Rocking In 2009!

Hard to believe another year has bit the dust. I just read this post which made me laugh, my new years resolution for 2008 was to talk less and listen more. I think I managed to listen more but the talking less bit... well that's just a silly resolution for someone who rarely closes her mouth.

We brought in the new year with some of our closest friends, I have no clue what they were doing in the picture above but it was snapped just after hugs and cheers. Unfortunately a few of our regulars were unable to join us: Moscow, Germany, Vancouver, cruise ships and work commitments kept them from us. Not here in body but certainly here in spirit. We missed you ladies!

That's a post-spaghetti and pre-gin glow you see on our faces here. We filled our bellies with lots of carbs to ensure there was a good base for alcohol absorption - no hangover here thank you very much.

A good deal of our dinner conversation revolved around profanity and the many marvelous ways nasty words can be used in our day to day lives: enlightening.

Of course I brought in the new year with the love of my life at my side.

My new years resolutions for this year:
1) healthy living: be more active and eat more fruits & veggies (I didn't bother with this resolution last year because I knew I would FAIL but I'm serious about it this year so I'm putting it in writing)
2) curse less
3) call/email/skype my out of province girlfriends more often

I'm now part of a girl band with the uber classy name the Magina Vonologues. Don't ask.
Guitar Hero rocks.

How was YOUR New Years Eve? Happy recovering.

Christmas with the Crazies

Our annual Christmas with the Crazies took place last night and now it really feels like Christmas is just around the corner. We skipped the typical turkey and trimmings and hosted a pot luck instead this year, it was perfect! Less mess and less stress! EC took care of the tunes.

Jess made the best apple pie I have ever tasted and I intend to replicate it for our family shin digs, a frozen cheesecake or two will be waiting in the wings just in case. I'll share the recipe with you if all goes well.

I spent this morning clearing the wreckage from the pah-tay and the proceeded to procrastinate... eventually I managed to get my butt in gear and a few things were wiped off my TO DO list.

I finally got to Rosie's Christmas gift and I am stoked with the results. How cute is this tiny sundress?



A big thanks goes out to Habitual where I found this super sweet pattern.

I know it's December but I figure she can wear it over a long sleeve shirt and tights or leg warmers. Once Rosie's too big to wear this as a dress it can be work as a little tunic top. Super cute! This pattern is definitely a keeper.

I also whipped up this little crayon roll for my dad; he is stuffing Neve's stocking and was looking for a little something extra to add to it.



Remember to enter the draw for the ZipIt by leaving a comment on this post.

A Sticky Star

I was poking around WhipUp and ended up at A Foothill Home Companion where the tutorial for this fab stick star can be found. As soon as I spotted this decoration I thought of my friend Cara. Cara is one of the most artistic women I know and she comes by her talents honestly, her mom is an amazing potter who creates stunning pieces. Many, many years ago Cara and I were chatting in the car outside of her parents house (just moments before curfew was up I'm sure) when I glanced out the window and spotted a star just like the one shown above hanging from her parent's tree. It looked so pretty dangling from the branches, there was snow sparkling all around lit by the moonlight. I immediately assumed that Cara's mom had created this little piece of heaven but it wasn't Rose at all, it was Cara's dad Ron who had created the stars and hung them up to surprise his lovely wife. So sweet!

I think I might take my little friend Grace out for a walk tomorrow to gather some sticks.

Slap a Stamp On It

The Christmas cards are in the post. Finally. Yep, I left it late so our family across the ocean will be receiving Christmas wishes after the holidays I'm sure, but at least they'll know we were thinking of them. Better late than never.

I love opening the mailbox and finding mail (not bills) addressed to me so Christmas cards are just one more reason I can't get enough of this season. Our little Christmas card display is slowly filling.

Mom this little link is for you in particular. I stumbled upon this blog and she has posted a pile of links for giveaways for scrapbooking and card making supplies.

