Europe Trip 2007...

So the trip has begun but I haven't slept in days. SO tired. No time left at the Internet cafe so more soon.

My trip starts tomorrow...

So tomorrow I plan to be on a bus to catch a bus by 5:30am - sucky!
However, the not sucky part is that I will be embarking on a 12 day whirlwind coach tour of Europe.
I finished at my job at the ACU on Friday and have since then been desperately trying to get myself organized. I have packed my backpack atleast 6 times now. I can't take everything I want but oh well too bad so sad - but that's life. I am now packed for the last time I think - I hope.
I stopped by work today and I got presents - yay! I got a travel journal and I passport cover. Very sweet.
I had to meet my tour people at 6:00 pm tonight but in usual Sarah Cherry style I was WAY early so I have already started the travel journal. I sat in a cafe and had a stale bagel and a yummy latte and wrote. It was boring and funny at the same time. I had over an hour to kill - SO funny! I am hoping to time things a bit better tomorrow no need to show up 4am!

The new new girl...

So the original new girl go fired - in a really sneaky way too but that wasn't my fault. My boss told me she didn't think the new girl was working out and I had to wholeheartedly agree. So last Tuesday when she went home for the day my boss called the agency that had sent and told THEM to tell her not to come back. I feel bad for new girl but she would have so over her head when Robyn and I leave that it's better this way.
So now we have a new new girl and she is working out way better. She is very thorough and that will work to her advantage when the boss gives her the third degree about something.
So not this Friday but next Friday will be my last day of work till I have no idea when. I will be unemployed and loving it - I hope.

My friends are geniuses...

So two of my friends have decided to brave the journey to London from North America and visit me. One is leaving from Vancouver and one is actually travelling to Buffalo from Ontario to catch a cheaper flight to London. They conferred with eachother on their flight plans and managed to get flights that arrive with only 40 minutes between however (here's the genius part) one is arriving at Gatwick and one is arriving at Heathrow. WHOOPS!

The new girl...

So my boss has finally found someone to replace me - sort of. She came in yesterday for a working interview and my boss asked her come in for a two week trial so she was in today too. I got nothing done today - I hate training people. Robyn was in today (poor girl was feeling very sick yesterday so she wasn't in) so I asked her if I was just as bad when she trained me but she said that I caught onto everything really fast. I think that I probably did too because whenever I train for anything I always get told that I catch on fast. Anyways this new girl sure does not catch on fast. She's older than me and I have to tell her exactly how to do every single thing. Even though most of the work is repetitive she still kept asking the same questions over and over again. She seems to have no initiative - I hope that Monday will be better but I don't know. Training someone just sucks the life out of me - I am SO TIRED! Thank goodness it's the weekend.

In better news I think Robyn will be working with me over the 2 weeks that the boss is away and she is awesome! The bosses last day is this coming Thursday and she won't be back till the 5th of December and the 7th is my last day - after that I will be a lady of leisure until the end of January. I am so excited not to work - yahoo!

Ok now that's creepy...

I've never been a big scaredy cat - I watch horror movies and the like all the time. But maybe I'm mellowing in my old age because I'm watching The Ghost Whisperer and it is creeping me out! I'd heard about the show a while ago but never really bothered to watch because I figured that Jennifer Love Hewitt = LAME. But I can't believe how creeped out I am by this show - I hate the fact that I live alone now - at least I can tell myself that all the weird stuff I keep hearing is the neighbors - right?

Look what happens when I leave home...

So my brother and sister-in-law moved to NORTHERN ALBERTA this past weekend. This means that as of today Anna, Becca, Stephen and Emma all live in NORTHERN ALBERTA! Mom put our house on the market on Saturday with the intention of moving to NORTHERN ALBERTA if/when it sells. Who in their right mind wants to live in NORTHERN ALBERTA!
I have no one to blame but myself.
Anna started the trend of the NORTHERN ALBERTAN move but it's still all my fault. You see Anna wanted to go to Bible College but they all seemed too expensive so me being the ever helpful older sister went online and helped her find the cheapest Bible College in Canada - it was in NORTHERN ALBERTA. She decided to go for a year which turned into 4 and she now lives there permanently even though her schooling is done - thanks to her wonderful boyfriend (who we all love).
Becca was the next to make the move - she decided that she wanted to go to Bible College too and figured that the Bible College in NORTHERN ALBERTA would be a good idea. She also went up for a year and is now making it 2- God literally only knows how many.
Now Stephen and Emma have migrated North thanks to the lure of better work and cheaper housing. But seriously it's NORTHERN ALBERTA - it snows in JUNE!
Since all her kids are in NORTHERN ALBERTA and she has a sister and brother in Edmonton Mom has decided to move up there to be closer to her family. She's selling the family home and moving Northward.
I, however, moved to England short term in June of this year and can't believe that when I move back to Canada it will have to be to NORTHERN ALBERTA since, as my mom puts it ''All your stuff will be there.'' Which, don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate that she is willing to transport all my stuff with her but never in a million years did I imagine that we'd all end up living in NORTHERN ALBERTA. I'm getting cold just thinking about it. (Funny story: When Anna moved to NORTHERN ALBERTA my Mom started this thing where Anna was her favorite daughter since she was the furthest away - so whenever Anna would call we'd tell her it's her favorite daughter etc. Well guess who's the Favorite now?! Sad to say that was seriously one of reasons I came to England - haha I win!)
It's ironic to me that I will probably end up living there (atleast for a shortwhile) considering I have never had anything good to say about NORTHERN ALBERTA. I've been there twice - both times in the summer and had to wade through melting snow drifts and huge mud patches. You look around and everything is filthy and you can actually see your dog run away for three days.
*sigh* oh well - God's hand is in this so it's for the best.

