I'm almost there

Well, seeing as it's been about 3 months since my last post, I thought I would update! Things over here are going quite well, but I am definitely looking forward to the summer!!! I've just got to push through this last month of tests, and assignments and then I'm home free!!!

Well one thing that has just passed, was St. Patrick's Day. Probably the best part about that day was my sweet value village Hulk find, and curling!!! [see photo above]

Since not a whole lot of exciting news from the last few months, and I'm a little depressed that I still have another year of my undergrad left, I thought I would fill you all in on the Spring/Summer plans!!!

Starting on the 23rd of April, my exams will be finished. This is the first time in a long time that I have been able to celebrate my birthday without the dark cloud of an exam hanging over my head!!! I think we're going to have an 80's formal party in St. Catharines at the end of April to celebrate Spring birthdays, end of exams and well it's just a good excuse to get together before everyone heads their separate directions for the spring/summer. YOU'RE ALL INVITED!!! The end to this term is a little sad as many of my friends will be graduating, and heading all over the globe!!!

Following the 80s party, I'll be headed North to Atikokan, ON (a few hours out of Thunder Bay, ON) at the beginning of May, where I will again be the lone cook of East Atikokan!!! I'm very excited to be back with my friends and out in the middle of nowhere, experiencing the beauty and the challenges that planting/bush life has to offer!!!

After planting, my bestest friend in the world Steph, will be driving the long drive up to Thunder Bay to pick me up, and we'll be cross Canada bound for a couple of weeks! The plan is to hike the west coast trail, and I think Skydiving might be in the plans!!!

After a nice vacation, it will be the first time in 4 years that I will be returning home to Hanover ON to spend the month of July! I'll be taking a directed readings with one of my professors. I'm very excited about it, as I really enjoy my supervisor. We're still in the process of figuring out what area my research will be in. Somewhere along the lines of community development though!

My summer will also include studying for my MCAT. I'm very nervous about this, and the results of this test will somewhat determine a lot of what I might be doing over the next few years!!! Soo...keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

My mom and I will be moving to our cottage in Southampton, ON, where we will spend the month of August. I will be studying on the beautiful beach from noon, until sunset, playing tennis everyday, (YES that's a challenge to any of you readers out there), and visiting with childhood cottage friends who I havn't seen in a very long time!

After I write my test, (mid august) I think I will be headed up to Algonquin Park, for a little canoe trip that has yet to be planned!!! I'm super pumped about it, as I havn't been on a real canoe trip since I was about 16 so it should be a great time, of canoeing, cliff jumping, swimming, campfires, and tenting!!! I can't wait!

Sooo...that is my summer in a nutshell, but now I must get back to the reality of a bazillion tests, and assignments, and lab exams that will be due over the next month! I'll be excited for the day that I can say I have only one more year (my victory lap) until I will be a university graduate!!! This process seems so long and stressful, but I'm excited to find out where it will take me!
Anyways, hopefully you're all doing well, and I can't wait to hang out with you all over the summer!! You're all invited up to my cottage this summer for beach party weekends or weeks, however long you want to stay!
Well that's all I've got to say for now!!!
Peace out!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well, I know it's been quite sometime since I've updated this page, but I'm sure you'll all be glad to know that coming January, I will have the internet in my "home" and can keep this thing updated a little more frequently so you don't have to read a novel.
Since my last post, I have moved 3 times and I've had a great few months living with Frank. I'm definitely going to miss our lunchtime millionaire, ANTM, and other terrible television shows. I'm going to miss our game nights and Christmas decorating. I'm not however going to miss our "other roommates" who live in the walls, nor will I miss being watched as I sleep.
Before I came back to Hanover for the holidays, I moved in with Dave, Vic and Kevin. I don't know if those guys know what they were in for, but I think we will have a good time!!!
I'm glad that the moving fiasco is over, and I'm anticipating finally getting settled into a room to call my own. Thanks so much for everybody who helped me move. I realized that my whole existance can be moved in 5 minutes with 2 vehicles and 6 sets of hands!!!
I have now been home for a couple of days, and it is nice to not have any exams or studying to do. My exams went well I think, and I'm ready to tackle another semester after a well deserved break.
I love hanging out with my sister Jussie, as she and I are the only ones home so far, I'm reminded of the fun that we shared this summer when we were away. Taylor and Gideon will be coming home tomorrow night and Hayley and Cameron won't be coming home from Korea until January, so we'll have a little void here this Christmas that will be filled in the new year.
I've just finished wrapping up all of the gifts and they have been placed under our slightly Charlie Brown looking Christmas tree. It's the way we like it though. I was slightly disappointed though this year when we came home to a house that was not decorated with the usual 15-20 year old decorations. Don't get me wrong, there are still some terrible looking decorations but not the normal falling apart handmade angels that my sister made in grade 2!
Sooo...the plans for the rest of the break include visiting with friends, family, lots of board games, puzzling, horsebackriding, and tennis should the weather clear up a little. We are planning on going to the Hanover Tennis courts on Christmas Day if it has stopped raining by then. I've finally given up on the idea of a white Christmas, so we're going to make the most of a warm Dec 25th!
Next on the agenda after Christmas is NEW YEARS EVE 2006!!!! Make sure you all attend the festivities in the booming metropolas of Hanover, ON! We're still hoping for the snow to fall by then, or at least for it to be cold enough for there to be fake snow. If not, the party will still go on...how could we let good food, drinks and company go to waste? Soo...make sure you're all in attendance to the finest the Grey Bruce can offer!!!

