Christmas Time is Here...

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share

Christmas time is here

We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...

HelloooooOOOOoooo Nurses!

I'm always at a loss for what to dress up as for Hallowe'en, so when my friend Dominika asked if I would like to join her and Scheherazade in dressing up as nurses from Silent Hill, I was stoked. It took two days to create the masks out of paper mache, which we then painted with acrylics.
The nurse uniforms that we found were distressed with tea and coffee grinds, then stained with water colour inks, acrylics, and cream paints.
We painted on veins with acrylics, and even though we weren't planning on taking off our masks, we painted up our faces like skulls for total creepy effect.
The overall result was AWESOME!!


The only people who saw us without our masks besides those who went with us, were the people at Tim Horton's, because we weren't allowed to wear our masks there for ID purposes. I guess three undead nurses with pipes walking into a Tim's would be a bit creepy, but really, zombies need doughnuts too!

What was under the mask...

We ended up winning the prize at New City for best group costume, and it was a great feeling! (Though I have to say it was a total BLAST to walk down Jasper and freak people out!!)

Gratitude.

This weekend Russ and I were able to spend thanksgiving with my extended family, which is always an exciting time. This year there was much to be thankful for:

• All of my sisters and I were able to make it home this year

• Russ and I met Maria, the Brazilian exchange student who is staying with my parents for the year

• My cousin Ben was at thanksgiving at my grandparents (Ben spent the last year in New Zealand, and this weekend was the first we'd seen of him since he came home!)

• My cousin Jana and her husband Dan announced the exciting news that they are expecting (the first!)
  

• I was able to wander around my old high school and take some pictures and refresh some memories before it is sold (the town has built a fancy new school)

• There was copious amounts of delicious homemade food to be shared

• There was much conversation and laughter to share

• The snow held off on our drive home until we arrived in Edmonton

And finally, my wonderful, awesome and somewhat nerdy husband came across this sweet video on youtube:

Again, I Have Been in Remiss...

It's not that life has been packed with excitement, but it has been so busy. At work, things are in the weird limbo right before the holiday season. At home, I'm trying to get through all the fantastic new books that have come out this fall, and spending time with Russ.

Speaking of books, I highly recommend Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games books: The first, The Hunger Games, and the just-released sequel, Catching Fire. Both books are action-packed, fast-paced, suspenseful, and full of wonderfully written characters that instantly capture your attention. I can hardly wait for the third novel to be released, but I know I'll be waiting a while...in the meantime, I have Douglas Coupland and Margaret Atwood to keep me busy.

It's Good to be in Love...

When you are in love you can't fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. ~ Dr. Seuss

One year ago today, I married my best friend.

I love your funny face, Your sunny, funny face.




I love you more today, more today than yesterday, but I don't love you more today than I'll love you tomorrow.
Happy anniversary, Russ.

A Much-Needed Escape

Last night Russ and I got home from our week-long excursion to Vancouver Island. We drove down last Sunday and drove home yesterday. It was a fantastic escape, and I'm sorry it went by so quickly, but I am grateful for the many memories we made, as well as the chance to get to know some friends better. I celebrated my birthday while we were there, and I've decided that since we were in a different province, it doesn't count. We also attended the wedding reception of our friend Morgan. He met his wife in Kenya while working there for a year. He spent two years trying to get her into Canada. In February he went back to Kenya and they got married. She is finally here in Canada, and so his mom held a reception at her home in Lake Chowichan to celebrate, as well as provide an opportunity for friends and family to meet Besho. It was a wonderful day. The Island is a beautiful place, and it is incredibly tempting to relocate. However, right now, there are too many things to keep us here in good ol' E-Town, so in Edmonton we shall stay.

The Empress Hotel in Victoria

Pier in Sidney, BC

Morgan and Besho


The Legislature Buildings in Victoria

Wayne and Theresa Got Married!

Yesterday we had the privilege of being invited to our friend Theresa's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful day. We had so much fun with friends and were honoured to be a part of such a special day. Congratulations, Wayne and Theresa!!

