Then time started going by really fast. I was working at the office and the weeks turned into months and years. I’m living in mom and dad’s basement in Springhill and doing the community college courses online. Summers and Christmases come and go. My sisters and I discover that we enjoy making extremely low budget horror films. We had a few good ones.
One Friday this guy from Church moves into our basement and ends up staying for two years or so. After that time he gets an apartment and my dad suggests that I move out too and share the apartment to keep expenses down. So, I did. It happened on my 26th birthday. That’s how I ended up where I am. We’ve had many adventures, some of which have made it into a series on my blog called The Apartment Drama.
Scripture Verses I Like
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.Isaiah 41:10
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:7-10
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7
Some people have “life verses” I technically don’t, because I can read the same scripture one day and then the next time I go past it, it hits differently. This is because the World of God is living and active. When I get asked this question, I respond with this one. I’ll even make it fancy for you.
I totally get it. Raisins aren’t that great. Why would you take a perfectly good grape and dry it up so it looks like a shriveled old man? All scripture is important. As I go through life there will definitely be more that stand out to me in the way they need to. There’s lots more to add.
***I could write a whole separate thing about this next section alone, but it’s part of my life, so here it is with everything else.
Travels
Let’s see how many of these I can remember.
Close To Here
The most common place I would travel would be the cottage on that lake which I have already mentioned. Every time I’m there is better than the time before. Sometimes, we would go to Keji National Park and do tent camping there. Upper Clemment’s Park was always a hit. It had the scariest roller coaster in the world. There’s a reason it doesn’t exist anymore.
Out West
When I was younger and had grandparents, we would fly out west to see them every once in a while in their natural habitat, The Okanagan Valley. Aside from Okanagan Lake, the entire area is desert. 45 degree days mixed with the mountain fed streams of the lake made for some very bipolar temperature swings whether you found yourself on the sand or in the water.
Of course the highlights of these trips was getting to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa. Although the nice flight attendant who pushed my brother and I in wheel chairs when we weren’t walking fast enough to make our connecting flight that one time was also something you don’t see every day either. Anyway, getting back to the point of this paragraph. Every Saturday Grandma would make cinnamon buns. Whenever I was around, or whenever they were visiting us on the East, I would get to help her. My Grandpa had a hobby of using a Ham Radio. It was quite the setup. The amount of gear that goes into making that work is quite a lot. The giant Ariel antenna that broadcasts the signals is still there to this day, even though he and grandma are long gone. When I was there, we would talk to all of his friends in California every morning. I know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers, but they had a lot of stories to tell. When I learned how to play guitar, we would play old folk songs together and he would sing. Our covers of Waltzing Matilda and Big Rock Candy Mountains were our greatest “hits” among people with ears. He could always sing well. My chord changes needed work at the time.
One time when we were out West to see them, they let us borrow their RV and we drove up to Banff and Jasper National Parks to do some RV camping. It’s different than tent camping.
The most memorable trip we ever took to see them was 2001’s drive across the continent. The whole family had a blast. We went to the Okanagan through the States. We had relatives in Kansas we wanted to see too, among other people. It took 5 weeks to do in total and we got to see a lot of things. I’ll always remember Yellowstone Park. My sister drank an entire big bottle of V8 Juice and had to use the bathroom really badly. So we’re driving through the narrow roads trying to find one, and everyone else in front of us is taking pictures of deer. We made it, and everything worked out fine. We got to see a lot of different places along the way. Some that we weren’t even supposed to be in, because of bad directions, but we got through that too.
In 2012, my dad and I went out there again for the most recent time I’ve been out there. Grandma and Grandpa had passed away and we had to retrieve Grandpa’s truck and bring it out here. I was in charge of the map. Our original plan was to go through the States, because things like hotels and gas were cheaper there at the time. After we had rigged up a tarp to go over top of the truck bed and the furniture we were bringing back, we didn’t think the border guys would understand what was going on, and we didn’t like the idea of having to take it all apart for them. We went back through Canada. It was the best decision. The best way to see this country too.
Space Camp
In 1999 I went to Alabama to go to Space Camp with a bunch of Visually Impaired kids like me. They have one week dedicated to Visually Impaired. We had chaperones, but they weren’t my parents. One day in late September, I got on a plane bound for Atlanta, Georgia with a stop in Ottawa. At the time Atlanta was the biggest airport my 10 year old self had ever seen. You needed a high speed train thing to get from one terminal to the the other. There was a warning to hang on to the poles and rails. One of my not so bright friends, nobody is smart at 10, who had come with us asked “Why do we have to hang on?” Immediately he was flung from one end of the train to the other. Some people have to learn the hard way. We then drove a rental van to Huntsville, Alabama with a brief stop in Tennessee to look at the mountains. It was cool learning about astronauts and going on the simulators. I was Mission Scientest in our space launch skit. Mission control was pretty cool too.