The weekend came and went and is almost here again...

My Aunt and Uncle came up from Lymington Friday night to spend the weekend at their flat with me. They do this once every month - usually the first weekend of the month at that. We sorted out what is going on for Christmas - ie. I get back from my trip on the 22 of December and will go down to Lymington to spend Christmas with them and Grandma as well my Uncle Graham and Aunt Elaine and my cousin Simon and his wife Gemma will be coming over. Gemma will be cooking the Christmas meal for all of us (Note to self: offer my meager cooking services to Gemma).
Saturday I went and did a huge grocery shop and bought only healthy food - yeah me. I made homemade Honey Mustard Dressing that turned out absolutely horrid even though I followed the recipe exactly. I also made a couple of loaves of bread from my Weight Watchers cookbook - one white and one Wholewheat and Honey - they turned out pretty well. I also called my mom and wished her a super happy birthday. She flew up with Emma to GP to spend her birthday with Anna (Becca went down to PG to spend the weekend with her BF's family). Mom got some nifty gifts but I think her favorites are the bright red gloves and new Reginald Hill book I sent to her from here. I mean really wants a Nintendo DS with games and new clothes from Reitmans? Haha! Let me just say that my mom is the most spoiled mom in the world!
Sunday I skipped church because I was late anyway and instead wandered around Leicester square and found the perfect little restaurant to each before going to see a play (Maia!). I was going to see a play but the Half Priced Ticket Booth was closed for some reason. Then I thought I'd go see a movie but all the movies had already started or were going to start in a couple hours. So I just took pics and went back to the flat and made WW Raspberry muffins - must use less raspberry's next time!
My boss skipped work Monday (of course) then called in sick on Tuesday (shocking) she came in yesterday but I was so messed up with my days I went through the whole day thinking it was Tuesday. I didn't realize my mistake until I talked to Anna last night and she corrected me - missed recycling day AGAIN!
So today is Thursday and I have awful cramps and I ran out of medicine! Someone hand me a rusty spoon so I can carve out my uterus - please.
Tomorrow is Friday and then it is Saturday - thank you God for weekends!

Drama...

I finally got to sleep and in it was beautiful. When I did finally get up I it was 11:15am and I had to get to the post office by 12:30 - no prob.
I left at 11:45am got to the post office at 12:00pm - still looks good right?
I get to cashier and I needed to pay £1.36 for postage - pretty small amount no problem - right? Wrong.
I looked in my wallet and only came up with £1.23 - I left my purse at the flat and only brought my wallet so...I felt stupid but I needed to use my card - still no problem right? Wrong.
I couldn't find my card in my wallet - I needed to go back to the flat - I appologized and said that I would be right back - it's now 12:05pm I speed walked all the way up the hill back to the flat - tore apart my purse looking for my card - no card - more change though so now had enough for the postage but where the heck was my card? I looked in the shopping bag from yesterday - nope - checked my coat pockets - nope - in a last ditch effort I checked my wallet again and it was there but in the wrong spot - Man am I STUPID!
It's now 12:20pm I rush back down the hill and get to the post office by 12:25pm pay for the postage and mail it off.

I can't believe all that drama just for mail!

Bits and pieces

*For as long as I can remember my hands have been cold with the exception of when I am sick. When I am sick my hands are warm. Since I am currently sick my hands are warm however I have noticed that they are cooling down - hopefully this means that I can expect to feel better soon.
*My boss came back from her holiday and I told her that I won't be staying on after December. She took the news a lot better than I thought she would. I think that is partly because right before I told her she got an email from a previous employee exspressing interest and resuming her role in the finance department.
*I'm totally bummed out that I will be missing my mom's birthday. I can't remember ever not being with her on her birthday. I have sent her present to her already so she should get it soon - look at me being all organized and everything.
*I have totally lost my appetite. I've been trying to force myself to eat but most of the food available turns my stomach at just the thought of eating it. I hope I feel better soon.

Cold cont...

I am not the only one to afflicted by this vicious virus. Apparently two other girls called in sick yesterday and today my co-worker has also called in sick. My boss just rang me to tell me that she won't be in today either for fear that she may succumb to the nasty sniffles. That means 2 things: 1. I will have the office to myself today 2. I haven't told my boss thanks but no thanks yet.
I am sitting at my desk slightly faint and perhaps feverish but present none the less and hoping that the £84.50 that I will earn is worth it.
Money - it makes the world go round.

No show...

I called in sick to work today - I spent most of the day in bed but I still don't feel any better. I'm going to have to go in tomorrow I can't afford to miss too much work.
Colds suck!

Poor me...

I'm sick :( I woke last night with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. Now being so far away from home means that all the medicine I usually take for a cold is not available. So yes poor me - boo hoo.
I've been chugging orange juice all day in the vain hope that that would help so we shall see how I feel tomorrow but I don't think that I will be any better.

