Little Madam B

Our View

2012-02-01T16:17:00.000-08:00

Hello there,

Roxy didn't place a certain photo in her blog, so I will do it for her.

Look!

This is the view from our bedroom. I'm not talking about the yard, or the field, or the school. I'm talking about the mountain! It looks very nice with the sun shining on it, and its also quite the trek to climb. Once the snow melts, we will be doing lots of hiking :)

Anyways, Enjoy!
-Brandon

New Home Update

2012-02-01T11:54:00.001-08:00

It’s been a while. Between moving into the new house and playing far too much Star Wars: The Old Republic I’ve been very well occupied.

In house news, we finished painting our bedroom! All the rooms of the house are painted a similar off-white-ish grey colour, with the exception of the upstairs bathroom and one wall in the kitchen. It’s not a bad colour, and in fact makes the house look clean and well maintained. We just wanted a little more p-zazz for the bedroom.

The living room is exactly as you see pictures…except that the computer is now in the newly made office upstairs. The room is definitely not in it’s final configuration, but for now it’s super cozy and great. The afternoon sun is wonderful! Just one of the many perks to having a south facing main windown :)

The kitchen is still a bit of a mess. As are most of the other rooms. But since we’ve been here less than a month, I’d say we’re making great progress. We have a list of things we want to do and I can’t wait until we can start crossing things off. We were lucky enough to get a house that needs no major repairs. The things we want to do are mostly cosmetic and small fixes.

=^.^=

We Have House

2012-01-16T09:17:00.001-08:00

We are now moved in! There’s still some stuff at the apartment, but we have until the end of the month to have it cleaned out. Even our fish are here at the house with us! Otherwise it’s still a little surreal. We bought a house and are now living in it. Somehow it hasn’t quite clicked in my brain yet.

So far my favourite thing has been being able to do laundry without spending $4.00 to wash and dry a single load. The dryer is really old, but since Michelle and Aaron bought a new washer and dryer set, they are going to let us have the dryer that is currently at the house they bought. My least favourite thing is the stove/oven. The oven is caked with black, greasy grossness and just won’t be worth the while to clean. Luckily, Brandon has informed me that Chief(his boss) has an older stove that we can have! We’ve been incredibly lucky to have made such great friends in this town :)

Things are still very messy, so pictures won’t be coming up for a while.

Just a Little Excited

2012-01-08T20:31:00.001-08:00

So, there’s this thing going on where Brandon and I get to move into a house on the 14th. A house that will make us home owners. We’re pretty excited. Here are some of the things that we are excited for.

- No more apartment neighbours (they can be rather noisy)

- Packing then unpacking. During the packing we get rid of stuff. During the unpacking we are likely to get rid of some more stuff. Purging is a wonderful thing.

- A new to us bed. The previous owner is letting us keep the two beds that are currently there!

- Instead of all our stuff crammed into 500-600 square feet of space, we’ll have a whopping 1700sq.ft.!!!

- A YARD! Instead of a cement slab in a tiny enclosed space, we’ll have a front yard, and a back yard complete with a fire pit ^_^

- The ability to paint and change things without having to first consult a landlord.

- I won’t be paranoid about noise whenever we have company at night. Yay for LOL’ing :)

- Brandon is very excited to have a full sized ironing board ^.^

- We’ll have nice big shed/green house (it’s two stories!)

- Now family and friends MUST come to visit us!

And there are actually a tonne of things…but it’s my bed time and trying to verbalize/type it all out is extremely difficult.

A Quick Pre-trip update

2011-12-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I have an early morning ahead of us...but thought I'd get some things on here before I have a chance to procrastinate.

First off, we've been in Terrace for Christmas! We got in around 4ish on Christmas eve and have kept pretty busy. For the first time we were able to see a lot of people. Some people I hadn't seen since our wedding! Just goes to show, we really gotta come visit more often ^_^

Christmas was a nice, calm event. Florence, Bill, Brandon, Erica, and I did the pancake breakfast thing. This was followed by an afternoon of vegging before Florence and I started on dinner. This year's dinner was by far the best I'd had in a long time. It helps when the person cooking the turkey actually knows what they are doing (unlike my generally sad attempts) ^_^. For dinner we were joined by Grandma(on Brandon's side). Probably the greatest part was teaching her to play Ticket to Ride!

Then there was sledding with Matthew Taron, coffee and sugar cookies with Alex, Coffee/Tea/Dinner with Karlynne and Ashley(and briefly with Chris), dinner with Sarah and Justin, lunch with more relatives, a wonderful visit with my Dad, and probably more things that I can't think of anymore >.< Busy, but worth it!!

I miss people so much that I've decided on a New Year's "Resolution". I generally dislike resolutions, but mostly it's just a goal that happens to coincide with the time of year. Anyways, what it is is... KEEP IN TOUCH WITH PEOPLE! There's really no excuse as to why I've been out of thouch with a lot of people, so now I really want to put some effort into maintainting some relationships.

To those that I didn't get to see, hopefully next time!

To everyone, I hope your Christmas was great and have a wonderful New Year!

Christmas Cookie Exchanges, Secret Santa, and Packing

2011-12-14T07:38:00.001-08:00

Today I’ll be going to work…but not to work, unfortunately. All the same, I’m looking forward to it because I’ll be leaving with a lot of christmas baking goodness! We decided to do a cookie exchange and then a few wanted to do a secret Santa, so some of us are doing that as well.

For the cookie exchange I made eggnog florentines. I got the recipe from the december2011 issue of Chatelaine. The original recipe called for dried cherries and almonds, which I would have loved to add, however both those things tend to run a little high as far as price goes(especially here in Tumbler), so I opted for eggnog instead of cream to make them a bit more festive.

For the secret Santa, I got one of the head housekeepers, Patsy. Our budget was $10.00, but if I have a small budget like that I generally opt to make something crafty. So I did a mixed media painting consisting of acrylic paint and construction paper. When I was done…I decided I’d rather keep it for myself. Luckily I have quite a few paintings from the last couple of years that I think will be much more appropriate as christmas gifts, as the mixed media one is much more on the dark side (not evil dark, just lots of black).

*****************************

In other news, we are officially locked in to buy our house! And because Brandon was so quick getting the realtor and mortgage broker everything they needed and scheduled the property inspection as early as he did, there’s a chance we’ll get to move in a bit early! As of right now, it’s still set for January 21st, but we’re slowly starting to pack now, just in case. Which of course means that our apartment is a disaster zone. We never really thought that we had much stuff, but now that we’re slowing getting it all into boxes, it’s astonishing how much we managed to fit into the apartment. And soon we’ll be in a house and find that we don’t have enough stuff. I plan on scouring kijiji for a few things. Hopefully we’ll snag a some wicked bargains!

And the GREAT news is...

2011-12-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

WE'RE BUYING A HOUSE!!

Please let it snow a bit more.

2011-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

**Note: Despite fish pictures, this is not a fish post. That is all.**

The Christmas season is upon us! Looking around the apartment, it's a little more difficult to see as we have absolutely no space to decorate, let alone put up the tree and christmas village. However, other houses have their lights in full swing and next week I'll have a freezer stuffed with cookies(doing a cookie exchange at work). Somehow, pretty lights and baked goods are two things that make be incredibly happy. And snow. I really wish it would snow a bunch more.

Another thing that makes me incredibly happy is knowing that in just over two weeks I'll be in Terrace, able to see family and friends that I haven't seen in far too long. And since this visit will last an entire week, I'll have time to see pretty well everyone! If by some unhappy accident I miss out on seeing you, well, you'll just have to come and see me in Tumbler Ridge!!

Things here in the Braam household were on the quiet side, but right now there's something VERY exciting that's going down. For the record, I'm not pregnant. I'm not going to say anything quite yet until it's 100% set in stone. Not telling is incredibly difficult for me. I hate surprises. So having one for someone else is quite uncomfortable, when all I want is to tell everyone.

Other than the news I can't say anything about yet, I'm working...sort of. I'm a housekeeper at the big hotel here. After working 3 weeks, things started to slow down to a crawl there, so me and three other of the low folk on the totem pole were told that we have the month of December off until things pick up again. This sucks. Especially right at Christmas time. So I'm hanging on to this job, for now. I've applied at a couple of places that are looking for an office/administrative assistant, and now I'm just waiting to hear back. I REALLY hope I hear back. While the housekeeping job is actually not bad, it's just not what I want to be doing.

