What I've been up to in Canada

What does one do when they are unexpectedly living at home again with very few of their own belongings and no definite plans for the future? Well, let me tell you!

• Re-learn to be Canadian: I have gained a new appreciation for my non-aggressive, non-popularity based government. I've sung my national anthem several times and cried every time. I could walk into basically any job I want and the minimum wage is almost $9. And they didn't treat me like crap at the border. CANADA ROCKS! (however, I don't intend to adopt this accent again, and I like saying "y'all")
• Submit resumes and job applications: Still have no clue where I'm headed so I'm sending them all over the country. And I'm still working on the french one.... yeah I know, its been like a month, but I had to translate and reformat, and I have resume anxiety anyway!
• Become an internet-aholic: I now have plenty of time to blogstalk, keep up with my friends on facebook, email people I haven't replied to in eons, cry over websites of concerts I have to miss(Jason I still love you!), find new concerts to fill the void(thank you Natasha), research grad schools I may never attend, find jobs in foreign countries, apply to be an EFY counselor - again, look up flights I can't take, and laugh at the weeks best and worst dressed on the red carpet.
• Cook and eat - a lot: I actually have time to cook! My parents have a pantry full of things waited to be experiemented with. Plus we like fun meals. Had raclette - my favorite french meal - last week, Dad made ratatouille this week, and of course, steak on the grill. Mmmm I love Alberta beef. And nanaimo bars! America is missing out.
• Work out: Yeah baby! There's this awesome community center that opened about a year ago, and has an awesome gym like unto the facilities at BYU-I, but bigger and with an indoor track. It's only ten minutes from my house but it usually takes me a while to motivate myself to go out in the cold to get there. Getting a membership helped. So my bod is NOT getting flaby fat and lazy, and my mood is generally up:) Plus, I have to get a head start before I go back to Orlando and eat myself crazy for the holidays and saying goodbye to my favorite restaurants.
• Watch movies: I have seen 14 movies, two at my Dad's movie theatre. Some were for the first time, some are old favorites. Passchendaele (a Canadian war movie starring, written and directed by my favorite Canadian actor, Paul Gross. He is so beautiful... and talented too), The Best Two Years, While You Were Sleeping, Head Over Heels (I forgot how completely adorable Freddie Prince, jr is!), Journey to the Center of the Earth (the remake. It had too much CGI for me), The Terminal (Tom Hanks is awesome), Hairspray(!!!), French Kiss (I love Paris!!! J'arrive!), Kate and Leopold, The Perfect Man, South Pacific (another remake. Almost good but... not quite. Although Harry Connick, jr is very easy on the eyes - and shirtless), The City of Ember (and now I'm reading the book cuz it intrigued me), In Search of the Castaways(the old Disney movie with Hailey Mills and Maurice Chevalier - unlikely, yet fun), and Sunset Boulevard (classic film, but creepy and rather depressing).
• Get spiritual: I gave a talk at an awesome baptism last week and got to teach Relief Society this week. Plus we got the conference Ensign. Yay for extra study time!
• Home renovations: I have painted, installed drywall, and will soon learn to tile. Oh yeah.
• SHOP! Since I had very few clothes with me, and most are for warmer weather, I had a great excuse to go shopping. I got a wool peacoat, boots, sweaters, long-sleeve shirts, gloves, and new running shoes - to support the gym membership. And even though I totally love shopping, I haven't done much for several months so it's been fun.

Being marooned in the frozen north has its perks. Mostly thanks to my amazing parents. They have been so generous and supportive. And my extended family has been so encouraging; it's been really fun to catch up with everyone. I'm keeping busy in spite of my situation and my stress level is surprisingly low. I am so very blessed!