Interesting...

So the boss was in on Monday and Tuesday but she has taken the rest of this week and the beginning of next week off.
But that doesn't stop her from making my life difficult.
She offered me a permanent job here. Now I came back to this job with the clear understanding (I thought) that it would be a strictly temporary thing. It has come to my attention recently that I have never been without a job and I think I need a chance to try new things.

My jobs to date have been:
1. Stable hand (I'm not kidding)
2. Quiznos sandwich maker
3. Pizza Hut - CSR, Server, Shift Manager, Assistant RGM
4. Traveland RV - Receptionist
5. Numbers Accounting - Bookkeeper

Now my job here is ok but I don't want it - and I get this feeling that my boss is really manipulative and I kind stand that.
I see how she's trying to manipulate the other girl into staying and it makes me wonder just how much time she's probably spent manipulating me as well.
She tells me that I need to stay because if I want to travel the countries won't let me in if I don't have a permanent job which may be true but I'm not that concerned about it - plus if I take the job it's a pay cut - who takes a pay cut? When I pointed that out to her she told me that I was wrong but I figured it out - I'm making £13/hr now and if I took the job I would be making £12.08/hr - pay cut!
I'm tired of settling and I want to see what else is out there - this job holds no new things for me to learn it is time to move on - once she gets back from her holiday I'm going to tell her that she needs to find someone else because I'm not interested.
I've been fretting over this for a few days now and that's my conclusion.

The boss has returned...

So my boss didn't come in Thursday either but she did come in today.
She looked like she was ready to pass out - and she almost did at one point.
She really should not have come in today but she felt that she had to.
I hope she doesn't come in Monday because she needs to get better - I defintely don't want to catch whatever it is that she has.

Unbelievable...

She didn't show up today either!
She called at 10:30 this morning and said that she was still feeling ill and won't be in.
Now maybe she really is feeling sick - I don't know but I just find this whole situation funny now - I feel like I should start a betting pool on when she may actually come back to work.
Granted she works hard and deserves a bit of a break but I'm seriously running out of work to do - it may be hard to believe but I occasionally do work at work and now that work is just about all done. I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't come in tomorrow. Actually I don't know what I'll do tomorrow even if she does come in.
Uh oh - have I just worked myself out of a job?

So my boss has stopped coming to work...

As of today my boss has had a FIVE day weekend!
She is supposed to have Fridays off and therefore only have a 4 day work week but I've noticed that since I came back to work here in September that she has started taking both Monday and Fridays off.
She generally calls on Monday to say that she won't be coming in because she thinks that she will have to work Friday - fair enough she's only supposed to work 4 days - but when Friday rolls around she calls and says that she isn't coming in because she has some things to do. Fine whatever - but today she called to say that she wasn't feeling well and won't becoming in.
Now today is Tuesday and she pulled her usual Friday and Monday stunts so she has had FIVE days off in a row - for crying out loud!
Thankfully the girl that I took over for has come back from her NINE WEEK holiday and is helping to keep me sane since when the boss is absent she works in the office with me - but I will laugh so hard if my boss skips work tomorrow too because seriously what kind of example is she setting for the other employees?
I have a feeling that she is avoiding me and the other girl because we don't want to keep working here. I came back with the understanding that I would only work here for 2 months and this girl back from holidays came back saying that she would only stay on for 1 month. So essentially this absentee boss of mine needs to find someone else to work in this office fulltime by the end of October.
She's already been trying to talk the other girl into staying and I have a feeling that I maybe next. Since I've booked my trip for December I may relent and tell her that I'll stay on till then but after that I don't think so.
I am so bored today I could just cry! The weather is absolutely miserable and I am totally not looking forward to my hour long commute home. I need a challenge and I don't want it to be here.
I feel very cranky - I want a 5 day paid weekend!

I'm SO Excited...

I planned a trip today.
A girl that I work with told me about this tour company and I signed up for the 'Winter European Discovery' tour so...
On December 11 I leave from London and travel to Amsterdam
From there I go to the Rhine Valley, Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne, Paris and then back to London on December 22.
I'm so psyched - I'm finally going to do something other than work and visit family - it's not cheap but it'll be worth it!

Note to self...

*When putting pasta in a pot of boiling water do not put fingers into pot with pasta.
*When using a metal fork to cook ground beef do not leave the fork leaning on the frying pan and then pick it back up.

NIN has arrived...

My NIN arrived yesterday and apparently the card should come in the mail within the next 8 weeks - so I guess the 9 month timeline I was given was a bit off. I've now informed my agency and so hopefully 50% of my paycheque will stop being taking off as taxes.

It's 9:45am and today already sucks!

