and Christmas, here we come!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
butcher shop munchies
Things are finally slowing down around here, and I'm glad to have a much-needed rest. December has been busy with Christmas-ey events, both of us working full time, youth group, and working on a website in my 'spare' time - on top of all the other things that December brings. Oh, and don't forget the Christmas shopping!
The presents have been laid under the tree with care, received, mailed, wrapped. We're taking most of them with us to Lethbridge for our holiday celebrations, but will open a few from J's family before we go. I'm really looking forward to seeing the family again. It's been much too long, though a phone call every so often at least keeps us in touch.
We had our first ultrasound a few weeks ago (I was 20 weeks pregnant and counting). I found it to be a fairly painless procedure, aside from the pushing on a full bladder with a blunt object for a good half hour. It was quite restful to relax for awhile while the technician worked. After she finished her thing, J came in and we got a preview of our new baby. It was very cool to be able to see it while it was still in my tummy, and I'm glad to report it seems just fine from what I saw: 2 arms, 2 legs, a body and a head. Everything seemed to be there. And no, we didn't ask if it was a boy or girl. Why ruin such a lovely surprise?
I've been working full-time for the past several months at the Butcher Shop here in town, making soups and sandwiches and all manner of goodies in their front/deli section. It's getting a bit tiring for me now, and I'm considering cutting back on my hours somewhat for the next few months. There's no point in wearing myself out before the baby arrives!
A week and a bit ago our youth group threw a masked carnival. It was well-decorated and well-received. We would have hoped for a better turnout, but the carnival was unfortunately the same day as the high school dance. There were maybe 30 youth there, plus volunteers. Hopefully we'll get more next year. I was in charge of the Wii - we had some raving bunny game going, which was only 1 token to play. What a deal!
The presents have been laid under the tree with care, received, mailed, wrapped. We're taking most of them with us to Lethbridge for our holiday celebrations, but will open a few from J's family before we go. I'm really looking forward to seeing the family again. It's been much too long, though a phone call every so often at least keeps us in touch.
We had our first ultrasound a few weeks ago (I was 20 weeks pregnant and counting). I found it to be a fairly painless procedure, aside from the pushing on a full bladder with a blunt object for a good half hour. It was quite restful to relax for awhile while the technician worked. After she finished her thing, J came in and we got a preview of our new baby. It was very cool to be able to see it while it was still in my tummy, and I'm glad to report it seems just fine from what I saw: 2 arms, 2 legs, a body and a head. Everything seemed to be there. And no, we didn't ask if it was a boy or girl. Why ruin such a lovely surprise?
I've been working full-time for the past several months at the Butcher Shop here in town, making soups and sandwiches and all manner of goodies in their front/deli section. It's getting a bit tiring for me now, and I'm considering cutting back on my hours somewhat for the next few months. There's no point in wearing myself out before the baby arrives!
A week and a bit ago our youth group threw a masked carnival. It was well-decorated and well-received. We would have hoped for a better turnout, but the carnival was unfortunately the same day as the high school dance. There were maybe 30 youth there, plus volunteers. Hopefully we'll get more next year. I was in charge of the Wii - we had some raving bunny game going, which was only 1 token to play. What a deal!
Friday, December 12, 2008
a great read
This book was simply a fabulous read: incredible writing and depth. A+.
(hatbox letters by beth powning)
More to come soon: notes on the ultrasound procedure, a masked carnival, butcher shop madness, and oh-so-much-more....
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
the instrument chest
We went down to Edmonton last weekend for a quick surprise 30th birthday trip to see Erika (and Chuck, of course). We drove down Saturday and back Sunday, so we didn't have tons of time, but we're glad we went all the same.
We met up with Chuck, Erika, Charity, and Maria for an evening of jazz at the Yardbird suite. Maria made this wonderful ganache cake-thing, we brought flowers, and it turned out to be a fun event. The band was a bit too hardcore on making the music complex & fast for my taste. I'd forgotten that not all jazz is smooth and slow. The next live jazz that I'd like to see would hopefully be just a vocals/piano/upright bass kind of thing. We'll see how that goes!
This Friday is the Christmas party for Jeremie's work, so we're heading off for a dinner theatre evening. I don't know that we'll stay for the whole thing, since the evening is billed as an adult play and we're not into that kind of thing. But it will be good to meet/re-meet a few of his co-workers and their wives. I'm looking forward more to next weekend, where their work is paying for a ladies' spa day - lunch, facial, and manicure. It sounds fabulous. Don't you agree?
We met up with Chuck, Erika, Charity, and Maria for an evening of jazz at the Yardbird suite. Maria made this wonderful ganache cake-thing, we brought flowers, and it turned out to be a fun event. The band was a bit too hardcore on making the music complex & fast for my taste. I'd forgotten that not all jazz is smooth and slow. The next live jazz that I'd like to see would hopefully be just a vocals/piano/upright bass kind of thing. We'll see how that goes!
This Friday is the Christmas party for Jeremie's work, so we're heading off for a dinner theatre evening. I don't know that we'll stay for the whole thing, since the evening is billed as an adult play and we're not into that kind of thing. But it will be good to meet/re-meet a few of his co-workers and their wives. I'm looking forward more to next weekend, where their work is paying for a ladies' spa day - lunch, facial, and manicure. It sounds fabulous. Don't you agree?
Friday, November 28, 2008
Pregnant.. again
We're pregnant again. Hooray!
We're currently 18 weeks along, due about April 27th (give or take the usual amount of days or weeks for newborn inconsistencies). We haven't come up with names or anything, though we're considering a few. We do like Judah for a boy, or Avelene for a girl. But it's all up in the air at this point!
I'm not really that fat yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I do, however, need to find some new jeans. I'm beginning to understand why everyone here goes to Edmonton when they want to shop - there's just not much that interests me! But hey, it's probably better on the pocket book this way.
We'll be painting / decorating the baby room (I'll miss having my own office, but we'll figure something out) in January. We're going the el-cheapo secondhand route, and have already bought the crib, change table, and dresser. I'm hoping to have some fun making the crib bedding and painting the room up. Too many possibilities, it's so hard to decide!
Friday, November 21, 2008
some famous skatepark
It doesn't feel like I've been up to much lately, though my calendar tends to say differently. Let's take a look at the past few weeks:
1. I finished my Christmas shopping and wrapped the presents, at least for my side of the family. I can't take all the credit though, since I've been scouting around since the summer for great deals. We're also doing a gift exchange with J's family, so I'll have one more gift to get there.
2. Mom gave us enough airmiles to fly down for Christmas! We're both quite excited about this.
3. I had a Norwex party. I hardly even like product parties, and yet I hosted one. The presentation was a repeat, so I got a bit bored, but we did have fun afterwards :)
4. I served at the Christmas Ladies' tea, as a waitress/server. It was fun to do for a night, but I'm sure glad that's not my regular job! I'm going to the tea as a guest tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll have some friends at my table so we can eat and be merry.
5. Jeremie took off for a Vancouver skate trip. Too cool. The pic above is one of my more favorite photos from his trip.
6. I found a kindred dressup-clothes spirit in Amy. It's fabulous!
That is all.
1. I finished my Christmas shopping and wrapped the presents, at least for my side of the family. I can't take all the credit though, since I've been scouting around since the summer for great deals. We're also doing a gift exchange with J's family, so I'll have one more gift to get there.
2. Mom gave us enough airmiles to fly down for Christmas! We're both quite excited about this.
3. I had a Norwex party. I hardly even like product parties, and yet I hosted one. The presentation was a repeat, so I got a bit bored, but we did have fun afterwards :)
4. I served at the Christmas Ladies' tea, as a waitress/server. It was fun to do for a night, but I'm sure glad that's not my regular job! I'm going to the tea as a guest tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll have some friends at my table so we can eat and be merry.
5. Jeremie took off for a Vancouver skate trip. Too cool. The pic above is one of my more favorite photos from his trip.
6. I found a kindred dressup-clothes spirit in Amy. It's fabulous!
That is all.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
costumed bowling and the like
We had a joint costume/birthday party a few Saturdays ago, so I thought I'd share this lovely picture of some of our costumes. Half of us dressed up, and the other half either didn't know or forgot. It made for an interesting mix!
It doesn't feel like much else has been happening. Work is going fine, I'm still enjoying it for the most part. That's the most I can say about any of my past jobs, so I'm fine with how things are going.
Big Christmas news: J got the time off! We'll be heading down to Lethbridge between Christmas and New Years' to visit the family. It'll be great to see everyone together again and have a good ol' family Christmas.
I was looking at our yard today and noticed that I stil haven't pulled the dead plants out of our flowerbeds. I also noticed that this doesn't bother me at all, so I think I'll leave them to pull out in the spring when I've got cabin fever and can't wait to be outside. It also postpones my shivering-gardening combination, since I'm not a big fan of being cold.
I'm happy to say I've gotten most of my favorite recipes populated into my recipe site (http://www.boulianne.net/recipes/), and am now working on making all the recipes so I can take photos to add to my little site. I'm hoping to one day be able to choose what to cook based on a photo. Doesn't that just sound like so much more fun?
That's it for now. Happy trails!
It doesn't feel like much else has been happening. Work is going fine, I'm still enjoying it for the most part. That's the most I can say about any of my past jobs, so I'm fine with how things are going.
Big Christmas news: J got the time off! We'll be heading down to Lethbridge between Christmas and New Years' to visit the family. It'll be great to see everyone together again and have a good ol' family Christmas.
I was looking at our yard today and noticed that I stil haven't pulled the dead plants out of our flowerbeds. I also noticed that this doesn't bother me at all, so I think I'll leave them to pull out in the spring when I've got cabin fever and can't wait to be outside. It also postpones my shivering-gardening combination, since I'm not a big fan of being cold.
I'm happy to say I've gotten most of my favorite recipes populated into my recipe site (http://www.boulianne.net/recipes/), and am now working on making all the recipes so I can take photos to add to my little site. I'm hoping to one day be able to choose what to cook based on a photo. Doesn't that just sound like so much more fun?
That's it for now. Happy trails!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A post with no photo
This is my first post in a long time without a photo, but I don't have any handily-uploaded ones ready to share!
Working at the butcher shop has turned out pretty good, as long as I don't consider the sore feet. The time passes quickly, it's only a 5 minute drive to work, and I got to have Thanksgiving weekend off. How can that be bad?
I turned the big 2 8 this past Friday. It was pretty low-key, just dinner and a movie with Jer. It was hard to get a good crowd together on Thanksgiving weekend, so I've postponed the life-sized clue nite. I got 3 birthday cards today, which were really nice. Thanks to grandma & grandpa, mom & dad, and C&E! Jeremie gave me a trick gift - I opened a box to find oven mitts. I was a bit disappointed (but trying to hide it, of course) when I felt something heavy in one of them. It was an ipod! I've wanted a real ipod forever, but haven't bought one due to the cost. Yay for husbands who get great deals!