Mike & I received one super special card yesterday from a fabulous friend who we won't be seeing this Christmas *insert sad face here* A card from the Stephen Lewis Foundation arrived and to be honest with you I figured it was a 'please donate moolah' request. I was thrilled when I opened it and saw that it was a thank you note from the foundation, money has been donated in our names! What a very cool gift from a very cool and thoughtful friend. Thank you Tanya!!

Happy Birthday Tanya!

I'm on a roll of forgetfulness. One of the most fabulous women in my life is living in Russia and it was her 29th birthday on Tuesday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANYA! This hottie decided to tattoo your beautiful face on his beautiful body. I tried to wrap him up and ship him to Russia for you but he refused to fold himself into a packing box. How rude.

I hope you had a stupendous birthday Tanya, you deserve only the best darlin!

Theme Thursday: Eyes

Being in BC means spending loads of time with two of my long distance loves who I think about every day and miss like crazy: Cara and Rosie.

This first shot was taken at the Feist concert earlier this week. It's a wee bit under-exposed but I still love it - Cara's eyes were the first thing I was drawn to when I viewed this pic after snapping it.

Of course Miss. Rosie, the happiest baby on earth, takes after her mommy in the 'perfect model department'. Check out those peepers: too cute!

Heading to the Top of the World!

Jessy and I took the gondola to Garbonzo and then took the peak chair up to the top of Whistler Mountain on Wednesday. We were blown away by the fact that we were literally in, and above, clouds!


These shots are all from the top of the Gondola, we went even higher when we took the Peak chair but I'll post some of those pics later.




This shot here gives you a really good idea of what it was like approaching the top of the glacier; it was absolutely amazing!


Our final adventure this week was ziplining at Cougar Mountain with Jess and Colin. It was such a rush! Godzilla was the biggest line at 1500 feet long, 200 feet off the ground with a 200 foot vertical drop: WOW! Colin has video of the ziplining but we don't have any still photos... once the video is on youtube I'll pass along the link to you!

Now I Get It!!

I've bitten the bullet and decided to pay for 24 hours of internet access so that I can update everyone on our adventures in British Columbia. We're having the most amazing time!

Mike and I agree that this trip is definitely our second best vacation (first being our Mexico/Jamaica wedding/honeymoon trip) and we're just halfway through it. We arrived in Vancouver last Friday and spent the night with Rebecca; she has the most phenomenal view from her condo on Sunset Beach.

Saturday morning we drove two hours to Whistler Mountain where we had planned to spend five nights. The two and a half hours it took to drive to the mountain seemed like just a blink of an eye thanks to the phenomenal views!

Cara, Herwig and Rosie met up with us in Whistler just a few moments after we arrived in the village. The boys hit the Whistler Golf course where they played a round, drank some pints and enjoyed the scenery.

Cara, Rebecca, Rosie and I spent the afternoon catching up over drinks (milk for the baby, beer for the ladies) and then took a hike to Lost Lake where we snapped some pics, oohed and ahhed over the baby and yapped some more.



Sunday afternoon the fun continued...
I now understand my husband's obsession with mountain biking. Cara, Rebecca and I rented some bikes and gear and hit the trails and WOW was it fun!

I'm totally hooked on mountain biking. I had a blast zipping down the hill with Reebs and Neen, three runs were just enough to get me hooked!

Monday and Wednesday there are women's clinics offered for a crazy good price at Whistler so I attended both clinics on my own and loved every minute. The girls were super cool and the coaches were awesome. They split us into groups by riding ability and there was no pressure to ride any runs we weren't comfortable with or to move at any particular speed. Both nights I rode with the lower intermediate group because I was comfortable riding blue runs (green are the easiest). I learned some basic riding techniques on Monday; Wednesday our coach, Jim, taught us to jump. Hitting table top jumps was what he worked with us on - not jumping over anything so mom don't fret - I caught a little air on a few of the table tops after practicing over and over again so that was pretty cool!

So far I've ridden Easy Does It (green), part of Golden Triangle (blue), B-line (blue), a bit of Ho Chi Min (blue) which was my least fav due to the zillion rocks and roots, Crank-it-up (blue) which I loved and Heart of Darkness (blue) which is pretty intense thanks to the drop on the right but wow is it fun! Mike is pretty stoked that I liked riding, we're going to bike together tomorrow! Yay!