So I woke up today at 6am feeling really nauseous - so when my alarm went off at 7:10am I didn't bound out of bed. When I look at the clock again it's 8am - I usually leave the flat at 8am having had breakfast, made my lunch, gotten dressed and done my hair and make-up - obviously that wasn't going to happen today. So, I for went breakfast and lunch and was able to leave the flat at 8:05am - not bad eh? It's pouring with rain outside - no problem I figure since I have been carrying an umbrella in my bag since I was caught in a storm without one a month ago. Unfortunately, this umbrella of mine is broken. I didn't realise this until it closed over my head when I was half way down the street. No time to run back for another so I just had to make do with holding it up. I get to the stop down the street get denied entry to one bus but get on to the second. Then get off at Camberwell and wait for my other bus. It arrives I get on, go up stairs and start to read my book. All is well until I hear shouting down stairs. From what I gather the bus driver had been instructing the passengers to move down and I heard some man shouting back "There's NO ROOM! Stop letting so many people on you IDIOT!" Then some more words were exchanged which I didn't quite hear. I was worried the bus driver might get fed up and kick everyone off the bus - they are so touchy. But he didn't and I arrived at my destination 15 minutes later than usual. Now what I usually do is get off the bus at the top of the street that the Hospital is on and then walk the rest of the way - about a 15-25 minute walk - stopping on the way at a coffee shop and picking up a 'Skinny Latte'. Today I did that but also picked up a chocolate croissant and a banana. I knew I couldn't wait till 1pm (my lunch time) to eat. I will never do that again, especially after being naseous. I did, however, end up arriving 5 minutes late for work but whatcha gonna do?
My boss just called to say that she won't be in today which is actually a good thing for me. It means my stress level today at work will be 0 and as I look outside it has stopped raining. Maybe today isn't such a write off after all.

The water...

Ok - I have kept quiet about this issue for long enough. I absolutely refuse to drink tap water here in England. Once you see what it does to kettles, dishwashers and washing machines you will see why. There is something wrong with it - I swear. No they try and tell you that it's perfectly fine to drink this stuff - it's not like it's diseased or anything but they amount of limescale and build-up that amounts - geez - I can't imagine that it is good for your body!
So like all (most(some)) English people I have responded by buying cases of water. Now I have no transportation other than my own two legs so I am looking forward to a very trim body because of all the walking up the hill and stairs with cases of water - my own little work out routine - haha!
Now with that said I am going out to buy another case.

So I applied for my NIN...finally

Yesterday I went a VERY sketchy part of London and had an interview to get a National Insurance Number. Even though I'm working right now haven't had a real NIN and therefore been taxed under the "Emergency" tax bracket which means that just under half of my wages have been deducted. Once I get my NIN I should get a refund and taxed properly. When I first got here I wanted to get a NIN right away but there are several things you need first.

1. Employment
2. A letter from your employer detailing your employment.
3. Official mail with you current address ie. Bank Statement or Utility Bill
4. Paystubs from your employer
5. Passport

When I arrived in June I had only one of the above requirements. Then I got a job and a letter but then my Grandfather took a turn for the worse and I quit my job. Then my grandfather passed away and I got my job back.
I've been working for a total of 8 days since coming back so I called the Job Centre Thursday and set up an appointment. The earliest they could get me in was October 22/07 that was a long time to wait but I was prepared to. I happened to call back later that day and they had had a cancellation and said I could come in Friday (Yesterday) at 3pm. So I took a whole bunch of time off work and went in and had the interview and I should be getting my NIN in the mail in 4-6 weeks.
It took me forever to find the place and so I am so glad I was my usual over anxious self and gave myself plenty of time to find it. I did end up arriving half an hour and they didn't end up seeing me until half an hour after my appointment was supposed to be. But that's their perogative if I had been late they wouldn't have seen me at all.
The part of town I was in totally freaked me out. It was SO run down and people were just standing on the sidewalks looking at me walk by. I ended up walking down all these alleys and I swear I must have had "Stupid Tourist" stamped on my forhead because I kept getting turned around and having to look at the map I printed off. (Thank God for maps!). The streets weren't properly marked and I kind of lucked out finding the place. But I found it and I didn't get stabbed score one for me.
I hope everything goes through ok because I definitely do not want to have to go back there I was luck once but...anyways it should go through fine but you never know with these things it's all red tape.

So now I have job...again

So I got rehired at the place I was working before as an accounts assistant before I quit because my grandfather got really ill. I did not want this job back because when I had it the first time I hated it - it was way too stressfull and my boss treated me like an idiot. The second time around is going much better. Since I don't really care about this job and the worse they can do is find someone else to come in and temp I am much more relaxed and cheerful - it's money and it has a time limit. I told the temp agency that I would go back to the ACU under the condition that it would be for a maximum of 2 months and that I was totally NOT interested in a permanent position.

I only want temp work for several reasons:
1. If you are temping then you get paid every Friday - When you are permanent you get paid once a month!!!!
2. I don't want to do accounting work while I am here but it's money so I can't really say no but atleast I can be happy that it won't be for too long.
3. Working as a temp means that I can have as much time off as I want - all I need to do is give a weeks notice and I am free! Hint hint - anyone want to come for a visit?
4. I get to meet lots of people and hopefully make lots of friends and work in lots of different environments.
5. I'm hoping that eventually I will end up at a gallery or a newspaper or a TV Station or something cool like that.
6. My hours are regular and I have weekends off so I can do fun things with my new friends.

So for whatever reason I am not totally despising this job anymore and I feel happy - the only real bummer is my laptop killed itself and I think I'll have to get a new one - but hey I'm working now so I can afford it - yeah for good money!

Grieving...

