SoccerChic9: August 2006

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Okay....I am not a clothes person....which those of you who know me will agree with. I wear the same clothes till they die...and I am especially horrible with shoes. Seriously, does a girl need more then a pair of sandals, running shoes, bitch boots, and some closed toe army looking shoes? I don't think so....it would seem excessive, considering you can only wear one pair of shoes at a time :)

However, all that being said....I have fallen in love with a piece of clothing. I know, it sounds silly when I type it out - but there is a desiger, Jessica Mcclintock, and I really like some of her clothes. This jacket is my addiction, as has been for quite sometime. Cept, without the fluffy lacy shirt thing underneath.....I'm not that girly:)

Jessica McClintock link

I love the fall. I love the leaves changing colours, the air getting cooler, wearing sweaters again, back to school sale signs, and yellow buses waking up from their slumber. I must admit, I really really want to go back to school right now. I feel stagnant.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Let me just say, it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable in a church. I would say this is based on the fact that I have grown up in churches my entire life. Well, tonight in the matter of five seconds the Baptist church I attended accomplished making me feel incredibly uncomfortable. As much as I pitied any person who happened to casually walk in there and had never attended church before, I must say I found the entire experience rather humorous.

It all started with lady #1. I was sitting about five rows from the back, and observing the church....and this lady walks up to me and introduces herself and welcomes me. I was all appreciating the fact that she was going out of her way to say hi...until she opened her purse and started trying to convert me....once I was able to get a word in edgewise and find the ladies face behind all the tracts and booklets, I told her I already was saved. She smiled all relieved, and left. I just figured she was over zealous....until the next five people who came up to me, barely asked me my name before asking if I was saved and had prayed the prayer. I was starting to get a little weirded out.

Well, this guy most likely in his 20's, shows up and after asking me the saved question, asked if he can sit by me. I said sure....very unenthusiastically - and he took his place. So, the pastor gets up in front of the church and asks if there were any prayer requests. Immediately one of the ladies puts up her hand and says "I want to introduce Mary to our church." About 120 people turn in their seats to look at me, I did my best impression of a smile, and was just waiting for the pastor to ask the saved question...instead he commented on my smile, asked if I wanted to come up to the front and sing or dance (I turned it down by the way), and then had every one wave at me and say in unison "Hi Mary". Yup, completely awkward.

Well, the dude beside me wanted my address and phone number....I managed to get out of it.....because I could only imagine the entire church showing up at my doorstep the next morning. We finished singing one of the songs....sat down, and the dude leaned over and said "I am sure you have heard this a million times, but you have the voice of an angel". I thought I was going to die laughing....but managed to squeak out "No, I haven't heard that a million times."

I managed to get out of the church with only three requests for my contact information, a lecture on how I should go to one of the three prayer meetings they have during each week - and a request from the dude for me to let him know if I am at one of the prayer meetings so that he can come and meet me.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is an awkward church service.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

I woke to a nice morning phone call, and a cloudy and windy Saturday. I am loving the fallish weather. I am sitting at my desk right now, radio blaring, and my morning apple keeping me company. It is Saturday, and I am at the office - and suprisingly enough, I don't mind. Saturday's are great days to work, no phone calls, no clients, no co-workers - I seem to get a million more things done, and right now that is a good thing.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Can I say that I am so glad it is finally the weekend.....this week has been.....well, let's say interesting. We will just leave the description at that. Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow....gah....but tonight is Friday, and I will be one of the many at Chris and Jolene's engagement party! I am really excited for them....they are a fabulous couple!!

My little brother now knows who I am....and apparently when I am not around asks "mi mi...mi mi keys...mi mi bye bye." So yes folks, I am not officially known as mi mi - I have no idea where that comes from - as I do not wear huge amounts of eye make-up and weight 530 pounds.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

"You know that we are underground, and the colour of the stone. For a wise man, that would be enough."

Apparently the answer to the secret lies in that quote from V for Vendetta. And I, being the five-year-old-curious-child that I am, want to know the secret.

Hmmmm....

I am getting up at 5:00 in the morning three times this week to go to the gym. Now, that is not the crazy part. The crazy part is that I have pulled myself out of bed within five minutes of my alarm two times this week already. That my friends, is the sound of not normal.

On a happy note.....I get to hang out with Julie tonight....we're going to paint London red, which of course is going to be a ton of fun!!

On a weird note....I fell asleep last night before finishing my laundry, and it was not 10:00 yet.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Has anyone seen the episode of CSI where the girl has a stalker living in her ceiling....and he video tapes her. Then ends up calling her, and jumping into the closet and killing her. So, when I watched the episode with my sister and a bunch of friends....I screamed when the guy jumped into the closet (I think they still make fun of me to this day about that).

Well today, I noticed that in our office bathroom there is a hole in the ceiling, the perfect size for a camera. So, I talked to the camera, and made a face...just so that the office stalker would know that I knew about him.