Still no word on what's up with Christmas vacation. We'll see if Jeremie gets it off, or if I'll just have a week to slouch around the house by myself. That sounds fabulous right now, I'm exhausted. I got home from work & found a message on the machine, apparently there's a diesel fuel crisis starting here & there's a chance the grocery trucks won't be getting through, so he wanted me to stock up on imperishables. I drove into the city, bought a big bill's worth of food, and got home just in time to unpack and throw dinner together for company. I've been on the go for about 14 hours, now. It feels like a long day to me!
Here's to hoping all is well with you and yours!
Working at the butcher shop has turned out pretty good, as long as I don't consider the sore feet. The time passes quickly, it's only a 5 minute drive to work, and I got to have Thanksgiving weekend off. How can that be bad?
I turned the big 2 8 this past Friday. It was pretty low-key, just dinner and a movie with Jer. It was hard to get a good crowd together on Thanksgiving weekend, so I've postponed the life-sized clue nite. I got 3 birthday cards today, which were really nice. Thanks to grandma & grandpa, mom & dad, and C&E! Jeremie gave me a trick gift - I opened a box to find oven mitts. I was a bit disappointed (but trying to hide it, of course) when I felt something heavy in one of them. It was an ipod! I've wanted a real ipod forever, but haven't bought one due to the cost. Yay for husbands who get great deals!
Still no word on what's up with Christmas vacation. We'll see if Jeremie gets it off, or if I'll just have a week to slouch around the house by myself. That sounds fabulous right now, I'm exhausted. I got home from work & found a message on the machine, apparently there's a diesel fuel crisis starting here & there's a chance the grocery trucks won't be getting through, so he wanted me to stock up on imperishables. I drove into the city, bought a big bill's worth of food, and got home just in time to unpack and throw dinner together for company. I've been on the go for about 14 hours, now. It feels like a long day to me!
Here's to hoping all is well with you and yours!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
my bananna suit
Our youth group has started up again for the fall. Our second event was Water Balloon Mania, in which hundreds of youth get together, dress in colors to match their team, and water-bomb each other like crazy. We were yellow. I found this out about an hour before I had to be there, and called Jeremie at work. "Can you pick up something yellow?"
This is what he came up with. A bananna costume.
Whatever else I can say for it, it IS very yellow!
In other news, I've started my new job as the soup and sandwich maker at the Butcher Shop in town. So far I've picked up what I need to do quickly, and find that the time goes by quickly. Although I don't get paid a lot, there are a few other things that make it fairly worthwhile: a mostly monday-friday schedule with 7:30-3:30 shifts, pretty nice people to work with, a 3-minute drive to work. It's also a good change from the mind-stress of my web design job. Now it's just the getting-things-done stress, which hasn't bothered me much so far. I can't see this being a permanent job, but it's a nice intermediate step. If only my feet would stop hurting!
My birthday is coming up soon, so I've decided to have a couples life-sized Clue night in our home, using our rooms & taping squares in the hallway for moving around. I'll have to do a fair bit of planning for that, so that's next on my agenda! It will, of course, be a costumed theme night, as are most of my birthday parties. I can't wait! I'll probably design our own clue cards, make up branded instruction pages for everyone, we'll see how crazy my design skills get in the time I have.
Jeremie still hasn't heard back on whether or not he's getting Christmas vacation, but I get the week between Christmas and New Years' off. I'm really happy about that, seeing as how I just started working and wasn't sure what would happen. We'll be spending Thanksgiving here, and hopefully we'll have a few friends over for a nice big dinner. Mmm, turkey!
This is what he came up with. A bananna costume.
Whatever else I can say for it, it IS very yellow!
In other news, I've started my new job as the soup and sandwich maker at the Butcher Shop in town. So far I've picked up what I need to do quickly, and find that the time goes by quickly. Although I don't get paid a lot, there are a few other things that make it fairly worthwhile: a mostly monday-friday schedule with 7:30-3:30 shifts, pretty nice people to work with, a 3-minute drive to work. It's also a good change from the mind-stress of my web design job. Now it's just the getting-things-done stress, which hasn't bothered me much so far. I can't see this being a permanent job, but it's a nice intermediate step. If only my feet would stop hurting!
My birthday is coming up soon, so I've decided to have a couples life-sized Clue night in our home, using our rooms & taping squares in the hallway for moving around. I'll have to do a fair bit of planning for that, so that's next on my agenda! It will, of course, be a costumed theme night, as are most of my birthday parties. I can't wait! I'll probably design our own clue cards, make up branded instruction pages for everyone, we'll see how crazy my design skills get in the time I have.
Jeremie still hasn't heard back on whether or not he's getting Christmas vacation, but I get the week between Christmas and New Years' off. I'm really happy about that, seeing as how I just started working and wasn't sure what would happen. We'll be spending Thanksgiving here, and hopefully we'll have a few friends over for a nice big dinner. Mmm, turkey!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Like a big pizza pie
This past weekend has been good. I remembered on Friday afternoon that I've volunteered to help with Friday night youth until Christmas, so I showed up at 6:00 to head out to the Starfield show in GP. It turned out to be more of a worship service than a concert, but it was well-done and the youth seemed to have a good time. Score.
Robin came over Saturday at 1, we had a lovely chat for a few hours and then headed out to watch Dayton's football game. He'd asked in passing if I was coming to the game, so I'd said yes.. since the field is right behind our yard. Robin and I stayed for the first half of the game, and spent most of our time chatting and playing with J's camera. It was a good, relaxing time. We also ran into Jenaeya, and found out she's going to NAIT to become a mechanic. And she loves it. I'm so glad she found something she likes to do!
Sunday I was all in a scurry, thinking that I had to make a presentation at church about how the Oasis went this summer. Of course, I remembered this about half an hour before church. So I wrote up a speech, slid into my seat a few minutes late, only to find that I wasn't asked to come up. Ah well, the prep will stand me in good stead next week. Jeremie and I spent Sunday afternoon playing Tales of Visperia, a manga video game. Jeremie had rented it earlier in the week, saying that he rented it for 'us', so I figured I should try playing it. It didn't enthrall me, but I do like playing it well enough to do so. Which is good.
Today I'm off to get groceries, and hopefully clean the house/do some laundry when I get home. It all needs to be done at some point, and I did a whole lot of nothing last week while I was recovering from my cold.
Onward and inward!
Robin came over Saturday at 1, we had a lovely chat for a few hours and then headed out to watch Dayton's football game. He'd asked in passing if I was coming to the game, so I'd said yes.. since the field is right behind our yard. Robin and I stayed for the first half of the game, and spent most of our time chatting and playing with J's camera. It was a good, relaxing time. We also ran into Jenaeya, and found out she's going to NAIT to become a mechanic. And she loves it. I'm so glad she found something she likes to do!
Sunday I was all in a scurry, thinking that I had to make a presentation at church about how the Oasis went this summer. Of course, I remembered this about half an hour before church. So I wrote up a speech, slid into my seat a few minutes late, only to find that I wasn't asked to come up. Ah well, the prep will stand me in good stead next week. Jeremie and I spent Sunday afternoon playing Tales of Visperia, a manga video game. Jeremie had rented it earlier in the week, saying that he rented it for 'us', so I figured I should try playing it. It didn't enthrall me, but I do like playing it well enough to do so. Which is good.
Today I'm off to get groceries, and hopefully clean the house/do some laundry when I get home. It all needs to be done at some point, and I did a whole lot of nothing last week while I was recovering from my cold.
Onward and inward!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
the weekend that was.. Hanson
I left Sexsmith Thursday morning, heading for Edmonton. The drive was the same as always: lots of trees, some water, lots of fields and cows and horses. Lots of highway. I pulled in to Edmonton around 2:30pm, stopped off to get Maria some groceries, and headed over to her place for a shower. She was at work and her roommates didn't know me, but I introduced myself and they let me in. I packed her stuff, took a shower (how weird that must have been for them: hi, you haven't met me but I'm going to use your shower), and headed off to meet Maria at work. We bought a litre of chocolate milk to swig and took off for Calgary. We got in to Cowtown around 8pm, and met up with dear Sarah at Moxie's in Market Mall for dinner. The service was pretty horrendous, the food alright, the company fabulous. It's been way too long since we had a good chat.
After dinner Maria and I drove around for awhile looking for our hotel. We found ourselves on a block of hotels and just happened across Hanson's tour bus. What a cool coincidence. We checked in, hot tubbed for about 20 minutes, then headed to the room to crash. I was sick all weekend, and so was exhausted even before all the driving. I also called Mal, who was camping out, to see what time she thought we needed to be at the venue to get good seats. She said 9am. I was hoping for more like noon. Oh well.
We were up at 7am, showered and ready by 9, and had parked & found the line around 9:30am. There were about 6-8 people there already, all of whom had slept in Mac Hall to get the best spots for the General Admission show. It was a great place to camp out, as it was indoors (no rain/cold), and right beside the food court & washrooms. What more can a person waiting in line ask for? Security stopped by early to tell us where to line up, which turned out to be a great thing, since there was hardly any line drama because of it.
Maria and I made posters: one to say 'line starts here', since there's always a ton of confusion, and one to hold in the show that said 'everybody else' (the opening band's name). We got to meet all 3 members of Everybody Else before the show, 2 due to my amazing luck & timing, and 1 because he was walking by & loved my sign. So good.
The Calgary Walk was good (don't know what the Walk is? visit www.takethewalk.net ) for the most part. It wasn't too crazy, and we had a decent turnout. Considering that we only had 20 people lined up by 2pm, I was expecting a pathetic turnout, but I'd guess we had about 100 people total. Not so bad. The walk was scheduled for 3pm, but postponed until 4pm due to the rain. The rain stopped and we headed out for our barefoot 1-mile walk around campus. Maria and I both got a chance to talk with Zac for a bit. It started raining again halfway through the walk, but we toughed it out. Our feet were freezing and numb by the end of the walk, but we were still glad to do it. We filled out these little cards after the walk, so that Hanson would donate $1 for each person who walked to one of the five charities we could choose from.
In the Calgary show we got front row, right in front of Zac's drum kit. It meant that all we saw of Zac was his chin and a cymbal, but other than that it was a good spot. Everybody Else was a great opening band, and Maria and I totally rocked out during their set. They were high-energy, fairly crowd-interactive, and played/sang really well. Carrick also said he loved our sign from onstage. No big deal. Hanson played a pretty long set, about 21 songs including the 2 encores. We were happy about that. Hanson was really good live, as always.
