching how close she was to the big cement block to my right. They were just about done, so I rolled it up. Just then, Kyle made some loud noise outside so I responded with a very quick motion and turned to take a look and I proceeded to ram my face into the now rolled up window. That became the joke for the rest of the weekend. Whenever someone did something stupid they would say, "Well, it's not as bad as Jess hitting the window". Anything to make people feel better about their blunders.
So, my four days in the balmy tropics of Canada came to an end and I made the long journey home in the silence of my car. Holiday is over. Awkward Jess can now take a break, until something new and exciting comes along.

The long straight highways of Alberta

Crystal, Kyle and I

At the winery

Lobster...Delicious or Wrong?

I went to this random lobster dinner thing tonight with my family in Trochu. It really was quite a strange event. There we were, in a hall with roughly 400 strangers and we were all wearing plastic lobster bibs and squirting lobster juice on our faces and clothes, and consequently splashing others with said lobster juice. Sucking, squirting, cracking, squishing...not really what you want to be eating in a room full of strangers. I'm sure that in one of those "dating books" or "guides to great etiquette" they would advise against eating lobster. It makes everyone who partakes look savage, me possibly being the most savage of all.
It was a bit disconcerting when the lady placed an entire lobster on my plate. My imagination began conjuring up images of this creature from the sea moving and scampering off my plate. I think this comes from being raised in a society of detachment. We eat nothing that actually looks like it does when it's alive. Could you imagine eating a burger that looks like a cow? Its little legs and little ears coming out of your bun...there was just something that felt wrong about tearing apart a lobster and sucking out stuff from its legs and body. Maybe that's the hippy in me. I blame my mother (although, she happily devoured the lobster that sat before her). At the end of the day, I ate it, and I do have to say I enjoyed it, but it still seemed a bit weird altogether.
There seemed to be a bit of a maritime theme for the evening, and they had a fantastic band from out east come and play. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that people were two stepping to this music. Is that how you dance to maritime folk? Two stepping? I always thought that it just consisted of a lot of arm pumping, and knee bending, but apparently I was wrong.
Anyway, there is something really freeing about people getting up and dancing, even though most of them have to be inebriated in order to do so. After much pleading I convinced David to jig to the back of the room with me. I don't think he really likes dancing at all. Perhaps it embarrasses him. Considering all the moves that people were pulling out tonight, I don't think he could have done much to embarrass himself. Before I knew it, a dance circle had formed, and for no reason at all I found myself in the middle of it being cheered on by intoxicated middle aged women and David. I don't think he really knew what happened, but I proceeded to push him into the middle of this circle where a young lady decided to join him and she jumped and jigged around him, while he awkwardly pumped his arms and stomped his feet. He made an attempt to escape, but this girl wouldn't let him leave! It was one of the funniest things I'd seen in awhile. He was in there until the end of the song with that girl and the circle had closed in tight, so there was no getting away! It was clearly awesome! The one guy that didn't want to be dancing in the first place was now in the middle of a dance circle with a strange girl that he can't escape from. How beautiful.

Uncomfortable

There is an altar ego of mine who I tenderly refer to as "awkward Jess". She likes to show up at the most inopportune times...really. Like say, when I'm grocery shopping and some guy catches me dancing to the music at the produce aisle. Or perhaps when someone walks up behind me and I get really irrationally scared. Not good...
Well, she decided to show her awkward face on Sunday, at a very awkward time. This Thai friend of mine came to church for the first time, which was nice, and I introduced him to a bunch of people and he really enjoyed himself. I'm still me at this point. Just to set the stage a little more, there was also a really cute guy who was there for the first time, and that always opens the door for "awkward Jess" to come on in. So, after the service was over I was wandering around with my Thai friend and he insisted that I come to his car because his mom had sent some delicious food along with him to give to me (God bless the Thai people and their love for food!). I complied and he proceeded to hand me giant bags of food...and then my eye spotted it, resting on the floor of the car...flowers! Crap! I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know if they were for me. But I started sweating, and then she came. It did turn out that he had brought the flowers for me, but I wasn't there to receive them...no...the shifty eyed, uncomfortable laugher had made her presence known and was going to make the situation worse than it already was. She took the flowers, tittered nervously, sweat some more and then walked away. But she didn't leave...she stuck around for a bit to ruin my life and give me something to write about.
"Awkward Jess" went back inside the church, at which point she ran into "cute guy". He remembered my name, but again, I wasn't there, and that only encouraged her to be even more awkward. While attempting at normal, or semi-normal conversation, someone walked up and noticed, not only that I was wearing a skirt, but that I had been given flowers. My awkward friend responded in sweats and giggles, and I receded into the darkness while grappling for any kind of control in this situation. This all being in front of "cute guy". Why in front of "cute guy"?! Why not in front of my mom?
Basically, everything ended on an uncomfortable note, which is very characteristic of me...I possibly dehydrated myself from all the sweating (I blame her), and I've discovered why I'm still single. It seems as if I'll be living in the convent with my dear Patty and Selma for quite some time...