I must have been asked that question by, let me see, oh yeah, everyone at the party. I felt a little underacomplished every time I said "I'm a law clerk". But can I just say that I had an absolutely fabulous time...I made some awesome connections, scored some really amazing food (I even ate the fruit for dessert instead of the plethora of chocolate and good looking food), and now have a new collection of business cards in my purse.

I ended up going with business casual, just to be on the safe side. I wore black dress pants with a dark sandal (I figured that would dress it down a bit...and yeah, I painted my toe nails....just incase you were wondering about the girly side:), and then a black party button down shirt with a dark green tank thing with lace. And can I say, without even trying my purse, tank and neckalace all were green. Wow, I think the world is going to end...I just actually wrote a sentence about accesories, and a paragraph about clothes.

I fit right in at the party, as far as dress goes. Some people were quite dressed up, and there was one person with jeans - so it worked out perfect.

Looks like I might be taking some courses at Western this January, and now have some great ideas as to what programs I should grab.

So yes, and sucessful night, and other then tripping and losing my shoe in front of the hot Australian lawyer - everything went quite well.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Okay....so thanks to all your helpful advice....I am off, and hopefully I don't look to much like a clown since I listened to everyone and now have about ten different outfits on....makes walking a little weird....but at least I look cool!!

Wish me luck....I'm nervous for this one.....being the only non-lawyer and all.....I know I'll say something dumb....but at least I'll have a good story to tell afterwards, and people can point and laugh!!

what does one wear to a large London lawyer gathering? Now, of course my first answer would be a suit and lots of black, however, this lawyer gathering is taking place at one of the lawyer's house and it's a BBQ. Now I am stumped. I don't want to be overdressed, but people I am only a law clerk and I got invited to this deal....so I need to look presentable and professional. It's all about making a fabulous first impression, and then networking because of that.

Gah, worrying about clothes is silly....and here I am, sitting and wondering, "what the heck am I going to wear tonight"

Monday, August 21, 2006

Okay...so I have been reduced to an incredibly girly girl. I used to pride myself in the fact that I was quite the tomboy...and I was. But today, I got a letter in the mail....like a real letter...not junk mail or bills - and I did this girly dance on my front porch. Now, if this was the only girly instance that had happened recently, then I might dismiss it as a one time event....but no, I have fallen in love with life....and realized that I'm kind of girly....but don't tell anyone...cause I want to keep the tough girl rumour alive!!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

There are times in life that I Just want to freeze a moment - capture it and never let it go. They are the moments when I am driving aimlessly across London in order to let my brain clear - and me thinking leads to thoughts of the important people in my life. People who have changed who I am, challenged me, cried with me, made me jump when I'm scared, put up with my baggage, made memories, and so forth. And suddenly I realized that I do not appreciate these people nearly enough. These are people I cannot live without....but do they know that.

Often I find myself watching couples, or parents with their children - and I want to shake them and tell them "Love this moment, appreciate this person, don't let them not know how you feel." You only live once, would it not be a shame if today was your last day with someone who means the world to you, and you never let them know that. Don't ever be afraid to love, even if it hurts - it is worth every moment. I know, that is weird for me to say...the girl who builds walls and was going to be a nun. But hey, nuns can love too :)

Of making myself toast for breakfast in the morning....and what I do is eat the entireness of the toast, and then leave the top crust - even if it's not burnt. I make sure I get what ever I've put on it out, but I never finish the entire piece. I do, however, adore pizza crust - even though this may not relate to toast. I think they should come up with dipping sauce for the crust of toast - then I'd eat it forsure!!

I'm really excited because Nicole is back from her summer at camp - so hopefully I can finally hook up with her on the phone or skype.....and in less then a month I am back in The Hat....which is so freakin awesome - I seriously can't wait - September is going to be a fabulous month, that is forsure.

I'm also planning on signing up for a ball hockey league....which is going to be so totally awesome. I love floor/street hockey, of course because I am a dedicated Canadian - and hockey is what we do best!!

I also realized that I suck at turning of curiousity - I like that anticipation that secrets give, but sometimes I just want to know what the secret is.....and as much as I wish I could turn off my five-year-old-like switch and say, "Oh, it's just another secret" I suck at that.

I also did not realize that Julie's church was like an hour away for me, so I didn't get the chance to hook up with her and Nick today.....hopefully next time, when I'm a little better prepared.

This past weekend my cousin got married. Crazy to think really, she just had turned 19, I know I never would of been ready or mature enough to get married that young, but props to her and her new husband.

One of my favourite things to do at weddings, is when the music changes for the bride to walk down the isle, and everyone stands and faces the door camera's flashing - instead of watching the bride appear for the first time, I always turn and watch the groom's reaction as he sees his bride and new wife for the first time. Over the years I have seen a vast array of emotions pass over these men's faces - as they see their most prized posession walk toward them all decked out in the glory that only a bride can possess. I've seen tears, sobbing, huge grins, and smiles that would split the earth's core if permitted.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Do you know what one of the best feelings is......walking outside after a crazy hard workout in the morning. I mean, when I do the whole 5:00 thing, it's dark when I drive to the gym, and dark while I am working out. Then, as I come through the doors I am welcomed by a beautiful sunrise, and a city that is still half asleep. Nothing like conquering the world, or at least my flubbies, before 8:00 in the morning.