By the time the show let out I was the crankiest I've been in years (no idea why), and Maria wasn't in a great mood either. We hoofed it back to the car, and Maria drove back to Edmonton while I slept. We got in around 3:30am, and I dropped her off at her place before heading on to Erika's to crash.
I woke up Friday around 11am, and the three of us decided to meet at the Edmonton Event Centre at 2pm. That gave Erika time for her band practice, and me a chance to have a liesurely shower and breakfast.
We were numbers 17 & 18 in line at the Edmonton Events centre, so we thought we'd get an alright spot. We headed out to the food court, and to find Maria a sweater. We got back in line in time for the Walk. We headed down the parkade, across the street by the Outback, and around a park. Taylor made his speech on top of a playground slide, which was fun to watch. I wished I'd had more batteries for my camera because I could have gotten some lovely shots there. The colors on playgrounds always make great photos.
When we got back from the walk, people had started another line and didn't want to let us back into our spots. Most of what I remember from lining up in Edmonton is a ton of line drama: people arguing over who is where, refusing to let the people who got there first be first, and all kinds of stuff. Security didn't show up at all to help out. That being said, we had some good chats with Heather, Kim & crew while we waited. The doors opened at 8pm. Security opened a door, and a wave of people shoved their way through. It was pretty insane, due to security's lack of assistance in getting people to line up properly.
Once we were in the venue, we got 2nd row centre, with short people in front of us. Everybody Else was great, and Hanson was completely on. They were happy to be there, enjoyed their time on stage, and performed my favorite cover of all time by them: Ain't no Sunshine by Bill Withers. I had a sister on either side of me, and we danced the night away together.
After the show we headed out to the tour bus, snagged a pic of Zac/Maria/Erika, got my Are You Listening Pillow signed, and hung out with a few other fans for a 1/2 hour or so before heading home to bed. It was 1am, and Erika had to be up to deliver papers by 4. Ugh.
I slept 'til 10am, then got up and showered, felt really sick, and went back to bed. I headed back home around 2pm, got home at 8pm. It was good to be home, and I was glad we got to have such a great trip. Hooray for Hanson tours!
After dinner Maria and I drove around for awhile looking for our hotel. We found ourselves on a block of hotels and just happened across Hanson's tour bus. What a cool coincidence. We checked in, hot tubbed for about 20 minutes, then headed to the room to crash. I was sick all weekend, and so was exhausted even before all the driving. I also called Mal, who was camping out, to see what time she thought we needed to be at the venue to get good seats. She said 9am. I was hoping for more like noon. Oh well.
We were up at 7am, showered and ready by 9, and had parked & found the line around 9:30am. There were about 6-8 people there already, all of whom had slept in Mac Hall to get the best spots for the General Admission show. It was a great place to camp out, as it was indoors (no rain/cold), and right beside the food court & washrooms. What more can a person waiting in line ask for? Security stopped by early to tell us where to line up, which turned out to be a great thing, since there was hardly any line drama because of it.
Maria and I made posters: one to say 'line starts here', since there's always a ton of confusion, and one to hold in the show that said 'everybody else' (the opening band's name). We got to meet all 3 members of Everybody Else before the show, 2 due to my amazing luck & timing, and 1 because he was walking by & loved my sign. So good.
The Calgary Walk was good (don't know what the Walk is? visit www.takethewalk.net ) for the most part. It wasn't too crazy, and we had a decent turnout. Considering that we only had 20 people lined up by 2pm, I was expecting a pathetic turnout, but I'd guess we had about 100 people total. Not so bad. The walk was scheduled for 3pm, but postponed until 4pm due to the rain. The rain stopped and we headed out for our barefoot 1-mile walk around campus. Maria and I both got a chance to talk with Zac for a bit. It started raining again halfway through the walk, but we toughed it out. Our feet were freezing and numb by the end of the walk, but we were still glad to do it. We filled out these little cards after the walk, so that Hanson would donate $1 for each person who walked to one of the five charities we could choose from.
In the Calgary show we got front row, right in front of Zac's drum kit. It meant that all we saw of Zac was his chin and a cymbal, but other than that it was a good spot. Everybody Else was a great opening band, and Maria and I totally rocked out during their set. They were high-energy, fairly crowd-interactive, and played/sang really well. Carrick also said he loved our sign from onstage. No big deal. Hanson played a pretty long set, about 21 songs including the 2 encores. We were happy about that. Hanson was really good live, as always.
By the time the show let out I was the crankiest I've been in years (no idea why), and Maria wasn't in a great mood either. We hoofed it back to the car, and Maria drove back to Edmonton while I slept. We got in around 3:30am, and I dropped her off at her place before heading on to Erika's to crash.
I woke up Friday around 11am, and the three of us decided to meet at the Edmonton Event Centre at 2pm. That gave Erika time for her band practice, and me a chance to have a liesurely shower and breakfast.
We were numbers 17 & 18 in line at the Edmonton Events centre, so we thought we'd get an alright spot. We headed out to the food court, and to find Maria a sweater. We got back in line in time for the Walk. We headed down the parkade, across the street by the Outback, and around a park. Taylor made his speech on top of a playground slide, which was fun to watch. I wished I'd had more batteries for my camera because I could have gotten some lovely shots there. The colors on playgrounds always make great photos.
When we got back from the walk, people had started another line and didn't want to let us back into our spots. Most of what I remember from lining up in Edmonton is a ton of line drama: people arguing over who is where, refusing to let the people who got there first be first, and all kinds of stuff. Security didn't show up at all to help out. That being said, we had some good chats with Heather, Kim & crew while we waited. The doors opened at 8pm. Security opened a door, and a wave of people shoved their way through. It was pretty insane, due to security's lack of assistance in getting people to line up properly.
Once we were in the venue, we got 2nd row centre, with short people in front of us. Everybody Else was great, and Hanson was completely on. They were happy to be there, enjoyed their time on stage, and performed my favorite cover of all time by them: Ain't no Sunshine by Bill Withers. I had a sister on either side of me, and we danced the night away together.
After the show we headed out to the tour bus, snagged a pic of Zac/Maria/Erika, got my Are You Listening Pillow signed, and hung out with a few other fans for a 1/2 hour or so before heading home to bed. It was 1am, and Erika had to be up to deliver papers by 4. Ugh.
I slept 'til 10am, then got up and showered, felt really sick, and went back to bed. I headed back home around 2pm, got home at 8pm. It was good to be home, and I was glad we got to have such a great trip. Hooray for Hanson tours!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My life has been computering lately
I finished off the tour DVD I'd been meaning to make from the footage of when my several gal pals and I took a road trip to see a bunch of Hanson shows last November. I'm so glad it's done, and it turned out really well! This is the cover :)
I also made a new design for the Dueck website, since the first wasn't quite what they were looking for. I'm glad to have something new to show them, since it took me quite awhile to get something good the second time around!
No news on the job hunt front yet, I figured I'd wait until after my long weekend (I leave tomorrow) before I start seriously looking. It's hard to apply for a job and then say you'll need time off in a week.
Anyway, I'm off to take a nap. Tired, zzz...
I also made a new design for the Dueck website, since the first wasn't quite what they were looking for. I'm glad to have something new to show them, since it took me quite awhile to get something good the second time around!
No news on the job hunt front yet, I figured I'd wait until after my long weekend (I leave tomorrow) before I start seriously looking. It's hard to apply for a job and then say you'll need time off in a week.
Anyway, I'm off to take a nap. Tired, zzz...
Saturday, September 6, 2008
the picnic
My work is finally over, as of a week ago. I've handed in all the materials I created this year, rolled all the spare change, and locked up for the last time. It was a good summer job, and I'm glad that I had the time to fill in as the Oasis organizer this summer!
Skyla came over on Thursday. The plan was to go to a fabulous park and have a fancy picnic but, alas and alack, it was raining. We ended up picnicing on our living room carpet, and made fancy Italian sandwitches (Crostini) to go with the sparkling cider and lemon dessert. After our lazing around and food sleepies passed, we rearranged the dining room. And the bit of the living room and my office. I'm happy about it!
Britt and I went garage saling today. Got lots of great stuff! But I have to take off now, we're heading to James and Becky's for dinner.
Ciao for now!
Skyla came over on Thursday. The plan was to go to a fabulous park and have a fancy picnic but, alas and alack, it was raining. We ended up picnicing on our living room carpet, and made fancy Italian sandwitches (Crostini) to go with the sparkling cider and lemon dessert. After our lazing around and food sleepies passed, we rearranged the dining room. And the bit of the living room and my office. I'm happy about it!
Britt and I went garage saling today. Got lots of great stuff! But I have to take off now, we're heading to James and Becky's for dinner.
Ciao for now!
Friday, August 22, 2008
It's almost at an end
It's crazy how quickly the summer has passed. I've only got 1.5 weeks left of the Oasis (and 3 events to plan/execute). It's also been a bit busy lately, since I managed to squeeze an Edmonton trip into the mix. Jesse and Sheleena are coming over from Saturday nite to Sunday, and we're excited to have them here. It does mean that I have to miss Becky's party. Sorry!
I was pleased to find a photobooth in West Ed when we were shopping, and took the opportunity to show off a few of my recent purchases. I also love the backlit effect of the no-backdrop-background, I'm a big fan. Seriously.
This is how the Edmonton trip went:
- Pick up Lynnea, drive a bit, pick up Xav and Cai
- Shenanigans in the auto while driving for 5 hours
- Picked up groceries, went to C&E's, made spaghetti dinner
- Snuck off to see Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
- Slept, woke up around 10am
- headed to the mall around noon, finished shopping around 6 or so. Found this fabulous vest & zany American Apparel outift
- Hit the Fringe
- Watched Sydney White back at C&E's, after a big kerfuffle about a scratched DVD we rented
- Slept, woke up, breakfasted, drove the 5 hours home
And 1 hour later I was at work. Busy but fun! It was great to spend a bit of time with C&E and Maria, to see Maria's new workplace. We also delivered a massive red vase with bamboo stalks for her office. Brilliant.
And now I'm off to clean & prepare some lasagne for tomorrow. Mmm.
I was pleased to find a photobooth in West Ed when we were shopping, and took the opportunity to show off a few of my recent purchases. I also love the backlit effect of the no-backdrop-background, I'm a big fan. Seriously.
