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

51 Days.

Never underestimate the value of the company of good friends. It shouldn't be surprising that spending just a few minutes with a friend can completely change your mood or your day, but it still never ceases to amaze me. As I sit here, late at night, with a random episode of Friends playing in the background, I am thinking over the last few days, and all the friend face time I've been lucky enough to enjoy!

We had the pleasure of attending two beautiful weddings on Saturday--Congrats to Elizabeth & Nathan, and Shea & Jason, by the way!! As we were sitting with friends at Shea and Jason's reception, someone mentioned that the next wedding that we would all be congregating at would be ours, and it was actually surreal to think about. August 23 seems so very very far away, and yet...it will be here in a blink of an eye. I would love to just stop and enjoy every single second leading up to it, but, unfortunately, life generally does not allow that sort of thing. I'll have to be satisfied with what I AM able to savor...

Someone asked one of my sisters whether she thought I would be a bridezilla or a calm, relaxed bride, and she said it could go either way. I honestly am calm. If things don't go according to plan, we make a new plan. If the church burns down the day of the wedding, I'll have the ceremony out front. All that matters is that I marry the most amazing man on earth. That rejuvenating feeling I get when I'm with friends is multiplied many times over when I'm with him, and I want that feeling for the rest of our lives. He is totally my zen garden. He calms me down and evens me out. Even though his weird quirks drive me crazy sometimes, I do love him for them...they're what makes him, him. Fifty-one days seems like quite a long time, and there is so very much left to do, but at the same time, I kind of wish that it was fifty-two days from now....

...

*hugs*

Hugs for everyone! They're free, come an' gettem while they're still hot and I still feel like givin' them!

Congratulations!

Haweli, Bubble Tea, Reunion, and Last Days...

Last night I went to Haweli for Indian food with Viv, Gretchen, Heidi, Steph, and Erika...SO FUN!!! I love you girls!!! Lots has changed since we last got together, and I would just like to say, Heidi, that I am SO proud of you !! And Viv, I'm SO excited for you!! And Gretchen, DON'T be a stranger!!! And Erika, I love you even though you are crossing over to the Dark Side...Steph, please don't burn out!! We then went to bubble tea, where Arden and Russ joined us...which was so much fun as always...Today was my last shift at Second Cup. *sniff* Scary, exciting and sad...my last official day is April 20th, but I have the next two weeks booked off for finals...my last finals of my last real semester of my BA!! Man...times, they are achangin'...Russ and I are going apartment hunting on Tuesday, which I'm really excited about because this apartment is not an apartment, but rather, a hovel. A hovel that gets crappier by the day. But on the bright side, we are going to go car shopping in Calgary when we go to Olds for Easter! We hope to soon have a beater that will give us freedom from the hell that is ETS...and it shall be called Walmo...because any car that you can get within our price range is doomed to be a Walmo...we can't all have a Francis, after all. Graduation also brings us one step closer to...well, the good life. Here, here, to the good life on the horizon...

Oh. If anyone knows of a job that doesn't involve dealing with coffee, let me know!!

And She Gave Him Hand-Payment...heheh...

Last night was so much fun!! I seriously have not laughed so hard for so long in such a long time! I laughed so hard that a tapioca pearl almost came out of my NOSE!! Steph, Arden, Erika, Alissa, Marian and I decided to go for chinese food in honour of Arden's last day at the Cup. We embarassed Steph at the resturant because we were pretty much the only white people in there, and we were pretty hyper, and fairly loud. But we had a blast! Afterwards, Arden and Erika took off because Erika had to finish a paper, so the rest of us went and picked up Sandra and went to Dream Tea, where we proceeded to embarass Steph some more...it was awesome! I can't wait for our slumber party! We have to build a fort!!

Look at these clowns! Arden, Erika, Stephy, Alissa and Marian after a ridiculously hilarious evening of expensive chinese food...

I'm Getting Old...I Fear Change...

First of all, I would just like to say that Steph sucks, because she is leaving me. Secondly, I would also like to say that I think that I am probably one of the least-surprised people to hear about Bree and Adam. Thirdly, Erika put me number one on her list, so I shall honour her request and compile my own.

Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Go to London with Russ and to Switzerland with Yvonne, as well as travel all over the world.
2. Get married and have ridiculously adorable AND intelligent children.
3. Write something fantastic. It doesn't even have to be published, or widely read....and maybe I could design the cover too...
4. Own/Run my own business...maybe a coffee house (without nazis)/salon/gallery/beatnik hangout...
5. Go to Sephora in New York. (And maybe catch some cool open mike nights in The Village...)

Things I Can Do

1. Make the best latte. It's all about the crema.
2. Paint/Write/be artsy, especially with my stick people and the Casshead Army.
3. Make someone cry using only my words. (Is that necessarily a good thing??)
4. Apply makeup like a pro.
5. Make someone laugh so hard they stop breathing...and almost pee their pants.

Things I Can't Do

1. Remember where I put my keys, ipod, wallet, earrings, cds, boyfriend, etc....................
2. Be organized.
3. Anything remotely associated with athletics (which includes walking...)
4. Hide my feelings.
5. Resist the urge to make fun of someone, including myself...(but not in a mean way...)

Things that Attract Me to the Opposite Sex

1. Intelligence and wit.
2. Honesty (even if I think I don't want it...)
3. Boyish good looks, including great hair, even when he thinks it isn't.
4. Thoughtfulness, and willingness to accept me for who I am, even though he knows that I'm actually crazy...
5. Keen sense of style...ahem.

Celebrity Crushes

1. David Usher.
2. James Black.
3. Johnny Depp.
4. Bruce Willis.
5. Gabriel Byrne.
6. Colin Firth.

People I Want to Do This Next

1. Russ.
2. Yvonne.
3. Steph.
4. Alissa.

And now it is finished, I'm full of turkey, and I need to do homework tomorrow since I did nothing all weekend...ah...Thanksgiving...

Happiness...

"Happiness is like peeing your pants....everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth!"
Whenever I am having a really crappy day, I try to remember this wonderful quote that my bestest friend Yvonne once wrote in my grade 11 yearbook...and you can't help but smile whenever you think of it...
Happiness is also finally getting your Victoria's Secret shipment that the retarded mailperson gave to Alissa "in C" rather than me, in "E", even though it was clearly marked "apt. E"...but that doesn't matter, because I now smell like "Vanilla Lace"...mmmmmMMMMmmmmm.....

So sei es.

So my cool friend Katie, who is a pyrotechnician (she blows things up...) is moving to Calgary tomorrow. *sniff* And she is having a goodbye thing tonight...and I CAN'T go!! I'm pretty choked...stupid not-having-a-car...bah. Stupid work...whatever.

I am so freakin' sick of GERMAN! If I have to read one more stupid subjunctive phrase again, I'm going to light the textbook on fire! FIRE! I really don't mind closing shifts at work...but I feel like I am totally out of the loop in the socialialites of the Cup...thats right, SOCIALITIES! (I'm an English major, and I can make up my own words if I wanna!!)
Man am I depleted...I could curl up into a ball in a dark room and sleep for a month. That would be awesome...no work, no German, no nothing. Just sweet sweet sleep. The apartment is starting to actually look homey, even though there are still boxes everywhere...These two are the only ones that could be presentable so far...

Very nice, Dana...

Wow...not only is Rebecca a yoga guru, but she's hot, and she can cook too!

It's because they're Asian, isn't it? Steph and Gretchen...

Aren't we lovely? Me, Steph and Erika...

Gretchen and I...I look like a freak because it's really hard to keep a straight face when there are 15 people gonging around you!

Gretchen and Erika!

Don't we all look spiffy? The Cuppers at Moxie's, a farewell for Gretchen and Brennan.

The Conversion...

I feel that it is time for my to explain how the idea for this blog was planted. One of my favorite co-workers one day sent me a link to her blog, Life's Anthems. I read it, and thought it was awesome, just like Erika. I thought that if I could create something even half as cool as the things she has posted, then I'd be in business. Although she is the Scapegoat, in this case, i think, she can take CREDIT, rather than blame. Thanks Erika.