Language Is The Dress of Thought

Language is the dress of thought- Samuel Johnson

Language is a funny thing, especially the english language. But I never really knew how funny it was until this semester when I decided to take a Linguistics course at the University. And amidst my other classes on auditing and control systems...well it provides for the most entertaining couple of hours my entire week.

But yes, things are very different in the English writing system. Imagine a new word comes into the English language that is spelled 'ghoti'. How would this be pronounced? In an attempt to demonstrate the inadequacies of the English spelling system, some famous playwright argued that the word could be pronounced as 'fish'. How so, you may ask?! Well just take gander!

enough --> f

women --> i

nation --> sh

And any writing system that could possibly pronounce the string of letters ghoti as fish is in desperate need of reform. But that is just one of the many interesting things I have learned.

For the first part of the semester we have been learning the International Phonetic Alphabet. I think it looks sweet! The following is a paragraph about my life as of late that has been transcribed into IPA....see if you can read it! This kinda thing is what I have been doing all month long!

How'd ya do?!?! Well this is what I said just in case you had no clue what that was....

Close to what you thought? Kinda cool though huh! Ha I know I will never use this in with my accounting degree but that's ok! It is the only fun I get to have this semester!!

Summer Lovin....Had Me A Blast

I'm bbaaaaacccckkkkk!

I have been without my computer for the last little bit so we will pretend that is why I haven't blogged. Sad side note....I lost everything on my computer. Three years worth of music, pictures, and all things pertaining to school. Yes, sad day indeed.

Well much has happened the last little/long bit! Another summer has come and gone much to my dismay. And what a summer it was. We sure had a funny group down in Virginia. I had to leave a little earlier than the rest of the sales team. When they heard it was my last day....well they kinda ambushed me....

I'm in the middle on the chair, and then they decided to "bar mitzvah" me...

Yes, they were an interesting (but super fun) bunch.

A round of applause may be in order as I drove the 40 hours home once again without getting a speeding ticket. It definitely helped that my brother, Kody, flew out to Virginia to help me drive home. But I was still proud.

We had quite the party to say goodbye to Summer. For the first time in many years, our entire family got together and partied like there was no tomorrow! We'd been planning this for the past year and not even Echo-no-wake-Lake was going to stop us. Some family friends gave us their cabin for the week down at Ashley and it was amazing!!

Yes, that is me!!! I was the only one that got up in the parasail this year. Amazing! Although there were a couple times I thought the wind was going to take me up and carry me off....

I remember loving to watch my dad and brothers ski. It was fun to have a course down at Ashley that the guys could hone their skills once more.

They had everything down at Ashley: ping pong, hot-tubbing, home theatre room, paddle boards, quads, crazy fun popcorn machine, not to mention the many water toys!

I love all my handsome brothers!

My mom was happier than a...well there is nothing that I can really compare it to. It was so great to have all the little ones around. Aren't they fabulous!

These are the three new babies this year. Johnny (5 weeks), Jonah (8 months), and little Samuel (about 9 days or so- Kennedy likes to make things exciting)!

We didn't get a chance to take a pic of all the electronics we had down there. Our family sure loves them Apple products! I believe we had something like 7 mac computers, 10 iPhones, 2 iPads, and 3 iPods. Ya life is good!

I am adjusting to being home bit by bit. School is already in full swing and running me off my feet. I had a scare with one of the guys that I have tutored for the last year and a half. We were in the middle of a session when he stopped mid-sentence and said, "Katie, you have ruined my life...." I kinda laughed awkwardly and apologized, having no idea what I was apologizing for. I thought he had been doing so well!!! I stuttered for a second, trying to think of something I could say, when he continued on with his thought. "...yes, you have ruined my life because before I met you, I was completely fine to get 50-60% in my classes. Now if I get something lower than an 80-85%, I am disappointed in myself. You have ruined my life!" Of all the ways I can ruin someone's life, that is one that I am ok with!

Life is good though. But it has definitely been interesting. I was visiting with an old friend the other day and told him some of my stories. After tears were streaming down both our faces he exclaimed that my life should be a movie....but then realized that even Hollywood couldn't come up with some of this stuff...!