Race Trips
To this day, Dad and I enjoy going down to the States to watch a NASCAR Race every once in a while. As expected, I’m in charge of the maps on these adventures.
The first one we went to was the Fall race in Loundon, New Hampshire in 2011. I had never heard anything louder in my life ever. The seafood restaurant nearby warranted a return trip in 2016. Unfortunately, by then they only had the July race there, so we burned in the stands all afternoon that time. It was still totally fun.
The first time we ever went to Pocono in 2012, the whole family came with us. It was part of a Pennsylvania trip through Amish Country and to see the Sight and Sound theater place. They were playing Jonah. It was really cool. The Salsa exhibition where everyone brought their different Salsas to taste was also an interesting thing to stumble on. The race itself was cut short for lightening and, which actually killed someone in the infield camper area while the rest of us ran across an open field to our cars while the lightening was striking everywhere. That was very sad. Even more sad than when the Baltimore Orioles lost to the New York Yankees while we were in attendance at Yankee’s Stadium on the way down there. In 2019, my dad, sister, and I would return there. Everything went great and it was sunny all day which was a nice contrast from the first time.
In 2014 Dad and I went to Richmond, Virginia for our first night race. That was an interesting change and the 4 wide finish didn’t hurt either. It was really easy to see what was going on. We caught an We returned there in 2023 and it was hot, hot. Still super fun. Even though the Orioles lost each time we were there. Baltimore was not far away so we stopped in.
2015 saw us go to Charlotte, North Carolina. Another night race, since the first one went so nicely. 600 miles and we’re still back to the hotel before midnight. Our hotel was close to the track so it was interesting only having to walk there and not find parking. It was also the place where we discovered Jimmy John’s and it’s better than Subway.
In 2018 we went to Dover, Delaware and that race went well, it was the only one I wore a jacket to. We stopped in at Baltimore and the Orioles lost yet again. Every time I go there, they lost. One time mom and dad went there by themselves they won, but every time I’m in town their luck turns sour. It’s hilarious at this point.
Mexico
Seeing some of the Mayan ruins was really cool. Went to use the washroom and made some Mexicans mad at me when I got there before them. They banged on the door and swore at me in Spanish and English. Once I realized I couldn’t escape through the little window, I opened the door and pushed through them. They didn’t bother me anymore, and I went to find the rest of my family. Some lady was mad because I made everyone a couple minutes late.
Belize
Didn’t see much here exept a mall type place.
Grand Turk
The novelty of a beach in January.
Bahamas
Seeing Nassau as a city and not just tourist attractions was fun. Went to a cool fort that reminded us (Mom, Dad, Sisters, Me) of Citadel Hill in Halifax. Except this was in Nassau. I was centimeters away from being run over by a bus. How was I supposed to know it was going to pull up onto the sidewalk?
Jamaica
Tubing down the river was fun. Didn’t get eaten by anything. I did have a bunch of people try to sell me things. The tour guides were great. They thought it was funny that I was using sunscreen, when they never had to. “What are you preparing for man?” They were also more helpful than they even needed to be. Probably because I was wearing my huge sunglasses, causing them to think I was totally blind. Doesn’t hurt to have extra help. It’s not that far from the truth anyway. Saw the lights of Havanna, Cuba from a distance twice in my life, but never actually went there. I don’t feel like I’m missing out or anything.
Honduras
Zip lining was super fun.
Denmark
Tivoli was fun, but don’t go to the men’s room at “rush hour.” I stank the rest of the night. Super expensive hamburgers.
Norway
Super fun and super rainy. We were so soaked we skipped on the third viking museum we were going to see.
Germany
It was interesting being in the places I’ve read books and seen movies about. If the Holocaust memorial wasn’t a memorial it would be the best place for hide and seek. the Schnitzel was great too.
Estonia
Very pretty. Got locked in a bathroon stall in a bar and thought I might die there. Got out of that mess after figuring out the locking mechanism is a little different for the stalls there than here. Almost fell off a cliff at the top of some stairs too, but fortunately that didn’t end up happening.
Russia
Spent two days touring around St. Petersburg (before everything got weird) Lots of sights to see.
Sweden
Saw a giant ship and anything else they would show us. Some busker thought I was stoned because I was wearing sunglasses on a cloudy day. He wouldn’t let it be. Let me eat my expensive hot dog on a stick in peace. I’m so normal, I’m boring and not at all stoned. I have way better hobbies than that.
Finland
Saw a bunch of statues and anything else they would show us.
In future chapters you may get more detailed stories about my travels, and other things. Whether they are in actual chronological order remains to be seen, but it’ll be fun. Don’t fall asleep just yet.