j & m's southwest adventure, part 2

and because i don't feel like boring you to death by listing every inane detail of our trip, i'll be nice and give you more handy bullets:

abq:

• the horlbecks and our day at the zoo. wreaking havoc on the kiddie train making faces and scaring children
  
• frontier restaurant. yum, fresh tortillas and raspberry rush
  
• wex's. i've gained 10 pounds just thinking about their burritos
• balloon fiesta. apparently people died the day before in a balloon fire so we didn't get to see anything - and missed SPECIAL SHAPES DAY!
  
• city on a hill church and post-service beer-drinking. met some fine folk and joash's old friend, amber
• nob hill. i really like this place. it reminds me of a busier, hipper 4th avenue vancouver. lotsa cool shops. if we ever move to abq, i would want to live around here!
• joash got to vote. so he really is american after all!
  

taos:

• our neice, abi luz. so cute, and such a flirt!
  
• family. lots of family. and lots of food.
• shooting a .22. i shot some garbage and was pretty durn good.
  
• hike along the rio grande gorge. made friends with a tarantula and some prickly pear
• guadalajara grill. oh, horchata and burritos
• elk. lots of them on the side of the road on the way back from Dulce

To cortez, co and back:

• durango, co. historic downtown is so quaint. i kinda want to live there but joash says its expensive and landlocked. oh well.
• mesa verde national park. joash used to work here as a ranger. well, more like a summer intern who pulled weeds and chased bears out of canyons banging garbage-can lids with a stick. this was probably my favourite part of the trip. We took a tour of a cave dwelling ruin (balcony house), climbing up ladders on the side of a canyon where ancient pueblo peoples built their homes in caves
  
• cortez, co. joash's hometown. he showed me where he grew up and where they had the llama. we also met up with his highschool buddy, corey, and had too much to drink at the local brewery. another fun tidbit: the tomohawk motel in cortez used to say "we won't scalp you here" under its sign. i wonder why they took it off.
  
• four corners monument. yes, i took the standard photo of self lying down in all 4 states, NM, CO, UT and AZ. yes, this place is lame and there's nothing there but lots of desert.
  

it was such a fun trip, i only wish i had brought some ex-lax. (the southwest cooks with way too much cheese!). i also really liked city on a hill church and think it makes sense joash ended up coming to grace van, they're so similar. but i'm glad to be home. sleeping in hotels and inflatable mattresses can't compare to my comfy queen at home.

j & m's southwest adventure, part 1

so for ten days, joash and i traipsed around new mexico and southern colorado to visit family, friends and the places where joash grew up. reuniting with his family is always a good reminder of why joash is the way he is - and, going to his hometown in cortez, co, and meeting friends from his old church, city on a hill, gave me even more insight to his quirkiness. *rubbing hands together in mischief* i sure got some good stories!

• from his highschool friends: i learned that the schumpelts had a reputation for being quirky. like the time my father-in-law decided to get rid of their lawnmower and opt for the best type money could buy: a llama. yes, he bought a llama thinking it would just chew away the grass. sure, it ate the grass, but only in patches. i'm sure the lawn ended up looking like a diseased animal with its hair falling out in clumps.

• from city on a hill: joash had a reputation during his first year at UNM for being the big guy lumbering around in big woolly sweaters and a big 'fro. she called him "the goat-cheese boy" because he looked like a goatherder that lived on a farm.

• from the schumpelts: apparently, when joash gets sick, he turns into a big baby. i know this from experience. ha ha. also, being the first of the litter, joash wasn't allowed to watch he-man or much of what we consider 80s cartoon classics. poor boy, he missed out on the masters of the universe!

• from joash: this isn't something i learned on this trip but thought it would be fun to mention anyway. when joash was widdle, he went to the zoo hoping to feed some giraffes. by the time all the other kiddies in line had their turn, mr. giraffe was vewy, vewy full. little jobie, with hand outstretched to make connection with the great african wild . . . only finds himself greeted with a projectile of giraffe vomit. poor little boy indeed!
  

some of you may wonder how i, the newest addition to the schumpelt clan feel about being part of such an eccentric and quirky family. well, do you remember my name is Matthea?! i fit in beautifully.

summer trip homage remembered in fall...

to my friends on the last sunshine coast kayaking trip, i wrote this rambling memory in august but forgot all about it. this one's for you!