Finally I hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, and we'll see you here for the New Year!!!

May you be blessed along with your family & friends this Christmas! Peace and Joy to you today and always,

Love, Maggie

3 moves must be a record...

Well, it's good to be back in the St. Catharines area once again. This year is going to look pretty different for me. After much thought I have decided not to play volleyball this year. I got into an internship course where I will be working with the heart and stroke foundation, doing health promotion stuff, and hopefully working in elementary schools with jump rope for heart and the hoops for heart program, and I decided that 6 courses and volleyball would be too much, sooo...this is my year to dedicate my time to volunteering!!! I think I will have quite a bit of extra time on my hands this year!!!

My year will also look very different depending on where I am living. Right now I'm staying at the Koop residence until Wednesday when I will be moving to stay with Frank for a couple of months. Then in November I will be moving to my permanent place of residence with Dave, Vic and Kevin. I think that I'm being taught a lesson about patience this year. Between moving a lot and living with boys...I think I'm going to need lots of it!!! hehehe

Through all of this I've learned so much about the generosity of others, and how important it is to have such great people surrounding me. Although this year started off a little bumpy, it looks like it is going to work itself out in the end. YAY... A special thanks goes out to the Koops for putting up with me for the last couple of weeks. I don't know what I would do without people like you in my life!!!!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their first week of work/school after a great summer!!! Hope to see you all soon.

Home and a new look...

As most of you know I've been contemplating cutting off all of my hair for the last little while, and donating it to Locks for Love...Well I got over my fear of my grade 8 short hair cut and finally went under the knife. My 10 inch long ponytail is now in the mail.
On our last day in Paris, Jussie and I both went to a salon and got new do's. (my biggest fear was actually coming home with a EURO-mullet). As well as explaining to my French hairdresser exactly what I wanted. I'm thankful to say that I don't have a euro mullet, however I don't think I'm thrilled with me and short hair. I will survive and I'm thankful to say that hair always grows back!!!

Anyways...Home sweet home!!! (this means Hanover for 2 days...). On Thursday evening Jussie and I flew into the Toronto airport after a 7 hour flight from Berlin. The flight went surprisingly fast as we anticipated our homeland return.

At 4:00am German time, we finally went to bed after many stories, laughs and enjoying some champagn with the folks, only to wake up to help my dad move into his new house!!!

Yesterday I also had a quick change of plans for this fall. My housing arrangements were altered and I am sad to say I will not be a resident of Water Street. I will be a proud resident of 26 Neptune drive, and neighbor to Ms. Lauren Koop, temporarily until I find something more permanent. There aren't words to describe what it feels like to have friends like these, I can't even tell you how greatful I am!!!

Sooo...I have yet to get all the pictures up and ready to go (there are over 2000 to sort through), but for anyone who wants to come, we're having a picture viewing/potluck dinner/back to school shin dig at my house in Hanover this Sunday afternoon/evening after church and you are all welcome to come. Just give me a call so we know how many. Hope to see you all this weekend, if not in the near future!!! Can't wait to see everybody soon!!!

Switzerland

This week has certainly been relaxing as well as pretty challenging.
When we arrived in Switzerland, I knew we were going to love it. Our room overlooks the mountains, in a tiny little village called Gryon.
Our plans for the week included mostly hiking, and relaxing in the thermal baths afterwards.
Our first day we hiked up about 1900m. This hike took 6 hours as we had to hike to the base of the mountain from our lodge. We hiked with two Texan girls and it was lots of fun. The beginning of this hike was the most difficult, and then when we got to the summit, it was definitely worth it. This was the first mountain I've ever climbed.
The next day we decided to go out on what most people do on a two day adventure hike, lead by the owner of our hostel, but there weren't enough staff to stay back and watch the hostel so he couldn't lead us. We met this guy who went on the two day hike two years before, and he said that he would lead us, so we got up and headed out. We weren't exactly expecting that this hike would be much different from the day before, however we were definitely a little surprised and had a few "what did we get ourselves into" moments along the way. This hike took us to 2500m with little room for error!
It was freezing cold at the top, and I was the only one who was slightly prepared. It was a pretty terrible day to be hiking, we couldn't see anything from the top, as it was so cloudy. But that made the experience a little more exciting, and we had a whole different atmosphere at the top. This picuture posted is from our first day, I will post more pictures, when I get some time, but until then I must be off. Some of them are up on flickr already...
Take care