Brandon is still at the fire department. I finally learned what his title is. Protective Services Assistant. Or something like that. Basically it's a cross between what the lady who worked there before did and firefighter duties. Mostly it's this way because there are some things that Angie did that Brandon can't do. So Chief is doing those things and Brandon will do some of the things that the Chief isn't able to do anymore. He did have to take a pay cut for this job, but he and I both agree that now is probably the first time since moving to Tumbler Ridge that we are both completely happy with where we are. I'd say that makes it totally worth it. Besides, with me working, (when I do work) I'm finally not going stir crazy from being alone! It's amazing what just seeing other people can do to perk me up.

And that's life in a nutshell right now. We're a quiet household. We watch Castle and go for walks.

Quick update!

2011-11-07T13:52:00.001-08:00

Holy moly, it’s been a while!!

Quite a few things are actually going on and although I’ve had plenty of free time to blog…I just preferred to do other things ^_^

New thing #1, I got a new job. I am a housekeeper at the Best Western here in Tumbler Ridge. It’s actually a satisfying job, though I’ve always enjoyed cleaning for other people more than for myself. It also gets me to be active during the days. Hard work is exactly what I’ve been needing! The ladies that I work with are also pretty darn nice, which is great since normally when you get so many ladies together cattiness can ensue.

Brandon’s at the fire hall doing receptionist-y stuff as well as some firefighter duties. It’s not exactly the work he wants to do, but it’s 100X better than working at a mine and at least is in the general area that he’d like to be employed in. We’re still waiting to hear back from Medicine Hat.

I’ve also gotten back into video games, namely Final Fantasy 13. I started playing it about 2 years ago and am only now am I nearly done. I’m at the second last boss fight and while I get very close to beating him, I wind up getting the death timer and die. But I’m determined to be done by this weekend, that way when Skyrim comes out on the 11th I’ll be able to start it without the guilt of having not finished FFXIII.

Autumn is coming to a quick end as below zero temperature are now the new normal. Unfortunately there hasn’t been too much snow in town (though there’s plenty on the mountains) which means we’ve been putting off the purchase of snowshoes. I suppose this is actually a good thing, since it means we can get a few more out of town trips to Dawson Creek in before the roads start to get less than drive worthy. Speaking of snow, Brandon will be ref-ing hockey this year. Whether this means I’ll be spending time there while he refs is still under consideration :P

-Roxy

Starbucks is for sissies who can’t make their own Pumpkin Spice Syrup!!

2011-09-20T09:07:00.001-07:00

In order to welcome the cooler weather I made some pumpkin spice coffee syrup for my lattes. HOLY FREAKING YUM! Of course now I’m a very sad panda because my cup is empty and I really don’t feel like making another. Why can’t coffee magically brew itself, and milk magically steam itself?!?! I guess that’ll be one of the things that keeps me going to starbucks when I’m near one. *shame*

Other than the epic drama involving hot beverage, things are quite mellow. Things are winding down at work, the fish are happy, and B-man is back at the firehall. We were suppose to have dinner with some folk yesterday, but since the plan was made in a drunken stupor we wound up going out just the two of us. Dinner was followed by a nice long walk and talk.

-Roxy

Brandon Goes to Medicine Hat

2011-09-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

Brandon’s trip to Medicine Hat was a success! He’s been invited to the physical portion of the hiring competition! Hopefully this time around I’ll be able to go along with him because from the pictures he took below, it's looks like a beautiful drive. He also found some very interesting caches.

Of Lonely Nights, Fire, and Fall

2011-09-05T09:54:00.001-07:00

The husband is gone for a few days. When he used to work night shifts, I remember having the whole bed to myself being a lovely treat. Last night, however, wasn’t so lovely. It got to the point where I wound up resorting to my sleeping aid, and even those don’t help me to sleep through the night… At least it doesn’t make me cranky during the day.

“But why is Brandon out of town?”, you may be asking yourself.

He was shortlisted for the Medicine Hat fire department and is taking an aptitude test tomorrow morning! My prayers have been prayed and our fingers are crossed x^.^x Despite how frustrating the process has been these last few years, just the fact that he’s being short listed is proof that on paper he’s a desirable candidate.

**********************

Autumn is creeping it’s way in. We’ve hardly had a summer, and already the leaves are starting to change and fall. I’m not too disappointed. Summer heat is usually more heat than I can take. Fall is by far my favourite season. The cooler temperature, the seasonal food, the colours, and the general mood that washes over. I’ve started to take my lattes hot, having steamed milk at night, and drinking hot tea at work. Long sleeve shirts are starting to creep into my wardrobe, as well as the desperate want for a sweater dress and a cape!

Fashion isn’t really something I’m generally too concerned with, but once in a while there are a few articles that I can’t help but moon over. The cape is definitely at the top of my want list. I don’t need it, as I have a great coat that I bought a few years ago that I love just as much. But if I come across a cape in the store, I’m not sure I could restrain myself.

Lots of things to look forward to. I’m just happy to be where I am in life, regardless of where I am geographically.

-Roxy

Sewing is Like Riding a Bike

2011-08-29T10:17:00.001-07:00

The other day I fixed my favourite pair of jeans. They had a couple of holes where the fabric wore away due to my thunder thighs and had become inappropriate to wear in public. I kept telling myself I’d do it, but frankly, I was in no mood to sit in the cluttered and unbearably messy spare room where my sewing machine lives. But then in a huff of productivity, I cleaned the room. I even threw stuff out! It’s still a bit more crowded than I’d like, but the floor is clear of junk and the closet can be opened and closed with nothing to stop it.

When I first sat down to figure out how I was going to fix my jeans…I was a little lost. I’d gone so long without sewing anything that I was unsure what it was I was supposed to do. Luckily, it is just like riding a bicycle. Unfortunately I had no spare stretch denim, so I used one of my prettier fabrics. I did an outside patch…because inside patches leave the ugly frayed original fabric still visible. Brandon thinks it looks silly, but luckily I’m a lady and don’t sit around all spread eagle, so no one really sees the patches. But I know they are there, and I think it looks neat!

**************************************

Things at the golf course are starting to slow down. With daylight hours shrinking by the day, all our hours are getting cut back. Even though it seems like summer had just started, already it’s getting a lot more chilly in the mornings and things just aren’t as busy as they used to be.

I’m pretty happy with this. With the autumn comes more cozy nights, comfy sweaters, and hot chocolate! Also, it means I have more time to actually cook! I’ve been doing so many closing shifts that Brandon and I have had some pretty lame meals.

Other things I’m looking forward to:

- More time to hike! We’ve done barely any this year because Brandon only has weekends off, and I’ve been working during a lot of them.

- Snowshoeing. Sure…still got quite some time before it’s actually winter, but I’m still pretty excited about starting this activity. We don’t snowboard much these past few years(the nearest mountain is a good 2-3 hour drive away), and we really want to have some kind of activity to do in the winter.

- Dungeons and Dragons!! My gaming friends have decided that we’ll be picking our older story back up ^_^

- Holiday crafting. After making nearly all our christmas gifts last year, I’m going to try to keep the momentum going. The plans are a bit more ambitious than last year, but the end results will be great!

-Roxy

Boo, Not Sleeping! Hooray, Cupcakes!!

2011-08-25T10:43:00.001-07:00

I’ve been a little frustrated at work lately. Nothing unmanageable, but enough that my insomnia is back in full swing. To remedy this, I’ve been trying to spend a bit more time doing things that make me happy.

Last night I didn’t fall asleep until well after midnight. I’m trying not to use sleep aids unless I’m completely desperate, which last night I was. Brandon is great because he woke up without waking me so that I could get an extra hour of sleep. When I did wake, I made myself a latte, did my morning internet routine, and then made cupcakes. Somehow, I’m more productive and happier when I bake in the morning. I just wish I had more butter so that I could make a double batch..

2 Years

2011-08-23T09:34:00.001-07:00

That’s how long Brandon and I have now been married. Somehow, it seems as though it should be longer. Which is true I suppose, since technically we’ve been together for going on 5 years.

A lot of people still seem shocked when they find out that we’re married. Apparently we’re so young to be married. I find this silly since many friends of ours, if not already married, are in the process of planning it.