early morning ferry line-up we wait at the horseshoe
beneath “changes ahead!”
a sign more foreboding than convincing,
but we get on and decide to re-pack:
no plastic bags in the dry bag! that won't fit!
I’m sorry we had to be so militant

and somehow, we lose people on the ferry
caroline - so little and scurrying -
we think the white spot has abducted her.
olivia, we think, is in the bathroom
and trevor maybe in the gift shop
we sure hope they found steve
and is that accordion I hear on the deck?

from the ferry, tim hortons to pedals and paddles
we pack our gear and go
off to the deep blue -
wait! where are douglas' keys?

aha! thar she blows, our campsite at nine-mile
we set up camp, take some naps
invent rock games and take care
to edify our minds with mr. lewis and his friends

the day dims, stomachs growl
we try and try to light a fire
that is, until the men display their manly magic
and build, to our amazement – and wonder –
the fire of a century. we cook.

a good 'ol throw 'n dig. this corn is fabulous!
nikki, what a carnivore’s chilli!
when we’re finally happy, full and silly
caroline suggests some funny yet strange recreation
that we should participate in some – yes –
games of humiliation
what?! We all ask with great consternation;
this bodes not well for us, we say – and disappear
the woods, providing much shelter
the beach a safe haven where we can watch
simpsons on charles’ magik light-box, the PSP

And did I mention that nikki has rabies at night?
racing around the tent, foaming at the mouth
"dumped" into the tent, landing on my head with her bum
"oh, where am I?! she exclaims, thinking she was in a box.
then we were, 2am listening to snoring into the wild

a new day – and little sleep - sharpens my skill
as steve rejects his rot-brewed coffee
the planets align and plinko comes alive
to score, unfortunately, the throw of a lifetime
and wet pants for nikki

this day we embark for kunechin point
a day trip guaranteed sights of marine life.
wouldn’t you know it? a sealage invasion!
thrity, forty – no fifty! – seals in water
following and watching and bobbing their heads
dark little beach balls with glimmering eyes
sea dogs - so cute and so round.

here we have lunch after bushwhacking a mile
following our fearless leader, douglas sir winter
through brush and cobwebs and impending doom
but find, eventually, the path we should’ve found
a mile before just by the beach. oh well.

the point, we lunch. We have our time of sunday devo
A theological debate under the gaze of a great bird,
the bald eagle
who watches and wonders why humans sit in sun
to redden, argue and bake so

back at camp, we alight so tired and hungry
time for pizza! hawaiian, all-dressed, pepperoni with cheese –
we fashion an oven of tin-foil perfection.

and later that night, exhaustion brings delirium:
charles is just a head; we rest bellow tv jingles
a free jukebox service, including the odd eruption
of musical flatulence. doug, how shocking!

and again, the smallest tent in the world
with nikki, I manage to sleep soundly
past her midnight murmurings
and witching hour wakefulness
but morning comes and we wake to the sound
the familiar roar of male nasal buzzsaws
and the chirping of birds and the love songs
of porpoises.

what kind of deodorant do you use? I ask
and nikki says, “Dove.”
and from deep slumber he says,
“Yes, dear?”
armpit love. The discovery of it is hilarious.

lastly I close because this is getting too long:
we threw the peel out the window
charles & co stopped to get it; we’re sorry.
and on the ferry again we lost some people
it’s ok; we all came home safe
loaded with memories and food,
meatsweats and clubbed seals,
we ate and we played
happily under the long summer sun.

i should be offended . . .

perhaps i should be ashamed to admit this, but i saw tropic thunder last week - by choice. yes, i know you think zoolander was stupid but i can't get enough of ben stiller in tights and a punk mullet. ok - so he's sporting military for this one, but i couldn't pass up a movie with robert downey jr. playing an australian actor who's played an Irish priest who plays a black man . . . you know - the dude who gets smacked by the real black dude who can't stand the fact that he's a white dude pretending that he really is a black dude.

confused? you should be. especially if you want to use that as your excuse for not noticing the racial and mentally challenged stereotypes they make fun of in this movie. To "go full retard" or not, that is the question we're challenged with in this movie. It's just like zoolander's challenge to be just really, really good-looking, or a mite better than below-average dumb. stiller's brilliance takes my breath away.

no, seriously. if there's one guy who's crazy humour tickles me mulletty, it's stiller's. and there you have it; my guilty, low-brow pleasure. i think i got it from high-level exposure to my brother's favourite moron, ottawa-bred tom green. not like his humour compares, but there's something in their crude, dumb-teenage-boy humour that keeps them similar in my frame of reference. oh well. i've been corrupted!

our one-year anniversary in seattle

so we made it! one whole year and we're still together. there were some ups and downs, giggles and suckerpunches, but here we are, married and padded with happy fat.