And that my friends, is what insanity sounds like. I'll try not to think about the fact that you all are still asleep, curled up in little balls under your blankets, enjoying the morning, yet to hear the sound of your piercing alarm clocks.....darn it, if only there was a universal alarm clock I could set off to make you all enjoy my early morning misery:)

It's 5:00 in the morning, why ever did I decide to get up so early and hit the gym on my day off? I am thinking I must slowly be going crazy....surely normal people would never do something like this.

The blank screen is starting to burn into my retinas.....I am convinced there is nothing intelligent to say before 10:00 in the morning - this moment is confirming that.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

For years I have hated my middle name, as many of you most likely know, and for those of you who didn't know I had a middle name.....there is a reason for that. However, I was having a conversation with a friend the other night (who will stay unamed to protect his identity since we all know he will get beat up if this gets out), and his middle name is Nezzelthorm....yeah, what parent calls their kid Nezzelthorm....though I must say....when you use the short form of Nezzel...it does sound kind of ghetto. "Yo yo, whatz up Nezzel my bro."

So, for the first time I breath a sigh of relief....after all, there is one person in the world whose middle name is worse then mine.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

When you get all excited about something....you're making changes, good changes at that. And then one single person, crashes that all in an hour.

Grrrrrr....now my good day just crashed.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

I suppose this post is being written due to a combination of things, some of it being past circumstances, some of it conversations with various people, such as Steve, and some of it due to growing up and being involved in the church. The question I asked myself this morning, as I sat in another new church surrounded by people I did not know, was this: "Why are we so afraid to be honest with ourselves and others."

Now, I realize that there are many explanations to that question, such as our pride, being afraid of hurt, and using non-honesty as a defence mechanism. But putting aside all those reasons that we use so readily as excuses not to change our lives....why is it that we generally do not even attempt to be honest about who we are. Instead, we create people who appear to be perfect.

I sat in this church this morning, and looked around at the faces in the chairs beside me...do you know what I saw. I saw a bunch of smiling faces, nicely dressed up for the service, singing the songs, and appearing to have everything together. Now, I realize it is an unfair judgement for me to pass on a bunch of people that I have never met before, and say that they are not honest. But I would venture to guess, that a lot of them put effort into appearing to have everything together.

I have grown up in the church my entire life, and I must say that many christians are not honest with each other or their feelings. Almost as if it is a crime when you don't have your life all perfectly together. I mean, what will people think if they see you struggling with something in your life. So we become artists and actors, perfecting our ability to disguise and act.

I know all this, because I do the very same thing in my own life. Once again, as I write a post about something that is running through my head, I realize that I end up preaching that very thing to myself. But the thing I can say to this important issue, is that when I do come across a person who is not afraid to be honest with who they are, and does not spend every minute worrying about what others might think.....I find that person to be an extremely fresh breath of air in my life. I envy what they have, and I crave to be more like them.

I am trying to be most honest about who I am, my struggles, my joys, and the real Mary who is burried underneath of a lot of baggage most days. I can only pray that those who are around me realize that I don't want perfect people in my life, no one does - we want people who are not afraid to be honest, who let us see them at their worst, and love them for who they really and truly are.

Friday, August 04, 2006

For most of my life I have lived with many walls. Each of these had various purposes and reasons, but most of them were for safety and security. I mean, you don't get hurt if you don't let people get close to you. Walls can be very efficient, when something shattering happens, you just pick up and move on with little change to your mental state. However, walls also turn you into a hermit who lives a life of solitude. I mean, you never truly know what it is to live life, because you have never let life get close to you.

It's also very hard for people to get to know you, when you have a bajillion (my new favourite word) walls all over the place. I have been trying to change this about me, as to my sucess, I can only pray that I am getting better. Learning to live life truly, without regrets, without walls.

I also have some awesome people in my life, who make me jump even when I'm scared, and are patient enough to stick around and pry the real me out from all the rubble.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Things happen in life...you do something in a moment or a few moments, and you don't look at the big picture. Or perhaps, it all make sense at the time, and then later down the road things don't quite work out, or you take a moment to look back - and suddenly you're sitting there wishing that chapters of your life never happened. I am sure everyone can pinpoint a time in their life, where things happened that they wish they could of changed it. I know that there are a bunch of things in my life I could wish never happened, or that I had been a little less in the moment and more thinking big picture. But, I have made an effort to live without regrets.

Things happen, but I can't change the past, I can only learn from it and move on. So, it is with that in mind that I try not to look back to often, unless to take some lesson I've learned to heart. I am trying to live in the moment, and live without regrets. I am not always sucessful, but I would like to think that I have tried.