Jessy, Colin, Ian and Jackie all arrived on Sunday afternoon. Rebecca headed back to Vancouver after riding but Cara and Herwig stuck around for another night. Remember I said we had planned a five night stay in Whistler? Well it has turned into eight nights thanks to a crazy rock slide that has blocked the only highway from Whistler to Vancouver. Thankfully our hotel has offered us a fabulous price for additional nights while the road is blocked. We've got it made at the Mountainside Lodge and would definitely stay here again in the future, we're right at the base of the mountain in the village. Check out the view from our room.


Monday the girls all went kayaking while the boys rode and others (Herwig - such a good man) took care of Rosie.

We had such a good laugh, particularly when Jessy flipped her kayak landing in the freezing cold creek next to a beach where three strangers were sitting, thankfully they were kind and helped us to right jess' kayak before they laughed at the situation. Hilarious!

We've been up to much more since Monday but I think this is a long enough post for today. I'll tell you about some of our other adventures tomorrow. It really has been a fabulous week!

Two More Sleeps

We leave for Vancouver in less than 48 hours. I am far from being ready but I'm super excited and wish Friday would just hurry up and get here already! I'm dying to see my girls and their boys too! The plan is to touch base with Rebecca, Cara, Rosie, Herwig, Jen, Mike, Jackie, Ian and of course Jess and Colin throughout the two weeks we are West... there are a few others we are hoping to see while there as well but we'll have to wait and see whether it works out. YAY!!!

A shot from our June 2007 visit to Van

We have loads of adventures planned and both Mike and I will be blogging regularly while we're away so you'll see and hear all about it as it happens! Two weeks with a pile of friends who we haven't seen in quite some time and loads of fun things waiting for us to partake in. What trouble will we be getting ourselves into? You'll have to wait and see! I'm keeping all the goodies to myself and intend to share with them with you as they occur.

CARA DON'T LOOK!

Rosie Posie is turning 6 months old while we are in Vancouver visiting! Only 3 more sleeps until we leave!! Since I was so sure she was a boy before she arrived I crocheted her a blue blanket with bits of pink running through it; obviously I was wrong (see I do admit it sometimes) so when I sewed her a 6 month birthday blanket I figured I should go pink pink and more pink.


I love the soft minky fabric, I think I'm going to make myself a throw with it.

More from Someday Farm

A few more of the pictures I snapped yesterday while visiting Someday Farm. Truly a slice of heaven.

Sisters posing for the camera, they're sucking on all natural wheat, not cigarettes. This field is on one side of the property...


And this field is on the other...

What a view!


I absolutely loved the barn... can you tell?







Finally this shot was taken out of the window of Tanya's car on our way home - these wind turbines are truly amazing to see.

Someday Farm

I fell in love with Tanya's sister Kim's farm when we visited yesterday! She has an absolutely beautiful property situated between two massive fields, and she's only a five minute drive to the beach! Heaven on earth. Thanks Kim for a nearly perfect day, it only the raw pork roast hadn't been eaten by your massive doggie.

You know I'm only kidding, it was an absolutely wonderful day and the beauty of Kim's property led to some great photo opps. I'll post more pics tonight; I'm off to the beach with my parents and Neve.

It Was Better Than Fair

It was a lovely day spent with one of my all time best girls: Tanya. We drank cappuccino (yep that's a pic of mine up above) and ate yummy fresh salads and sandwiches at a new Fair Trade cafe located Uptown Waterloo: Seven Shores Urban Market and Cafe. It is a wonderful little cafe where you can find good eats and beautiful handcrafted items to decorate your home and self. Of course we ate gelato today as well, how could we not when it was right there in front of us and oh so mmm.

Only a week and a half until Mike and I leave on our trip out West which I am crazy excited about BUT that means I only have a week and a half left to get in all the Tanya-time I can. She heads off on her year (maybe two) long adventure in Russia when we're vacationing in BC. Did that 'two' sound more like I meant 'too'? It wasn't an accident. I'm very excited for Tanya but selfishly sad for me, I'll miss her like crazy!