the first thing we did in seattle was visit the famous Pike Place market to watch fish being thrown around like torpedo-sized footballs. better yet was all the people-watching opportunities. bet all the asians taking videos (including me) were probably from vancouver.

being lovers of fat, frolicky otters, we ventured over to the seattle aquarium and pinched sea cucumber tushies, poked poor starfish in the eyes and waved to a slumbering octopus.

then over to ye old curiosity shoppe, where this video was taken. it sells all sorts of fun knick-knacks but my favs were the antique entertainment machines - a fortune telling gypsy and a creepy laughing jack sailor. also, the store/museum is full of "natural" oddities, like stuffed two-headed calfs, a fijian mermaid, two real mummies (our friends slyvester and sophia), a whale penis, a flattened walrus face and a collection of shrunken heads from ecuador. way too much fun.

the best tour we took was the seattle underground tour. apparently, seattle burned down at one point and they rebuilt the city with a dumbass plan that resulted in the roads being 10 to 30 feet higher than the buildings and sidewalks. seems like the citizens were ok with this, since before the fire, seattle was riddled with plumbing problems being built on mudflats. If you had to take a sit on the toilet, you'd better check the tide table in the paper or you'd have a stream of sewage shooting you up ten feet into the air. (for real!). anyhow, the tour guide was the best part of the show since the rest looks like a mouldy basement. use your imagination!

eventually, we made our way to the seattle zoo, the science center, sci-fi museum and experience music project. those were fun, but by then, we were pooped.

a great, but exhausting whirlwind of an anniversary weekend!

me, a wii widow?

following Joash's most amazing, waterballoon-filled surprise birthday party, he was presented with a shiny new Wii by my old housemates in hopes he would share his new toy with them in future. i have to say i was hesitant when they asked if they should get it for him. (i could just see him getting obssessed, with a rising pile of Fs trailing from regent college to our house.) But my jobie is a cute boy and i could just see his face pleading, yes! yes! yes! and the thought of him happier than ernie in a bathtub was enough for me to say, ooookay.

luckily, we haven't played it that often . . . yet. we did spend one night playing Wii golf and boxing, the latter of which i must say gets me more riled up than being trapped in an elevator with kenny g. who knew virtual boxing could be such a workout?

so, ok - i like the thing. it has a pretty white sheen and greets us with happy la-la music when we check the weather on it.

i also like the fact that the Wii is a game system that finally redeems those poor little girls who grew up with bigger brothers calling them dumb for moving the controllers to go, jump or hit faster or harder. now being stupid is cool.

booyah!

keys to your soul . . .

how ironic that web traffic has been directed to my little blog with the help of facebook.

guess it's the best place to advertise. . .

what did i say, eh? keys, people. keys.

facebook bores me. i'm back

well, at least i think i am. now that I have two hundred or more friends on facebook, many i never see and never wanted to reconnect with again, i feel that returning to the peaceful monologuing blogosphere might be a good thing. i like the look of my own words. plus, it's extra quiet here, now that all's left is a graveyard of abandoned blogs.

really, when someone i only remember as "that girl who snogged the boy i liked at camp" facebooks me and says she'll be in vancouver, why don't we meet up, i click "ignore" and grumble about why i bother with facebook . . . every time. Or when someone puts me on their superwall mass spam thingy, i get these videos of a mangy cat barfing. why?! WHY?! oh, yes. because i signed up for it and gave it the keys to my soul.

yes, keys which i will now take back with force. for you see, we've become those kinds of online addicts that give people a hard time if they don't complete their turn on Scrabulous within twenty minutes of the last game played. i, too, am guilty, so i'm getting off this boat.

now, at least, i can come to blogger and wait for comments to appear on my posts to wonder impatiently, "why don't my #$%ing friends respond to my wittiness?" And of course we already know what's blatantly obvious - they're all on facebook!

sigh

where have all the bloggers gone?

So sheepishly I return to my long-neglected blog...
it hisses at me, the recently converted Facebook convert

Blasphemy! it cries,
I had uttered its name -
the usurper,
the profane
the addicting force
that makes ex-bloggers feel...
what ex-bloggers longed for...
attention...
sweet, digital
attention that only Facebook could provide...
so many...
so called...
friends!

holy matrimony, batman!