So I am going to end this here but I need to say one more thing! I didn't get a chance to talk to my dear friend, Katelyn, yesterday when it was her birthday. So I would be remiss if I didn't get a chance to pay tribute to her right now. What an amazing friend she has been to me over the past..well lots of years! As I mentioned earlier, I have lost all my pictures from the past 3 years so these were stolen from facebook. Thank goodness my parents have copies so not all is lost!

We have had some good times together though! She has been there through it all! I was trying to find some cute friendship quotes but everything was too cliche. So just know that I absolutely adore you, Kate. And your cute little family too! We will need to do lunch soon!

Pessimist's Drinkware

So I know my blog posts have been pretty lame the past month or two. But it isn't my fault. Life is amazing down here in Virginia, but either things aren't exciting enough to blog about....or they are too exciting and crazy and probably shouldn't be shared publicly.

But overall life is good. Life is really good! Kyle and Jess had their baby, and he is absolutely beautiful. I love my schedule and the time I have to do other things and relax. I love that I can walk outside in shorts and a tshirt and enjoy the amazing view and weather!

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend. He commented on how he loved how positive I was. And I started thinking. (Apparently, I have been doing quite a bit of that lately). I used to think of myself as a pretty positive and optimistic person. But I always hated that question, "Is the glass half empty or half full?"

This is a common expression, used rhetorically to indicate whether a person is more of an optimist or a pessimist. I always said the glass was half empty...because it is! It is half empty! But I always wondered if that meant that I was really a pessimistic and cynical person.

Then I found this! This glass is half full!

See! So I am not a cynical person...I prefer to think of myself as more realistic.

And a side note...I hadn't locked my keys in my car for the past 5 years! Now I've locked them in my car 3 times in the past 3 months. Gah I am brilliant!

Oh To Be Me...

You know the elephant in the room. Yes, that giant one over there. Isn't it funny how 2 people can be looking at the same thing, and one sees an itty bitty mouse where the other sees a mammal monstrosity. Just to clarify, it really is/was an honest to goodness mammal monstrosity. Not even exaggerating a little bit.

My life should be a movie. Call me for details....!

Katie In Concert

Time. I love how I have time to do things now. I have decided to fulfill a life long dream while I am here in Virginia.....Look what I got!!!

Forgive the awful background and lighting and everything but I was too excited!

My Heart Is Just A Little Bit Broken

Kody comes home tomorrow. I'm 4100 km away. 'Nuff said....

The Fortune You Seek Is In Another Cookie...

Check one off my Bucket List!

I think I am in the wrong profession! I would love to wear crazy clothes and play cards all day long. So basically it was all a bunch of 'fortune cookie' stuff but I loved it. She definitely had a lot to say about the relationship aspect of my life more so than anything else.

Last weekend we went to the 'Celebrate Fairfax' Fair. I love a good fair. There were rides and booths and games and shows and food.......and a full fledged honest-to-goodness psychic. I've walked past countless shops that advertise palm or tarot card readings or something or other. And there has always been a part of me, a longing if you will, to succumb to that little desire and have my future told! So I did. I'm not one of those people that really believes in fate or signs in the stars or anything. (Although a couple months ago, my horoscope was creepily accurate. Like it's not even funny creepily accurate!) But here is what Madame Zora told me....

There have been some changes in your life- some that you are resistant to and some you embrace.

There will be a move in your future. And although it will be overwhelming, it will have a positive impact in your life. Don't be afraid.

There are things that you am not facing head on in your work and career focus. Don't be resistant to taking another look and heading in different directions. Be open to opportunities that present themselves,

Love and Relationships...There are 2 energies surrounding that aspect of your life. A negative and a positive energy. The negative energy is in your past. You have been very resistant and full of negative feelings towards such associations. You have been hurt by friends and loved ones when it comes to relationships. Because of past affairs, interactions, circumstances, and experiences, you have created a negative aura when it comes to commitment. But that is going to change. There is a positive energy is in your future. The next person you meet will have a positive influence (watch out!). But you need to be careful to not let past events and feelings come through into this new relationship.

