oh my little olivia

i had a very upsetting evening yesterday. Olivia was very sick. she had thrown up 3 times the night before, but i just thought that they had been hairballs that didn't want to come up. but then yesterday she just seemed really off, not her usual spunky bitey self. then later, when Thomas and i came home from the christmas potluck, she seemed really really off. she would hardly move at all and she just laid there when usually at that time of night she is tearing around the apartment and being absolutely ridiclous. then she puked up so much puke all over the floor and it was just so much for a little cat and it was mostly bile and had a really weird smell to it (weirder than cat barf normally smells). after that she hardly moved at all and when you picked her up she felt so limp and heavy and it was scary to me. i love my little Olivia very much and she has become a big part of my life now that i live on my own. i didn't know whether i should take her to the emergency vet or not. anyway, later that evening i had put her on the heating pad and Thom and i prayed for her because Jesus cares about pets too, and then she seemed to be getting a bit better, and just before Thom left she walked over to the door and bit me, and i have never ever been so happy to be bitten by a cat. she slept in my bed all night and in the morning i woke to her gnawing on my arm. she's back!

ps. that picture is of her favorite past time, hanging out in the tub. she seems to like the loud echoey noises it makes when she runs all around in it. silly girl.

3 days

well i am almost done.

i only had two exams but my last one is not until tuesday. i have worked all week, wrapped the presents that i have and finished almost all my shopping.

i can' t find the girl who sits outside of chapters, i bought her some mittens but whenever i am there she never is anymore, maybe she went home. maybe she really was saving money to go home, i hope so.

Danielle comes on tuesday and then we will take the train together to toronto. i am sad to not see my dad this christmas, but not sad to not be in the calg. and my dad is happy because he can ski on christmas day and all these years we've been holding him back with family time. ;)

so i will see my momma on wednesday and then little Ramona comes out on the 24th. Thomas will be arriving on the 22nd but i see him all the time, but it will be nice to have him with all my family, also they love him and i think are secretly plotting to throw me out of the family and take him in. maybe the Anderson's would like a new sister.

this last exam is going to be tricky i think, and i haven't really been able to do that much studying, and my apartment is a disgrace and i mustn't let Danielle see it in such a fashion.

today we (the church) are having our christmas potluck it will be very lovely i am sure, and a nice break to cleaning/studying.

also i will get to talk to Jamo on the phone tonight, and that is always wondrous. i need to write hayley a letter, maybe on the train, it is long overdue, and i need to email to professors about future placements.

so i guess i'd better get going.

oh except to say this last thing.

i hate fights. Thom and i got into this stupid fight last night, the kind that is not nice and you never want to be the wrong one. but then i remembered this: last week at the meeting, Elvis was talking about how we need to come to maturity inChrist, we need to grow up(which you can read more about on Beth's blog). and he also said how we need to not take offense, even if we feel like we should be able to, or even if we want to (that is the tricky bit), but i have remembered it this week, and it has made my week better because of it. and, also Thomas and i did not end our evening fighting so that was very good.

another thing i forgot to mention awhile back is that we have celebrated our one year anniversary! on december 8th. it was funny; i bought him a teapot and some teacups and tea, and then he surprised me by taking me to high tea at the tea party! we know each other very well and are very much alike i would say. an odd disagreement here and there, but a perfect match.

oh my advent calendar...

this november i had been going on and on at work how i really wanted a chocolate advent calendar, because we only sold paper ones and candles and i let a woman buy the candle i had put away for myself because it was the last one and she wanted it for her neice or something... i couldn't let a little girl go without an advent candle, plus i would probably forget to burn it anyway. then at the beginning of december i got a package in the mail from my momma, and in it were not one but two! advent calendars. one for me and one for thom. anyhow, i was stoked.
every morning i forget about it, and i will be sitting at my computer and look up and see it and i say ooooooo! and then i eat my chocolate. Thanks mom!!

you know you're a camp person if...