So all of you should know by now. If you don't, that's ok, cuz here it is in blog-form. The story is, I went to New Mexico after Christmas and came back engaged! The uncut version is here for your enjoyment:

I arrived from Ottawa to Albuquerque on Dec 26th kind of anticipating that Joash would propose sometime in those ten days in New Mexico. The first thing he did when I arrived was to take me up the Sandia mountains ('watermelon' in Spanish), where we hiked along the ridge to see an amazing view of the city and mountain range around us. Apparently we were at 10,000+ feet or something ridiculous. I was huffing and puffing around the mountain like my lungs had fallen out (plop!) until we got to a stone shelter on the edge of a cliff...a perfect spot for a special question...but alas, that was not to be. We then went back into town and spent the evening with Mark and Renee (many thanks to their wonderful hospitality!) and their adorable little Sammy.

On our way out to Taos a few days later, we explored a beautiful mountainous area called Jemez (pronounced: Hey-mez) to play around in some hot springs. It was snowing like crazy up in these mountains so hiking to the natural hotsprings seemed treacherous and not-very-fun. Instead, we went to a very 'zen' oriented bath house and soaked in two individual tubs built for giants (good thing for Joash), separated by curtains that we had to whisper over to talk. There were people apparently trying to meditate there...what a funny thing in such an isolated town in the woods! The water was SO hot that I thought something was wrong with my water (I envisioned my flesh slowly being burnt from the outside in like a boiled chicken), but Joash whisper-assured me that I'd be okay. Well, there was no proposal here either, and by evening, we were headed back to Taos in some freak winter snowstorm that actually got us using 4WD on the highway.

So we got into Taos, and found myself again in the wonderful company of the Schumpelts, including the Floreses (Joash's sister's in-laws). There was also the newest edition of the family awaiting me, the fluffy and dim-witted pup Sebastian, greeting me with lots of slobber and cuteness, and of course, Dougall their soft-eyed sheepdog who I thought someone said was allergic to dogs (they were referring to me, haha). On New Year's eve, Joash took me out to dinner, but I knew it couldn't be "the night" because he was like, "Uh, where do you want to eat, Matthea?" I suppose I still had some vague hope he would ask, as you know alcohol can sometimes act like veritaserum from Harry Potter. See following equation:

High altitude + alcohol + matthea = very, very silly me.

With my brain swimming after supper, I stumbled around the plaza leaning onto Joash's arm and mumbling, "Hurreee up...Ah don't neeeeed a rinnnnng, jus' gimmeeee a band-aid or somethin!!!!

Well, of course, now you know it didn't happen on new year's eve.

On new year's day, Joash took me snowshoeing up to William's Lake, a hike we had done last summer, but this time it was covered in 6+ feet of snow. We trudged through it for a while, and again, the altitude left me huffing. Joash kept encouraging me to go farther, but I was getting very tired. Cold, and ready to go back, we reached a point where we couldn't continue because the snow was too deep. Joash made a little packed snow-platform where we could sit and have lunch. I sat down ready to pour the hot chocolate when Joash plopped down on his knees infront and said something about "don't pour the hot chocolate yet" and the next thing I knew he had some craaazy ring out, sparkling like a huge iceberg against the snow (it was a lot bigger than I'd expected). That's when he asked me to marry him, and I had to look at him for a minute in semi-disbelief since I didn't expect it that day.

Well, this was a very long story but here's your reward for being a good blog reader -- a photo of me and Joash! awww.

will have, maybe, but not yet

so it is settled. i am going home to ottawa dec 16 to eat and sleep and sleep some more. i will have finished my grad degree once and for all and have probably made some obnoxiously loud celebratory noises in the English office...and, i'll probably burn all my books and papers, essays and computer while dancing madly 'round the fire in a crazed fit of joy.

and i hope it's snowing in ottawa. if it's cold enough, I will try to skate from one end of the canal to the other. or, i'll get my tiny white pup and wrestle her into the snow.

and then it's off to new mexico...again to visit Joash and his family. yay, it is warmer there, and sunnier too. how exciting. how strange it will be to be back so soon. i'm landing in albuquerque and joash wants me to meet ALL his friends this time. eek.

procrastination is my middle name

so this is my new blog format. i got bored with the white background and curly yellow font. that was monday. yesterday, i read two chapters of some crazy book on pragmatics and ended up watching harry potter & the prisoner of azkaban. good movie. well, to argue that i have been semi-productive this week, i made some semi-worthless observations about how similar bram stoker's dracula is to voldemort. mina harker could be the new female hp. she gets bitten by the count, and is now telepathically joined to him just like . . . get this! . . . harry is telepathically joined to voldemort after surviving the avra kadavra spell. ooooooh.

wow. that would make some really good essay.