While the official anniversary was yesterday, we spent the weekend in Grande Prairie as a way to celebrate. Celebrations included; staying in a jacuzzi suite at the Holiday Inn, dinner at the Keg(hello lobster fest!), a tiny bit of geocaching, a walk in a park, oogling fish at the pet stores, and buying a new couch(which we won’t have for another month or so..). Brandon even had flowers waiting for me in our room for when we arrived(orchids!).

I keep hearing how the first few years of marriage can be pretty rough, but so far it’s been the complete opposite for us. Between our many overlapping hobbies and still having things we do without the other, we’ve managed to find the balance that keeps us as happy as we are.

^_^

Steampunk

2011-08-18T10:10:00.001-07:00

It’s a subculture I am absolutely smitten with. Steampunk is a combination of victorian and technology. Think bustles and waistcoats meets flying citadels and automatons. The idea of living back in the 1800s has always seemed very romantic to me, except of the fact that in reality it’s no where near as glamorous as I’d like to imagine. Add to that the fantastic edgy-ness of steam power and mechanical minions, and my imagination begins to run wild.

It has now become a goal of mine to attend San Diego Comic Con. Steampunk isn’t a large focus of the convention, but some of the panels and parties that focus around it would be fantastic to visit. Even just to see some of the outfits attendees where. The fashion of Steampunk alone is amazing.

Looking around on the internet you can find tonnes of amazing creations. Just do a google search! Or check out some of these links!

Steampunk Iron Man

Steamed Blog

Pocket Watch on Etsy

Victorian Gown on Etsy

Steampunk Minions

Picture Heavy Adventure (with caves!)

2011-08-10T09:37:00.001-07:00

Brandon, Michelle, and I went to the Stone Corral on Sunday. The Stone Corral is one of the very many hiking trails in the area that we hadn’t yet gone to. The nifty thing about it is that there are a couple of caves right on the trails, as well as some other nifty things.

You start off by passing through some trail that runs near a pair of small lakes/ponds. The first has a beaver lodge…though we didn’t take a picture of it.

There is a lot of devils club right along the trail and it’s nearly overgrown the trail. Nothing too spiky, but will likely cause problems if it’s not cut back soon. No one likes to have their legs filled with thorns.

A definite perk to all of the ponds and creeks is that Alita (Michelle’s dog) was able to keep pretty well hydrated. The down side was us getting mud and water all over us because dogs always shake off within close proximity to people.

The first cave! It’s called Corral cave and while not very long, is very cool. Pictures really don’t do it any justice. It was also a very great place to cool off. While there we saw another couple who apparently do quite a bit of caving.

Further along the trail was pretty easy going. It went upwards above the cave kept going until we were atop a very sheer cliff. But before then something very shocking happened.

Alita, hearing the sounds of the couple who were still below at the cave, decided she really wanted to visit with them, but going around via the trail would take far too much time. So she found a sort of crevasse and proceed to jump down about 50 feet (give or take). Of course we didn’t actually see this happen as Alita tends to scurry on ahead of us. All we heard were the gasps of shock as large dog falls from above and lands on some shrubs. The kicker in all this, Alita was perfectly fine. No bumps or scraps, and she kept right now going.

Something to note about the cliff: It is fenced off. No one fell off a mountain that day!

We stopped up top for lunch while we looked on at Castle Mountain(pictured above on the right) and were in a state of awe at how beautiful the area is.

Onward we came upon Porcupine Cave, named so because of the evidence that porcupines once lived here. Maybe they still do, luckily there were none to be seen while we were there. This cave, I did not go into, but Brandon, Michelle, and Alita did. Call me a wuss, but if I can’t just walk in, I get a little anxious.

On our way down we came to the bottom of another sheer cliff, though much shorter than the last.

The trail then started to really head down. It doesn’t look so bad in the pictures, but I was very thankful for the rope. Short legs and steepness are not a good combination.

We then completed the loop and joined back with the main part of the trail.

And then there was a very confused bumblebee who couldn’t fly, so he just walked around atop this stump.

Another Post About Fish

2011-07-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

If what I’m currently experiencing is allergies..THEY SUCK! My left eye hasn’t stopped watering all day, and it feels a little swollen.

On the bright side…

We have a new fish aquarium!! Some folks in town are moving and were selling their tanks for dirt cheap. We took the 35 gallon tank which came with livestock, decorations, filter, heater, and bubble maker. The filter failed on us, so we’ll be going into Dawson Creek this weekend to buy a new one. We’re also going to get rid of all the golf fish that came with it. They are stupid fish and their poops are gross! Unless one of the people we’ve chatted to decide to take them, we’ll be donating them to a river/lake/pond/random body of water.

Another downside to gold fish… They do not stop moving! Taking a clear picture is a real test of patience (for me at least).

We are keeping the angel fish, though. It’s very big and very cool! Now we just need to decide what kinds of fish we want to get to keep it company. Because I’ve a feeling that a lonesome angel fish is not a happy angel fish.

As a side note: Sorry if it seems like this is turning into a fish blog. I am working on a project…but I’m no where near ready to reveal what it is. Mostly because I need to be sure that I will be following through with it. So until then, enjoy the fishies!

=^.^=

Fishy Tank After 4 Months!

2011-06-18T12:07:00.001-07:00

Hello, this is Brandon. Roxy is too “busy” to blog so I shall blog for her. We set up our fish tank 4 months ago and the plants have gone CRAZY! So I shall show you a couple photos of how much they have grown!

This is when we first set it up, but no fishies yet.

And this is today! We didn’t add any new plants, they just grow…. fast. The darker gravel is better for plants then the blue gravel. It’s fancy!

Enjoy!

Facial Test

2011-06-05T18:49:00.001-07:00

I have combination skin. Some of it’s oily, some of it’s dry, and all of it is a pain to keep clear. Acne sucks, as I’m sure many of you will agree. So when flipping through one of my many copies of Chatelaine, I found a skin care tip that suggests combining a dollop of skin cleaner with a tablespoon of baking soda. So onward to test this combination!!

It really didn’t take a whole of of the skin cleaner to mix in with the baking soda. I <3 my little bowls which are pretty much the perfect size for this kind of thing!

OMG!! A picture of me!?! It only took 20 shots to get one that I’m kind of okay with. Though that’s far fewer frames that it used to take.

The Verdict!

Pros: My skin is indeed glowing! Also, when applying it, it gently exfoliates, which is great since I’ve struggle to find and exfoliant that works well on my skin.

Cons: It made my skin itch a bit, bearable, but annoying. Removing it is a bit tedious because the baking soda leaves behind a bit of residue.

So I’ll probably do this again. Definitely an evening thing, though. As with most things that exfoliate, I am a little red(though not alarmingly so…just enough that it’s probably best to relax and let the skin calm down).

New Jobs

2011-06-02T07:34:00.001-07:00

I am now 100% acclimated to working again. It was a little difficult at first, what with having to set the alarm clock and be forced out of bed instead of lounging around as long as I felt I required it. But then I found that I really like my job.

The job?

Working at the golf course in the pro shop. Driving golf carts around. Booking tee times. Taking people’s money. Chatting with the senior men who come in first thing in the morning for a round.

These days, I’ve discovered that I only need 6 hours of sleep in order to function normally.

For this job I did end up leaving my casual position. A few things lead to my leaving the community center, the main of which is that in the past couple of months I’ve had maybe 2 shifts. Besides, the golf course, despite only being part-time, is really just shy of full-time, which occupies my week well and good on its own.

Brandon is changing jobs, too. No more Peace River Coal!! For the next six weeks he’ll be at the T.R. Fire Hall, after which he’ll likely start at Western Coal until he finds work as a full-time firefighter.

Lots of changes, but the amount of silly, giddy, happiness in this house is benefit enough :)

Our Time in New Westminster.

2011-05-21T19:46:00.001-07:00

Brandon and I went on a “vacation” a little over a week ago. B-man had an EMR course at the Justice Institute in New Westminster, so we drove down and stayed with my friend’s Ashley and Callan for 12 nights.

The drive down began rather chilly-ly. Snow still on the ground and frozen over lakes. Luckily the cache we were hunting down in the area in the above picture was high up and under cover. Digging through snow is never fun and we were happy to be able to avoid it.

Brandon wanted to visit the above bridge on our way down, but I was tired and cranky so we saved it for the trip back home. I’m glad we did, since on the way down it was cloudy and cold, while on the way up it was warm and sunny.

There were a couple of caches around, but our gps device ran out of battery juice so we were only able to find one.