So while I was enjoying a movie with my friends my Grandpa Cherry passed away. My uncle Ashley called and left a message on my cell and one on the machine at the flat - lucky me I got the news twice. I also got to tell my sister-in-law and my sisters the sad news. Thankfully my sister-in-law told my brother and my mother. It takes a lot out of you telling people that someone they love very much is gone and they will never speak to them again. I'm still in shock myself - it was expected but it's still very much so shocking. Death is so final it's the only thing that truly lasts forever - at least as forever as the human mind can handle. Thankfully my grandfather was a Christian and I am too so I can rest assured in the comfort that I will see him again - just not on this earth. It's just so sad for me to know that he will never meet my husband, he will never see his great-grandchildren - there are so many things that he will never do but he was content with his life and he was ready to go. That's all that you can ever hope for a person - that they be truly content with their life and be ready for it to end. At the ripe old age of 24 I can't imagine being ready to go on to my heavenly father but that's because I haven't done any of the wonderful things that my grandfather did yet. I can only hope that once I have then I too can pass over with peace in my heart.

Back in London

So yesterday my aunts decided that I deserved a break and have shipped me back to the flat.It's nice to have some time to my self again and I will enjoy it while it lasts - I should only be here for a few days.

Thursday

So today I am going to try and care for my grandparents while my aunt takes a break she has been staying with my grandfather 24 hours a day since we arrived in Lymington on Monday. Wish me luck! I have started using the internet in the Lymington library but it won't let me use facebook so if you want to get a hold of me please send me an email as opposed to a facebook message thanks!

So now I quit my job...

I had my job for less than 2 weeks and I have already quit it - why you may ask - because life is too short!
I got a call Sunday saying that my Grandfather had taken a very serious turn for the worse and I guess we all knew this was coming but everyone likes to tell themselves lies every so often.
I called my boss that day and told her thanks but no thanks (she wanted me to come on permanently.) She of course didn't want to let me go. I don't know what it is but none of my bosses ever want me to leave - I guess I am just too wonderful - haha.
I came here to help out with my grandparents and that is what I am going to do. It's funny how helpful you can be when you try. With my grandfather being so ill I've just been mainly keeping my grandmother occupied so my aunt who is a nurse can care for my grandfather. My grandmother has advanced alzheimers and tends to wonder away and really needs someone to keep an eye on her.
I also decided that while I am in England even after my grandfather has passed on I don't want to be stcuk doing some stupid nine to five job - that was what I was doing in Canada I sure as heck didn't come all the way to England to fall straight back into that rut.
I want to do something that I love to do - something that I am passionate about. Hopefully I'll be able to find something like that but even if I can't atleast I now know that if I become desperate for cash I can easily find a temp job in accounting.
So yay for that.
My grandparent's pastor was by today and we had communion with him - it was something that my grandfather really wanted to do so I am glad that that was able to happen. My uncle Graham my grandparents eldest child was able to come over from the IOW with his wife and join in in that so that was good too. My cousin Steve came over yesterday to spend some time with my Grandfather and my cousin Simon and his wife are coming over Friday to see him too.

So now I have job...

My Mom and Sisters left last on July 23/07 (last Monday) and then next I got a whole load of calls from this one agency and the next thing I know they're asking me to go for an interview in an hour. I did it but I was 15 minutes late, however being the responsible adult that I am I called them and told them that I would be late. Long story short I got the job and cancelled my temp interview for the next day (Wednesday). I was trained for the rest of the week and now on my own. eeek! The girl who was training me is off travelling and I don't think my boss likes me much :( I think that she thinks I am an idiot but that's her problem I can only do the best that I can and with so little time spent with my predcessor this is all she can expect (this is what I tell myself). What sucks is that feeling inadequate for my job makes me hate my job! Today my boss took the day off - she only works 4 days a week - yay! I'm hopping that if I stick it out for a bit longer I'll get the hang of it and not hate it so much but I get a feeling that this is not why I came to England. Sure it's nice to have money coming in but I don't think God has me here just so that I can work at some office job - I was doing that quite happily in Canada.
On the plus side I went to Hillsong last Sunday and met tons of people and I plan to go have coffee tomorrow morning with one of the girls I met. So yay for me I can still make friends - haha! (I only say that because most of my friends I've known for a ridiculously long time)
We shall see what happens next in this saga of mine.

I've done it!

So, finally after years of thinking about it I have finally done it. I have moved to England. I got here June 21/07 and I did all the rounds. I visited all my cousins (except one) and all my aunts and uncles. So that means that I have been to IOW, Bath, Portsmouth, Gosport, and Lymington. I have also been to half a million other places just to visit.
I have seen 3 movies since arriving (Oceans 13, Lucky You and Pirates of the Carribean 3) I went and saw 'Stomp' and I've been to Hillsong London. Ok, I gotta tell you that Hillsong likes to pretend that it is just a church service but that is not a church service it is a freaking Christian Concert. They hold it in the Dominion Theatre in West Central London. The Theatre seat 2500 people, they have 3 services and the place was packed. That's going to be my home church while I'm here. Well that's the plan anyway. I was invited to go out for lunch after the service with some YA's but I was with my Mom and Sisters and we were going to see Stomp that afternoon so I had to postpone till next Sunday so we shall see what happens.
I've been to a recruitment interview and I have a temp interview set up for Wednesday. My next step is obviously getting a job. I have the full use of my Aunt and Uncle's flat while I am in London as they are in Lymington taking care of my grandparents.
It's all falling into place - so far.
Wish me luck ;)

I'm outta here!