so this among other things is what i have been up to. and i sat in class yesterday counting down the days and weeks when this will all be over: 4 WEEKS LEFT!!!!

joy joy joy joy joy.

descent into the maelstrom

superstore n \süpәr-stō(ә)r\ 1: a typical North American one-stop-shopping venue that usually involves lots of people with overloaded shopping carts 2: EXCESS 3: suicide on a sunday afternoon SYN 'T&T or Costco on a weekend in Toronto'

Every Sunday, my housemates and I (including, Joash, the extended house member) do something fun together. Last week, they held me a super duper surprise party after stuffing me with pizza and gelato. There was wine, cheese and sweets because apparently, I am all those things according to Joash. grrr. This Sunday, we again decided to gorge ourselves on food, only in the sense that we went to buy a massive amount of it. This is where S u p e r s t o r e came in. Thanks to Arizona Tim's big yellow American truck, we went to this massive warehouse-like building to stock up on stuff that Safeway prices like gas. Well, I have to say, the deals at The Real Canadian Superstore aren't that 'super' but there are deals within if you have the patience to navigate your way through this populous mini-metropolis that magically exists only between 9am-10pm, every day of the week.

People, if you can, stay home. Superstore is no place to be on a weekend. You might as well do yourself in at Metrotown. If you do go, be sure to practice your shopping cart maneuvering, put on your crash helmet, and 'git on yer road rage.

or go on a weekday right before closing.

I am a thawed, mouldy chicken - happy birthday

Another year, another fat roll. Yup, there it is. Rounder and more pronounced than last year. I write this hunched over my laptop at 8am in the morning because I've procrastinated on some work and usually wake up at 6 the day it's due. But, I rolled out of my warm bed into the drafty darkness of pre-dawn, sat down on this computer, wrote some hopefully encouraging things on the C+ paper I just graded (essentially, "you made some good points, but this essay sucked"), and noticed the increase of belly over my pants. Ah, I have just stepped a little ways past the mid-twenties. Hm. To be twenty-six.

So, many of you I'm sure are asking, "What does it feel like?"
Well, something between mould and a spring chicken: a thawed, mouldy chicken.
"Wha?"
In other words, I feel really tired and worn out from the increasing concerns of adult life, but young in that I still have lots to learn in this life and can be very silly despite feeling, often, older than I am.
"Then why are you thawed?"
A floppy chicken = flabby me.
"Oh."

So, I can now look at my 26 years, and feel happy at least that no only do I have lots to look forward to (flab and all), but that I am Chinese, and will look 24 for another twenty years. Booyah!
;P....


Happy Birthday to me!

ottawa to toronto and back: a vacation saga

Cindy and Yang show off some PDA

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"Cheerleaders are like dancers gone retarded!
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At the end of August, I went home to Ontario to visit family and friends. I stopped off in Toronto first to visit Cindy, and had lots of food *marhm*, watched "Bring it On" outside on the big screen in the Muchmusic parking lot and got a free copy of the DVD plus its stellar sequel, "Bring it On Again"... Like, cheer-tastic!

Ok, so I admit I like stupid chickflicks, especially when they're as dumb as "Bring it On." But I had an awesome time with Cindy nonetheless, and met Sheena Jones, mah old Crusade friend, who happens to know Joash's roommate Oi Yan. I then had an eerie revelation that I had indeed met Oi Yan six years ago at LCAC, and was astounded to find out that both Sheens and Cindy knew her from Western. Small world. Never underestimate the line, "There's one person I know at Regent - do you know . . . ?"

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"I had a dream that Joash was Mexican."
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My friend Rob, when I saw him in Toronto, said he had a dream that Joash was "short, dark and fat." Hm. I said, "Joash is a tall white guy who's more ruddy in complexion and has a bit 'o sweet chub." haha. J/k. I didn't actually say that.

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Ottawa: "Is Joash Mexican?"
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"No, mom."
"No, grandma"
"No, grandpa"
J/k again. I think my folks figured out by then that Joash was white. Actually, they've been telling all their friends that he's German. E-gads. *smack on forehead, eyes rolling*. Even a lady at the airport saluted him with a "Danke." Well, yes, Joash has German in him, but he's as American as they come. He was born at a Wal-Mart, see? -->

-------------------------------------------------
"We Like Him. Marry Him Now."
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So, my parents luuuuuuuv Joash. They think he's the best thing since flush toilets. In fact, they think he's the poo. ;). The winks and nudges are there; my folks want grandbabies! yaaagggghhhh!
(tee hee)

I showed Joash around Ottawa, and he was amazed by the poutine (fries, gravy and cheese curds) and the piglets at the pioneer village I went to as a kid. We also went to Montreal, where we walked the romantic streets of Le Vieux Port, an 18th century remnant of the city . . . I think Joash didn't know what to think about all the French around us: "por bresito, que lastima!" Another day, we went hiking in the Gatineau hills which is one of my favourite spots at home, ate Chinese food with my whole family and managed well with chopsticks . . . his Chinese on another note . . .