I think I am in the wrong profession! I would love to wear crazy clothes and play cards all day long. So basically it was all a bunch of 'fortune cookie' stuff but I loved it. She definitely had a lot to say about the relationship aspect of my life more so than anything else.

Life is definitely a mystery. I am so grateful that I have other places I can turn to for answers. But every once in a while it is fun to have someone gaze into their crystal ball for you...

And I want to wish my Dad and brothers a Happy Father's Day. I have the most amazing family and the most amazing parents. I Love You Dad!!

Hands down, my most favorite picture of my Dad EVER!! What a shining personality! It's no wonder I've turned out the way I have!!

War Of The Roses....

So I know my last post was pretty pitsy, especially since it was so long over due. But this is one that has been on my mind for awhile. I found a radio station here in Virginia last summer that I loved listening to on my way to and from work. It's hilarious. And so real. They talk a lot about the differences between men and women and relationships and marriage and stuff. I know, weird that I would enjoy listening to something like that, what with all my commitment issues and everything. Every once in a while they do this thing called 'War of the Roses' where sadly 9 times out of 10 they catch a partner cheating (which probably doesn't help with my commitment issues any). But one day they brought up an interesting point. And by posting this, I am in no wise saying I agree with everything. But it got me thinking about a few things.

Licenses. We have to renew many of our licenses, whether it's a driving license, a hunting license, a dog license, a software license, a business license, etc. One license that we don't renew is our marriage license. Strange thought, I know. But what if we did? What if people had the choice of whether or not to renew their marriage license? If people had to renew their marriage license every four years or so, don't you think people would try a little harder? If one knew their spouse had the choice of whether or not to renew, wouldn't he/she pay more attention to the little things? Watch the tone of his/her voice? Communicate better? Show more appreciation? Work together? Express love more often? I don't know. I can definitely see a lot of negative repercussions that such an idea could bring, what with the world being the way it is these days. But still, I thought it was an peculiar but interesting idea that they brought forth. I don't know. I'm not saying it is a good plan. It just brought some things into perspective for me, and it has been on my mind back and forth over the past few days.

Thoughts...?

Carry Me Back To Old Virginny

I made it! There were times that I wasn't so sure...

With finals and tutoring and everything else finally out of the way, I was getting ready to embark on my journey of 4100 km across the country. But smooth sailings were not to be had. In the few days leading up to my departure, my car started acting strange. Turns out things like transmissions don't last forever...turns out they tend to go kaput just after the warranty runs out. Funny how that happens! But with it being Easter long weekend, I didn't feel like I could wait around for 5 more days in order shops to open to get it fixed. So Saturday, April 23, I decided to head out and get as far as I possibly could. KJ and my dad both said they thought my transmission would probably get me all the way to Virginia. Good enough for me, so I started to drive. With my GPS and Google Maps in hand, I prayed for smooth sailings.

I love GPS. I do. But sometimes it is a love/hate relationship. I don't know what happened but the GPS took me places I just really didn't want to go. A normal person driving from Alberta to Virginia would drive across the entire state of North Dakota. But strangely, the GPS decided to add 300-400 miles onto my journey and drop me down through South Dakota instead. I didn't see so much as a glimpse of a North Dakota horizon. I have to think that God was looking out for me in some strange way. It probably has something to do with the fact that there is kind of a warrant our for my arrest in the state of North Dakota....no big deal.

It was a long long drive though. The pep-talks I gave my car were definitely oscar movie material. I didn't really know what to expect if my transmission were to suddenly die on the way down, but I kept having these visions of my car blowing up as I drove down the interstate. I had to keep reassuring myself that my Dad loved me more than that and wouldn't have let me drive with the possibility of suddenly combusting.

But I made it! And I love it! It is so incredibly great to be here.

I had my first Saturday off a little while ago, and it was the weirdest but best feeling in the world. I had no responsibilities, no errands, no stress, no decisions to make. And I love it.