So Friday was my last day at work and I was able to sell my car the same day too! In one week today I will be leaving for England. Friday I have a going away BBQ and Saturday I have a going away party. I went shopping yesterday and today for bits and pieces and I will need to go shopping at least one more time for more stuff - so much to do and so little time!

England bound...

I've booked my ticket - it's a one way and I leave June 20, 2007. Stephen and Emma are coming with me. They return home July 8, 2007. I can't believe I am actually doing this. I even quit my job today - eeek...It's really happening.

Grandpa Cherry Is dying

I found out yesterday that my Grandfather in Enlgand (My Dad's Dad) is dying of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He has between 2 months and 2 years left to live. His doctor is amazed that he is doing as well as he is considering how far along the disease is. Thankfully my Grandfather is a Christian so we can rest assured that he is going home to meet his eternal father as well as his son who died so many years before him. Unfortunately not all my grandfather's children are Christians so they don't see things the way the rest of us do. My Grandfather is reportedly in good spirits. He and his doctor have decided to forgo treatment and simply work towards making his last days as comfortable as possible.

I am moving to England June 20, 2007

Grandpa Cherry

I found out via email Saturday night that my Grandfather in England may have leukemia. He's been taking care of my Grandma who has Alzheimers. It's kind of scary - but once again we don't know anything for certain yet. He went for a blood test last Wednesday and his White blood cells were low (?) so they gave him 3 units of blood and sent him home. He needs to come back to the hospital this Wednesday (Tomorrow) for a Bone Marrow test to see what the deal is. Please pray for him and my family in England as everyone is stretching themselves pretty thin to ensure that my Grandparents are never alone.

Thanks.

Good News/Bad News

So for about a month now I've been dealing wih a bit of a stressful situation. But now we have answers and I feel that I can explain what was going on.
My Mom went to the Doctor and was told she needed to go for testing for Cancer, Diabetes, and High Blood Pressure. My Mom never goes to the Doctor unless she is sick so the Doctor had never run any routine wellness tests on her. The results have finally come in and she doesn't have cancer but she does have Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. She is going in to see the Doctor on Tuesday to discuss what she needs to do now.

I received my UK Passport yesterday and I've gotten the go ahead from my aunt to fly over whenever I want. So now all I need to do is get there - haha - yeah that's ALL need to do.

I have finals coming up, a trip to Alberta, and we've moved offices at work and everything is a total mess.

To top everything off I've been fighting a cold since Monday thank goodness it's a long weekend - woohoo!

So you see Good News/Bad News.

On a lighter note...

On Tuesday I got another gold star! And I might get another one next week I was pretty close! Woohoo!

I did get my car back yesterday - they said there was nothing wrong with it! what a load of **** - I instructed them to change the battery connections (I know that was the problem) and they said "Oh, yes we did notice that they were marginal" (what the heck does marginal mean?) So hopefully no more car drama!

My car broke down yesterday. I can't believe it. I went to pick up Emma for school. I park get Emma and then my car wouldn't start again. Thankfully Stephen had gotten home just as I arrived so Emma was able to drive us to school with their car and Stephen was able to try and fix my car - he didn't suceed and now it is in the shop - hopefully I'll get it back today.

Still no results yet...still no idea if I should be really freaking out or not...just trying to be normal in the interim...I think I'm pulling it off. Thanks for all the prayers!

Crash and Burn...

That's how I feel right now - like at any moment I will lose control and simply crash and burn. Kind of like being on a rollercoaster and life is so great as you climb up high above the crowds below, then suddenly you've crested the hill and the bottom falls out of your life and all you can do is hold on for dear life.

I am very good at pretending everything is okay. It's a talent that I nurtured when I was growing up - I could be dying inside but no one would ever know. They could suspect that something is wrong but there was no way that anyone could find out for certain because I am also a very good liar. Another talent that I picked up and perfected in my younger years. It's not something that I am very proud of and has only come to the forefront again very recently.

Last week in Sunday school we were supposed to teach about how lying is bad and as teachers we were supposed to share an example of how we got caught in a lie. I have never been caught lying - I've lied a lot but not once has it ever turned out poorly for me. You can't share that with kids - you can't tell them that if you're really good at it lying can get you almost anything you want and you'll never get in trouble again.

Several years ago I promised myself that I wouldn't lie anymore - it was too easy to simply lie about everything and manipulate situations to my liking. It wasn't living it was like directing a orchestra and people were my instruments.

Something happened last week that really threw me for a loop but there is not point in causing needless distress in everyone around. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I will find out for certain if there is anything to fret about until then I go forward pretending everything is okay. Please don't ask me how things are because I don't want to have to break my promise.

What a cool weekend!

I had a super weekend.
Saturday I went to dinner with Maia, Erin and Joanie. Then we went to visit Meg's at work and met up with Natty and Corrie who were also visiting Megan! Then we went to Corrie and Natty's to watch "The Illusionist" (Which was pretty good)
Sunday was great too - A super sermon by Eryn and then Sushi in the Fort and it was the first Family Night of the year and it was so funny trying to get all hyped up for the kids.

I am SO Tired!