All in all, it was a good trip, despite Joash not having a room in the house for three days . . . my brother and his girlfriend came home one weekend, so without any space for this big tall white guy, he had to sleep outside in the tent trailer where it poured sad rain on him! Oh, my ghetto family. sniff. But hey! He's still with me, so I guess that's a good sign!!!

From there, we were off to Toronto (for me, again) for Joe and Karyn's wedding. Joash was about to meet my entire group of friends from Asian Christian Fellowship . . . AHHHH!!!

Check out the photos and mayhem at http://www.matthea.myphotoalbum.com

"Guys, I got bitten on my butt!": Garibaldi Backpacking Trip

Ah, a few days after coming back from New Mexico, Joash and I packed up our things again for a much anticipated backpacking trip up to Garibaldi Lake. I think the best part was Bowen, who had to clean himself in the creek immediately when we reached camp at Taylor meadows. "Guys, I need to wash up." "Guys, my bag is really heavy." haha. "Guys, a mosquito just bit me on the butt again."

The hike up was a strenuous 3 hour switchback and even more ennerving as the sun began to set. Joash and I had hiked the same path a few weeks before, so we knew the trail was going to be wide and easy to follow in the dark with headlamps on. No worries. We got to Taylor Meadows campground, and could still see Black Tusk in the dusky light. And of course, mosquitoes were everywhere.

The next day, we packed our daypacks and headed up to Panorama Ridge instead of Black Tusk because it was a super hot day and Black Tusk is much more of an exposed rocky mountain to scale than the backside of the ridge. We hiked through tons of wildflowers and through an open valley of glacier fed lakes and small waterfalls. Up the to the ridge, we began to tread on snow (yup, even in July) that was good and sticky. On the way up, my blisters began to get worse, so we decided to stop and have lunch. On the way back down, there were some people sliding down the huge snowfield to our left on their bums...so we began to slide down some snow patches ... it was cold but fun! hehe. wet bum.

Let's just say that we ate really well, we laughed hard and hiked a lot. My favourite kind of trip. Sher-Ping brought some pre-made Indian food so we had curry and rice for supper while Bowen gave us a play-by-play of every mosquito bite he got. "Guys, another one got me on my upper right lobe of the second fold of my ear!" hhaa.
Oh Bowen. HMBC!

So, I am sad I'm back in the city, but hey, I just bought a new North Face bag because I will have to go backpacking again soon.

enchanted nuevo mehico

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"Joash, does that mean you're Mexican?"
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So, the week has come and gone; Joash and I flew down to New Mexico to visit his family and friends. I can't believe it was only a week; it seemed like a long time, but strangely not long enough.

The first night, we were in Albuquerque and stayed with Joash's lovely friends Mark, Renee and little Samuel. Joash has spoken so much about them, that it was weird to think that here I was finally getting to meet them. Ah, online faces became real. Ack! Really, it was wonderful - now I know Joash isn't a psychopath after all. haha.

The next day, we headed out to Taos, New Mexico to where his parents live. Okay, so I was too excited about the ugly highway because it looked so "American": big road signs sticking out of desert scenery and adobe houses. The highway soon turned into what looked like big mounds of rock and dirt called "mesas," and soon we were travelling along the much famed Rio Grande - a very tiny river if you ask me. ;p.

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"You may be smart, but I know some things too"
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Joash's family was a lot of fun to hang out with. I love that their family motto is "I know," because Joash IS such a know-it-all. There is a lot that I loved about this trip - from alpine hiking trips and getting altitude sickness, watching Superman Returns with the family and watching Selah & Chuck perform at their church to visiting Santa Fe, going up toColorado, and off-roading to the top of a mesa on the way back.

I love that Joash's dad will stop at the creek by their house every time he drives by it.

I love that Joash's mom collects bear and caribou items.

I love that Joash and his siblings will wrestle with me in the water.

I gave Joash an ugly red scratch on his back. C'mon. I had to get him back for dunking me.

I love that Joash's brother sings a lovely baritone

I love that Joash's dog is such a sweetie

I love that they have a real teepee set up in their yard

We got a wicked deal on a rental convertible, so we drove around Taos with the top down to chase desert sunsets and to watch the stars.

