And it's actually happening...

After months of "planning" it's actually happening and we are getting on the bus in a little over three hours.
I'm a little wired, my hands are shaking a bit from lack of sleep, but I'm excited now that I know I've signed off on work and done what I need to do and now I'm ready to go.
I have a bad feeling though, (though it's probably exhaustion paranoia) so if it come to mind, please pray for us as we travel. For our bags, for good border crossings, for nice people along the way and for a good, fun time for the two of us.
Yipes, next post from Ontario!
Love you lots like jelly tots
Hill

It's that time again

So my last post started out "In a month I'll be in Ontario"
Now I'm amazed to say that I'm going to be in Ontario in less than 5 days! And in NEW ZEALAND in LESS THAN 15 days!!!!!
I can't really even believe it and while I'm alternating between really really excited and a "little bit" stressed, I know overall that it's going to be a great two months ahead.

A big part of this two months is also going to be seeing supporters and friends and people who have really been walking through this last 18 months with me, and as part of that I have new pictures for my Christmas cards!

So as a sneak preview, here you go!

Love you
And see you soon!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

So in a month I'll be in Ontario.
And a week after that I'll be in Auckland.
My how time flies.

There has been a lot of talk about Christmas around here recently, and a lot of talk particularly about Christmas food and Christmas movies.
Now I've never really thought intentionally about the "Christmas movie" but it appears that that has been a rather large oversight on my part.
Apparently there are loads of Christmas themed theatrical experiences that I have been missing out on, and my life is apparently not complete without.
So this Christmas, under the careful tutelage of my dear Mark I will be educated in the art of Christmas film. In preparation for that I am having an afternoon time out watching 'Love Actually' which now, given that we are classifying everything all the time, is my favourite Christmas movie. Amen

Also, I'm going to look for a recipe for Brandy snaps... mmmmmmm Christmas will be complete.

Life is going really well here at the moment, and while I wish I had new pictures to chow you, I sadly have not taken any. Again, oversight. We are going out tonight though, so I will try and remedy the situation and get some good pics for you to see.

Also, while we didn't win the most recent competition we entered we did make a really good video, and you can watch it on:

www.becausewecan.tv

I did a whole morning of filming today, helping on of the families on base with making a video letter to send to their supporters for Christmas, and it was really fun to be behind the camera again. I know I have been doing video stuff a lot in the last few months with because we can stuff, but at the same time, it's different (not better or worse, just different) to be doing a project by myself, and making something for someone, my way, with my skills. I love working with Mark and Leigh and Wade, and I really enjoy learning from them and doing what we do, being creative and being 'the girl' on the shoots, it can be a lot to take in and take on. So yeah, tired as I am right now, it's been a good day...plus I get to go on a date today so that makes it even better!

Ok, will follow up with pictures soon.

Love you

Once a month... and tagged!

So I'm again posting once a month (does anyone even read this anymore....?) and Angela 'tagged' me, and since I've never been 'tagged' before, I figure I'll play along......

As many of you who know me know, I have 2 last names, so I took the easiest route and went with Rose... (much less letters to think of than the chinese name, which technically isn't letters at all......) so here goes...

R - Romantic - and I mean that in the fullest sense of that loaded word. Check it out on http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/romantic
I want to live a full and creative life, willing to "subordinate form to content" to emphasise emotion, capture the imagination, sing, laugh, live musically, create, bring life and colour, celebrate in the ordinary, to be fabulous, and love extravagantly.

O - Original and Open - Well at least that's what I'm shooting for.... I think I choose these words because I want to be original and open. I know God made me unique and special and without baggage and insecurity and fear, but sometimes I am scared that I'm really just a bit ordinary and quite a bit closed. And I'm scared that that will lead to boring. But as someone wise once said to me, I can choose not to let that happen. So here's to my best shot :)

S - Senses - I like to see, hear, taste, touch and smell my world, and I'm often driven by my reactions to those things, occasionally to my detriment ,when I'm overwhelmed with a feeling and don't think my reactions through entirely. But sometimes there's so much art and life and colour and love in a smell or a touch or a taste or a look that I can't resist it. And some senses surprise you, communication in sign instead of words or hearing someone come into a room by their scent, or tasting a memory in a foreign land.