Happy Birthday, Canada!!

Happy birthday, Canada! I'm so grateful to be living in a country where we have so much freedom.

If You Tolerate This....

Father's Day

You can see where I get the goofy from...
Happy Father's Day, Dad! Love you lots!!

Oh Where Art Thou, Dear Summer??

I am seriously beginning to doubt whether we will actually have a summer this year, at all!! Just when it promises to warm up and be sunny and delightful, we get highs of 12 degrees, cold winds, rain, and, in some areas, SNOW! It's JUNE!!!

On the positive end of things, we are gearing up for our road trip to Victoria in July, to meet Morgan's wife, Besho! I've never been to Victoria, and hear it's full of flowers and old people, but is a pleasant place to visit, nonetheless. It should be an interesting trip, and a nice break from the E-town routine. (Though, I do wish we could go to Hawaii...)

Love is Friendship Set on Fire.

Congratulations, Lisa and Tyson! It was a beautiful day!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, mum! Love you lots!

Caryn in Cairo.

One of my sisters, Caryn is in Cairo, Egypt for three months, working at St. Andrew's Refugee Services. She is a teacher's assistant for a second grade class composed of children mostly from the Sudan and Darfur. Caryn used to be a major homebody, but one day, she got the travel bug, and has been going ever since. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous of the experiences she has had and will have, but it's still really exciting to hear about her adventures. If you want to follow along, visit her blog Caryn in Cairo, which she has been updating almost every day.
(The photo is from her blog.)

In Remiss...

Oops...so apparently I haven't posted anything in almost two months. Please don't think that it's because I'm boring. I'm really not...I just have had no time to blog. This summer promises to be chock full 'o bloggy goodness though, what with two weddings, a trip to Victoria with my lovely husband, and our first anniversary! The weather is finally starting to look springy, (it should, it IS MAY, after all!!), and I'm ready to start running again. I've even broken out my inline skates. When you live thisclose to the river valley, it would be stupid to not take advantage of it!!!

Her Morning Elegance.

Family.

Friday was my mom's 50th birthday. Russ and I took the week off, and showed up at my parents' house on Monday. My mom had no idea. She had thought that the only daughter coming home was Cher, who was on reading week. Mom and dad went to a B&B on Tuesday. Tuesday night, the doorbell rings, and Cher runs up to get it. Russ and I remain downstairs. We hear Cher squeal, so we go running upstairs, and there, in the entry way, is Caryn!! Caryn is going to school in Winnipeg, and so no one had any idea that she would be able to come home! She planned it in January, and told no one except her friends Leesa and Brandon, because they picked her up from the airport. Christine came home on Wednesday, so when mom and dad got home on Thursday, we were all there. Mom was speechless. It was a great birthday surprise!

Escape...

I've had the last four days off from work, and it should have been the perfect time to run about getting things done and being ultra-productive, but alas...no such thing has happened. Instead, I went to my sister's basketball game on Saturday morning, where they lost a very close game, but went on to win the next one by a long shot. I then didn't leave the apartment for the next three days. I sat around and read, baked, and slowly made my way through my latest boxed set. Not that I sat on my bum all day, but aside from some yoga, a sculpting dvd, and Wii Fit, I didn't do much. I am quite enjoying the advanced reader's copy of this exciting new release, though!

Another Year...

The new year is always a time of reflection, as one year passes and another one begins, a sort of death and rebirth takes place. People always try to reinvent or improve. Some stick with it past January, some don't make it through the second week. While I avoid "resolutions", I definitely reflect on the past year. 2008 was actually a pretty great year. I got to marry the most wonderful man I've ever met. We traveled to Hawaii. My dad celebrated his 50th birthday. Of course the year also held the usual (and unusual) issues, complications and problems, as well as some real tragedies, but what is important is that we survived. I look at each new year as an opportunity for change and to venture into the unknown. Who knows what 2009 has in store, but I'm interested in finding out...