Week OFF...BAvaria and Switzerland

Well, we made it through our 4th week of camp and we have begun a well-deserved break!!!
After the BIG FINISH on Friday Aug 4th we headed to the train station to catch our train to Prunn, which is a small colony in Bavaria (the south of Germany) to stay with a good friend of my aunt's. As soon as we transferred trains in Nurnburg we knew that this trip was going to be an enjoyable experience. The people from Bavaria are very different from anyone that we have met in Eastern Germany thus far. They are far more layed back and much more interested in foreiners. At one point on our train ride we had quite the little audience and people were offering their houses for us to stay, as well as their cell phones for us to call our hosts, as we had missed our connection from Nurenburg because our train was late. The 7 hours of travel Friday night flew by as we chatted the ride away.
Our hosts have been more generous than we could ever imagine. We were only expecting to have a bed to sleep in, and they have far exceeded our expectations. We've been taken out for traditional Bavarian dinners, to a friend's party where I ate the best food I've EVER eaten. They've taken us to BierGartens, castles, bird shows, lent us their bikes and MUCH MUCH more!!! We are so thankful. Again the Bavarian people are SOOO generous. Friends of our hosts (Complete strangers to us) intited us into their home this afternoon for coffee and cake. (I have started drinking coffee since I've been here: I never thought this day would come!!!)
We've been here for 3 days now and tomorrow we will catch the overnight train to Switzerland where we will be staying in a remote hostel in the Alps. When we stayed in Hamburg this guy we met had stayed there with his girlfriend and he said it was amazing. I think that we are going to enjoy it there. How could we not!!! Mountains, wine, chocolate...what more could we ask for!!! This break has been very relaxing so far, and we cannot even begin to imagine what Switzerland is going to bring us.
You might notice that I have posted a few pictures from our trip so far. Nothing compared to what I want to post, but its a start.
Take a peek...and enjoy!!!
Missing you all lots,
Maggie

The motherland

Soo...I still havn't gotten this whole German language thing under control. I just deleted the whole post because I pressed the what I thought was the "post blog" button. Apparently it was the delete button. Crap. So anyways I will abbreviate this message as I don't feel like writing the whole thing over again.
Sooo...this past weekend involved
-Making my dutchie friends proud and renting a brand new VW golf and driving to Amsterdam with 2 of our friends
-camping at this huge hippee campground about a 20 minute bike ride from the center of Amsterdam
-renting bikes and driving all around the city for 2 days
-getting a very sore butt from biking around Amsterdam for 2 days
-seeing the house where Anne Frank and her family were hidden during the war until their arrest
-seeing the reimbrandt collecting at the historical museum of Amsterdam.
-snaping a picture of Reimbrandt's Anatomy lesson...and then getting caught
-driving home from Holland as Bryan was tired (it was my like 3rd time ever driving standard...I'm not going to lie...I'm pretty proud!!!)
-driving 180km/hour on the autobahn and still not being the fastest car on the road
-sleeping in a school last night, and for the rest of the week this is where we will be staying.

This school is where our camp is being held this week and has a rock climbing room full of cool stuff that we will be taking advantage of on our evenings off!! It also has about 5 Steinweigh sp? pianos in it, and we're allowed to play them!!!!

Anyways...We are in the midst of planning our trip next week to Münich, Vienna and then to Prague, then back to Schwerine where my last week of camp will be.
We're hoping to hitch a carpool ride to Munich and then we will take trains the rest of the way. We are also going to check out couchsurfing.com. Its this online service where you can look up people who will put up travellers in their homes for FREE!!! It sounds like the cheapest way to do this week long adventure so we're trying to figure that out!!!
All of this takes quite a bit of planning as we are on a bit of a budget...but we've been quite successful so far!!!
Soo...Anyways...I must go...but I'll try to figure out what these german words all mean next time before I go pushing buttons and deleting things.
I miss you all lots, and Ill talk to you soon.
PS...if I don't have your home address...send it my way and a surprise might come to you in the mail...well it won't be a surprise anymore...but it will still be cool!!!
See ya!!!
Mags