E - Emotional - Again, not in a throw away 'oh you're so emotional' way, but more to say that I think I get through a lot of this life by feeling my way out, rather than always thinking the problem through or following a map. There's good and bad points to it, people have always said I have a big heart, and while to love deeply means to have the best memories and laughs and beautiful, I know it means that I've hurt deeply and cried much, and some days just felt sad or so angry I could knee cap someone (I'm sorry that I did that once, you know who you are, thank you for forgiving me...) But I'm learning that it's ok, and I'm incredibly blessed to have a lot of people around me who have cried with me, laughed with me, tickled me when I needed it and said that I didn't, write me amazing and beautiful words and who I know, even when I have my doubts, give me and take my love. Thank you.

So, four words and 30 minutes later it's time for bed.
I tag......Rebecca Joy, Krista Ann, Jacqui Brooke and Laura Rosalind.......

Love you much

videos and viruses

Ok, so no viruses that I know of yet, but it was a nice alliteration.
I have been feeling sick all night, and even though I have an amazing sweet wonderful man to help me forget how sick I'm feeling, now that I'm sitting here without him I feel kinda yucky again.
Hopefully I'll feel better by tomorrow morning. I'm gonna be busy tomorrow.
On the video front, I'm excited to report that we did well on the XLNT video competition and now you can watch our award winning videos on our wicked awesome video website

www.becausewecan.tv

Our video making partner in crime, Leigh, his wife Angela, and our friends Ryan, Wade, Ralph, Nick, Aubrey and Jill all went to the very last Saturday of the Richmond night market. Lots and lots and LOTS of chinese video stalls, music stalls, and FOOD STALLS. My favourite part.
Spicy BBQ squid is your friend....

In other news, it's been a good couple of weeks with the DTS, they are all so great, and so fun to be around, and I am really enjoying getting to know them. They are from all around the place, 22 different students from all around the world, all here to learn about God and missions and it's been really exciting to see that they are already changing. Even though it's only week 2.

Oooooo and Jill is back in town! She is studying at Trinity Western University, so instead of being in Alberta and far far away from here, she is now close and we get to hang out lots. It's fun.
We went to see a hockey game last week. Our team lost badly unfortunately but it was still a fun night.
See, lots of fun...Mark and I having fun at the hockey......
And this is just Mark and I being Mark and I. Yup. Cute huh.


Anyways, I'm about to go to bed, I'm sleepy and sick.
Sigh

Another month.....

Since I'm so bad at posting, and I'm trying to edit another video, and I also just sent out a newsletter not that long ago, AND I am working on a new one, I figure I'll just post a couple of pics, and then link you to my dear roommate Rebecca's blog, because she has summarised our last 2 weeks far more eloquently then I could at midnight in the middle of all of this. Though she didn't include a picture of the finished product. I'll remedy that soon.
Love and cookies
Hillary

P.S. That's not as random as it sounds, I helped bake more than 200 cookies this afternoon. These DTS students don't realise just how lucky they are.....

Mark and I at Robson square...

Laura and I in Montana
and
Rebecca and I, post wedding party, in our pretty party clothes

Once a month posting

This is me as an M&M. Yup, I'm sooooo cute.
Anyways.
So much has happened and so much is going on. I'm going to write bullet points again.

• It's 5.40pm and I'm in my PJs. I was up ridiculously early, did some driving for some friends, then came home and realising the extent of my exhaustion (is it possible the summer is catching up on me?!?!) I decided to take a day off and rest. Just rest. And commune. And chill. It's good
• I'm going to Montana tomorrow with the other DTS staffers for an international DTS conference and training week. I'm excited for the trip, will be good to hang out, network, grow as a group and hear more about what is happening with short term teams being sent out through DTS here in Western North America
• I'm going to a birthday party tonight (not in my PJs) but I don't know what I'm going to wear.
• Leigh, Wade and I entered a video competition (check out www.utilikilt.com the Mockumercial 2007 competition form) and we came 2nd!!! There is a review and prize money and kilts and funness. How's that for a closing screen shot eh? It'll be up on the website eventually, so hopefully you can look at it. I'll keep you posted. What kind of kilt do you want Dad?
• We've finished a lot of the work we were doing for the summer program, and it was so great to be doing media and comms stuff again, let alone the video stuff. It's been soooooooo fun, and I'm really looking forward for doing more of the same this fall with the DTS.
  
• Mark had his birthday and we got a ridiculously large chocolately chocolate cake for the day. If you don't know who Mark is, you should really ask......it's a good story..... ;)

Ok, time to go get ready for a party.........Love you loads, will post with pics from Montana I hope

How long, how long....