This is how the Edmonton trip went:
- Pick up Lynnea, drive a bit, pick up Xav and Cai
- Shenanigans in the auto while driving for 5 hours
- Picked up groceries, went to C&E's, made spaghetti dinner
- Snuck off to see Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
- Slept, woke up around 10am
- headed to the mall around noon, finished shopping around 6 or so. Found this fabulous vest & zany American Apparel outift
- Hit the Fringe
- Watched Sydney White back at C&E's, after a big kerfuffle about a scratched DVD we rented
- Slept, woke up, breakfasted, drove the 5 hours home
And 1 hour later I was at work. Busy but fun! It was great to spend a bit of time with C&E and Maria, to see Maria's new workplace. We also delivered a massive red vase with bamboo stalks for her office. Brilliant.
And now I'm off to clean & prepare some lasagne for tomorrow. Mmm.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The visit
Mom and Dad were up this weekend, and it was a lovely relaxing/invigorating time for all of us. We don't get to see them often, so that in itself was a treat. Dad had fun puttering around and fixing a few things up: the pool table at the Oasis, the siding on our house, burying the compost, setting up my wardrobe. Mom is more of the chatting-discussing-reading type, but was happy to help me with some yard work, and brought some flowers to add to our gardens. We watched a few movies with Dad, played some speed scrabble won by Mom, and we two ladies were thoroughly trumped by the men in a game of Canasta. We ate out at the Golden Dragon, visited La Glace, shopped a bit, I had a job interview (sort of), and we went on several nice walks. Jeremie took Mom and Dad to some gardens 45 minutes out of town while I worked on Saturday afternoon. All in all, it was a wonderful visit. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
This and that
The photo is of our guest room: I figured it would be nice to have a photo of the re-decorating.
Oasis has been good this week, a decent amount of kids have been coming. We watched Night at the Museum on Tuesday. It was good, despite the fact that I didn't get to see that much of it between walking back & forth between rooms & hanging out with the youth not watching the movie.
My fingernails are too long, and are interfering with my typing. Bah.
I'm also trying to finish the DVD from the Hanson tour in November, but am having major issues with Pinnacle Studio. It keeps crashing, which doesn't let me get much done. Frustrating.
Tomorrow I'll be cleaning Jana's in the AM, getting groceries & shopping in the PM.
That's all from my short & descriptiveless news bulletin.
Oasis has been good this week, a decent amount of kids have been coming. We watched Night at the Museum on Tuesday. It was good, despite the fact that I didn't get to see that much of it between walking back & forth between rooms & hanging out with the youth not watching the movie.
My fingernails are too long, and are interfering with my typing. Bah.
I'm also trying to finish the DVD from the Hanson tour in November, but am having major issues with Pinnacle Studio. It keeps crashing, which doesn't let me get much done. Frustrating.
Tomorrow I'll be cleaning Jana's in the AM, getting groceries & shopping in the PM.
That's all from my short & descriptiveless news bulletin.
Friday, August 1, 2008
August = new post
I haven't posted for awhile. Some of it has been because this summer is getting busier as it goes on, and some of it because I've been lazy. Irregardless...
Jeremie and I spent last weekend in Horseshoe Bay, a ferry's ride across from Vancouver. It took us a day to drive to Vernon, where we spent the night with J's family, before driving another day to Horseshoe Bay. We met up with Dan & Candace, and had a really good time. We went kyaking, attended a parade & fireworks, watched Dan compete in a firefighters' competition, and spent some time just chilling. I love the coziness of their place, and the skylights. I think we need to add some skylights to our home.
The Oasis has been picking up this week, we had 16 youth on both Tuesday and Wendesday, which is up from 9 or 10. I spent most of Monday planning the August events with Jeremy, making and posting posters, printing photos, creating the events on Facebook and other miscelaneous stuff for the Oasis. I'm enjoying the job, but at the same time am glad it's a summer job. I don't think I could keep up with the enthusiasm/energy required for it in the long haul.
I took quite a break from doing contract site work, but the Duecks have asked me to do their site, and I've decided to go ahead since I'm only working half-time at the Oasis. I'm looking forward to seeing the site done, and it should be a big improvement on what they currently have: more user-friendly, more information, more photos. Just generally more, by the sound of it!
A couple of weeks ago we had a bunch of the Sexsmith gang over for a fire in our backyard, hence the photo. It was fun since we haven't had much company of late. The Snip parents are coming up the weekend after this coming one, and the Bouliannes are coming up closer to the end of August, so I think we'll have enough company to keep us happy in the near future. It's always great to have family over.
On a Hanson tour update, I bought tickets for both shows for Maria and I, and Erika's coming to the Edmonton show with us. I think Cor, Korp, and Jenna are coming to the Edmonton show too, so it should be a blast! Hooray for Hanson tour!
Jeremie and I spent last weekend in Horseshoe Bay, a ferry's ride across from Vancouver. It took us a day to drive to Vernon, where we spent the night with J's family, before driving another day to Horseshoe Bay. We met up with Dan & Candace, and had a really good time. We went kyaking, attended a parade & fireworks, watched Dan compete in a firefighters' competition, and spent some time just chilling. I love the coziness of their place, and the skylights. I think we need to add some skylights to our home.
The Oasis has been picking up this week, we had 16 youth on both Tuesday and Wendesday, which is up from 9 or 10. I spent most of Monday planning the August events with Jeremy, making and posting posters, printing photos, creating the events on Facebook and other miscelaneous stuff for the Oasis. I'm enjoying the job, but at the same time am glad it's a summer job. I don't think I could keep up with the enthusiasm/energy required for it in the long haul.
I took quite a break from doing contract site work, but the Duecks have asked me to do their site, and I've decided to go ahead since I'm only working half-time at the Oasis. I'm looking forward to seeing the site done, and it should be a big improvement on what they currently have: more user-friendly, more information, more photos. Just generally more, by the sound of it!
A couple of weeks ago we had a bunch of the Sexsmith gang over for a fire in our backyard, hence the photo. It was fun since we haven't had much company of late. The Snip parents are coming up the weekend after this coming one, and the Bouliannes are coming up closer to the end of August, so I think we'll have enough company to keep us happy in the near future. It's always great to have family over.
On a Hanson tour update, I bought tickets for both shows for Maria and I, and Erika's coming to the Edmonton show with us. I think Cor, Korp, and Jenna are coming to the Edmonton show too, so it should be a blast! Hooray for Hanson tour!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The recent stuff
The Oasis has been pretty good so far - not many youth coming, but we have a good time. We had 3 youth, plus Heather & I, at the Mini Golf Tournament. The second round was crazy golf, so we have a lot of funny photos. Tomorrow I'm going to have to make the next event posters & set them around town, and start planning next weeks' events. There's nothing like keeping busy!
I also found out yesterday that Hanson is coming to Edmonton. And Calgary. They've been my favorite band for 11 years, and this is the first time they're playing anywhere in Canada besides Vancouver or Ontario. I am SO excited. I've got a few friends that have already said they'll come, and am looking forward to an amazing two shows (I do want to see both, of course). Maria is definitely in, so we'll be Calgary - Edmonton road tripping together. It should be so great.
We had hamburgers for dinner. Mmm. I also ran across this awesome set of vintage cookbooks at a garage sale. They're from "The Galloping Gourmet" and look amazing as well as amusing. I think I'll try a recipe or two this week. We'll see how they turn out!
I've also been reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series again. I've read boks 2, 3, 5, 4, and am now on 7, in that order. I do wish the Library here had them all in, but I'll take what I can get. I must say that I do prefer the first three books, but isn't that almost always the case with any long series?
I also found out yesterday that Hanson is coming to Edmonton. And Calgary. They've been my favorite band for 11 years, and this is the first time they're playing anywhere in Canada besides Vancouver or Ontario. I am SO excited. I've got a few friends that have already said they'll come, and am looking forward to an amazing two shows (I do want to see both, of course). Maria is definitely in, so we'll be Calgary - Edmonton road tripping together. It should be so great.
We had hamburgers for dinner. Mmm. I also ran across this awesome set of vintage cookbooks at a garage sale. They're from "The Galloping Gourmet" and look amazing as well as amusing. I think I'll try a recipe or two this week. We'll see how they turn out!
I've also been reading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series again. I've read boks 2, 3, 5, 4, and am now on 7, in that order. I do wish the Library here had them all in, but I'll take what I can get. I must say that I do prefer the first three books, but isn't that almost always the case with any long series?
Friday, July 4, 2008
Sumo at the Oasis
So I've officially started my job at the Oasis. Our kickoff was Wednesday night. We had about 15 youth come out, and we rented a bunch of bouncy big things - sumo suits, twister, and a castle. We had a good time...
I've been a bit unsure about this job, in that I had/have no idea if the youth will show up, if we'll get enough volunteers, and I'm not really that good of a mixer with new people. But they needed someone, I was available, and people told me they thought I'd be good at it. We'll just have to see how it goes. And hey, isn't God's strength proved in our weakness?
Tonight we'll be playing Fear Factor - relays, eating gross stuff, maybe pulling a stunt or two. We'll see how it goes!
I was also looking for game ideas and came across the game Fun House, from teh '80s and early 90's. I've been trying to remember the name of that show for months. As a kid, I loved the fun house they had to run through to get prizes, the go-kart track, and the lifesized games. Too cool.
Anyway, I'm off to buy gross food for tonight! Ciao!
I've been a bit unsure about this job, in that I had/have no idea if the youth will show up, if we'll get enough volunteers, and I'm not really that good of a mixer with new people. But they needed someone, I was available, and people told me they thought I'd be good at it. We'll just have to see how it goes. And hey, isn't God's strength proved in our weakness?
Tonight we'll be playing Fear Factor - relays, eating gross stuff, maybe pulling a stunt or two. We'll see how it goes!
I was also looking for game ideas and came across the game Fun House, from teh '80s and early 90's. I've been trying to remember the name of that show for months. As a kid, I loved the fun house they had to run through to get prizes, the go-kart track, and the lifesized games. Too cool.
Anyway, I'm off to buy gross food for tonight! Ciao!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
the fireworks
Last night Spyla and I went to see Kung Fu Panda. I loved that the panda's superpower was his fat belly. Awesome.
When I got home, I found a message from Heather, asking if I wanted to check out some fireworks with the gang. Half an hour later, I was wandering around Muskoseepi Park with my cell phone, trying to locate them. I really enjoyed taking the photos. Plus, hanging out so late at night reminded me of my college days - stay up way too late, and hang out as late as possible. Epicness.
When I got home, I found a message from Heather, asking if I wanted to check out some fireworks with the gang. Half an hour later, I was wandering around Muskoseepi Park with my cell phone, trying to locate them. I really enjoyed taking the photos. Plus, hanging out so late at night reminded me of my college days - stay up way too late, and hang out as late as possible. Epicness.
