Meet Virginia (well at least thats the name i'm pushing)

She was born Christmas night to Vi. Mother and baby are healthy. Hooray for Christmas babies and graphic web videos.

More Later But....

The 1st Annual Global Warming Game of Catch



Yes Dan, you can be jealous and my Dad even said you should have been here for it.

Ha!

Even Better!

You Got To Recognize!

Number 70 on this is list...yesss!

Tonight

We started setting up Dad's model train tonight...

Happyness

On Monday night John and Manda and Dad and I went to see the Pursuit of Happyness in Bellewille.


Surprise! I'm taking your picture in the dark, dark car with the bright, bright flash!


Surprise! Dad and I are being crazy in the back seat.


Awww, the young couple who loves each other.


Awww, the Daddy daughter duo taking pics while they walk.


Awww, 20 mins of commercials and previews.


Awww, not very many other people in the theatre.

The Microwave: 1983-2006 So Long Good Buddy

On Sunday afternoon while heating up some garlic biscuits the microwave died. He made a buzzing noise and then a frying noise and that was it. It was sudden, it was unexpected, it was tragic. We of the family Stewart are dealing with this great loss.



That's him before the coroner came.



During the autopsy.



And me beginning the mourning process.

Dave the Microwave had been with us since the summer Mom was pregnant with John. He was a gift from Grandma Renton (aka Big Momma). He is survived by Rhonda the Toaster and best friend Kel the Fridge. We appreciate your thoughts in this difficult time.

Bittersweet

So I'm at home in Brighton now. Just woke up from my first sleep here and am doing a little reflecting before I start my day.

I'm very glad to be home and to be with my family. My brother's girlfriend Manda is here (I met her for the first time last night - she's great!). Last night the five of us had homemade pizza together and watched a movie and all but Mom stayed up past 1am watching TV and taking in moderate amounts of 'Christmas cheer'. It was great. But there is always a bit of a downside to being home. Its hard to see my Mom in so much pain and to see her so frustrated with her condition. I'm glad that we're home and here to help her, but I know that we also create more work and more pressure. Also, Manda only stays until the 20th and I'll only see John for two weeks (after an absence of over 5 months) and then I won't see him again until May or June.

I'm glad for the break and the time off. But as usual, I still have school work to do and things to organize for January. So like most of the real world there is very little time that is actually 'free'.

The beginning of January comes as a very happy and a very sad time for my heart. Chelsea leaves for Florence then. She doesn't get back until the middle of June. This semester we have grown very close and have watched God work many wonders in each other. It seems just as our friendship is about to ripen, she is leaving. But after some angry accusations shouted at God he has informed me that all is well, and indeed it is. He is calling her there to study and I can't wait to see what he has in store for her and for me too - cause he is already setting things up in a very cool way. Simon comes back from South Africa in early January. I haven't seen him since last December. He is one of my closest and deepest friends. I will get to see him when I'm in London saying good bye to Chelsea (who is on her way to becoming a very close, deep friend). Simon will be around for almost a month before he heads out to BC to work for Jesus.

So you can see, bittersweet indeed. My heart is feeling a lack of middle ground - so much rejoicing and leaping and loving and yet, so much grieving and hurting. Good thing the creator of that heart also lives in it, so He can take care of it.

PS - hooray for me hooking the wireless router up at my parents' place & for church services that don't start until 11:20, so they allow for Sunday morning blogging

Idea

The RUC care packs are great (especially this semester) but I think that once you reach third year, your care pack should include an LCBO gift card.

Green

Is it ok that I don't want to pack my snow boots to bring home - cause I would be ok if I could wear flip flops on Christmas morning? Does that make me a bad person?

I'm Old/Awesome

Tonight I went to my 11th Midnight/10:30 Breakfast.

Tagg'd By Felix

What is in my belly.....


Frozen Raspberries


Care Pack Popcorn


Care Pack Licorice


Side Kicks Butter & Herb


Chicken Breast


Hooray for exam time 'meals'!

I tag Smash, JKAK and L.Bo

Something I was thinking about while caroling

Would you be ok with people singing seasonal songs about your womb?
	Yes
	No
	I'm not sure I have a womb
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Yes!

I won the mail game today.

Sigh, now if only I could win the male game.

Carol Siiiiiiiiinging!

Today, front foyer, RUC, 12:30 - you KNOW you want to be there (I will!)

Yeah!

I Like

the mail game. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Sometimes

My Nomination For the Coolest Guy Ever

I have actually been thinking about this since Jason first set up the contest. Many a witty idea had run through my head, but nothing was really shouting to me to do it for sure. Then this morning I was perusing some blogs and thinking more about this worthy contest and I finally come up with my nomination:

My Dad, Bruce A. Stewart.

1. Firstly, my Dad is awesome
2. He could totally sit down and drink a beer with you and smoke a nice cigar (he is a fan of Cigar Aficionado magazine - its in the bathroom at home)
3. He could just as easily sit down and pray with you
4. He loves Baseball, Hockey and Football
5. He sings in a choir and has done so for waaaaaay longer than I can remember
6. He introduced me to jazz music
7. He helped raise two pretty cool kids
8. He's a farmer - this means 12-18hr days in the squelching heat and the numbing cold, it means he feeds people, it means he works with animals, it means he is stewardly to the earth, it means he knows how to work with his hands, it means his tractor is sexy
9. He's very good to his parents
10. He's been to the baseball hall of fame
11. He is very good to my Mom, who is not the healthiest of people
12. He has met the only man to pitch a perfect game in the world series, been invited to the press box at the Olympic stadium and met Oil Can Boyd
13. When Windows 95 came out he did an online distance ed course to learn how to use it - internet, Brighton, 1995, woah!
14. He hates John Rutter
15. He loves Highway Star by Golden Earring
16. He taught my brother and i how to play baseball, hockey and football
17. He taught us both how to skate
18. He can cook and is getting better at it
19. He loves chocolate - it talks to him
20. He redeems the name Bruce

At Tuckers Marketplace on Friday with Chelsea and Mom

He took John and I tobogganing last Christmas

He loves me

On the field at the Metrodome with John

He loves pie

Yesterday

The Battle For Sleep

A combination of procrastination, busyness and life events have left me in a familiar place of having lots of school work today and little school time in which to do it. Because I am both old and sick I can't do the all-nighter like the young kids can. You, the blog reader have been privy to hearing exactly how precious and needed my sleep has been this semester.