During one of Brandon’s off days from school we headed over to Burnaby Lake. Some crazy person placed over 50 caches around the lake and had we the time (and me the energy) we would have loved to get them all…but we only wound up with around 25. Still, for one area that’s a darn good number to get in a short amount of time.

Geese were relaxing all over the place, but these were the only ducklings we saw. Mama Goose was very protective and hissed quick a lot at us before leading the babies away.

On top of school we managed to do quite a lot. At IKEA we bought a much needed coffee table, entertainment unit, and DVD shelf, as well as a few knickknacks which we (read I) couldn’t resist. Then we went to a specialty board game store to buy Ticket to Ride. Probably my favorite trip was to metrotown where I was able to buy some lulu lemon sports bras(tata tamer FTW!), then to sports check to buy some running capris. Brandon was pretty thrilled to find a very nice Canucks ball cap and a jersey. We also go to see a free movie. We each have scene cards which accumulate points when we use our scene scotia debit card, and we had enough points for us each to get in for free to see Priest in the new fancy theatre with reclining seats!

We also went and had dinner with Nich, Teresa, and the kids. It was crazy to see how big they’re getting. We played some connect 4 (not connect 5) with Eva, and Ticket to Ride with Nich. It was a short visit, but well worth every second.

A couple of things we didn’t end up doing were going to Stanley Park to run the sea wall and buying some AMAZING espresso at the cafe I used to work at. Small things to miss out on and we were happy just running around New West and it’s very pretty parks.

It was a great way to spend so much time in the city and to visit with Ashley and Callan.

Now that we’re home, we’re thrilled to have our own bed and to be able to walk around in our underwear ^_^

Also, to those of you with Netflix. Watch Better Off Ted. It’s pretty great!

Of Fish and Laundry and Being Crafty

2011-04-20T19:32:00.001-07:00

In our attempts to balance the Ph and hardness of the water in our aquarium, we decided to try using a different substrate. Since we have live plants, we decided on a fluval brand kind that’s meant to promote happy plants and lowers the Ph of the water. It took a very long time to empty the aquarium of everything, remove the blue rocky substrate, rinse and put in the new substrate, refill with water, place the caves, replant the plants, and then finally put the fish back. Despite the hours the fish had to spend in a 5 gallon bucket, they seem much happier now than they did before. Their colors are much more vibrant and are such fun to watch chase each other :)

Normally I’d like to help with cleaning the aquarium, but Brandon likes to take charge of it himself. So I busied myself doing 4 loads of laundry(and there’s still a 5 load that I’ll be doing tomorrow). It’s amazing how much laundry two people can accumulate. I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like when you have kids >.<

Otherwise I’ve been getting back into my crafty groove. I’m slowly ploughing through my yoshi/kirby cross-stitch and have started doing some embroidery. The picture below is a pattern that was offered for free over at Wild Olive. The lovely lady who runs Wild Olive is doing a series on embroidery basic and offered this pattern as an exercise for practicing some basic stitches. Basic or not, it was really fun to do and I have a couple of ideas to elaborate on it. But I’ll save that for another post somewhere in the future.

=^.^=

Hot Fireman is Hot!

2011-04-18T16:07:00.001-07:00

Brandon’s home!! He was only gone for the weekend, but it was long enough for me to be lonesome without him ^_^ On the bright side, lots of pictures of him in his fire fighting gear. I love being married to a hot fireman!!

******************************************

In other news, I went to the clinic today! Many moons ago I was supposed to get some blood work done to check my hormone levels. Problem was, I wasn’t sure what day of my cycle I was on since my cycle was/is messed up. Then I finally started a cycle back in January…but day three was on a Saturday when the lab was closed. So now (FINALLY), I was able to have day three fall on a weekday (today). Needles don’t bother me, luckily. The last time I had a blood work done, it was only for one vial. This time it was for 3 or 4. Can’t actually remember since I wasn’t really paying attention. One thing I can say… It hurt! I wasn’t really expecting it to hurt. An initial pinching, maybe. But to actually having the stinging stay with me even after the needle was gone was strange for me.

So in short, I’m one step closer to finding the reason why I’m not ovulating!!!

=^.^=

Random Stuff!

2011-04-14T13:42:00.001-07:00

Breakfast is very important. I try to eat within an hour of waking up in the mornings, and I avoid cold cereal as much as I can. Oatmeal is slowly becoming my favourite breakfast food. So many options! This morning I added half a mashed banana, cinnamon, nutmeg and a glob of peanut butter. It tasted like banana bread slathered with peanut butter. Very dee-lish!

We have things that are alive in our apartment now! Aside from our aquarium plants (which we never have to water), we have a potted plant and some fresh flowers! Despite having grown up with parents who have very green thumbs, I find it difficult to keep plants alive. Hopefully it’s something I can remedy, since I’d love to have a vegetable and herb garden when we one day have a house.

( Pay no mind to the dirt on the carpet near the plant >.< )

The above shelf was sitting in the corner in the hallway outside of our bedroom. It’s only purpose seemed to be to collect dust and house some rocks with plant imprints embedded in them. While the rocks are cool, they also were just collecting dust in the dark corner. I have since brought it into the dinning/computer area and have put it to good use. Now our dinning table is clear of random things and much easy to keep tidy!

Chatelaine is easily my favourite magazines. I don’t really pay much attention to the style/beauty section, but I’m obsessed with the health and food sections, as well as the interviews and articles. A lot of my motivation to keep healthy comes from this magazine.

For some reason, ever since Brandon subscribed to Chatelaine Magazine for me, they have been sending us both a copy each month. So, I have two unopened issues that I really don’t need. Want one?? Just leave a comment and I’ll choose two people to send one to next week!

=^.^=

Healthy Habits: #2

2011-04-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

I am super excited for this spring/summer/fall. As part of my getting fit plan, I’m going to be signing up for a race in June. It’s the Ridge Ramble Biathlon and will be my first real race…ever! It’s a 10km bike ride followed by a 5km run. The route is a 5km loop around town that you repeat 3 times. Having something to work towards will definitely help in the motivation department.

My goal? To finish.

Physically, running is still not 100% there for me…yet! Already I’ve noticed an increase in my stamina(providing I’m well warmed up) and I find myself wanting to go for longer distances. I’m definitely no pro, but I like to think I’m off to a good start. But then, I suppose any start is a good start.

The main things I need to worry about is my shins and knees. Growing up the tendons and muscles in my knees formed a little awkwardly, so now they are a little more sensitive than I’d like. I was told that providing I don’t overdo it, that they’ll strengthen as I go. I guess this is where I find out if that will be the case. As for my shins…well, they just aren’t used to working much and get really sore really easily.

Self Discovery: Post 1

2011-03-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Being in Tumbler Ridge has had many ups and downs. The big up for me has been that through all the alone time, I’ve been able to discover quite a lot about myself. My self discovery posts will be a reminder that despite all the bumps in the road, I’m able to come out at the end having learned something valuable about myself.

********************************************

When Brandon and I were first married I was a physical wreck. Weight wise, I was at my all time heaviest (170+ lbs) and suffered from chronic back pain. Despite wanting to do things for myself, physically I just couldn’t do much. A month after our wedding I went to Vancouver to have a reduction surgery which would help reduce my back pain and allow me to participate in activities that I wasn’t able to before. Unfortunately I’d have to wait nearly a year before I could reap the benefits of my surgery.

Our first year of marriage I relied heavily on Brandon to do man-ly things. Moving furniture, carrying groceries in from the store, shovelling snow, etc. I felt bad for being so “lazy” and it took me a while to fully accept that it wasn’t something I was doing on purpose. Healing was probably the most difficult thing for me to do.

Fast-forward to today. I move furniture around. A few minutes ago I moved the treadmill from one end of the apartment to the other. No easy feat when the easy way to move it wouldn’t allow it to fit through the doorway to the spare room. When Brandon doesn’t feel like moving furniture I’ll wait until he’s a work and do it on my own.

The point of all this? I’m a lot stronger than I give myself credit for. It’s a pretty good feeling to know that while I have Brandon to take care of things, I’m capable of dealing with a lot on my own. And when you’re as impatient as I am, it’s a very good thing.

Things That Made Me Happy Today

2011-03-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

~ Sex and the City: The Movie

~ Paint

~ Toffee Nut Steamed Milk

~ Playing Board Games with Brandon

~ Finally moving the patio table to the actual patio. Yay for more space in the spare room!!