Flashback Friday

Isn't it funny what memories stick in your head? So much of my past is made up of foggy recollections but there are some days/moments that are crystal clear.

The moment this photo was taken is crystal clear in my mind. My best friend Martha (her back is facing the camera) and I were playing charades on the front lawn of the house I lived in until I was 7. I was pretending to be a lion here and she was just about to guess correctly when my when my Aunt Alison came out and snapped the picture.

While riding my bike yesterday I had a few other random memories pop into my head,, things I haven't thought of in years: popping tar bubbles that formed on the side of the road, we would be covered in nasty sticky tar and could have cared less; riding my bike with no hands and showing off to my brother and cousins when WHACK I smacked into the back of a parked car. I'm not sure how bike riding triggered these two but I had a good laugh yesterday recalling them.

Keep 'em comin'

The positive thinking and prayers have paid off for one on the long list I posted a few days back. The test results are in for the 'important person' I mentioned and all is good! What a relief!

The little 8 year old men still need your positive thoughts. B goes in for surgery this Monday to remove the mass on his brain and H is still in intensive care. Things with H are very serious and it is hard to say how things will turn out but there is a thread of hope and we are all holding on to it, keep those prayers coming.

It's Not Fair!

I used one of my least favourite complaints more times today than I would like to count. Here I go again: it’s not fair.

In the last couple weeks I’ve heard more negative news than good, I’ve been handed one nasty bit of info after the other. The bad news can stop flowing anytime now.

My cousin’s little boy goes for surgery on June 16^th to remove a mass on his brain that was discovered a couple weeks ago. Thankfully the mass is in a ‘good place’ and the doctors are being very positive, they expect a full recovery and are hopeful that the surgery will put an end to the terrible seizures the wee man has been dealing with for the past few months. Scary stuff.

My feline nephew (Joanne & Paul’s kitty) Aristotle was diagnosed with cancer last week. The poor cat has an aggressive tumor on the side of his face and things are not looking good. Anyone who has an animal of their own knows how awful it is to see your pet in pain; I feel terrible for Joanne, Paul and the boys.

Waiting for major test results for a very important person in our world and although positive thinking is taking place the not knowing part stinks, we’re human and can’t help but worry.

I found out today that a little 8 year old boy I know, the son of my colleague, aspirated on Friday evening and was air lifted to a nearby children’s hospital. He has been in intensive care since Friday and has been heavily sedated since then. I don’t know any more details but I do know that he and his family could use some prayers sent their way.
 Update: Apparently there is light at the end of the tunnel, it has been determined that the doctors' worst fears have cleared. They are going to begin to slowly bring the little guy out of sedation, well wishes for full recovery would be helpful.

UPDATE June 4th:  Unfortunately things have taken a turn for the worse with the little man mentioned above. Please send extra prayers his way. 

Finally, the most recent piece I was delivered this evening that just threw me over the edge: my good friend’s mother passed away on Saturday. Amber my heart aches for you sweetie.

I’m not posting this for pity or with the hope of upsetting you but I would love some of your positive thoughts. Whether you prefer to pray or simply to send positive energy to others when they need a lift I ask you to please send some in my direction, I promise to dole it out to all the people surrounding me who need it.

Sometimes life really isn’t fair and this is one of those 'times' for far too many of the people I care about.

A Rose With No Thorns

Another long weekend bites the dust. Not surprisingly the Victoria day weekend was damp and cold for the most part, it never fails. A nasty cold caught me off guard last week so I wasn't too upset when typical May 2-4 weekend weather rolled in on Saturday, being lazy didn't mean missing out on sunshine and gelato. Thankfully I had some lovely visitors to keep me from slipping into depths of sicko self-pity.

Cara came home from Van with her beautiful baby girl Rosie to surprise her mom for mother's day with a 10 day visit, and what a fabulous surprise it was. Lucky me also benefited from this perfect gift, I had finally accepted the fact that I would not see my new niece-by-love-not-blood again until August, then Cara emailed to say she was coming home. Yippee!

