The Life of Keeg: June 2006

Vancouver trip

today we hiked the Chief in Squamish. The hike was unlike any terrain I have hiked before. The views were spectacular and the company was good too. Chuck, Katherine, Aaron and I left this morning and hiked the chief and after we went for a swim in Murin Lake. There were so many people on this hike I felt like I was in a mall, only I was sweating, my heart was thumping and I was out of breath and trying not to fall off cliffs. I am used to hiking and seeing only a few people on the trail, and the last 2 hikes I've done I have seen exactly 2 people on Slesse (who I happened to know) and maybe 5 or 6 on Elk mtn (2 of whom I also knew). I am hoping to do Golden Ears and possibly Black Tusk next weekend!

Flies buzzing around Aaron

this is a makeshift casket or canoe depending on the angle!

Aaron and I hiked Slesse Memorial to the base of mt.slesse (pic above) the site of a horribly plane crash in 1952 (?)- according to the historical signage the bodies and plane remnants were never removed- so we were basically hiking around an open graveyard.

This is us laughing at the top- we made the hike in 3 hrs and by the time we got back to the car it was after 8 pm- still light out

first we had to cross the river via this big log

ahhh it doesn't get much better than this....

towards the end of the night- walking off our dinner we paused to sit on the bench and look at the ocean..

pub where I had my b-day dinner with Melissa and Jeanine!

Last year: Jennica and I with the cake Jamie made from scratch!
Last year's b-day with Jennica and Jamie (my brother in law)

Ok so I am editing this again- I realized Jennica and I did go kayaking once before for our b-day....
Every year I have a fabulous idea to celebrate my birthday- then I invite about 10 of my friends to come and celebrate with me. I have always wanted to go kayaking and when I lived in Victoria and Jennica and I had a bunch of friends go out to Brentwood Bay jsut outside Victoria for canoeing and kayaking. I t was beautiful ending with a nice cove then we turned around. We also had a backyard bbq and went to dallas rd to the beach to celebrate another year. On our 21st b-day our parents rented a pontoon (party boat) on Osoyoos Lake- that where I met my first boyfriend, Randy Gay...My favorite memory: at a park across the street from Jennica and my apartment in Victoria- we lugged a bbq over there, and we actually had invited 30 people between the two of us- I think maybe 20 people came- it was great! We ended up going to the beach when it got dark, and found some people with a campfire, well needless to say I got some sand kicked into my eyes and one of the guys tried to help by pouring salt water into my eyes- so I ended up in Emergency for a couple of hours from 1 am on....good times, I was definelty entertained. So, this year I decide I want to do the kayak thing at Deer Lake park- I send out a mass e-mail- and lo and behold- only one person can make it! Now, I have decided I could feel sorry for myself, but then I was thinking, I absolutely love my friend Melissa- she has truly been there for me and we been spending a lot of time playing the guitar, the jimbay, and sharing our love for random exercise and listening to music in my car in the Mill Lake parking lot! So, I realize that there isn't any person (besides Jennica) right now in my life that I would rather spend my birthday with then Melissa. I realize that I have had different batches of friends every year that have come and go, but there are certain friendships I have held onto throughout the years that I have been in the Fraser Valley and Melissa is one of them. And even if Melissa can't make it- you know what I would be sad, but I think I would just spend the day with God, because he is the One true friend in my life who has stuck in there year after year, He truly knows my heart and has the best plans in store for me, so no matter what I will never be alone- including the day I came into the world. Acquaintances come and go but a good friend is hard to find, and God is slowly supplying me with amazing friends and I am so lucky to spend time with them anyday of the week. So now it turns out my friend Jeanine- who just celebrated her 27th last weekend (and I know her from Victoria, she is now a Vancouver resident) will be joining Melissa and I. I have always wanted these two ladies to meet- Jeanine graduated from UVIC with women's studies and spend the last few years living in different countries in Europe. So, when I told Melissa this- she was so impressed and exciting that such a thing as women studies existed. And Melissa thinks that she kinda looks like Jeanine- they will definetly get along as they are both amazing, spontanous, funny, and like to dance! We will go out for dinner in Vancouver and Rachel my younger sis is hopefully joining us! Pictures to come...

Melissa and I last year at the Yorkshire Rose

Lyrics from "We live" by Superchick:

There's a cross on the side of the road
Where a mother lost a son
How could she know that the morning he left
Would be their last time she'd trade with him for a little more time
So she could say she loved him one more time
And hold him tight
But with life we never know

When we're coming up to the end of the road
So what do we do then
With tragedy around the bend?

Chorus:
We live we love
We forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love
We live we love
We forgive and never give up
Cuz the days we are given are gifts from above
Today we remember to live and to love

There is a man who waits for the tests
To see if the cancer has spread yet
And now he asks, "So why did I wait to live till it was time to die?"
If I could have the time back how I'd live
Life is such a gift
So how does the story end?
Well this is your story and it all depends
So don't let it become true
Get out and do what we are meant to do

Chorus

Waking up to another dark morning
People are mourning
The weather in life outside is storming
But what would it take for the clouds to break
For us to realize each day is a gift somehow, someway
So get our heads up out of the darkness
And spark this new mindset and start to live life cuz it ain't gone yet
And tragedy is a reminder to take off the blinders
And wake up and live the life we're supposed to take up
Moving forward with all our heads up cuz life is worth living

My friend Kim and I stopped for coffee in Langely before we both headed out to separate destinations in Vancouver on Sunday..Nice to catch up with her:)

my friend Jeanine on sunday, her 27th birthday with mostly family and some friends.

Driving 101

The one thing that makes me nervous is people driving in courtesy cars because they might just be bad drivers waiting for their speedmobile to get fixed (not all people driving courtesy cars). Also, people who drive with dents in their car/smashed windows- it shows that either they can't afford to get that window fixed, they just haven't got around to getting it fixed, or just don't care because they keep getting into accidents (the drivers I am most afraid of). I think that everytime I drive I have visions of how I am going to die at the hands of the horrible Abotsford drivers. Oh and I always feel like whoever is in the car with me, specifically the front seat passenger- is silently judging me or critiquing my driving skill- sometimes I wonder if they feel unsafe with me- but I like to prove them wrong: Here's a little secret about me: Sometimes when I drive I pretend I am on a road test and I am totally impressing the marker:) I know I am a geek but I love it!

more pics from outer edge cont..

pics from our last night at Outer Edge- it's officially over- we love you Bindu and wish you all the best with teh church plant! God bless you, Trish and the kids!