~ Having a fully stocked aquarium with pretty fish :)

Pretty (That’s actually her name ^_^)

An anti-climactic, first day of spring.

2011-03-20T11:21:00.001-07:00

The weather had been looking up and I started on a post for the first day of spring. Then it start to snow. And it hasn’t stopped. So as far as weather is concerned, it’s still winter. Instead of frolicking in a field bathed in sunshine, I’m trying to stay warm in an apartment with far too many drafts.

To try to perk myself up, I’m going to busy myself and listen happy music.

Make (Pea)nut-ella.
Pick up a duotang and page protectors to finally organize the recipes I’ve printed from the internets.
Do the dishes.
Burn a CD with my feel good, go-to songs (a bunch listed below if you care to have a listen)

I hope everyone else is making good of the bad weather. And if you have good weather, are basking in the sunshine :)

=^.^=

Breakfast Post

2011-03-15T08:51:00.001-07:00

I’m finally in the habit of eating breakfast. Not only that, but I’m also in the habit of having oatmeal for breakfast most mornings. This morning was going to be no different. Since I had a newly “empty” jar of peanut butter I thought I’d try doing OIAJ (Oatmeal In A Jar). Simple enough. Throw my ingredients into the jar and pop in the microwave. Put in for 2 minutes. Check halfway through, give a stir. Then it failed me. I fail me, actually. In my excitement I forgot that a plastic peanut butter container might not survive a trip to the microwave.

It didn’t.

My options now? Yogurt. And to not make OIAJ unless my nut butter comes in a glass jar.

Giveaway Winner! (better late than never)

2011-03-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

I’m a little late getting to the winner of the giveaway….almost a week actually. Blogging took a bit of a back seat to my life…mostly because my productivity spiked after the slump I was in(as described in my last post), and it just seemed like there were better things to do than be online.

So the winner is….

*Drum Roll*

Jen

Yay! I’ll be sending the cross-stitch your way this week ^_^

Huzzah!

2011-03-06T08:46:00.001-08:00

I found the camera! It was exactly where I put it when I was rearranging the living room >.< Excited, I tried to take some pictures of the fish…which didn’t go over very well. Turns out they move around a lot. Rather quickly, in fact. So I only managed a couple of clear shots of the black skirt tetras. On Friday Brandon and I will be making a trip to Dawson Creek to get some more fish. I’ll be giving the pet store there a call early Monday morning to see if we can special order some blue ram cichlids.

Once upon a time…there was no snow…

2011-03-04T12:26:00.001-08:00

And you could come to Tumbler Ridge and see things like these! All these photos are from when Brandon’s mum came to visit us last summer. Can’t wait to be able to go to these places again once the snow is gone. To get a taste of all the trails and sights, take a look at the WNMS website.

This is Quality Falls. Probably the easiest to reach of all the waterfalls in the area.

Quality Falls again, with Florence and I.

Kinuseo Falls from the upper viewing area. While the drive to get to this one is very bumpy, it’s very much worth the view.

Barbour Falls

Boulder Gardens. Probably one of my favourite places to spend the day. Above is the crevasse of “The Chimney”.

Brandon and I atop “The Chimney”.

In Mourning

2011-03-03T07:40:00.001-08:00

Our neon tetras are dead. Not sure why it’s just them, but there it is. It’s a shame for two reasons. Reason one: Our tank looks much emptier now. Reason two: They were so very pretty. All our other tetras seem to be doing just fine. Though we will likely buy more due to their being much happier in a larger group.

The fish that are left seem to be doing quite well. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to get our hands on some Blue Ram cichilds, as they are one of the few that won’t eat our smaller fishes (supposedly).

I still can’t find my camera to take pictures, so I found some online. Not pictured are one of the remaining tetra breeds that I don’t have a name for. They were supposed to have been silvertips, but the guy at the store accidentally grabbed us a couple of the other tetras that were part of a community tank.

Chinese Algae Eater. We named ours The China Man

Above you see a Black Skirt Tetra. We haven’t named ours yet.

This is a silvertip tetra. Same size and shape as a neon…but clearly not a neon.

****************************************

Don’t forget about the giveaway! I’ll be running it until next Wednesday!!

Jack Frost…You Suck!

2011-03-02T15:06:00.001-08:00

We aren’t going to the concert tonight. The roads between Tumbler and Dawson are terrible and it’s still snowing. Some friends of ours made the trip earlier today, and on the way back it was getting worse.

So we’re staying put.

This sucks.

-Sad Panda

Going to Rock Out Tonight! and a giveaway!

2011-03-02T06:56:00.001-08:00

Tonight Brandon and I are going to Dawson Creek with a couple of friends to see Buckcherry, Papa Roach, My Darkest Days, and Bleaker Ridge at the Encana Events Center! Holy crack are we excited! While we’re pretty familiar with Papa Roach, we’re pretty much going in knowing only a song or two by the each of the other bands.

Something we really miss about living in Greater Vancouver, all the concerts. When we left the lower mainland, we had to give away our tickets for a couple of shows, Jeremy Camp and Third Day. We gave them to Nich, Brandon’s big brother, as a thank you for all the help he’d been to us while we were there.

My first concert? Oasis. What a great show that was! They even played Wonderwall…which is something they don’t do to often due to the song having been overplayed. Unfortunately we didn’t stay to the end. There were a few too many people getting high and we couldn’t breath in all the smoke.

***************************************************************

Giveaway!

Up for grabs is a cross stitch done by me. You’ll have 1 week to enter, so feel free to spread the word!

To enter: Leave a comment answering the following question.

What was the first concert you went to?

Gaming, Getting Fit, and Finding Inspiration.

2011-02-28T06:29:00.000-08:00

I’ve been playing my Nintendo DS quite a bit lately. The game? Pokemon Diamond. Holy addiction!! I’m at the point where there isn’t much left for me to do…but I keep going. I’ve already expressed to Brandon how important it is that “we” get the new version that’s going to be hitting the shelves on March 6th. Pokemon Black and White(I’m leaning towards Black version).

I feel like such a nerd that gaming is something I find exciting enough to blog about. Truthfully, my other hobbies have been on the back burner for the past few months. Every time I try to get started on something else…I just don’t want to.

Luckily I’m not a lazy gamer. If not daily, every other day is spent doing something active. Usually it’s the treadmill, but I’m starting to like going to the gym again. I’m really trying to find balance in my sluggish winter days. It’s hard, since –30 weather isn’t exactly ideal for making one feel productive. But like most things, once I get started it’s hard to stop.

I’ve been reading a blog called Carrots ‘n’ Cake. It’s written by a lovely lady named Tina who lives in Boston with her hubby and their pug. It’s a really great blog. She writes about fitness, food, and her life, and how to balance it all in a healthy way. Her approach to food and weight loss is exactly how I try to approach my own diet and activities. Today I was going back in the archives and found some really great posts that have me feeling a lot better about my slow approach to my goal weight. Like all things, it’s nice to see that you aren’t alone :)
=^.^=

Fishies...except there aren't any.

2011-02-20T10:54:00.000-08:00

Brandon and I spent his last set off from work in Terrace. As soon as he came home from the night shift Monday morning, he woke me up and we hit the road. We managed to make the trip in good time, having to resort to redbull only once! Thankfully the roads weren't terrible and keeping up with the speed limit was a cinch.

**********

Brandon and I have finally purchased an aquarium. Since we can't have "real" pets in our apartment, we've decided that fish would be awesome. But no way are we going to have a piddly little tanks with a betta. We've kind of gone all out.

When we finally got home from our trip, instead of just unpacking and relaxing...Brandon set up the tank. He was quite the force that evening. It all came together really quickly. Even without fish, it's quite lovely to look at, especially when the bubble machine is on.

Our 55 gallon tank all set up.

These are our live plants. They're just babies right now. Can't wait for them to get all large and beautiful.

Dinner. Deeeelish!

2011-02-11T15:56:00.000-08:00

So I've been pretty darn sick lately. The worst of it was last week when I had a fever of 104*F. I don't think I'd ever had a temperature that high. It's recommended that one seeks medical attention if the temperature stays that high for that long...but I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. I was confined to the couch for 4 days.

