I guess I'm still pretty smart! and my favourite things about Saskatoon

Not having been in school or anything really even remotely close for 4 years, I've been pretty nervous the past few weeks about what my first marks in my evening class would be. Had I forgotten how to study? (no) Had I forgotten how to do homework? (no, but I still don't like it). Turns out, I can still do well in school...after 3 assignments and 2 exams I have about a 92 ish % average! I'm pretty pumped because in order to take the Level II of my course (which will enable me to work up to being a paralegal which is my ultimate goal), I have to have an 80% in this class and 2 others which I'll be taking in the summer and fall. I hope I can keep up the good grades!

Speaking of school, I start my full time classes on May 1st - that would be Tuesday, in only 5 days! I am really excited - mostly to get out and apply myself to something again. Its been a long haul since the end of November when I went on stress leave from Carman Mennonite and I am ready to take this step to start another chapter of life. I'm also excited to meet people - don't get me wrong, I love my family but I don't know too many other people in Saskatoon so it'll be good to get to know the people in my program. Here's a picture of what SBC (Saskatoon Business College looks like) :

In the past month and a half I've been in Saskatoon, I've been struck by the beauty of this city. I mean I love Winnipeg, but Saskatoon is just really pretty with all the bridges and the gorgeous scenery at the University. Here are some pictures of my new home city...

<-- Saskatoon at night. I'm trying to figure out which bridge this is...I think its the Broadway Bridge.

<-- The walkway and park with the Bessborough in the background. My mom and I go walking along this walkway about once a week during the summer and then sometimes (for a treat!) stop for ice cream at the Double Decker bus Ice Cream shop that sits by the Bez. The river runs along the walkway.

The beautiful flower gardens that are placed all over the university. I never went to school here a day in my life, but I think it is the most beautiful campus.

I think one of my favourite parts of the whole city is the Agriculture buildings at the U of S. I can't find any good pictures of it, but it is literally an entire farm stuck right in the middle of the city and in the middle of the university grounds. Driving down Preston to go to Old Navy 2 days ago I was struck by how only in Saskatchewan you could be at Old Navy 1 minute and driving past roaming cows the next.

Another thing I like about Saskatoon is how small it is, despite everything it offers. Saskatoon has quite a few famous people living here or born here (for those of you unaware, Joni Mitchell and Gordie Howe are both from here), including some Canadian Idol finalists. So it shouldn't have been strange to me when yesterday afternoon as I was having coffee at a Tim Horton's just a few blocks away from our house, sitting next to me was this person:

OK, so only those of you who are avid summer watchers of the phenomenon that is Canadian Idol will know who this is. This is Josh Palmer (who yes, is from Saskatoon), who was the 6th finalist in Canadian Idol season 3. I just loved him that season and everytime I see an advertisment for CI coming up this summer (I personally like it better than American Idol because I have a few connections to it and it just seems so much less commercialized and well...American!) I wonder what the heck Josh Palmer is up to. I guess now I know, he's at Tim Horton's! So I was a bit flustered for the first few minutes and my mom wants to know why I didn't ask for his number (yes, that would have been CLASSY...reaching across the table and interupting his conversation to ask for his number...good call mom). But I now have motivation to go to see his band if they perform here over the summer!

Other things I am growing to love about my new home city:

~Broadway and 2nd Ave. shops. Very much like Osbourne in Winnipeg

~free parking downtown in the evenings (which means I don't have to pay for parking when I'm at my night class)

~Costa Blanca, my new favourite clothing store in Midtown Mall. I wish Winnipeg had had one of these. Its amazing and fairly cheap.

~Saigon Vietnamese restaurant on 33rd - I've been there with my mom 4 times since I've moved home 6 weeks ago.

~city bus drivers are SO much better than the ones on Winnipeg (at least I haven't been almost hit by one yet which was almost a weekly occurance in Wpg).

~the biggest Walmart in Western Canada just off Circle Dr. East (at least I've heard on more than one occassion that it is). It is literally bigger than the Wheatland Mall in Swift Current.

~how excited people got about the Juno awards being here. There was a HUGE rumour that Justin Timberlake (aka my future husband) was in the city that weekend and was seen at the Midtown Mall by himself. Yes, Justin Timberlake, probably one of the top 10 most famous people in the world, decided to come to Saskatoon for the Canadian Music Awards and walk around the Midtown Mall by himself with no security. People will believe anything these days (I have to admit I believed he was in the city for about 5 minutes, although I think it was mostly hope we would actually meet rather than actual belief he was here).

~construction on Circle Dr. West (oh wait, that belongs in the HATE list). Ugh

One other note - I bought a Dancing with the Stars Cardio Workout DVD this week. I haven't done it yet but it's going to be amazing. Mainly because it is lead by Maksim Chmerkovskiy who would do quite nicely if I don't get a chance to marry Justin...