The little beauty is growing quickly, she is a solid little nut with the most adorable leg rolls.

A few things I noticed this visit: Rosie is holding her head up easily now but still struggling a little to control her body, she's generous with her smiles (each made me melt a little more than the last), much like her mommy she is a bit of a grump and needs some "me-time" when she wakes up, she loves watching tv (a new discovery that mommy wasn't too thrilled to unearth), she looks a lot like her daddy, still smells like a new baby (when will she lose that smell? are babies like new cars? is it a gradual thing or does it happen all of a sudden?) and she is a very social little being. Considering she isn't used to being passed from person to person she handled being mauled very well. Yes, I will admit I was one of the maulers. No, I did not put the hat on her little bean but I did snag the opportunity to snap a picture of her and it's one of my favorites from this visit.

My niece neve was thrilled to meet little Rosie and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she was okay with me holding the baby as long as Neve could hold her too. When I asked what she thought of holding a real baby she replied "Whoa, she's heavy... and wiggly too."

Thanks for the wonderful visit Cara & Rosie! I miss you both already and can't wait to see both of you, and Herwig too, this summer.

Eye Spy

Vintage Fabric - Ladies
Originally uploaded by my-name-is-annie

Whip Up posted a link to a neat blog called True Up where a vintage fabric is posted each day. I instantly fell for this one here, I thought of my friend Cara immediately. See the two ladies at the top? One with long purple hair and one with short blue hair... That's what we looked like 10 years ago, the little marks next to their eyes look just like the stickers we wore in just about the same spot and were rarely seen without. Too funny.

Perfection!

I have had such a great few weeks and it has been topped off with an unexpected visit from Cara! I thought I was going to have to wait until May to meet my new niece - niece not by blood or marriage but by love and friendship - but thanks to Herwig having to head this way for business Cara came home much sooner! Yay! Of course she brought Miss. Rosemarie Olivia Anna, aka Rosie, along for the ride!

I'm smitten. She's perfect and I can't stop staring at her.

Truly a beautiful baby girl... and I think she likes me! I had Cara and Rosie all to myself last night and enjoyed every single minute of our time together.

Here's the fabulous mama and her little nut! Cara I'm so proud of you, you're such a good mom!

This shot makes me laugh, the flash was a little too bright I think.

Take a good look at this face ladies and gentlemen because she's destined for greatness!

Ladies Were on Fire!

What a fabulous night I had with the girls! Six of my amazing girlfriends joined me for dinner at my place and following that we headed to a nearby club where we met up with a few other girls and watched a pile of handsome firemen strut their stuff at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind's 3rd annual Hot Night in The City fundraiser. What a blast!!

By sending an email to the organizer in advance to ask if there was any chance I could reserve seats I managed to snag 12 seats in the second row! We were close enough to get clear views of the models yet far enough away to avoid being yanked out of our seats and up on stage (first row was hauled up for dancing).

I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. I'll definitely be attending next year and intend to drag along an additional row of girlfriends (that includes you mom).

While I was checking out the latest fashions on some fine looking displays, Mike was in New Orleans at Emeril's restaurant (which apparently has an 8 week waiting list)!! Seriously, what are the chances of that?! He didn't even make reservations in advance, he arrived in New Orleans last night and met up with a colleague, the two were chatting about basketball while waiting for the valet parking guy and a woman standing next to them slips into the conversation and tells them that she used to work for the owner of the basketball team they were discussing. They start chatting, find out she's Canadian and owns some companies in New Orleans... the next thing they know she tells them that they really have to try eating at Emeril's, but there's an eight week wait, she proceeds to place a call and BAM! Mike and his colleague have reservations at Emeril's restaurant for them and the person they were there to meet with. What the?! Talk about lucky!!

Thanks to Emeril Mike has tried a new food, one I never thought he would put near his lips: escargot! Woo hoo! He becomes braver with age, I love it.

You know where I'll be expecting to eat when we eventually make it to New Orleans together...