My dear blogging community
I'm sorry for my absence. And that terrible Chilli Peppers quote in the title of this post.
How do I even explain my absence? Really there is no way to explain it away, or any good excuse.
I am pleased to say that I am back now and will do my best to be better with keeping you posted.
Things here are really good, though insanely busy.
This is Jessa, Jana and I at the Celebration dinner at the end of Program 2, on thursday that just passed. It was two great programs, but I know we are all really really glad to be here, having 10 days off. We are heading to Whistler for 3 days for a staff retreat on Tuesday, should be an amazing time. I'm really excited, especially as I've never been to Whistler and Summer has finally started here in Vancouver now.
The Mission adventures summer program (www.mavancouver.blogspot.com) is now halfway through, and it's been a crazy ride. The program is basically set up here so we host youth groups here for 4 days of training, and then put them out into the city for 6 days of 'outreach', connecting with long term ministry centres and giving relief to long term workers, as well as being able to give them a new perspective on what city life is and what it means to be an urban missionary.
Speaking of urban missionary, for my friends here in Vancouver (in particular those of our bunch who reside near the Commercial and Lakewood area) Jessa, Jana and I partook (is that a word) in some excellent southern Chinese food at 12.30am! We babysat the Davenport kids tonight, and by 11.30pmish were on our way home, craving some food (after making the kids mickey mouse, heart, star and triangle shaped pancakes for supper) and so stopped randomly on Hastings at 'Penny's restaurant' for some late night eats.
This place was great, so much like the places I know I used to go to with my Mum when I was younger, and in true YWAM style, the food was great, the portions were big and the majority of the patrons and workers didn't speak English. When a place is full of people ordering stupidly large amounts of food in loud Cantonese at midnight, you know it's gotta be good. So you should go there. We're thinking of making that our local weekly outreach :)
And even though we didn't manage to take pictures of our yummy food (we had between the three of us: fried rice noodles with gai lan, potstickers and lo mein with beef brisket) we did of course (in Jana, Jessa, Hillary style) get lots and lots of seriously amusing arms length pictures of us carrying on in the restaurant. And the auntie who ran the place knew I was Chinese and started talking to me in Cantonese. That was fun.
See, we're having fun!

So anyways
Life has been busy here, and eventful with a lot of good fun and exciting changes and developments. It's going to be an awesome summer.
Has anyone reading this noticed I'm making the same face in pretty much ALL my pictures.
tehehe
Anyways.
Favourite romantic sappy film line in a film today?
The award goes to Sweet Home Alabama

"What do you wanna marry me for anyway?"
"So I can kiss you any time I want"

Sigh
shmoooooopie!

So I'm back in Vancouver

Back in Vancouver.
I know it's been a while since I posted, well, for my standards at least, and certainly a while since I've posted anything of real substance.
Don't get your hopes up though, it's 11pm, after first day of Mission Adventures staff training and subsequent fried brain, and I'm sad to say I just thought I'd say hi and then go to bed.
And thought I'd post a pic of me, finally, back in Vancouver.
I miss you guys (as if I know who reads this, I know some of you, but yeah you know what I mean)
It's been one of those days.

hill

Goodbye Victoria....

It occurred to me, not too long ago, that since Christmas, I haven't been in Vancouver for more than 10 consecutive days. And it's now the 1st of June. How did that happen.
And yet, really, I don't think I'd have it any other way. It's been a good 6 months. The people, the places, the people, the food, the friends, the people, the work, the weather, the people......

24 hours from now, I'll be back in Vancouver, for at least the summer. A whole few months. Weeeeeodd (weird for those of you who speak regular english)
It's been a long month. Pretty tough in many ways, but at the same time it's been really really important. For lots of reasons.
But I'm looking forward to being home.

So I talked to a friend today about patience.
Patience I don't have, patience I need, patience I want, patience that I ask God for right now, for now, for here, for this, and realise then that I missed the point, because I want it now, and that just isn't how it works is it.
Sounds elementary huh

I fixed the DVD problem. Still some catch up to do while I'm in Vancouver, but all in all it's been a solid effort, and huge preparation for the summer.

The summer.......now that's a long story...