Monday, June 30, 2008
What's new, pussycat
I haven't blogged in awhile. A lot has happened: Maria moved to Edmonton. I went to visit her. I got a job for the summer. I'm working at the Oasis, a teen drop-in centre that will be operating for the summer. I had mcdonald's for dinner. All kinds of things. Suffice it to say all is well: I'm knee-deep in Oasis planning, and looking forward to the weekends when family comes to visit. Hooray for family!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Photoshoot number... 3?
Spyla and I got all glammed up this evening and took a bunch of photos. We had a lot of fun, hooray! You can check the photo set out if you're interested. Gotta love it!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Weekend
A quick rundown of recent events:
Saturday was Chautauqua Day, the town's annual parade/fair type thing. It was a good day for it - not too hot, and no rain! The pancake breakfast was fabulous. I watched the parade with Shelley and Jon, then walked down Main street to find that our youth group was doing a Smokie Stand. I joined in to help. Around 1:30 I snuck off to take photos at the Skate Comp, and stayed until it wrapped up. Then J and I went skateboarding at the park, with the local old-boys skate crew (a bunch of 20-somethings who used to skateboard, and are trying to again). Evening was Wok Box and movies with Jer and Britt. And Jovi, can't forget her!
Sunday was a community service across from main street, and another barbecue. Then we snuck off to skateboard at the park. Afternoon featured a soccer game at the Duecks' before J and I stole off home to take a nap. Mmm, naps.
Yesterday I went grocery shopping, got new tires for my car, and generally enjoyed my day off. Went to the skatepark with Jeremie again. I'd like to say that I'm getting better, but only time will tell! I did manage to fall really well (or not well, depending on your point of view) and bruise up my hip and wrist. Oh well.
Tonight Chris and Maria are coming for dinner, Wednesday is a barbecue in the park. Thursday is my long-delayed ultrasound and skateboarding with Anakate. Friday is youth. Hooray for a full life!
Saturday was Chautauqua Day, the town's annual parade/fair type thing. It was a good day for it - not too hot, and no rain! The pancake breakfast was fabulous. I watched the parade with Shelley and Jon, then walked down Main street to find that our youth group was doing a Smokie Stand. I joined in to help. Around 1:30 I snuck off to take photos at the Skate Comp, and stayed until it wrapped up. Then J and I went skateboarding at the park, with the local old-boys skate crew (a bunch of 20-somethings who used to skateboard, and are trying to again). Evening was Wok Box and movies with Jer and Britt. And Jovi, can't forget her!
Sunday was a community service across from main street, and another barbecue. Then we snuck off to skateboard at the park. Afternoon featured a soccer game at the Duecks' before J and I stole off home to take a nap. Mmm, naps.
Yesterday I went grocery shopping, got new tires for my car, and generally enjoyed my day off. Went to the skatepark with Jeremie again. I'd like to say that I'm getting better, but only time will tell! I did manage to fall really well (or not well, depending on your point of view) and bruise up my hip and wrist. Oh well.
Tonight Chris and Maria are coming for dinner, Wednesday is a barbecue in the park. Thursday is my long-delayed ultrasound and skateboarding with Anakate. Friday is youth. Hooray for a full life!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Super Powered Death Monkeys
Oh yeah, and PS - I won second place in a CD cover design contest with this graphic. Hooray for a free t-shirt!
chicken parmesan
I tried out a Chicken Parmigiano recipe. It was mm mm good! J gave it a 9 out of 10, me an 8. So make sure you try it!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Officially 3 years!
J and I have officially been married 3 years - and we haven't killed each other! Hooray!
In other news, we had a crazy busy weekend. I drove home from the city on Friday afternoon, arriving home around 6pm. I was planning on getting home sooner, but Erika and I got distracted with dreaming up ideas for our cafe. I remembered about 2 hours before that Friday was Grad night in town, so I got gussied up and went to see the grand march and congratulate some friends.
Saturday AM was yard work day - we had a jungle to tame. Lawn to shear, weeds to pull, flowers to plant, dandelions to exterminate. It took us 2-3 hours to get everything done. The evening was Battle of the Bands in the community centre. The guys from our youth group won first place! I took way too many photos. After the event we headed out to Michael's place for a weiner roast and fire night.
The Sunday service was at Bear Lake, so we trekked out there and were only 5 minutes late. There was a barbecue and picnic afterwards. I blew a bunch of bubble-wand-bubbles with the kids. 5pm was another barbecue at Justin's for his birthday. I think that was the most people I've ever seen on a deck. The burgers were good, the company friendly. J and I both enjoyed the evening.
In other news, we had a crazy busy weekend. I drove home from the city on Friday afternoon, arriving home around 6pm. I was planning on getting home sooner, but Erika and I got distracted with dreaming up ideas for our cafe. I remembered about 2 hours before that Friday was Grad night in town, so I got gussied up and went to see the grand march and congratulate some friends.
Saturday AM was yard work day - we had a jungle to tame. Lawn to shear, weeds to pull, flowers to plant, dandelions to exterminate. It took us 2-3 hours to get everything done. The evening was Battle of the Bands in the community centre. The guys from our youth group won first place! I took way too many photos. After the event we headed out to Michael's place for a weiner roast and fire night.
The Sunday service was at Bear Lake, so we trekked out there and were only 5 minutes late. There was a barbecue and picnic afterwards. I blew a bunch of bubble-wand-bubbles with the kids. 5pm was another barbecue at Justin's for his birthday. I think that was the most people I've ever seen on a deck. The burgers were good, the company friendly. J and I both enjoyed the evening.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
This week
The past week has been an interesting schmoz. Friday in the wee hours (8am ;) J and I got up, packed up, and headed out. We followed a big yellow school bus to YC 2008. It was a massive mayhem-ey type event, with many bands and many more young people. Bands I saw, at least in passing: Newsboys (classic), TFK (one song), Grits(too crowded to stay, but I've seen them live before - good), Nevertheless (thumbs up), Papa San (good reggae beat), Hawk Nelson (not so good live), and more I'm sure I'll remember in about 10 minutes.
Weekend hilights: chinatown & dinner there with Heather, girls getting ready in the hotel room together, late night pizza, ultra-fatigue, soaking our feet in the hot tub, the mish-mash of people, Reggie Dabb's great talks, praying with Spyla, checking out my amazing leg muscles (courtesy of sitting in the nosebleeds all weekend)...
Our anniversary was this week, so J and I took Monday off. We stayed at the Metterra on Whyte for old times' sake, then went CD shopping in the morning, had breakfast bagels at the Friends Nest Eatery - a reccomended place to grab some eats. We stopped by work so I could drop a few things off, then headed out on the Henday to go home. When we got to the North East end of the city, our transmission quit.
Thus, my week in lovely E-town. Chuck & Erika were happy to have us crash in their guest room. J took the greyhound home yesterday so he could work. I chatted with my boss & got this week off, so I'll work Mon-Thurs next week to make up the time. The question remains: what is there to do in Clareview?
Yesterday I took the bus to stop by the auto shop & pick up my phone charger. Who knew that it would take a whole afternoon to run an errand like that? Most of the time was spent on the bus, though I did stop by the TWOS to visit with Alby for a half hour or so. It was good to catch up a bit with her! I also got my Employee of the Month award from about two years ago, included was a Keg gift card. Guess what Erika and I did for dinner? We also did some intense thrift shopping to see if we could find jeans for Erika. No luck on anything she liked enough to buy!
I'll be home sometime this weekend - between Friday and Sunday. As usual, everything is up in the air!
Weekend hilights: chinatown & dinner there with Heather, girls getting ready in the hotel room together, late night pizza, ultra-fatigue, soaking our feet in the hot tub, the mish-mash of people, Reggie Dabb's great talks, praying with Spyla, checking out my amazing leg muscles (courtesy of sitting in the nosebleeds all weekend)...
Our anniversary was this week, so J and I took Monday off. We stayed at the Metterra on Whyte for old times' sake, then went CD shopping in the morning, had breakfast bagels at the Friends Nest Eatery - a reccomended place to grab some eats. We stopped by work so I could drop a few things off, then headed out on the Henday to go home. When we got to the North East end of the city, our transmission quit.
Thus, my week in lovely E-town. Chuck & Erika were happy to have us crash in their guest room. J took the greyhound home yesterday so he could work. I chatted with my boss & got this week off, so I'll work Mon-Thurs next week to make up the time. The question remains: what is there to do in Clareview?
Yesterday I took the bus to stop by the auto shop & pick up my phone charger. Who knew that it would take a whole afternoon to run an errand like that? Most of the time was spent on the bus, though I did stop by the TWOS to visit with Alby for a half hour or so. It was good to catch up a bit with her! I also got my Employee of the Month award from about two years ago, included was a Keg gift card. Guess what Erika and I did for dinner? We also did some intense thrift shopping to see if we could find jeans for Erika. No luck on anything she liked enough to buy!
I'll be home sometime this weekend - between Friday and Sunday. As usual, everything is up in the air!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A little bit of green
I've been impatient to do things for quite awhile now: to plant the garden, to set up the new guest room (we got a double bed, hooray), to be done work, so many things.
Last night was basement rearrangement night - J and I moved the robot room stuff into the robot room, then the stuff in the guest room out, the new bed into the guest room, and set up a little cozy area of the basement with our extra bed, my keyboard, and other stuff. There's still a big pile of miscelaneous doens't-fit-anywhere in the basement, but I'm fine with that for now.
I'm really hoping to get at least the corn planted this week, but we'll see. We leave for YC at 9am Friday, so there's not that much time between now and then!
Hooray for spring and greenery!
Last night was basement rearrangement night - J and I moved the robot room stuff into the robot room, then the stuff in the guest room out, the new bed into the guest room, and set up a little cozy area of the basement with our extra bed, my keyboard, and other stuff. There's still a big pile of miscelaneous doens't-fit-anywhere in the basement, but I'm fine with that for now.
I'm really hoping to get at least the corn planted this week, but we'll see. We leave for YC at 9am Friday, so there's not that much time between now and then!
Hooray for spring and greenery!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
We were pregnant.
Not anymore.
For those who want a few details: my friend Meghan took me to the ER on Friday evening when I started losing a lot of blood. They ran some blood tests, gave me an IV, sent me home around 1am. Jeremie and I went back for another blood test on Sunday, and the hormone that should be in my blood to indicate pregnancy is going down. I'll get an ultrasound in a week or two to make sure everything is cleared out properly.
I've been talking about this all weekend, and so don't feel like getting into it. Suffice it to say that we are doing alright, and trust that this is God's will. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and support, and know that God will give us a child if/when the time is right.
For those who want a few details: my friend Meghan took me to the ER on Friday evening when I started losing a lot of blood. They ran some blood tests, gave me an IV, sent me home around 1am. Jeremie and I went back for another blood test on Sunday, and the hormone that should be in my blood to indicate pregnancy is going down. I'll get an ultrasound in a week or two to make sure everything is cleared out properly.