I also had to speak in Chuch last Sunday. My topic was Patience. I was glad it wasn't Honesty....

But Life is Good!

There is a light at the end of the Tunnel...

I just hope it's not a train!

I was so proud of myself for blogging regularly a month and a bit ago...and then it all kind of came crashing down. Life was just busy! But the end is in sight with 3 finals to go!

This is kind of what I have been feeling!

And amidst of studying and tutoring and everything, I have been packing too!

Thank goodness I don't have this much stuff accumulated yet...

I leave for Virginia this week!!! Good riddance, snow! I am super excited to be going down there again to be with Kyle and Jess and their little family. I am excited to be somewhere with nice weather. I am excited to start working and not having to squish tutoring sessions into every tiny little break. I am also super excited to see this again....

I Love Wegmans!!

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Music...

This used to be my favorite time of year when I was younger. I participated in the Rotary Carol Festival every year starting when I was 5 years old. I remember carefully choosing the songs I wanted to learn, whether it was singing, piano, or flute (and I even did a speech number or two in my days)! I loved when the books would come out that showed who had all entered and when everyone would be performing. I would scan every page over and over again till I basically had the whole thing memorized and had stars beside certain people that I wanted to watch. My mom was always so good to me because I would practically take the whole 2 weeks off of school!

Sometimes it scares me when I think about Kaden. He is turning out to be a little mini-me! I love that kid though! He played the piano and sang a vocal solo in the festival this year and did amazing! I was so proud of him! He got asked to sing his song at the Grand Concert this year and received an award for both piano and vocal.

These Olsen twins sang this song at the Grand Concert as well, and they were fantabulous! For the first time, I wanted little boys of my own so that I could teach them to sing in harmony just like this. Yes, the video is sideways but you can't see anything anyways and it is the sound that is coming out of their beautiful mouths that matters!

The festival seems to be getting smaller and smaller each year, which makes me kinda sad. It caused me to think a lot about the way music has influenced my life and I really do wish I was doing more with it.

I grew a love for music at an early age! I loved loved loved to sing!! (I still love to though!)

I found this picture that I drew in grade 6 or so. Ya, definitely not an artist in the slightest!! I must have been obsessed with voluptuous lips at the time....

(Well that, and the dress is a little provocative too...)

And I even did my fair share of piano too. Everyone ALWAYS says, "I wish I would have practiced more when I was younger." Sadly I am no exception to that, but it is something I am still working on!

I was so blessed to grow up always surrounded by good music. Some of my earliest memories are waking up to the sound of my Mom's flute students warming up with a scale. I don't remember feeling so grateful at the time though!! But my mom is amazing!

Her favorite thing is having the whole family gathered together around the piano and singing together. I feel the same way!

This is one of my favorite memories of my Grandpa Cahoon! Well, this and when he would always take his teeth out and talk with his gums. Oh, and always play this game about dishes on a bush or something to that effect! Sadly, the accordion is a dying art!

I was pretty lucky to grow up in Cardston! There is such great talent, and so many opportunities to take part in. I was pretty blessed to do choir under the direction of Linda Burwell and Leslie Dittmann! Words can't even express how much I learned from those 2 great ladies!

I loved choir! These were my Junior Choir pals! Monica Prince (Bell) and Candace Olsen (Kipp).

And I was pretty dang lucky to have Katelyn with me through it all! Here is us in Edmonton at Honor Choir when we were little.

As you can tell, I went searching through some of my mom's old photos. It is so easy to see what an influence music has had in my life. That was who I was; it was a part of my identity!

I will never live this one down! I got asked to sing 'A Part of Your World' from The Little Mermaid at a Community event. I got there to do a quick dress rehearsal and realized that they had a costume for me to wear! Yup! A costume for the Little Mermaid!! I was slightly mortified. Little did I know that several of my guy friends were also in the concert as the 7 dwarves. To this very day they still call me 'cockle-shells'!!

But since my 'cockle-shell' days, I have expanded my talents to other musical areas as well. I am quite the accomplished iPhone player. Oh yes, it is a real musical instrument! Here we are performing a trio at the Family Christmas Party.