I am now well. And hungry. Because it would appear that being that sick makes your body reject anything you try to feed it. All I managed to ingest was a bit of toast, tea, water, and a bunch of buckley's, strepsil throat lozenges, and some throat spay that numbed my entire mouth. The lozenges were by far my favorite. They contain local anesthetic ^_^

Of course now that I'm able to eat I trying to build my immune system back up. That means fruit and veg. So for the first time in a long time I ate an orange. I'd forgotten how wonderful an orange could be. Brandon and I also managed to find some dragon fruit at our usually non-exotic grocery store. If you've never tried it before, go out and find some! It looks intimidating, but is sooo yummy. Just chop it in half and enjoy with a spoon.

And for dinner, red cabbage and leeks sauteed in butter with chicken. The smells coming from my kitchen right now are absolutely divine! The lovely thing about leeks is that they have the essence of onion, but are much less pungent and far more delicious. Here's hoping that my stomach has settled enough for me to actually be able to enjoy my dinner.

=^.^=

2011-02-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

I've got a cold. It's pretty lame. Luckily my husband doesn't find me grotesque when I'm filled with phlegm and other forms of gross-ness.

Sugar. Burned Out. Excited.

2011-01-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

So since I've been seeing them everywhere lately, I just made Blond Brownies. They're currently in the oven so I can't quite comment on the finished product, but the batter was deeeelish!

****************

World of Warcraft. I'm burnt out. Playing just isn't fun anymore, and most of my friends that I play with are just as burned out. Luckily I have several other games that I've been neglecting to finish. The big one being Final Fantasy 13. It's an amazing game. Well...honestly I'm mostly in it for the story. So far I'm 32 hours in, but keep in mind that I started playing at the beginning of last spring.

Once I finish with FFXII I'm unsure what I'll be all into next. A friend and I are thinking about starting to play another MMO. Last year I briefly played Aion, and we're thinking we might pick it up again. If not, there are several others that are coming out (hopefully) this year.

Brandon isn't at all interested in the games I like, but he has his own games that he loves. We recently ordered him a flight simulator yoke and pedals to go with the flight sim computer games and I'm quite certain that once they arrive that I'll see a little less of him for at least a few days.

****************

Brandon's next set off is going to be super busy. We go to Dawson Creek first so that Brandon can take a pre-trip test. Then the next day he has Mine Rescue practice. When he gets home from the mine we'll be grabbing our overnight bags and heading to Fort St. John where he has his physical and written test with their Fire Department the next morning.

Since I'm not sure how long everything is going to take I'm going to try to get in to see a massage therapist and a dentist. Strange combination, but if my suspicions are correct, exactly what I need. All 4 of my wisdom teeth are in desperate need of being removed. I'm pretty sure that they are the cause of all the tension I'm carrying in my neck, shoulders, and jaw. The massage is to try to alleviate some of that tension.

****************

All in all, there is a lot going on these days. Or at least a lot to think about.

=^.^=

Reflection.

2011-01-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

I was a few clicks away from having posted a rant about the constant negativity on facebook that I've observed lately. Then I decided that the last thing the internet needs is more negativity. So instead you get a silly picture.

My Reccomendation for a Good Read

2011-01-19T08:06:00.000-08:00

This book is a godsend. I've learned so much about my body and how to distinguish signs of (in)fertility that I'm a lot less discouraged about how much work it is to get pregnant. It's likely to still take a while for Brandon and I to get there, but now that we know the why as to the reason we've not succeeded yet, it can only get easier. Charting is no longer an arduous task and it's no longer strange to be keeping on eye on the other signs.

It's also a great book if you're trying NOT to get pregnant but don't want to use the pill or other forms of birth control.

I was talking to one of my friends here in Tumbler about some things that I've learned, and even she was shocked by some of the stuff she didn't know about her own body.

I like that I don't have to rely on a doctor to figure everything out. I like that I can go into his/her office with a chart for the past month or so and have half the work done for them. I also like that there's less chance of being misdiagnosed because all the information is there in front of me.

And it doesn't just cover lady parts. Man parts are in there as well. Because obviously it takes two to tango.

=^.^=

BTW: A big thank you to Jen for telling me about this book. I'd probably be an emotional wreck without the wisdom contained in these pages.

Not my usual perky self...but trying to see the silver lining.

2011-01-15T16:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had cramps unlike any I've had in a very long time. I imagine it's due to actually having what's appearing to be the start of a normal cycle...but dang! Combine that with what I suppose is a surge of hormones, I've been emotional and very self-critical. I was pretty useless and felt guilty about being useless. I know it's not my fault, but that's just how I felt. While the cramps subsided today, the emotional ups and downs are still making the day a little rough. I've been getting little to no sleep for the past week and have been running on fumes. *sigh*

The silver lining I'm clinging to:

If I'm correct that my cycle is finally settling into some semblance of normality, then I might start ovulating for the first time in a long time. Of course I'm trying not to get my hopes up...but gosh it's a nice thought.

Happiness is dark brown and smooth :)

2011-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's shiny and new and I'm oh so excited about finally having one of my very own :3

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and went without much of a fuss. Next year we'll be sure to make more of a big deal out of it. As for tonight, the plan is to stay up much too late, drink too much, and feel terrible in the morning. I'm quite glad that I don't work until Sunday ^_^

2010 was an exciting year. Brandon fell off a mountain. I got a job. We went on a geocaching roadtrip adventure. Made friends. Celebrated a year of marriage. All in all it was quite good.

For 2011 I only have a few resolutions:

1. Get better at doing housework.

2. Make Boeuf Bourguignon.

3. Make a Baby.

4. Keep being crafty.

Each has their own degrees of difficulty, except maybe number 4. But I am quite determined!

=^.^=

Christmas Post!

2010-12-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

“Bones, it’s after midnight! Hmm? Christmas Eve day! Both an eve and a day…It’s a Christmas miracle!” -Seeley Booth S.1 of Bones. Ep. The Man in the Fallout Shelter.

It's Christmas Eve day! Brandon's at work and I'll be home all afternoon cooking. Since Brandon and some of our friends are on shift over the holidays I've volunteered to cook them all dinner. I'd much rather have Brandon home all day with me for the next few days, but things being the way they are we're making the best of it.

Truthfully, this isn't a very Christmas-y Christmas. Even having the Christmas tree and our village set up don't really make it feel like Christmas. It feels more like an average day where we'll have a slightly more fancy dinner than most nights.

All the baking I'd done...well...it's gone. If not gifted to friends, we've been scarfing it down (thank goodness Brandon fixed the treadmill for me!). Then last night some friends who live two floors above us stopped by to deliver some very yummy Spanish cookies that they'd made :)

Tonight's Menu

Roasted Turkey rubbed down with butter, garlic, and thyme
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
Stuffing (from a box...because I'm not feeling too fancy this year)
Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
Garlicky Mashed Potatoes
Pear Crisp

Since Brandon isn't the biggest fan of pumpkin pie, last year I started the tradition of making pear crisp instead. Having learned from a few mistakes last year I'm much more prepared this year. Less whiskey in the sauce that goes on the pear crisp, took the turkey out to thaw days ago, etc. I probably made all the typical holiday cooking mistakes last year, so hopefully things go much more smoothly this year.

=^.^=

2010-12-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

All my Christmas packages are packed and will be off to the post office today ^_^ Technically everything was done quite a while ago...I just took my sweet time finding people addresses.

I'm pretty happy with the things I'm giving this year. Pretty well all of it is stuff I crafted over the past year. I'm actually pretty happy with each item and am thrilled that I'm not doing last minute shopping for things that have no thought or love put into them. I even baked a bunch in order to make goody boxes for my in town friends. The plus side to that was that Brandon and I aren't left having to gorge on sugar and chocolate!

We won a TV at Brandon's work Christmas party. We were thinking of buying one in the new year, but this is definitely better!! I won a beautiful enameled cast iron dutch oven!! We were pretty darn lucky.

Things in this part of the world are great. Snow is falling and it definitely is starting to feel like Christmas :)

=^.^=

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 7

2010-12-01T17:36:00.000-08:00

Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

Easy answer. Brandon :) I really don't know how to elaborate on that... maybe one of these days I'll do and ode to Brandon of some sort :P

**************************************

In other news.... I can't remembered if I've blogged it already or not...but even if I have I'll say it again. Brandon got me a treadmill! It's an second hand one that was advertised on the board outside of the grocery store, and isn't all that great for running. Luckily it has an adjustable incline which is perfect for a walking program I stumbled upon in a Chatelaine magazine. With it we got one of those boards that you do sit ups on and an over-sized exercise ball that is much to large to ever be of any use. Since then I've really had to excuse for being lazy.