I've been talking about this all weekend, and so don't feel like getting into it. Suffice it to say that we are doing alright, and trust that this is God's will. We greatly appreciate all your prayers and support, and know that God will give us a child if/when the time is right.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Aww
Jocelyn was going to come over tonight to join in the garden planting, but it's too windy outside - I can hear it rattling around outside the house. Poo.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Garage Sale Stuff
Last weekend was the Town Garage Sale.
It was great.
Hectic, busy, and great.
I was up at the crack of dawn. Well, 8am. I couldn't sleep the night before, so I spent some midnight hours making up tags with my name and cell number on them, measuring the spare room, and writing lists of what I wanted to get.
What was on my list:
- crib & change table
- double bed for guest room
- bike
- rug for the basement
What we bought:
- crib, change table, and dresser. All 90s beige wood.
- double bed (frame & mattresses) for the guest room
- rug for the basement. An 8 foot rug for $2, what a steal!
- Baby monitor, blankets, crib bumper
- Payday. I've been looking for this for ages! and Barrel of Monkeys
- the 3 Star Wars movies on DVD
- some smashing 60s dining room chairs to reupholster
- Electric staple gun, to help with my reupholstering
We did find a few bikes, but it turns out Britt was given an extra bike that I might be able to have! We also found a baby jogger/stroller/bike thing and golf clubs for her, so she wasn't left out.
We had fun trying to find the bargains and running around town. Britt had wanted to hit every garage sale, but there were just too many! We shopped from 9-2, and then called it a day.
My favorite thing about all the new stuff we got is that I get to mod it all up for our house! The bed frame needs paint, since I'm not a fan of the brass/gold look. We're thinking black. Chairs to reupholster, bedspreads to buy, room paint to plan... it's great! I'll have weeks or months worth of fun projects from this!
It was great.
Hectic, busy, and great.
I was up at the crack of dawn. Well, 8am. I couldn't sleep the night before, so I spent some midnight hours making up tags with my name and cell number on them, measuring the spare room, and writing lists of what I wanted to get.
What was on my list:
- crib & change table
- double bed for guest room
- bike
- rug for the basement
What we bought:
- crib, change table, and dresser. All 90s beige wood.
- double bed (frame & mattresses) for the guest room
- rug for the basement. An 8 foot rug for $2, what a steal!
- Baby monitor, blankets, crib bumper
- Payday. I've been looking for this for ages! and Barrel of Monkeys
- the 3 Star Wars movies on DVD
- some smashing 60s dining room chairs to reupholster
- Electric staple gun, to help with my reupholstering
We did find a few bikes, but it turns out Britt was given an extra bike that I might be able to have! We also found a baby jogger/stroller/bike thing and golf clubs for her, so she wasn't left out.
We had fun trying to find the bargains and running around town. Britt had wanted to hit every garage sale, but there were just too many! We shopped from 9-2, and then called it a day.
My favorite thing about all the new stuff we got is that I get to mod it all up for our house! The bed frame needs paint, since I'm not a fan of the brass/gold look. We're thinking black. Chairs to reupholster, bedspreads to buy, room paint to plan... it's great! I'll have weeks or months worth of fun projects from this!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Our weekend in Lethbridge
The first weekend in May was the weekend we flew to Lethbridge. It was nice to be able to fly instead of driving: faster and less tiring. We flew in Friday evening, Mom & Dad took us to the Siagonese, for some amazing spring rolls & hot-sour soup. We told them the happy baby news, and they were excited/pleased indeed. We also stopped by at Grandma Jetty and Grandpa Bill's to let them know as well, and were feasted on cookies, juice and tea.
Saturday morning was garage saling (got a few great deals), then getting ready for Mike & Cor's wedding. The ceremony was lovely, Mike so solemn and Cor so bouncy and excited. They wrote their own vows, and Mom started to cry (I might have teared up too).
A bunch of the Kings gang was there, so we went card/gift shopping, then out for some ice cream before heading off to the Lodge for the reception. I was happy to meet Mike's mom, since he's been raving about her for years - and I was pleased to find out that she had wanted to meet me too ;)
I did manage to snag Jeremie in for one dance, which I was happy about. Oh, and I wore my faboo-new dress! It was so mod and lovely, it made the day just that much better.
More about this past weekend later!
Saturday morning was garage saling (got a few great deals), then getting ready for Mike & Cor's wedding. The ceremony was lovely, Mike so solemn and Cor so bouncy and excited. They wrote their own vows, and Mom started to cry (I might have teared up too).
A bunch of the Kings gang was there, so we went card/gift shopping, then out for some ice cream before heading off to the Lodge for the reception. I was happy to meet Mike's mom, since he's been raving about her for years - and I was pleased to find out that she had wanted to meet me too ;)
I did manage to snag Jeremie in for one dance, which I was happy about. Oh, and I wore my faboo-new dress! It was so mod and lovely, it made the day just that much better.
More about this past weekend later!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cool Names (for babies)
Breaking news for this post: we're pregnant!
This will be our first child (God willing), and due November 22nd. We're officially 11 weeks along. I've been feeling great thus far, which is taking after my mom in her pregnancies. She was also always 2 weeks early delivering. We'll see what happens there!
J and I are both excited, and told our families this past week.
I wonder if J will gain sympathy weight? ;)
This will be our first child (God willing), and due November 22nd. We're officially 11 weeks along. I've been feeling great thus far, which is taking after my mom in her pregnancies. She was also always 2 weeks early delivering. We'll see what happens there!
J and I are both excited, and told our families this past week.
I wonder if J will gain sympathy weight? ;)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
One afternoon left!
Tomorrow J & I fly home to visit Mom & Dad. We're both really looking forward to the weekend! We'll get to catch up with Mom & Dad, see what they've been working on lately. I also get to see the oldskool Kings gang at Mike & Cor's wedding - and, as usual I got roped into (asked nicely, but I always feel guilty if I say no) taking some photos at the reception. Not such a big deal, because I'd probably take some anyway...
Flying! To Lethbridge! I've never done that before due to the silly price of tickets. Don't we all just love airmiles!
J has from May 2 - May 26 off of work, so he'll be finishing off the robot room, going to the Robot Games in Calgary, taking a skate trip through BC, and hanging around the house for the month before we head off to YC.
I just ate some guacamole (so good). I have garlic breath. Thought you might like to know.
Flying! To Lethbridge! I've never done that before due to the silly price of tickets. Don't we all just love airmiles!
J has from May 2 - May 26 off of work, so he'll be finishing off the robot room, going to the Robot Games in Calgary, taking a skate trip through BC, and hanging around the house for the month before we head off to YC.
I just ate some guacamole (so good). I have garlic breath. Thought you might like to know.
Friday, April 25, 2008
One week down...
One less to go.
The big news of this blog post is that I've given my notice to work. I do like designing, but am in huge need of a break. It's been stressful for the last while. As of now, I officially have 5 work weeks left. Then freedom!
You may ask what I plan to do on my time off? There's a lot to be done around the house that I just haven't found time for: painting, adding 4 years' worth of photos to scrapbooks, cleaning, yardwork, planting/tending our garden. And outside the house, there's Thursday lunch to help with, Wednesday bible study to go to, and friends to visit for lunch. I'm also really looking to having the summer off, since I haven't had one off since college! It's been way too long.
I'm really starting to get excited about next weekend now: I haven't been home in about a year and a half, and miss it (and my family) a lot! It will be so good to have a few days with Mom and Dad. Plus, Mike & Cor are getting married, which is always a good excuse for a trip. They really should get married more often ;)
Aah, yes. Now I'm off to hang out with youth for their 30-hour famine. Fun times!
The big news of this blog post is that I've given my notice to work. I do like designing, but am in huge need of a break. It's been stressful for the last while. As of now, I officially have 5 work weeks left. Then freedom!
You may ask what I plan to do on my time off? There's a lot to be done around the house that I just haven't found time for: painting, adding 4 years' worth of photos to scrapbooks, cleaning, yardwork, planting/tending our garden. And outside the house, there's Thursday lunch to help with, Wednesday bible study to go to, and friends to visit for lunch. I'm also really looking to having the summer off, since I haven't had one off since college! It's been way too long.
I'm really starting to get excited about next weekend now: I haven't been home in about a year and a half, and miss it (and my family) a lot! It will be so good to have a few days with Mom and Dad. Plus, Mike & Cor are getting married, which is always a good excuse for a trip. They really should get married more often ;)
Aah, yes. Now I'm off to hang out with youth for their 30-hour famine. Fun times!
Monday, April 21, 2008
The crazy etch-a-sketch
Shawn always does amazing etch-a-sketches when he's over. Chuck & Erika might recognize this entertainment unit...
This past Friday was Airbands with the youth. There were some great groups, and the best was the guy leaders, who did Bye Bye Bye, complete with the dance. I almost laughed my head off.
Saturday we had a pizza/bowling party to celebrate the end of the semester for Heather. No more classes/exams is a boon! Maria, I thought of you at the party too. Hope you're having a blast.
Sunday was church and small group - we had a pizza party at Eric & Jana's, and had a great time socializing & playing Mad Gab. The guys did tend to get distracted by the hockey game, however.
I also just called the bodyshop to get my front bumper replaced on my car, which I'm really looking forward to. I hate having a broken vehicle! Now Jeremie and I just have to find a good deal on some tires..
This past Friday was Airbands with the youth. There were some great groups, and the best was the guy leaders, who did Bye Bye Bye, complete with the dance. I almost laughed my head off.
Saturday we had a pizza/bowling party to celebrate the end of the semester for Heather. No more classes/exams is a boon! Maria, I thought of you at the party too. Hope you're having a blast.
Sunday was church and small group - we had a pizza party at Eric & Jana's, and had a great time socializing & playing Mad Gab. The guys did tend to get distracted by the hockey game, however.
I also just called the bodyshop to get my front bumper replaced on my car, which I'm really looking forward to. I hate having a broken vehicle! Now Jeremie and I just have to find a good deal on some tires..
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Meet Jerome
Jerome is our gnome. I painted him with Lindy the other week at our local pottery painting store. I must admit that part of the reason I picked him was due to his not-quite-as-kitschy-ness. Another reason might be Jeremie's insistence on a gnome ;)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Home sweet Home
My sister said I should blog more often. Life has been hectic, but it doesn't feel like there's that much to say. Things are going pretty well: I'm looking forward to paying off my car, which we're planning on doing this month. Then it's new tires, repairs, and then my car will be good to go for the next while. Vehicles sure do gouge the pocketbook!