I just keep laughing at myself and the negotiations that have taken place in my head as the different parts of my brain fight for different things...

Laura's need for sleep: Ok, bed time!

Laura's fear for school: It's 8:30pm, nope.

LNS: Fair enough, we'll work.

(later)

LNS: Ok, bed time!

LFS: Nope, its only 2am and remember, there is no sleep tonight.

LNS: Whoa! I didn't get that memo. We have to sleep.

LFS: No, we have to finish this paper.

LNS: Ok, a little adrenaline and then sleep.

(later)

LNS: Ok, bed time!

LFS: Nope, its only 5am.

LNS: AAAAHHH! Sleep, now, always!

LFS: Too bad, we're not even close to finishing everything.

LNS: Uh guy, read the last sentence that was typed.

LFS: "the post modern gow will always have a task for itself"

LNS: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN! It doesn't make any sense. Bed.

LFS: Ok, maybe an hour.

LNS: Eight!

LFS: Oh heck no. Two hours.

Laura's hunger: Can we get a pizza?

LNS & LFS: NO!

LNS: Four and a half and I'm not going any lower.

LFS: Ok, and its not cause you're better, its cause we can't even see straight.

LNS: Yeah!

Birthday Bonanza

This is my younger brother:



He is one of my best friends. He lives in Iowa and goes to school on a baseball scholarship. We have a lot of good memories - cause when you grow up in the country your best friend is either going to be a sibling or a cow. And since I'm lactose intolerant and only have one sibling, well, its Johnny. We both love baseball, good music, making Mom laugh till she cries, walking around Fabricland wearing matching shorts, wrestling in the living room, and going on Stinky McDicks runs late at night when we come home from school. John is quickly growing to be an awesome man who has a big heart and a great juicy brain. He has a keen sense of humour, gives a great hug and may be just as good at cooking as I am. I haven't seen John since August the 6th and that makes me sad. But we're about to spend a good two weeks at home together. That makes me happy. I love my brother a lot. Happy 23rd buddy!

This is my friend Lisa:



Lisa and I have known each other since we were in Kindergarten. We played softball together for about a billion years. To this day her Dad is one of my favourite coaches. She is a person of integrity and strength. Our friendship has gone through some very thick and some not so thin, but still remained. Lisa is the kind of person who would support you through anything - and has! We went to school together for 10 years. We have also played basketball, volleyball, and track & field on the same teams. And been in a tone of the same plays and musicals. We have died our hair purple together, played a live version of Clue together, and been in many a lip synch. She is a teacher in Winnipeg now, which means that we don't get to see each other very often, but come Christmas break, look out, cause we'll be spending some time together. Happy 25th Lis!

This is my friend Lesley:



Lesley, aka Parsley, aka L.Bo has been my friend for almost 10 years. I met her at a Youth for Christ retreat in high school. We instantly bonded. Lesley knows how to laugh. And perhaps that's how I spent my first moments with her - laughing in two kayaks that were tied together (at their noses). We share of love of black men (but she has one), karaoke, food and Jesus. Lesley is really good at combining her love for Christ with everything else. This has taken her across the world. When she is gone I miss her. When she comes back we eat together. Our brains work a lot a like, which is both fantastic and terrible. She lives with my friend Sarah, aka Stanska. Because I love her I won't tell you exactly how old she is, but I can say she is a smidge older than I. Happy Birthday Les!

What's In A Name?

MSN Names:

me - you can't spell sinterklass without sin

jo - you can't spell santa without satan

Welcome to Christmas Spiritville, Jo and I will be your Chancellors.

Things That Are Exicting May Include...

Dec 8-9: parents in the hammer for choir concert and loving
Dec 14: John and Manda come to Canada
Dec 16: I finish my last exam and go home!

Twins Basil

So you'll remember that I got my hair cut a while back. At that same time my brother decided to start growing his hair out. I anticipate lots of pics together at Christmas, but here is a preview of what he looks like....(with his lovely girlfriend Manda)



One friend, having just reviewed her Hallowe'en pics of me dressed like Richard Wikkerink, saw this pic and thought, "woah, who's that girl with Laura?"

I Can Take It

marriedtothesea.com


nataliedee.com


toothpastefordinner.com


marriedtothesea.com

Response

JLegg's response to my bro's msn name: "If soccer were easy its players would be just as out of shape as baseball's"

Ohh, snap.

Ohh Fun!

I got this from Jenny. Kinda fun.
1. put your music player on shuffle
2. press forward for each question
3. use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense

how are you feeling today?
Walk On the Wild Side

how do your friends see you?
The Scientist

will you get married?
You Give Me Fever

what is your best friend's theme song?
Jingle Bells

what is the story of your life?
Imperfectly

what was highschool like?
Guinnevere

how can you get ahead in life?
Track 02

what is the best thing about your friends?
This Is My Desire

what is tonight going to be like?
The Potter's Hands

what is in store for the remainder of this weekend?
She's Only Happy In The Sun