-80% of your clothing shows evidence of paint.
-Abnormality is a compliment.
-All your coworkers could be clinically classified as pyromaniacs, multiple personalities, or obsessive compulsive.
-Being at home makes you homesick.
-Dressing up only involves slightly cleaner clothes.
-Most of your stories start with "and then this one time, at Summer Camp..."
-Sandal/watch tan lines are a competition. (and boys compliment your sandal tan in the mall)
-Screaming and running at the same time is a coveted skill.
-Sharpies, pens and duct tape are worth more than gold.
-Using logic could get you in trouble. (unless you use the words logistics and parameters in the same sentence)
-Water cures all ills.
-Camp has been over for 22 minutes, and you're already thinking about next summer.
-You are convinced that there is no way you can date someone who is not a camp guy/girl, because no one else really understands.
-You can burst into song about anything, anywhere, anytime...
-You can make anything out of duct tape, including band-aids. (or make shift head pads and straps for a spine board in an emergency)
-You can make up a song about anything, anywhere, anytime...
-You can shampoo, wash, and shave your legs, etc in less than 5 minutes. (or go the summer without doing any)
-You can think of 50 ways to use a bandanna off the top of your head.
-You can walk the woodsy paths at night without a flashlight.
-You feel naked without a Walkie-Talkie strapped to your body. (or Giselle)
-You don't think non-camp people can understand your summer job.
-You've made friends with the "office people" or the camp nurse just so you have a place to hang out.
-You go to university just to fill time between summers.
-You have a camp set of clothes. (a canoeing set, that is pulled out no matter what kind of campy weekend is occuring)
-You have a collection of outfits for theme weeks.
-You have about 20 mosquito bites in 1 square inch of skin.
-You have an entire volume of camp-friendly mixed CDs.
-You don't do this for the money - and you mean it.
-You have no clue what's on TV until mid-September, cause you never watch it at camp. (you can have someone tape the rest of the season of survivor for you and not even find out who won until you watch it in the fall)
-You have to routinely prevent yourself from shouting, "walk, please!" or "where's your hat?" at random kids
-You know all 753 1/2 verses of "Let Me See Your Funky Chicken." (what's that you said?)
-You know exactly how to get to camp from home by car, boat, plane or any other means of transportation. (including the Summach's float plane)
-You know that laughter, hiccups, sneezes, itching, and yawns are contagious.
-You were disappointed to find that you can't major in"camp." (unless you are Steve Lapp)
-You never refuse free food.
-You refer to your campers as YOUR kids.
-You save anything and everything campers have ever made for you.
-You still enjoy the same songs you did at 5 years old.
-You value the friendship bracelet you got at the camp carnival last summer more than any other piece of jewelry.
-Your "real-world" friends have limited you to only 5 camp stories per day.
-Your barter system relies on hugs, backrubs, and chocolate exchanges. (as long as it is not a massage train!)
-Your car won't start until all seatbelts are buckled.
-Your closer with your camp friends than with your own family.
-Your friends know you're never home from June 'till September.
-Your idea of a good song starts with the words "This is a repeat after me song."
-Your primary method of diplomatic resolution is rock, paper, scissors. (you still do it at work with Heather to find out who will count the cash)
-Your tan lines are also your dirt lines. (and you discover this in the shower after canoeing for a week)
-Your teachers know you as a camp person.
-Your voice quality at the end of the week is inversely proportionate to how good it was.
-Your water bottle and sandals are as essential as your underwear.
-Your year only has two seasons. (Summer and Non-summer)
-You've given up time off to comfort a crying camper.
-You've had to read a policy on bathroom usage.
-You've written a paper about camp for a class.
-You refer to all your friends as "Dude", even though you live nowhere near the West Coast.
-You get recognized on your first day of university as a camp person by a complete stranger, who is also a camp person and destined to be your best friend, because you're wearing green capris and white adidas with pink stripes.