This past Friday night was girls' Glam Karaoke Nite at youth. It was a rocking time. We set up my PS2 with some karaoke revolution on the big screen/sound system at church, threw up some balloons, made a hairdressing station, and lots of fancy treats. We all had a blast, which I'm glad of. When you're planning something, you always want it to go well!
I went out with Lindy the other Saturday to catch up, and we spent several hours painting ceramics. I didn't think that it was something I'd enjoy, but I did. Quite. We now have a hand-painted lawn gnome named Jerome.
J is now 26, and we celebrated his birthday with a nice stroll through town, a rented movie, and some steaks on the barbecue. Mmm, steak.
Wendesday evening found us having dinner with Cam & Joss, then us ladies took off so the men could have their guys' nite. Joss & I power-walked to her sister's place, then through their neighborhood. By the time we got to main street I was exhausted, and skipped out on their jog through the ritzy neighborhood. I instead took a liesurelty stroll to get a fro-yo (haha, so oldskool) , checked out the hours of operation at a local diner, and hung out around the skatepark 'til they were done. There's nothing like hanging out with someone fit to show you that you're not!
Ciao for now!
This past Friday night was girls' Glam Karaoke Nite at youth. It was a rocking time. We set up my PS2 with some karaoke revolution on the big screen/sound system at church, threw up some balloons, made a hairdressing station, and lots of fancy treats. We all had a blast, which I'm glad of. When you're planning something, you always want it to go well!
I went out with Lindy the other Saturday to catch up, and we spent several hours painting ceramics. I didn't think that it was something I'd enjoy, but I did. Quite. We now have a hand-painted lawn gnome named Jerome.
J is now 26, and we celebrated his birthday with a nice stroll through town, a rented movie, and some steaks on the barbecue. Mmm, steak.
Wendesday evening found us having dinner with Cam & Joss, then us ladies took off so the men could have their guys' nite. Joss & I power-walked to her sister's place, then through their neighborhood. By the time we got to main street I was exhausted, and skipped out on their jog through the ritzy neighborhood. I instead took a liesurelty stroll to get a fro-yo (haha, so oldskool) , checked out the hours of operation at a local diner, and hung out around the skatepark 'til they were done. There's nothing like hanging out with someone fit to show you that you're not!
Ciao for now!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
So...
Jeremie and I went to Edmonton on Easter weekend to attend the wedding of Brent & Erin. They seem happy together. It was an interesting ceremony, and very short, since it was administered by a Justice of the Peace. The vows were more about upholding each other's rights and staying together than the Christian vows, to honor and cherish.
We were lucky enough to go to McKernan on easter sunday, and ran into a bunch of our friends. We all went downstairs for a scrumptious turkey dinner after the service, and it was truly a pleasant affair.
I've also been pleased with the neat-o shelf we got at Ikea for my office. Yay for storage space!
I didn't have anyone to pull April Fools Day jokes on. Poo.
And I also want to watch Ratatouille again. I love that movie!
We had Jer, Britt, Jovi, and Jer's parents over yesterday for a barbecue after church. It was nice to get to know them a bit better, and we had a nice lunch and chat. I even changed Jovi's diaper! And, of course, she blessed me with a runny one. Thanks, dear!
I'm also starting to look forward to the town garage sale in May. I hear it's crazy good. May will be hectic - we've got Mike & Cor's wedding, the town garage sale, Jer wants to attend the Robot Games in Calgary, and we're helping out with the youth for YC. Busy busy!
Oh, and Maria's moving to Edmonton! I'm so excited!
We were lucky enough to go to McKernan on easter sunday, and ran into a bunch of our friends. We all went downstairs for a scrumptious turkey dinner after the service, and it was truly a pleasant affair.
I've also been pleased with the neat-o shelf we got at Ikea for my office. Yay for storage space!
I didn't have anyone to pull April Fools Day jokes on. Poo.
And I also want to watch Ratatouille again. I love that movie!
We had Jer, Britt, Jovi, and Jer's parents over yesterday for a barbecue after church. It was nice to get to know them a bit better, and we had a nice lunch and chat. I even changed Jovi's diaper! And, of course, she blessed me with a runny one. Thanks, dear!
I'm also starting to look forward to the town garage sale in May. I hear it's crazy good. May will be hectic - we've got Mike & Cor's wedding, the town garage sale, Jer wants to attend the Robot Games in Calgary, and we're helping out with the youth for YC. Busy busy!
Oh, and Maria's moving to Edmonton! I'm so excited!
Monday, March 17, 2008
New drapes too
The old drapes made Jeremie slightly nauseous - they were too shiny! Being the busy bee that I am, I sewed the new drapes this evening and installed them. It's a different look. I'll have to get used to it!
I also just found out that the leisure centre has drop-in hip hop sessions on Tuesdays. I think I'll go tomorrow!
I also just found out that the leisure centre has drop-in hip hop sessions on Tuesdays. I think I'll go tomorrow!
Friday, March 14, 2008
New Fridge?
Our fridge is getting old and slowly warming up. It's a lot like spring, but fridges need to stay winter-ey! Now we have to pick the fridge:
Stainless. Pretty. A couple hundred dollars more expensive.
White. Plainer. Cheaper. Magnetic.
What do you like better?
Stainless. Pretty. A couple hundred dollars more expensive.
White. Plainer. Cheaper. Magnetic.
What do you like better?
No postey
As usual, we've been busy. But it's been good, no complaints! I was noticing that it's been over a week and a half since I blogged. Bad Martha!
Saturday we went to Hermand and Bernice's acreage to do some snow-vehicling: I got to drive the rhino, snow mobile, and quad. My first time on all of them, and it was great! I loved the snow mobile because it went from 0 to 60 in 10 seconds flat. Amazing! Just like a motorbike.
I would write more, but J just got home. Off to greet the husband!
Saturday we went to Hermand and Bernice's acreage to do some snow-vehicling: I got to drive the rhino, snow mobile, and quad. My first time on all of them, and it was great! I loved the snow mobile because it went from 0 to 60 in 10 seconds flat. Amazing! Just like a motorbike.
I would write more, but J just got home. Off to greet the husband!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Tulips and spring!
It's definitely not near spring yet in these parts, but we had a few weeks of balmy above-zero weather that I've enjoyed immensely. Winter always makes me forget what a difference sunlight and warm air can make. I saw these tulips on sale at the grocery store on Saturday, and just had to buy myself some. They remind me not only of spring, but also of my grandmother, who always had tulips dancing in front of her house. They remind me of the fond memories I had there, of being a child feeling safe and warm, of her treasure trove of beads we could string together to make necklaces galore. Grandma's felt like home, even though we only saw her every few years.
I used Thursday/Friday/Saturday evening to get some of the to-do items off my plate. I'm feeling a lot more relaxed and less stressed, which is wonderful for a change.
Thursday I started on the quilt for Jovi: laid it out on the living room floor and started stitching squares together with my new(ish) machine.
Friday was skating night with the youth group, so we all headed over to the ice arena to do a little bit of sliding. I had to borrow Britt's skates since I don't seem to have any. I don't think I've had any for a long time, actually, not since I was a child. We played British Bulldog at the rink, as well as coming up with Synchronized Skating routines for the parents to judge. Ours lost, but I truly think it was better choreographed. Oh well. After youth group the leaders went to Heather's to watch a movie. It was nice to go to her place again.
Saturday was my shopping day. I hadn't done any for awhile, and was looking forward to it. I ended up buying more than I had planned on, but am really enjoying all the items. I bought a new large waterproof mat for the back entry, to save the floor and look a lot nicer. We now have some runners so you can get from upstairs to Jeremie's bathroom without having to walk on cold concrete. I also found some pretty towels that work well with the paint color in my bathroom, so I bought 4 sets - hooray for matching towels!
Our fridge is also on the decline. We got it fixed once, and it's doing the same thing again. It slowly gets warmer, and we keep turning the temperature gauge down to keep it cold. Eventually it gets to a temperature of 9 and not cold enough, and then we're in trouble. So I've been fridge shopping: I measured the space for the fridge, and went to 5 different appliance-selling places on Saturday to see if I could find a fridge that has all the features we want. It was hard to find one to fit: most fridges are 3 inches wider and 2-5 inches higher than the space we have for our fridge. I'm reluctant to start pulling cupboards out. It can get pricey. I've found a few models that will work, so J and I will probably pick one up sometime next month. I'm already excited! And still trying to pick between stainless or white. Stainless is pretty, but more expensive and fingerprints easily. White is cheaper, and still fairly nice when you get the flat white instead of the textured. Plus white is magnetic. Hmm.
I also finished off Jovi's quilt on Saturday. I gave it to Britt after church on Sunday when we went to her place for lunch. Jovi's grown so much in the past few weeks. I can't wait until she doesn't cry as much though, it seems she always needs attention. I suppose that's just the way of babies!
That's all from this side of the pond. Fare thee well!
PS - go listen to Keaton Simmons
Thursday, February 28, 2008
And to date...
This week has been an up-in-the-air kind of week. Sunday evening we went to small group at Phil & Elvira's. Not a lot of people showed up, but it was still enjoyable: the smaller group gave us all a chance to get to know one another better.
Monday night was decorating for Britney's baby shower, which Megan & I planned. Tuesday was the shower. It went off really well, and lots of people stopped me to say they enjoyed the shower. At the same time, it was rather tiring being the person who came early and left late, the set-up-er and take-down-er. I was glad to do it though, for Britt.
I thought I'd be leaving Wednesday evening for Edmonton for work, but the trip was cancelled. I was rattling around the house at odds with everything, and so decided to go fridge shopping with Jenaeya. We checked out fridges at a couple of places, but noticed that fridges seem to have gotten a lot wider and taller since our home was built 14 some odd years ago. It's a challenge to find a nice fridge with the features we want (J would like an ice crusher for drinks, while I have a hankering for a bottom drawer or side freezer). We'll have to see how it goes.. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look?
Jenaeya and I were talking about her grad dress. It's black. And she wants yellow shoes. I think that a mod/vintage look with a yellow clutch and perching/netting hat would be fabulous with that. I woke up a scant 4 hours after going to bed with hats and purses dancing through my brain. I find that I can't sleep when I have designs on the mind, be it clothing or websites or artwork. I got up to draw it out so I could go back to sleep, got distracted, and am here now.
Mmm, bed. Maybe I'll go back for an hour or so before work.
Ciao!
Monday night was decorating for Britney's baby shower, which Megan & I planned. Tuesday was the shower. It went off really well, and lots of people stopped me to say they enjoyed the shower. At the same time, it was rather tiring being the person who came early and left late, the set-up-er and take-down-er. I was glad to do it though, for Britt.