I am so grateful for the joy that music has brought into my life! It played such an integral role into helping me become the person I am today.

An Atheist can't find God for the same reason that a Thief can't find a Policeman.

I really went out on a limb this semester when my friend told me to take a Philosophy class. I don't know if I will ever really listen to him again...at least when it comes to class options. But it has really been a struggle for me. Our second unit has been all about arguments for and against the existence of God, and class has been a little one-sided. I thought I could handle all of the comments people would make, but it really started to weigh me down. One of the first days, my professor had just finished presenting an argument for the existence of God and asked how many of us out there believed that this could be true. I raised my hand, and because I always sit towards the front of the class, I didn't look around to see how many other people believed the same way I did. The professor said, "Well, we've got one person in here that believes in God. This should be interesting." I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I felt like I was a story in a New Era article. But every single class I felt like my soul was being attacked and it began to be quite overwhelming.

Last Tuesday was our last day in this unit. As I sat in class, I felt so good for the first time.

After everything was said and done, I know that this was a good experience for me. I know that my trials will make me stronger. I know that God lives and that He loves me.

The Plan of Salvation is a marvelous thing and I am so grateful for the knowledge I have.

Grow Me A Little Backbone...

So School has been super busy this semester. I knew that this semester was going to be a lot more intense than the last, so I told myself I would be firm in setting up how much tutoring I was going to do. At the beginning of the year, I sat down and set up my schedule. I was going to tutor 2 days a week and only between certain times. The semester began, and that concept flew out the window so fast my head is STILL spinning.

I haven't been really good at updating my calender on my computer, so sadly this is still lacking several appointments.

I told myself 3 weeks ago that I just couldn't take on anymore students. But then last Thursday, I said "yes" to three more. Then another one the following Monday.

I just can't say No! And it has gotten me into trouble once again....! But here comes the real kicker! Yesterday, one of my old professors contacted me and inquired about some of the classes that I was tutoring. She asked if I would be willing to tutor 2 individuals that were taking some advanced accounting courses through correspondence with Athabasca. How does she know these 2 individuals, you may be wondering? (Well you're probably not-but I will say anyways). They are colleagues of hers. Yes, colleagues. She asked if I would be willing to tutor 2 other professors at the College! Holy stress to the max! So I am going to have to revamp my schedule once again and figure out what in the world I am going to do.

So This Is Love....

That's right! I have found the kind of love that makes you weak in the knees and warms the soul from the top of my toes to the bottom of my head. I never knew I could be this happy. I just want to lay in my bed all day dreaming and never get out.

It all started with my parents. People always say that your parents know what you really need, and this is so true! They changed my life and set me up with...a heated mattress cover! I come home from a long day at school, touch that magic little button, and suddenly feel like I can accomplish anything.

My room is the only room downstairs. Generally, the basement is the warmest part of the house....but ya, not where I live. I brought a thermometer from home a couple weeks ago just to see how cold it would get at night in my room. 4 degrees!!! So basically I sleep in a fridge. Lately it has been consistently around that 10 degrees though. Flipping freezing I tell ya! But with my new bed, well it is just the most amazing thing ever. Thanks Mom and Dad!

And I still love watching American Idol, even though my absolute favorite guy of all time didn't make it past Holly wood week. And I won't tell you what I think of Steven Tyler, because it makes my mom upset! But on Wednesday after the Girl's performance, I wrote down my top 12 of who I thought would be chosen...and I was bang on! 12 for 12 (even though they chose 13). Pretty impressive if I say so myself! But not gonna lie, I was sad to see Brett Loewenstern go. I did quite enjoy him.

Steve Beghun was my favorite! I could listen to the 30 seconds of him singing all day long. And he is an accountant!! It doesn't get any better than that!

(It was a corny joke though)

(ha shame on you for whoever thought this post would be about something else....)