Ugh, newbie mistakes

So I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
I am hereby guilty of BWE, aka blogging while emotional. (thank you Jo for pioneering this little acronym)
I just discovered a total run of newbie mistakes I have been making for several days that have rendered several hours of work completely pointless and useless, and will now lead to several more hours of work.
For anyone in the slightest bit video inclined, who wants to hit me in the head with a soggy newspaper, my DVD authoring programme is from NZ and therefore set to write PAL, where all my footage is in NTSC. Also, more stupid yet, Premiere was saving everything in some made up foreign mpeg format that is ofcourse not mpeg2 compatible.
Result: after many hours I have some very jumpy out of sync DVDs.
Did you know that if you fold a DVD in half a couple of times it breaks into multi coloured, multi layered shards?
Sigh
Back to the drawing board

My song of the day

For your listening pleasure.....
my favourite song today

"Shizuka na Hibi no Kadan Wo" by Dragon Ash

wish to the shooting star after the rain.....

So much to say....

So much to say, and no way to say it all.
So it's bullet points for today, pictures, then bed.

1. First off, my mate Mark came out to Victoria this weekend, soooo much fun, so good to have a friend to explore the city with. Pictures below.... :D
2. I finally broke my bad picture streak and got two good rolls developed. YAY! hopefully will get some up on here sooner rather than later.
3. I'm watching the Italian job, the new one with Mark and Charlize and Seth. good. very good.
4. I'd like to have a Mini cooper. And drive with Handsome Rob ;)
5. I only have one more week here before my mate Philip arrives on June 3rd, I get a week of leave and then it's all on for MA. woooo hooooo.
6. You should read this story http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4096586. It's really awesome.
   

I feel like I had lots more to say, but really, I'm too tired to think.
Will post more next time I render I guess.
Big love
Hillary

Mark and I at Chinatown

'Embracing' all that is Canadian, hugging a bear and kissing a cow-riding mountie. Can life get better? I submit that it cannot! ;)

What's Chinatown without Dimsum. For a 'meat and potatoes' guy he did pretty well. Yup, there are chicken feet there.....

That's what you get when you have two photographers and two cameras. Pictures of people taking pictures. Gee.

Happy Birthday to me....

So I have amazing and wonderful friends and flatmates here in Vancouver who looked after me and loved me all weekend.
What a treat, and sooooo refreshing.
I will for sure blog later, but after this weekend of late nights and early mornings, I am going to try for some beauty sleep before the trip back tomorrow to Victoria.
So until I can give you the play by play from the last few days, here are some of the best of's from last night:

The roomies! Me, Reeeebeeee, and Jax

Henri and I, with our Sangria

Jax and I in our party dresses

Andy-Roo and his glamour glasses (stolen from a gorilla might I add!)

The gorgeous girls

My birthday cupcake a la Jacqui

Mark made me an icecream cake!!! yup he did!!!!

Adam and I are soooo cute

So I got tired of the dress, but kept the crown and beads.

We started playing 'Spoons' and every out means one glass of water. I got to 3....bleh

Suddnely I see...

So my eye was doing something weird this morning, like I couldn't really see properly. Not so cool. It did it last night too. But it's ok now. Could be the not sleeping thing. hmmm

Anyways, am rendering again, having a mental break and letting my computer do the work today. I'm still thinking, but mostly just watching the little green render progress bar. I'm glad to say I'm nearly done with the first week of teaching! wooohooo, only 7 more to go! :S

So while I did that I taught Roy how to transfer pics from his XD camera cards on to his computer OR his USB flash drive. He's a pretty quick 76 year old I'll tell you that!

It's hilarious, he's really glad he finally learnt because he basically was taking pics on his digital camera, and then since he didn't know how to get them off, he would just go buy another one. So he had 4 XD cards worth of pics to transfer, and now he doesn't know what to do with them! tehehe

But yeah, with all the camera stuff, I borrowed theirs and before they headed off to A&W for lunch we took a quick snap shot so you can see the rock stars I live with here on the Island.

And in the meantime I'm going to pack and clean my room a bit (computer still rendering) and then it's off to Vancouver for the long weekend! YAY! birthday party, Brian Regan and the DRIVE here I come! I'll still be working and rendering and editing pretty much the entire time, but it's all good :D

More pictures to come once we're done partying it up on saturday night. Who's coming?

So...

it's 3am. Insomnia is a bad thing.

Only in Oregon...

So the next spider man.......
Was this seriously on the news in Oregon? In America? On TV? I mean really?
Who was in America and saw this on the news? huh huh huh? Tell me!!!
And you know what's more concerning? I found this in the New Zealand Herald.
Gotta love it.
Don't click here if you are scared of spiders...

Quote of the day

This was on the top of gmail this morning, you know where it has those little webclips to news stories and stuff..

"A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."
-Eleanor Roosevelt.