Yard work, creepy neighbours and studying

This is what my weekend has been about.
Friday night my mom and I went for a walk because it was SO beautiful here...+16, sunny and WARM! I am so excited that summer is on its way and the snow is (almost) all gone...just a few little piles on yards here and there.
Saturday it was again really, really nice - I think it was supposed to get to +21 but I don't think it got quite that warm. In the morning, my mom and I set out to rake up all the dead grass in our front yard that was hiding under the snow for the past 5 ish months. I'm not HUGE on yard work, but it was actually ok! I think it was made better because I could be outside in a t-shirt for the first time in MONTHS. My mom and I have serious allergies to grass etc. so she bought these dorky masks we wore while we were raking. I felt like such a geek.
What I would like to know though is what the heck attracks WEIRDO neighbours to me. When I lived in Carman I had the weirdest, creepiest neighbour (who I was about 99% positive had a grow up). He and the other old man who lived there were always outside watching me and/or whoever was outside (including one of my youth who used to mow my lawn). SCARY! And now I have ANOTHER weird neighbour here. Not AS creepy, maybe just dirty. He walks around staring at whoever comes outside with just a button up sweater with no shirt underneath, smoking. He always seems to be conveniently outside when my mom or I am outside and strikes up conversation. My mom says he's just being friendly, I say he's really odd.
Other than going to church this morning with my brother and talking to Lisa on the phone (which was AWESOME!), I studied. My first exam for my night class is this Tuesday night and considering that I A) haven't written an exam in 4 years and B) HATE exams and usually freeze up just before them, I'm studying my little butt off. I know its only 1 chapter, but I'm really nervous about it. So whoever reads this before Tuesday, pray for me at 6:30 pm Sask. time that night!
This week will be busy, I have a lot of errands to run, homework and the exam. Plus Grey's and Ugly Betty are FINALLY going to be new ones after a whole month of re-runs!

I'm a Student!

It is still SO weird for me to say that, I can't believe that I'm back in school. Tues. night was my first night class and I LOVED it! This class is called "Legal Preperation" and then will eventually turn into "Legal Keyboarding." Its so super interesting - basically the class is explaining the legal system in Canada, how everything works etc. I even have homework to do already - there are SO many times in the past week that I've suddenly remembered I need to do it sometime before next Tues (it would have been due at yesterday's class but the class was cancelled because it's the long weekend). But I know that soon enough ALL I'll be able to think about is homework and I definitely won't be forgetting that I'm a student!

Another really exciting thing that happened for me this weekend was that I got approved for funding that will pay $5500 of my tuition/books (so about 2/3 of it all) and I won't have to pay it back...free money for school!!! I just feel so incredibly blessed by it - at the rate I'm going now, it would have taken me about 2 years to pay that back if it had been student loans. So 2 years less paying student loans, DEFINITLY a blessing! It was an exciting day when I found that out on Wednesday.

On Wednesday I was also able to spend 1/2 the afternoon and the evening with Larissa who was here in Saskatoon for a few days. It was SO good to see her - we went to Kelsey's for supper then did some shopping at McNally and at Superstore. Then we came back to my house and watched our educational television for the week (America's Next Top Model and The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll) then spent a good hour just doing some more talking. I'm so sad that we won't be able to see each other every week like we could when we were in Carman and Winkler, but I'll see her in June and then in August and with me getting busy with school in the next few weeks, the time will fly by.

My mom starts her Easter break today (in Saskatchewan, schools have a week off at Easter). I'm really glad that she will be around lots this week. She's been SUPER busy at work lately so I feel like I haven't seen her too much since I've moved home. She and I went for Vietnamese food last night (mmmm...SO good) and Sunday night she, my brother and I are going to see Blades of Glory. I'm pretty excited to see that, it look HIlarious! Sunday my mom and I will go to Nutana Park Mennonite for church which I'm excited about...Easter is such a meaningful day and I'm SO looking forward to celebrating in church. Monday, Jarrett and I are going to Swift Current to see my Dad and Brett and I'll spend some time with Lindsay and hopefully Donalee too. We'll come back to Saskatoon Tues. afternoon because I have to back for class at 6:30.

So that's the update for now. The weather is progressively getting warmer here...today its 0 and sunny! So that means more snow is melting and it looks more and more like summer is on its way! I unpacked my capris yesterday with the hope that that will bring summer even sooner! I'd totally love to go to the Saskatoon Jazz Festival this summer and sit out in the sun and listen to great jazz music but unfortunatly no one in my family likes jazz so I'll have to search for someone to go with me...