I House-sat this weekend - it was fun but man I am exhausted. The first night (Friday) the traffic outside was incredibly loud and I barely slept. Then Staruday night the cat (Chassie) was in the bedroom and refused to chill out so at 6:00am I finally kicked her out and got some sleep. Then last night I tried to kick Chassie out right away but she just freaked out at the bedroom door till I let her in. So another sleepless night until I kicked her out at 4:30am - unfortunately I had to get up at 5:30 so not much sleep at all - ugh!
Sunday was fun though - so many of the Sunday school teachers were away so Maia and Ben came in to cover for Thomas and Adam and Susanna had to cover for Sylvia so that left me to fend for myself with my Grade 1-3 Girls. I told Sus to take Sylvia's class because our class is nuts and she's been doing it much longer and proably needed a break - haha. I had over a dozen girls in that class! I did all the activities that Karen had set up and we played hangman and I fed them Fuzzy Peach rewards. It was awesome! I think they all had fun and learned a little something - but man I tell you little girls are sneaky!

Midterm #1

Ok I passed Midterm #1 now just fingers crossed for Midterm #2.

As per request...

So Maia has requested an update - and what Maia wants Maia gets - haha. I actually can't believe that a whole week went without me posting something new but whatever...
So last week I had 2 midterms and I am seriously freaked out and I just hope that I didnt fail them - I don;t think that I have ever done so poorly on exams before but what is done is done.
I tried applying for my UK Passport last week and they sent my application back to me the very next day. Apparantely My father's and my birth certificates are not sufficient. Somewhere between Anna and Stephen's births they changed the format of Birth certificates so that they are more detailed. My father's and my birth certificates have only our names, city and province of birth, date of birth and gender - the new ones have also both the parent's full names. So I have applied to get replacement birth certificates for us both. It's no big deal since when the High Commission in Ottawa sent back my application they included the info on how to get new birth certificates. It's just another obstacle for me to overcome.
On Saturday a friend I hadn't seen in over a year called me up at 8:30pm and we went out for coffee for "half an hour" - haha - we ended up staying at Starbucks till they kicked us out. It was SO good to see her - she is one of those people that you can just see God's love shining through like she's a beacon of light. Our relationship is kind of weird but them so is my relationship with many people. It's just funny because we were really close for like a year and a half (when we were both going through and really tough time) and then we kind of drifted apart but God has kept us in eachother's prayers and when we got together again it was like no time had passed - I love friendships like that! She's doing awesome - I'm doing awesome - it was really reat just to catch up and see where God is leading the both of us.
On Sunday I went out for lunch with Maia, Meg, Liz, Anna, Bonnie and one of the roomates! It was splendid Good conversations and good food (despite the ridiculously long wait and I was Freaking Starving!) I love getting to hang out with my friends especally in smaller groups because you can actually talk about things - haha.
So last night I was in bed and Becca called - her birthday is this Thursday and she has decided that from me she wants a bunch of baking - So what did I do? I got out of bed and started baking - haha. If the package is to get to her by Thursday we gotta send it out by Tuesday and there was no wat that I would get it all done by then. Mom even helped last night - but she bakes way different than I do and I don't think that I will have her help me again. It caused me way too much anxiety - haha. She doesn't use measuring cups properly - she re-uses brownie batter bowls for icing and cookie dough - it was just too much (I know I'm totally nutso). So anyway we got most of it done last night and I think I only have to make one or two more things and then it done so Yay for that!
Tonight I have class and then dinner with Emma and Stephen - and I gotta stop eating what I'm baking or else I'm going to pay for it Tuesday :)

The return of my car...

So I have finally gotten my car back - and this is how it happened.

I was totally fed up on Monday so I called and left a message for my adjuster first thing to find out if she could get the repair to start moving. She didn't call me back so at 10:30 I called her again and she essentially said "Too bad, so sad". She told me that "It isn't unheard of for a repair to take over a month to be completed." Oh come on! Who can afford to rent a car or be without a car for over a month!

I had spoken with Kirmac twice last week and they both times jerked me around (It'll be ready by the middle of this week to the end of this week - middle of next week to the end of next week) - I wasn't playing anymore. I called Kirmac right after I got off the phone and asked when my car would be ready. I got the usual reply - "Well, Bryan is working on your car and he isn't here right now how about you call back?" So I did and I was told that they were now hoping to get it done "today" (monday) but I should call back that afternoon. So I did and they said it was just out of paint and should be done by 5 - I have class Monday's at 4 so I said I would pick it up first thing on Tuesday and that's what I did.

So Yay my car is back in one and in my possession but I don't appreciate how long it took to get done - Last Monday they told they had all the parts but other cars had been towed in and took priority - MY CAR WAS A TOW IN TOO! Where the heck is my PRIORITY! So I have learned that to get anything done you have to be the "Squeaky Wheel" and if you call someone repeatedly then you will get what you want. Being nice and understanding will only get you dropped to the bottom of the list.

It's my Birthday!

So today I am officially 24 years old - boo.

A month or so ago I started telling myself that I was already 24 years old just so I would have a smooth transition into actually turning 24. Such as when I would speak disparagingly about myself - "I am 24 years old and I don't have a degree" - "I am 24 years old and I don't have a boyfriend" - the boyfriend thing is only particularly upsetting because I have a 20 year old brother who is MARRIED and I don't even have a boyfriend!