We also met Joash's friends TJ and Cammy from Albuquerque who were in Taos for the weekend.

We made Chinese dumplings and congee for the Schumpelts our last night. I'm not sure what they thought of the congee though.

Horchada (sp?). Mexican iced rice milk drink with cinnamon. I am addicted.

In this picture, (right) Joash is looking at his full rack of ribs at Santa Fe's Outback restaurant. (left) I am eating something...? and a margarita type drink.

And of course, I begged his momma to show me pictures of this cute little fella... guess who!!!! ;)

Ack. I miss New Mexico already! ;(.

Thank you all who housed and fed us; I had a blast!

more hiking, and off to new mexico

"I'm tired" - Matthea's motto for the week.
I started my job as a care assistant and as general help in a florist's shop. It was a tiring week, for someone who only worked half the average hours a normal person works per week...

"I smell feet."
But Friday was a welcome reward; Joash and I headed up to the mountains again, this time trying out Garibaldi Lake. This was a great trip that started with moderate, but consistent switchbacks for about 2 hours. The next half hour brought us up to Taylor Meadows that opened the view up to 360 degrees of mountains, including the strange and imposing Black Tusk. Too bad, the millions of little pink flowers in the meadows hadn't all come out yet, but in two weeks, we plan to hike up there for an overnight trip so the place should be exploding with colour!!!! I am SO excited!!! After wandering through the meadows, we hiked for a good ways through snow (yup, more snow in July!) and zigzagging our way down to Garibaldi Lake. The scene opened up to what I call "popsicle blue" which replaced my term "Listerine blue" since it reminded me of pain and an awful mint taste. The lake looked like it tasted of blue raspberry kool-aid. There were trout along the shore, and surrounding this huge lake were several mountains and a glacier. Here, we had lunch (finally! I was SO hungry), where some fat birds and a chipmunk came soliciting us for food. They were brave enough to land on Joash's hand to get his gorp...

This was a beautiful hike, and Joash was excessively handsome as my manly outdoorsy mountain man. Ha ha, how cheesy. I am melting. Ho ho.

"Joash, does that make your Mexican?" - Canadians are just as ignorant.
So, this week, I work a few hours Monday, then sleep a bit in the evening, then we take off for Seattle to catch our flight to New Mexico the next morning at ohhhh, the insanity of 7am. Don't ask, I didn't book the flight. It should be lots of fun; I've never been that direction in the states before. Farthest south ever been was... Louisiana?

lookit the handsome fella

So summer school's over, and all of a sudden May and June are gone and passed...! Today is Canada Day (Happy 141th birthday, Canada!) and the bbqs are all out smoking burgers and dogs from every backyard, ah and the sound of 2-4s clinking in every province.
Oh Canada. I love this country.
Joash and I spent yesterday exploring the sea-to-sky highway (99) that leads North to Whistler and winds around extensive mountain ranges and blue-green ocean. We headed up to Elfin Lakes, or at least attempted to . . . we spent the first three hours of the day hiking up an unmarked path that lead us through gentle switchbacks full of buttercups and fallen rocks. The above pictures were taken at the trail's end (after that it got a bit hairy) atop some large boulders overlooking an amazing view of snow-covered moutains.
On the way back, we spotted the turnoff we missed to get to Elfin Lakes - at the Diamond Head entrance. This hike offered the most amazing views of the Tantalus mountain range, some majorly massive and beautiful peaks across Howe Sound. The hike up to Red Heather campground was a bit of a workout with moderate switchbacks for about an hour. Amazingly, there was still snow on the path that we had to walk over, and the campground didn't have any red Heather blooming yet, so the meadow was a bit of a disappointment. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day spent with wonderful company... and it was great to see that Joash and I are about the same level when it comes to the outdoors. ***aww, Matthea's found her mountain man at last!***.

The last two months have been all about children's lit and the weirdness that goes on in the world of Freud...but that ended with a great weekend church retreat where I got to spend some quality time with God in the outdoors and with other people.

And, starting Monday (July 3), I'm working as a care assistant (what I used to do with the March of Dimes). One day a week, I'll also be working at a flower shop, making bouquets. Yeah, what does a grad student with a degree in English lit do? *sigh*. Still asking God what my vocational calling is... pray for me! And yes, I graduate in December '06, which means I will be out of school for the first time in my life. Ack!