I thought I'd be leaving Wednesday evening for Edmonton for work, but the trip was cancelled. I was rattling around the house at odds with everything, and so decided to go fridge shopping with Jenaeya. We checked out fridges at a couple of places, but noticed that fridges seem to have gotten a lot wider and taller since our home was built 14 some odd years ago. It's a challenge to find a nice fridge with the features we want (J would like an ice crusher for drinks, while I have a hankering for a bottom drawer or side freezer). We'll have to see how it goes.. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look?
Jenaeya and I were talking about her grad dress. It's black. And she wants yellow shoes. I think that a mod/vintage look with a yellow clutch and perching/netting hat would be fabulous with that. I woke up a scant 4 hours after going to bed with hats and purses dancing through my brain. I find that I can't sleep when I have designs on the mind, be it clothing or websites or artwork. I got up to draw it out so I could go back to sleep, got distracted, and am here now.
Mmm, bed. Maybe I'll go back for an hour or so before work.
Ciao!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Time flies when you're having fun
Time flies when you're having fun. Or when you're really busy. Fortunately for me, it's a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. Looking at my blog, maybe a bit too busy.. since I haven't taken the time to post lately.
Saw a few movies - Juno (pretty good, a few parts I would have preferred not seeing), and 27 Dresses (Girly, but a lot of fun). I'm hoping to see the Bucket List, National Treasure, and Jane sometime in the next while. There seem to be a lot more good movies out now than there were around Christmas!
Jeremie's mom and Grandma were here last weekend due to the death of our friend. They arrived here Friday on the Greyhound, and I drove them both ways on Saturday to go to the funeral - a 3 hour drive or so, a whole lot closer than it would have been from their home. It was good to see them again, even if the reason for having them here wasn't the most exciting.
Last weekend our friends Britt & Jer also had a baby girl, Jovi, and she's very cute. We got to see her at one day old - not nearly as ugly and wrinkly as I thought! Jeremie and I both took turns holding her, and she was adorable: all soft and warm and curled up in a small armful. Yay for babies.
I finally got around to writing a familial/friend Christmas letter (belated, of course) and sent it off yesterday, on the policy that late is better than never!
Youth Group has been enjoyable, as usual - 2 weeks ago was curling, and yesterday we had a formal night - at McDonald's. When our bus pulled up to good ol' Mickey D's, we found tablecloths and fine china! I had the honor of waitressing, and didn't do too bad if I do say so myself. Not that I'm considering a career in it or anything...
And after youth last night, we had a bunch of people over to play Rockband. We played for 4 hours, and it felt like two! Amazing. I like the drums best, though they're hardest, and tend to do best at the vocals part of things.
J is working today, so I stayed in bed most of the day and read a few books. Now I'm off to get started on cleaning off the robot room floor. Once it's all cleaned & prepped, we can go out to buy some epoxy and get the cement turned into pretty flooring! I'm looking forward to it. It doesn't feel like we've done that much on the room yet, but looking at the photo above I'd say we're doing alright. I think that J and I will both enjoy him having his own not-so-makeshift lair to build things and hobby in.
Ciao for now!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
the recipe trove
So. I FINALLY got my recipe site up & working, thanks to Chris' handy troubleshooting skills with the PHP, and a bit to my dogedness on the "keep trying" front.
I'm really pleased with how it looks, yes indeed! It's fun, vintage-ish, and has great colors. (props to Shag, who inspired my couch-lady-hostess).
Now to add some more recipes...
On another tangent, Breakforth was a lot of fun - I'm glad that I went! Considering I'm not much of a conference person, this is a huge plus.
And I'm on the last (hopefully) coat of red paint for the robot room! Hooray again!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
soup & biscuits
So I've been cooking more often lately: we keep having company or going places, so I keep collecting recipes that I either serve or have been served! This soup & associated biscuits are tres yummy - definitely worth making!
I'm heading off to Breakforth this weekend, and leaving for Edmonton in short order. I'm spending tonight at the Bienert's (yay!), working tomorrow in the office, and then heading out to hang out with the kids, catch whatever concert is going on, and do Breakforth-type stuff this weekend. Should be fun - hope I don't get too exhausted!
Ciao :)
I'm heading off to Breakforth this weekend, and leaving for Edmonton in short order. I'm spending tonight at the Bienert's (yay!), working tomorrow in the office, and then heading out to hang out with the kids, catch whatever concert is going on, and do Breakforth-type stuff this weekend. Should be fun - hope I don't get too exhausted!
Ciao :)
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Rockband and Such
This photo is of Jeremie and some of his friends playing Rockband, the new (and unreleased in Canada) game for the Xbox(360?). It's like guitar hero, karaoke revolution, plus some drumming. It's amazing.
New career path option: drummer
November and December were crazy, what with the California trip, working in Edmonton for a week, photographing Bryce & Hayley's wedding, our youth group trip to WEM for a night, watching gilmore girls season 7 with friends every Monday, flying to Vernon for Christmas...
All of it was very good, and I'm also glad that it's all done, and I have a chance to relax. Hooray, huzzah!
I was flipping through my domain, and noticed that I hadn't updated any of my sites (except the recipe one) for at least a year. Wow. Horrible me. So I added some more info to my portfolio (screenshots to follow). My personal site had content so old I was embarassed - I think my last update was a year and a half ago. So I replaced the site with a 'takeout' version - links to my flickr, blog, and cafepress. Those are the only sites I update semi-regularly, so at least people will have more recent content. I'll resurrect my personal site at some later date, when I can devote the time to it that I would really like to.
In other news, Cafepress. I had to close 2 of my 6 shops due to 'copyright infringement'. Darn it all, there's nothing new under the sun! So how can anything not be copyright infringement! Grr. I love to design, love to make products, hate how everything I make it labeled 'pending' with a big red box around it. Maybe I'm just a blatant infringer. But I couldn't even make an I (heart) shirt! Is that copywritten too? Silly thing.
The family Christmas in Vernon was great. The flight(s) there were a bit long - we were in the air for 3 hours total, but we left home about 7 hours before arriving. Silly 3-stop flights. But it was cheap(er), and that's what we were worried about.
I've travelled a lot alone lately, or with random people (say hello California). And found that travelling with Jeremie was great! We got along, knew when to not bother each other, and it was just nice to travel with my best friend. It was great to have someone to talk to, someone to share things with.
So. Vernon. We played games like crazy: cranium, 4 or 5 various card games, Things (our Christmas present from Uncle Ed - Thanks!), guitar hero (dad liked this one), karaoke revolution (mom was awesome!), and some SSX snowboarding. I also found time to read one of the Vinyl Cafe books I received - hooray Stuart McLean! We took an afternoon to go tubing at Silverstar, and I was in love with the lift - you slide down, and get a tow back up! I would never have tubed for 2 hours if I had to run up the hill all the time. We opened gifts at 12:01am Christmas day, and stockings on Christmas morning (though we all got up around 10-11). There was a whole mess full of food, from tortiere to home-made pie to Christmas baking, and I'm sure we left a few pounds heavier. The company was lovely, it was great to spend time with the family again.
As an aside excitement, my online friend Ida-Lee, who I haven't heard from in ages, is now on Facebook, and added me! I love meeting old friends again.
Barry finished up with the mudding/taping/sanding of the Robot Room just before Christmas, so Jeremie and I took a trip the other night and purchased primer, paint, and supplies - a bit pricey, but next time we paint we'll just need paint and roller heads, so I guess that's okay. I mudded up a few little holes last night, will sand them tonight, and hope to have the room primed and painted by the end of the month! I'm quite excited, since this is the first room that will actually be 'done' in our new home - from paint and flooring on up. The others will just have to stay as-is for awhile, but sometimes I get so impatient to see them all done!
That's probably enough from this end of the globe for one night. Sleep tight!
New career path option: drummer
November and December were crazy, what with the California trip, working in Edmonton for a week, photographing Bryce & Hayley's wedding, our youth group trip to WEM for a night, watching gilmore girls season 7 with friends every Monday, flying to Vernon for Christmas...
All of it was very good, and I'm also glad that it's all done, and I have a chance to relax. Hooray, huzzah!
I was flipping through my domain, and noticed that I hadn't updated any of my sites (except the recipe one) for at least a year. Wow. Horrible me. So I added some more info to my portfolio (screenshots to follow). My personal site had content so old I was embarassed - I think my last update was a year and a half ago. So I replaced the site with a 'takeout' version - links to my flickr, blog, and cafepress. Those are the only sites I update semi-regularly, so at least people will have more recent content. I'll resurrect my personal site at some later date, when I can devote the time to it that I would really like to.
In other news, Cafepress. I had to close 2 of my 6 shops due to 'copyright infringement'. Darn it all, there's nothing new under the sun! So how can anything not be copyright infringement! Grr. I love to design, love to make products, hate how everything I make it labeled 'pending' with a big red box around it. Maybe I'm just a blatant infringer. But I couldn't even make an I (heart) shirt! Is that copywritten too? Silly thing.
The family Christmas in Vernon was great. The flight(s) there were a bit long - we were in the air for 3 hours total, but we left home about 7 hours before arriving. Silly 3-stop flights. But it was cheap(er), and that's what we were worried about.
I've travelled a lot alone lately, or with random people (say hello California). And found that travelling with Jeremie was great! We got along, knew when to not bother each other, and it was just nice to travel with my best friend. It was great to have someone to talk to, someone to share things with.
So. Vernon. We played games like crazy: cranium, 4 or 5 various card games, Things (our Christmas present from Uncle Ed - Thanks!), guitar hero (dad liked this one), karaoke revolution (mom was awesome!), and some SSX snowboarding. I also found time to read one of the Vinyl Cafe books I received - hooray Stuart McLean! We took an afternoon to go tubing at Silverstar, and I was in love with the lift - you slide down, and get a tow back up! I would never have tubed for 2 hours if I had to run up the hill all the time. We opened gifts at 12:01am Christmas day, and stockings on Christmas morning (though we all got up around 10-11). There was a whole mess full of food, from tortiere to home-made pie to Christmas baking, and I'm sure we left a few pounds heavier. The company was lovely, it was great to spend time with the family again.
As an aside excitement, my online friend Ida-Lee, who I haven't heard from in ages, is now on Facebook, and added me! I love meeting old friends again.
Barry finished up with the mudding/taping/sanding of the Robot Room just before Christmas, so Jeremie and I took a trip the other night and purchased primer, paint, and supplies - a bit pricey, but next time we paint we'll just need paint and roller heads, so I guess that's okay. I mudded up a few little holes last night, will sand them tonight, and hope to have the room primed and painted by the end of the month! I'm quite excited, since this is the first room that will actually be 'done' in our new home - from paint and flooring on up. The others will just have to stay as-is for awhile, but sometimes I get so impatient to see them all done!
That's probably enough from this end of the globe for one night. Sleep tight!
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