I've also started doing some semi-late Christmas baking. Luckily I don't need to do too much because we ordered a bunch of stuff from the Holland Shopping Center. So far I have shortbread cookies in the freezing(which will eventually be brush with a maple sugar glaze) and peanut butter bars. I actually stole the recipe from a link on my sister-in-law's websites. Jen...they are indeed better than reece's peanut butter cups!

And that's it...well...I'm sure there's more...I'm just too distract by Robin Williams @ the Met to really think.

=^_^=

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 6

2010-11-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

So.... blogging went onto the back burner for a while there. My reason is very good though. I got a job! I'm a casual office assistant at the community center, which suits me fine since I don't think I'd enjoy leaving my life of being a housewife entirely behind. But it's definitely enough to break the monotony that sets in every once in a while.

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

I hope I never have to do a lot of things. Things like become a soldier of any kind or anything to do with soldiering(i.e. Brandon's never allowed to go to war). I read some stories in one of my Chatelaine magazines where 3 young women(30 and under) talked about losing their husbands to the war, two of which have kids. Brandon's made it quite clear to me that he has no plan of ever joining up, but it's still something that I can't help but think about sometimes.

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 5

2010-11-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Something You Hope to do in Your Life.

The big thing on my list of things I hope to do is be a mom. Brandon and I haven't been lucky in this area yet mostly due to one problem or another. I want to have weeks where I hardly sleep because Brandon's at work and baby needs calming in the middle of the night. Some people would see this as lack of ambition, but my ambition to be a mom is just as aggressive as someones ambition to be a doctor. It might not bring in as big of a paycheck, but it certainly is just as satisfying...or so I like to believe :3

I also hope that I'll get to go back to school. This one will likely be on the back burner for a bit longer than I'd like, but I will attain it one day. I suppose it's a good thing that it's not in the cards for the immediate future, because I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I still go through all the possibilities, but my interests are so diverse that it's really hard to settle on just one.

And now I leave you with a lol :)

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 4

2010-11-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

I need to forgive my bio-dad. There are a bunch of things I need to forgive him for...and admittedly I'm still working on it. I won't post some of the things he did..because technically I shouldn't even know, but the main bit is that he left and after a year I never heard from him again. This caused me a heck of a lot of issues growing up and in high school. Abandonment being the main issue. In my mind, if Daddy doesn't love me enough to stay why would anyone?? I've since resolved my issues, but that never changed that he was never there.

I also need to forgive the woman whom I blame for breaking up my mom and step-dad. I know it isn't entirely her fault and that they likely would have went separate ways regardless, but I guess it's just easier to blame her. I can guarantee that I'll never like her or be comfortable being in the same room as her.

I'll likely forgive these people eventually, though I'm still a ways from getting to that point.

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 3

2010-11-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

Eep! I forgot to post yesterday, but luckily I've posted other things so all is well in my mind :)

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

This is a post I'm not too excited about, because honestly, I can't think of something I need to forgive myself for. The only thing I feel guilty about is forgetting to go to the gym every once in a while. I usually recover from those moments and get on with my day.

The way I see it, if I hadn't made the mistakes I made I would likely not be where I am today. And where I am is pretty great. Also, as I've stated in previous posts, I try not to dwell on things.

So not a very large post...but truthful none the less.

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 2

2010-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

This is usually a tough one because it always feels like boasting, but for me it's an easy answer. I love my optimism.

Life can blow. It can be crappy and always feel like shit's hitting the fan. One day back when I was 18 years old I woke up and decided that I was sick of all the negativity and *poof* I never looked back. Now I'm just generally happy. And when I'm not happy I'm hopeful.

Even when I watch movies I'm optimistic. For example, I watched Splice recently. It's a really great movie...but I hated how it ended because it wasn't a particularly happy ending. What I would have like to have happened just didn't happen. I would of had there be some kind of magical cure and everyone would have lived happily ever after. It didn't happen...so now I won't ever watch that movie again, even though it was a good movie.

When I play Dungeons and Dragons with a group of my friends, my character is rarely on the same page as everyone else. I could probably play someone evil...or at least morally ambivalent...but I can never manage to because I'd feel bad...even though it isn't real. My character started out neutral...and is now good(though chaotic good...think Robin Hood).

I like the idea of good triumphing over evil. I believe that good things should happen.

I'm optimistic that things will work out.

FINALLY!

2010-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

After well over a year and a half of staying at home and not working, I finally got a job. It's a casual position (which suits me just fine) as an office assistant at the community center. The lovely thing is that I pretty much still get to be a house wife. The only difference being that I have a job that will break up the monotony occasionally. And the commute is fantastic, too. All I have to do is cross the street and walk across the parking lot of the grocery store ^_^

Anywho, I must be off, because apparently I need to complete a criminal record check before I can start training :P

Thirty Days of Truth: Day 1

2010-11-08T14:36:00.000-08:00

Haven't blogged in a very long time...mostly because things haven't changed much. Found this thing on Hey, Mrs. Wilson and decided that maybe this is the push I need to get blogging again. So here we go!

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.

I wouldn't say I hate anything about myself, but there are certainly things I dislike. The main thing being how much I procrastinate. When Brandon and I got married we had decided that for our 1 year anniversary that we would go for a road trip to the states. In order to do that I'd have to get a passport, but before I could even do that I'd have to get a new birth certificate and social insurance card(lost both several years ago). Here we are, over a year later and I only just had the Ontario government send me the form to change my name on my birth certificate(which once sent back they'll send me a new birth certificate).

I also procrastinate with everything else in my life. School?? Eventually I'm sure. I tend to come up with reasons why now isn't a good time. My fertility issues? I knew something was wrong last year, but only just started looking into it in September this year. So many things that are holding me(and Brandon in some cases) back from things because I don't deal with them when they surface in the first place.

So there it is. Something I "hate" about myself.

*
* *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Following are the writing prompts for 30 Days of Truth, should you be interested in doing so yourself.
Day 01: Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02: Something you love about yourself.
Day 03: Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04: Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05: Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06: Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07: Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12: Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14: A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15: Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17: A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19: What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20: Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21: (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22: Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23: Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25: The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26: Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27: What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30: A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

First snow of the season.

2010-10-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's snowing!! I'm not sure how long it's going to last...but I'm definitely enjoying the sparkly whiteness that's going on outside! There's something about it that makes me feel more motivated to keep a tidy and cozy living space. Right now I've got pancakes sizzling away on the stove and a huge hankering for coffee(it will remain a hankering because I have no decaf...).

I'm just greatly disappointed that it's not November yet. Halloween, while fun when I was little, isn't a holiday I get excited about anymore. In my excitement for Christmas I've started to make some felt tree ornaments. Unfortunately Brandon says we shouldn't decorate for the season until some time in November.

As for the rest of the day, Brandon's off to fire practice for the morning, and I'll probably play some World of Warcraft before I go finish my robo-panda felt mascot.

Love is in the air !

2010-10-03T10:11:00.003-07:00

Engagements are popping out of the works like mad lately!

People I must congratulate:

Ashley and Callan

Amrita and Talwinder

Emma and Will

Casey and Erin

There are also many bundles of joy gestating. So congrats to:

Jen and Noah

Nich and Teresa

Ashley and Tim

It will be a very exciting year ahead of us :) LOVE IS EVERYWHERE! It's really hard to not smile :)

Possible TMI... oh well!

2010-09-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Brandon and I have been trying to get me knocked up. As some of you know...there are a few things getting in the way. Those things being problems with my body. So I finally went to the doctor's to get on our way to figuring it all out so that we can fix me.

Nothing invasive was done. We just talked about the things I should be doing on my own time to help figure out my cycle (some of which I'm already doing thanks to a book my sister-in-law recommended to me), and then she gave me two slips of paper. One was for me to get some blood work done(which I can't do until I figure out what day of my cycle I'm on), and the other was for getting an ultrasound done of my ovaries and general down there area to make sure there's nothing out of the ordinary.

Of all the things that could be wrong, I think it might just be a hormone issue. I think this because before I'd gone on the pill my cycle was very regular and it remained that way for the whole time I was on the pill. It wasn't until I went of it that my cycle went wonky. It would appear that while most people go back to normal more or less quickly after going off the pill...for some people it can take them years. Dang it sucks being one of some people.