Ah, and some of you might already know...I am going to visit New Mexico in July---to see Joash's family and friends. No, that doesn't mean that certain bells will be ringing anytime soon; I see it as a chance to see the important people in his life who have helped shaped who he is, to see the people he keeps talking about, and to have fun! So stop it with your silly questions.

And that doesn't mean what you think when Joash comes to visit my family in Ottawa in August...and my friends in Toronto... We will be there fore Karyn and Joe's wedding! Fun!!!

Anyhow, I am reading "Boundaries on Dating" by the Boundaries authors, Drs. So-and-So. Drat. Joash has given me his inability to remember names of people ;). It's probably the first dating book I've ever read...because I am such a snob about knowledge that I prefer to think I have better sense than what other people can offer...but hey, I know I'm a snob, and realize that Drs So-and So are pretty darn smart. But hey, me being a knowledge snob doesn't explain why John Eldredge's Wild at Heart makes me laugh. Joash thinks it's a cultural thing that I find it funny. However, Karyn has just told me that Joe LOVES that book too and he's Chinese. So maybe you don't have to be from Colorado to like it. Rargh. I am Brad Pitt who wrangles horses. Rargh. I am a man. J/k. I shouldn't knock it because I haven't read ... the whole thing. And also, I am only poking fun of it because it'll annoy Joash. ;p. Lend it to me sometime, k?

ack is my favorite word

Oh, what a month this has been. I finished writing those blasted term papers (which was like passing a boulder-sized gallstone out of my ear...or maybe a bellybutton) and started another dang course on children's lit. Yup. another one. Who would'a thunk little red riding hood was about sex. Sleeping Beauty too. Oh, yeah, and pretty much, all of them? Well, I guess everything can be about sex according to Freud. ACK. stories for children, people! yecchhh.

Elim, one of my roommates moved out last week and I went on a cleaning frenzy after she left. Ack, I've been possessed by the psycho cleaning spirit of my other roommate Jon! I threw out a bunch of junk out of the basement, set up some anal system of organization to the mess of broken lamps and shredded extension cords that someone seems to like keeping. Things are eerily quiet around here, with Elim gone and Jon in Europe...we have someone new coming in June, and who knows what things will be like when Jon gets back and the new guy moves in.

Oh, and can you believe that we had a swing dancing event at church? I couldn't believe we had over a hundred people show up for swing dancing...many of which were people I didn't know and others I've only seen with their bums glued to chairs for two years at Grace...and all of a sudden were shakin them booties like a bunch of repressed nuns. Ok, I'm exaggerating. We're a pretty fun bunch, but still pretty reserved. (Ooh dancing is from the devil!!! haha. just kidding...) Actually, watching so many people I've come to love over the last two years dancing and enjoying each other was a beautiful thing...a very Godly, very beautiful thing.

The next morning, I got up early and went to the East side church to sing with the choir. Wow, it was great being back there...it reminded me how much I loved it when I went there for about 7 months last year. Being with the choir and the East siders was BEAUTIFUL and I was feeling so blessed with being part of this church.

Speaking of which, I've decided to become a member at Grace Van. Finally! Two years later, and two years of lots of nasty times and lots of great times, I've decided it's time to commit once and for all to this church.
I LOVE GRACE VAN!!!!
*sigh* After the East side service, I joined a bunch of Westsiders hanging out at Granville Island. When I got there, I saw about 15 of them sitting at the dock, with Eastcoast fiddle music in the background, all enjoying each other. This was a beautiful picture, a snapshot of God's blessings to me: I love seeing people I love hanging out and loving each other! AHHHCK, it makes me want to squeeze them all!!!
Did I say how much I love Grace Van? It's like finding something I didn't know was missing...almost like a body part (more specifically, my heart) that had grown back. (sorry, weird imargery there!). Big Al from ACF was right when she said, "Get involved in a church. A campus fellowship isn't a church." I remember being somewhat offended when she said that at the graduating banquet to everyone, thinking she was preaching on some high horse. (Doesn't that tell you that I wanted to be on that horse myself?!) But, of course, with the truth spoken, we are often rubbed the wrong way. It's a good thing I didn't tackle her... Ontario folks, I've retired from football. More accurately, God put me on the sidelines like a good coach should, pointing out to me that I can't keep running on a bum knee or tackling people for the sake of pure aggression.

I was an ass at Western. You all knew that, but loved me anyway. Thank you.

More on that story later, I think.

So, to sum it up, I am still jobless and a student, scrounging for money doing research surveys for free cash, trying to get on to St.Paul's payroll, figuring out the ins and outs of the relationship business, and being excited about community, people, and God more and more. Life is weird, but life is good! Praise God!!!