Ladies Luncheon

I'm not really a ladies luncheon kind of girl.
I'm not really a lady.
But for some reason I was drawn to this particular event and decided to make an appearance. I'm extremely glad that I did. Although I can't say that I behaved any better than I normally do in those situations, because I didn't. I took the center pieces and started putting them on...they were broaches, watches and necklaces. Why would they put them on the table if they never intended for someone to put them on? Also, I took more food than is really polite. I was surrounded by women who were gracing their plates with bite sized morsels, while I in turn was piling stuff onto mine. I forgot that I was with a bunch quality people who all have children and always eat last. I, on the other hand, eat alone and eat as much as I want.
Anyway, it was really nice to be able to connect with people that I don't normally get to talk to, and to be in such a relaxed environment. There's something to be said for an all-woman gathering...I don't know what it is...perhaps all the estrogen, but there seems to be a heightened sensitivity. I just can't explain it. And another thing that I really enjoyed was the average age of the people there...it must have been somewhere in the mid 40s. I like that. These women have all gone through life, have raised their children, and have experienced things that I can't possibly imagine. They were talking about being pregnant, and what a miracle it is to have life inside of you. It's cool to be female just for that (except at the end of the term when that thing has to come out of you!). They talked about time and making the most of it...enjoying every breath that we take, enjoying every sunrise and sunset, really truly enjoying life as it is everyday. When you think about it, we don't have an incredibly long time here...so, the best that we can do is live well, love deeply, and experience all range of emotion. The joy, the elation, the pain, and the hurt. If we don't experience it all, are we really living? Why is it that we try so desperately keep ourselves from pain? When we do that, we keep ourselves from experiencing true happiness. You can't have one without the other.
I have been feeling recently like I have been undergoing surgery...it's been tough. Things that never should have been there are being removed, and that is never fun, but at the end of the day I'll be more alive for having gone through it. It's easy to become blind to yourself sometimes...not wanting to see the things that really make up who you are.
Someone read something to me the other day that really spoke to me. Something to increase the quality of life, really...I'll write parts of it:

Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on to dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone.

It seems to me to love to the point of hurt, to be affectionate with one another, to be open and transparent with those around us is really, though difficult, a great way to live. I love touch. I think it's healthy. How many people actually go weeks without ever being hugged or touched by another human? We aren't meant to live like that.
One of the ladies at the luncheon said, "So, are we human doings, or human beings?". I hope I am the latter. If we are beings, then all that stuff will be coming out of us...just because we aren't doing doesn't mean that we are bored or lazy. If we be then we'll have a whole lot more time to truly love.
This is stuff that I really want to live... and want to be...perhaps in time I will.

I've Been Marked!

I had one of the best evenings that I've had in a long time...I hung out with this girl that I have an incredible amount in common with, and found it so refreshing. I was encouraged to know that there are other people out there that think the same way as I do. That's not always a good thing, as too many "Jessica Thinkers" would likely cause the world to self destruct, or at least implode, but a few here and there just might bring an equilibrium that this world needs. Or perhaps not.
Anyway, me and this new found friend of mine had supper and then proceeded to join the artistic community of Three Hills to watch a production on the gospel according to Mark. It's amazing to me how something so simple could be so powerful! It was one guy that had memorized the entire book and theatrically recited it. That was it. He had a chair, a small table, a candle and a blanket as his props, but the power came from the kindness in his eyes, the way he engaged the audience, and the conviction with which he spoke. I was lost in time. There was such a clear picture presented of the Jesus that reached out to the broken, the lonely, and hurting, and how he affected their lives. It was as if that Jesus was reaching out to me and was showing me that very same compassion. It was beautiful. We were mesmerized. Anyway, the sheer simplicity of it was brilliant and brought something more than if there were many people on stage with many props. Isn't Scripture itself to be enough to rivit people and grab hold of them anyway? I believe that it is, and tonight was testament to that.

Muscle Bound

I have had so much on my mind lately, and yet so little time to write any of it down. Things have been out of control...
Take for instance this weekend. It was "Linden Sports Day"...apparently Linden's annual high point. This was my first year in attendance, and I have to say that I wasn't entirely impressed. There was the weather to blame, in Linden's defense, but still...it left much to be desired. I also spent the majority of the day in the Dunk Tank. You know, that gigantic barrel of water that allows people an avenue to vent their frustration, or exersize revenge...I, bearing the brunt of both. It was exceptionally cold water, and was an exceptionally cold day. If you know me at all, you'll know that I don't like either (cold water, or cold days....I guess you could say that I don't like cold in general). My day's highlight was spending the morning with the "bottle depot Koreans". They haven't been in Canada long, and speak very limited English, and have not experienced much by way of rural Canadian festivities. They have 3 beautiful children, who can't understand me but for my charades, who I lined up along the street to view this year's parade. They were so excited, which in turn, excited me. I forced the ones in the parade that I knew to give lots of candy to these, my little foreign friends. It was fun, and it made my day to see the Koreans enjoying themselves.
I can't imagine what it might be like to move to another culture where you don't speak the language, and where you know nobody. And not only another culture, but an area with limited people and limited things to be involved in. It's not as if we in Canada are very "hospitable" either. We in the west are uncomfortable with anything we don't understand...relationships that take effort, attempting communication with those who may not comprehend what we are saying. I wish that for one week, we could all experience what these people may feel.
Oops...tangent.
Anyway, after the beloved Sports Day I ventured back to my hometown of Three Hills to take in this year's annual Cruise Nite. The one evening a year that gives license to people to act much younger than they are, and to openly hit on anyone that they please. This all under the guise of a "car show". There are some that may be there under the right pretense, but the ones showing off their protien shake muscles in tank tops much too tight for any man, I believe are not. But what do I know really? Who am I to say why they may be there? Perhaps they did come soley to check out cars, sound systems and big engines. I know I didn't. This is the one time a year that I have to get many of my scattered friends together, and spend a day with them....or even to see people that I haven't seen much of. It creates just the excuse that we need to take a day off and see one another.
Despite my rants, I really enjoyed my weekend and the people that I spent it with. Jesus is teaching me much about loving people regardless of what they do, and how they act...how often are my judgments of people incorrect, or a result of disliking things in my own life anyway? So, I'm learning, although it may be slowly.

Hemi the Super