1 Year Anniversary!!

It has been 1 year since I ventured into my blogging beginnings! And what a year it has been! I turned 23 this week, and I have spent a lot of time reflecting on myself and who I am. I know I can be so frustrating with ALL my weirdness and indecisiveness and whims and peculiarities and absolute craziness. So thanks for being so great and putting up with everything! I honestly have the most amazing family and friends.

Do you want to hear a few things that make me a little strange?!? Some known--maybe some unknown.

• I wear nylons almost every flipping day. And I LOVE them.

• I love sitting in the dark! When I go to the school to study, I find a little room on the side and sit in there with the light off. People walk past thinking it is an empty room and then give me the weirdest look when they see me sitting there! I even get ready in the dark and usually without a mirror.

• I spent at least $100-200 on fresh blueberries while I was in Virginia. They were my guilty pleasure.

• I can't sleep with any doors open.

• I can't swim with my face in the water. Jenn and I go to the University Pool every Wednesday morning at 6 and I am like a 5 year old girl that can't get her face wet. I do laps with my glorified doggy paddle.

• I sometimes keep the tags on my clothes after I buy them. I'm pretty sure my grad dress still has the tag on.

• When I set my alarm, the first and last numbers have to always be the same. Like 6:16, 7:27, 4:54, etc.

• My mom says I drink loudly. (I don't know what she is talking about but....)

So yes, there are just a few of my quirks. Thanks for putting up with all of them.

"Now and then it is good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just Be Happy!"

Keep Calm and Carry On

How many have you seen this line of products that range from books to posters to shirts to almost anything you can imagine?

My new scripture journal is one such book. The original slogan was a poster produced by the British Government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, intended to raise morale during difficult times (fun fact?). When I first saw it, I knew it was meant just for me. How perfect- Keep Calm and Carry On. It is meant to provides a sense of calm during uncertain times. I need a lot of that in my life. Especially lately it seems like.

But ya know what...! Sometimes being calm is really hard and it bites the big one. Sometimes it just sucks. Don't you ever feel like you need to just let it all go? Yesterday, I found this....

Talk about my describing my week to a flipping absolute Tee. Just one thing on top of one thing on top of a billion things on top of a kajillion messed up emotions. And it's true. Sometimes you just need to freak out and cry a little. It is good for the soul, I swear.

But it's a new week and I'm back to being cool, calm, and collected.

Good Friends Are Like Fabulous Shoes....They Should Be Prized

Speaking of fabulous shoes....I need a few pairs. But speaking of fabulous friends, I have those in abundance! I just need to take a moment to share.

My parents are in Cancun this week. Yeah, I know-not fair! I am bitterly cold with jealousy but also excited for them. So I have been driving back and forth from Cardston to school this week which hasn't been too bad. I must say, Kaden and I have been living the good life. But there is a reason why I dislike Southern Alberta! The roads today got pretty bad and my Grandma called around 4:00 and expressed concern for me to be driving home that evening. I still had a 6:00 class so I wasn't really sure what to do. Heaven forbid if I ever missed a class!! I went and talked to the Professor and found out that in class they would be assigned topics for the Research Paper that we will be working on all semester. It was first come-first serve, so he said if I couldn't be there I would just get whatever was left over (and there were some REALLY dry topics). I weighed my options back and forth, but in the end I decided that I would go home while there was still a little light on the roads and just take the pitsy writing assignment. As I was getting ready to leave, I met up with Jason quickly because we were supposed to go over a bonus assignment for one of our classes during my break. I met Jason about 2 years ago in school and we have stuck together ever since. He almost switched majors so that we could be in the same classes together, but in the end we decided to just take the same electives. I explained my predicament and instead of being upset that I couldn't work on our project together, he said he would go and sit in my class for me and sign me up for the topic I wanted! So he waited at the university for 45 minutes and then went and sat through an hour and a half long lecture on the different techniques of literary citation (enthralling I know!) just so that he could make sure I got a slightly less boring topic than necessary!!! I can't think of anyone else that would go to someone else's class for them...!

So good friends really should be prized. I have so many amazingly good friends. I don't know how I got to be so blessed as to have both such fabulous friends and family!

Thank you Jason!!!!