I want to be good tea.

so....

so this is post number 100
How is it that I got to 100 posts? Who even reads this? Do I know you?
But yeah, it's been a stupidly full last few days, I don't even know what to really say. I feel like my life doesn't have any median points, just extremes, crazy fluctuations like a hyper active kid on a see-saw. No middle ground.
But today is better.
Anyways, emo aside, I will restrain myself from a crazed diatribe about life for now (if you get my updates, you already know), and instead post the promised pictures from Sunday upisland with Layne and Mac. Sadly we didnt' have a camera in the caves (oh yeah, i'm offically a Spelunker, that is, one who explores caves!) it was sweet fun though, got wet from literally face to feet, covered in mud and have a couple of bruises as proof that I, Hillary, was inside several small, dark, wet places. yikes. That's what living in Canada will do to you I guess. And the scariest part??? I want to go again................
More later, lunch break is done....
Love, hill

My huge birthday cake, complete with Winnie the Pooh and Daffy Duck candles!

Anders (8th of 8 kids) and I eating cake

Me, Mackenzie, Michell and little Anders

Together again! Mack, Me, and Layne

The Johnson tradition is licking the frosting off the candles...........
Toveli, Gaylin, and Danaka
Mac and Anders, Anders helping himself to birthday cake
Fun with coffee cups and cameras! :)

A weekend at the beach....

So I arrived at Layne's last night, in a scene vaguely reminiscent of a bad horror movie. The bus driver dropped me off on the side of the road, in front of a ute with its lights on. Layne and her sister Rauchelle were going to meet me on the side of the road with their lights on so I figure, 'ok cool' the bus drives away and i'm walking toward this ute. Then I realise that Layne and her sister are not infact in the ute, two scary very hairy bearded bushmen are in the ute. oh dear. and it's a very dark country road. hmmm
so i go and stand behind the ute and call layne. 5 phone calls and 15 strange minutes later i'm safe and sound at their house.
Phew
This morning I am greeted by all 8 of Layne's siblings, and we end up chilling out on my bed talking and laughing and me hearing lots of stories about life here up-island since i last came to visit (last october). I was then presented with two letters, written by 2 of her younger siblings.
Seriously. classic.

"Dear Hillary, toveli
I'm happy that you're coming, and I'm happy that you're staying. I'm happy that you like Layne. I'm happy that you're staying for two days. It will be fun with you here, and we'll have lots of fun. We'll always be happy and I know that you'll like it here with Layne. And the age that you'll be is fine"

Toveli is 5, and dictated the letter to Layne. She knew it was my birthday and to her 5 year old mind, I'm positively ancient and need to be re-assured that it's NOT the end of the world that I am infact 18 years older than her. thank goodness.

So today has been great, lots of laughing and joking and fun, playing in the sand, in the rocks and generally just living :)
It's a good weekend. The sun is good too, my body is in shock after being in my fluorescent editing cave for the last week. Jill would be proud of my tanning :)

And of course, on a sunny almost-summer day, what should we do? Weiner roast and SMORES
tehehehe

mmmmm, fire......

mmmm....hotdog......

mmmmm.....smores..........

mmmmmmmm

Yeah. They're pretty cool......

Rendering.......

So I've been rendering for a few hours now.....
This project is certainly good practice, but my eyes hurt.
We went out for 'dinner' today to celebrate Jan's birthday, Jan and Roy's 49th anniversary, Mother's Day, and my birthday. At 4.30pm. I feel like I'm on a another planet. But anyways.
After dinner we went up Mount Tolmie, and it was just like driving up Mt Eden! It has an amazing view in every direction, the mountains going up island, Victoria, the mainland........
I got some ok pictures, and I told Jan and Roy today I'd take some anniversary pics for them, they want to get some together for their 50th next year :) I'll post a couple if they turn out from today :)
It's officially my birthday in NZ today. Still a few more hours to go here, but it's all the same from inside my little editing cave.
I'm excited for this year. It looks busy and different and challenging, and already has meant new people, places, relationships, adventures, music, food, laughs, houses, countries, and so much. And this year has a lot to live up to, given two weeks after my 21st I moved to Canada the first time, and 2 weeks after my 22nd, I went back to NZ to raise support to come back on staff. I wonder what surprises this year will hold........

p.s. I was just looking at www.nzherald.co.nz at my favourite section "Today in pictures" I think for my official New Zealand birthday this is my favourite......
I mean really........who does that.....

Ashrita Furman, who currently holds 144 Guinness world records, gyrates as he hula hoops underwater at Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Florida. Photo / Reuters