I think 24 is the year that birthdays are going to start going downhill for me - my one saving grace is that I am moving to England I have filled out my UK Passport application, gotten my picture taken and on Sunday I'm going to get PK to sign it all and I am going to mail it off on Monday - I AM doing this, I AM leaving the country and running far, far away. I have to, otherwise I will be stuck living the rest of my life not living the life that God has chosen for me. I feel like Abraham when God told him to leave his family and go into the unknown and Abraham instead took his family with him - that was NOT what God asked him to do. I feel that God is calling me to England and I have to answer that call. Maybe there I will find something that will awaken my sleeping spirit. Until then I wait and pray (as patiently as possible).

Oooh...Look what I did...

My Car...

During the last snow fall I rear ended someone and I have FINALLY gotten a straight answer from ICBC/Kirmac - my car WILL be fixed and I should be getting it back sometime late next week. It's been a bit weird the last couple weeks having to share a car with my mom. I feel like I'm 16 again having to ask if I can use her car etc. It hasn't been too bad but I still can't wait to get my car back - the one touchy thing is that my insurance runs out on January 30 and I'm not sure that I am going to get my car back in time to re-insure it. I'm sure that it will all work out fine.

Ugh..MySpace

I got an email from Eryn today and it the link to the RAIN MySpace page he created. I was curious so I clicked on it to check it out.
I have now found out that SO MANY of the people I know have myspace pages!
So now I too have set up a myspace page - I am such a follower!
I have even put a layout on it - that was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
I really like the fact that you can have slide shows and background music on myspace which if you can do it with blogger then I don't know how - haha - I don't know how to do it with myspace yet either but atleast I know it is possible.

My myspace page is www.myspace.com/pretticherri

Accounting I - Quiz #1

Yesterday was my first quiz in Accounting and I think it well pretty well. The quiz was to make the Financial Statements (Income Statement, Statement of Owner's Equity and Balance Sheet) for the first month of a business using the information provided. We were given 30 minutes for the quiz which for any other class is probably plenty but it takes a lot of time to put all the information together. I had a tough time right at the end when my Balance sheet didn't balance - but I figured it out (I think). Emma and I both finished with 2 minutes to spare. The majority of the class was still writing furiously when we left. I'm kind of concerned now that 3 hours for our 50% final may not be enough time if it took 30 minutes to produce one set of Financial Statements. Oh well I guess we will have to wait and see.

Business Math - YUCK!

So yesterday was my first Business Math class. The real first one was supposed to be last Wednesday but we got snowed out. So since we missed a class my teacher decides to skip all the review that he had planned to do in class last week and just move on to new stuff. AHHHH! I haven't taken math in 6 six years! The last math class I took was in Grade 11. I can't remember how do anything! Chapters 1 - 4 in the textbook are all review so yesterday we started on Chapter 5. So I have resolved to buckle down and do the review all by myself. So I figured out that I have a total of 9 Chapters that I need to go through by Monday for both my classes. I always pair the wrong classes together. I either end up taking 1 easy class or 2 hard classes. I think I am going to need to disappear for awhile and hopefully be able to come out and play sometime before I move. :(

I have also noticed that I complain ALOT! I am sorry for that and will try to be more positive in the future :)

Sick Day

Yesterday I took a sick/snow day. Since getting in my little accident I'm kind of freaked about driving in snow. Plus the only vehicle I can drive is my mom's car and she would KILL me if I crashed it.
I'm back at work today and I came in to find out that my boss had just moved my appointment with a client until today instead of rescheduling it till next week. I was late to class on Monday even though I left work at 2:00 so I definitely need to be done with this client by 2:00 today or I will be late again. But this client won't be available till atleast noon today. *sigh* Nothing is ever easy.
I hate being sick because when you are taking cold medicine everything is weird...hopefully the buzz will wear off before I need to drive anywhere.
Wow I am totally scatterbrained today I had better just try and get some work done.

So now I'm sick...

So not only did I rear end someone but now I am sick and I have succeeded in making my poor mother sick. Oh yes it was my master plan to making my long suffering mother horribly ill because that is exactly what I want to live with a big crybaby who won't take her medicine. In case you didn't guess my mother seems to think that I made her sick on purpose - which I did not do. She is terrible when she is sick! All she does is sniffle and complain and cough and whine. She won't take her medicine because she hates to do what she is told - grrr...what is she 3? I'm taking my medicine and I'm fine-ish *sigh* why won't she just take her medicine! Why do I even have to make her take her medicine - I can't wait to go to England - then I won't have to deal with 51 year old children - however goodness know what will happen if I'm not here to make sure she does what supposed to.
*sigh**cough* *sniffle* I'm sick too you know I want someone to take care of me :(
Oh woe is me I suppose. Whatever, colds can't last forver.

I HATE SNOW!

So yesterday I was driving home from work and I slid into the back of a municipal work truck! The truck is fine - my car is not. I have to get it fixed - it is drivable but that it is not advisable since the right light is now non-existent.
Gosh darn freaking snow I hate you!
At least all the people are fine but that's it I'm moving to Hawaii!
UGH!

White Ninja

Thank you Megan for introducing me to The White Ninja!

Savior - Skillet

Skillet | Rebirthing

I bought Skillet's New CD a little while ago and this is one of the songs on it - super cool!