And now....blah.

Puzzle Me This

2010-09-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

We got that sunny day I was waiting for. But we couldn't go for our hike. Brandon was golfing with the fire hall and a barbecue followed after that. By the time all was said and done it was dark outside. So we decided that if the weather stuck around we'd go today when he gets off work. But it's pouring rain again.

Instead I decided to decipher a puzzle which is part of a geocache. The coordinates were written out in a really confusing form of l33t speak. After the first couple of words I caved in and found a l33t speak translator. It really is mind boggling the kinds of things that can be found online.

As for right now. Brandon and I are having a really cozy night. Dinner was a roast that cooked all day in the slow cooker and pudding for dessert. Then we played Clue and Monopoly before cuddling on the couch while watching Julie and Julia.

Autumn Air...is wet.

2010-09-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

It's raining right now and I couldn't be more happy. After a ridiculously dry summer I'm absorbing as much of the fall as I can, especially since fall here only lasts a month or so. We've already had snow in town and apparently there was a period of winter wonderland going on up in the mountain where Brandon works.

As much as I'm loving the rain I'm holding out for a sunny and dry day so we can go hiking on the Murray Canyon trail.

***Picture is from the Wolverine Nordic and Mountain Society website***

The trail is like this for the 2 thirds closest to the end. It looks down into the canyon and onward for a long ways. I always hear how the best time to do the hike is the fall for all the colours. I went a couple of times during the summer and it was quite spectacular.

Next year we're hoping to be a bit more active in regards to going to trails that are a bit more strenuous.

Things that occupy the day

2010-09-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

The apartment is in a bit of disarray. I'm currently attempting to bring some degree of order to the chaos. Cleaning sucks. I always find it's easy enough to clean the room I spend most time in, the dining/living room. But other rooms just seem so irrelevant. I only really sleep in the bedroom. The kitchen, while I do use it often, is just the worst room to clean because it never stays that way long, and the bathroom...well...I suppose for the sake of hygiene and health that I should probably work a bit harder on keeping it gleaming.

Other than that I've been wasting away while watching Weeds. It's a showcase series and really quite good. It's about a mother who takes up drug dealing as a way to support her and her family's lifestyle after the husband dies of a heart attack. But of course she's rather naive and trouble ensues...but she's yet to be arrested and has a knack for getting out of trouble. I really quite like it.

I've also been working my way through Firefly. A friend who plays DnD with me insists on sharing what he believes to be the greatest television series ever created with all who wish to and need to see it. I quickly took advantage and am squeeing in delight.

Otherwise not a whole lot going down in the Braam household. Brandon works, I wait for a call from a potential employer, we hike(when weather permits), and we play boardgames. It's a simple life, and one that we love :)

We now return to our regular programming...

2010-09-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

I'm back! With summer at a very noticeable end (it snowed today), we finally got ourselves some internets! Might take a while for me to swing back into the habit of blogging...but I'm pretty excited to be doing it again :)

The summer was pretty awesome. B-man and I didn't do near as much as we had hopped, but only because he decided to work at the fire hall again this summer, which limited his off time to every other weekend. Luckily he had already booked off his vacation time back in the spring so we were able to take a two week long road trip.

Our first stop was Whitecourt, Alberta to visit stay with my mom and aunts(my mom also stayed with us for a week before we left Tumbler Ridge). From there it was Edmonton(to spend a day at West Ed. Mall and visit Brandon's childhood friend Nathan), then to Saskatoon(Brandon's sister, her hubby, and two kids), Drumheller(Dino Museum), Calgary(Zoo), and then finally to Surrey(Brandon's Brother, wife, and two kids).

In between the visiting, driving, and occasional shopping we also did a butt load of geocaching. I'm not sure of what our final tally was...but we're currently sitting around 150+ caches found. And great as it was, I think that next time we'll cut back on the amount of road side geocaches in favor of having more time to visit people because it really didn't feel like we had all that much time and I know there are people we missed seeing.

And for now...this is all...because I'm stinky and need a shower.

2010-05-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

This blog is likely to remain in hibernation for the rest of the summer. I don't have a connection at home, so until the day when we get one the odds of my posting at all are slim. Also on the verge of hibernation are facebook and twitter. So, really, the only way to know what's up is to call me ^_^ Contact info is on my and B-man's facebook pages(I think).

2010-04-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today started out pretty shaky. I woke up around 4am with crazy pain in my neck and side of my head. The sources being some weird muscle knots/cysts things. A few tylenol later and all was well, except the not going back to sleep part. Will be seeing the doctor as soon as the clinic is open(which I'm hoping is Monday).

The morning as a whole was pretty slow.

Things picked up for the better around noon when I headed over to A and M's to go for a hike. Despite the wind it was actually warm enough to take off my sweater for a good chunk of the hike. We went to Tumbler Point(because it's the easiest/closest trail nearby). I'm sure I'll get sick of it eventually...but since I don't drive it's the best place to get off of the pavement. Even though I haven't been incredibly consistent with hiking, this time around I was able to keep a fairly brisk pace without feeling like I was going to fall over. Felt pretty darn good.

And now my feet hurt. Which is okay because I'm now basking in the glow of the sun through the wide open balcony door. There's something extra special about being able to fling doors open and flinging blankets across the railing to air out. There is a bit of a chill in the air, but not quite enough to deny the apartment of a much needed airing out.

=^.^=

2010-03-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Brandon is making me lunch right now. I'm very nervous. Not because he can't cook(he can quite well), but because I consider the kitchen to be mine. It's taking a lot of restraint for me to not walk in there right now and take over. It helps that I'm just not going near the kitchen...and the good smells help ease my nerves.

I'll probably let him cook more often.

=^.^=

2010-03-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

It was laundry day two days ago. Unfortunately the lack of coinage has left me with one clean sock to wear today and a pair of yoga pants that are less than appropriate to wear in public. Luckily this is a town where deportment isn't something people tend to worry about.

I've started to drink coffee again. I love the stuff and am starting to feel like my chipper spring self. Winter me was a blob of the blahs, and coffee just seemed like so much more effort than simply pouring a glass of water. But now that hiking is on the agenda(as in every two days) I find myself craving the caffeine(and my metabolism is crying with joy).

On Tuesday, Brandon and I went for a walk. The walk turned into a hike to Tumbler Ridge Point. It's an amazing little hike that starts at the end of our street and only takes an hour max. It starts off going through the woods and takes you to a little path that runs along a ledge. Not a cliff kind of ledge, but a very steep slope kind of ledge. Every time we've gone so far we see the same little herd of deer. They are incredible adorable because the moment they sense there's something else alive in the area(us) they hop away...well, I suppose it's more of a prance. Regardless it's an amazing thing to see.

I don't have an addiction.

2010-03-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've stopped playing WoW (again).

I haven't felt any desire to play, so a few days ago I canceled my subscription. Brandon did the same. We also canceled the dial-up internet.

With the weather getting warmer every day(with exception to the random sprinkles of snow), we just don't feel the need to stay cooped up inside on our computers every day. In all likely hood I won't be playing again until the next expansion comes out, which won't be until the later half of this year.

I even got a new game for the xbox(Final Fantasy XII) that I don't feel the need to play all the time. Usually it's because I get stuck on certain fights and choose to give up for the rest of the day...

In other news, Brandon and I are going to look at some other apartments in town today. Since he didn't get an interview with P.G., and since we don't like our current apartment, we're looking into relocating to be closer to the fire hall here in T.R.. It'll be nice to live right across the street from everything. The only downside will be that we won't be down the road from A and M's place...but I suppose that'll be the motivation I need to get on my bike more often.

=^.^=

6months: A milestone or just one of many chapters

2010-03-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

It's cold here in Tumbler Ridge...again. We were enjoying some very nice sunny weather for a couple of weeks...but clearly the master of weather has decided that we've been spoiled enough and brought in the clouds and wind. Luckily there seems to have been an end to snow fall. Bike riding is right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited.

In our 6+ months of living in Tumbler Ridge(and of being married) things have gone from stressful to easier. Settling into a new town and new rhythm is tough at best. Not knowing anyone, we were forced to spend a lot of time together...not that either of us minded :) We found what things we like to do together...and some things we'd rather do on our own. Though the together list is much larger than the separate list.

Although we've adjusted(more or less) to the town...we're pretty darn eager to leave. The Prince George firefighter recruitment has been going pretty well and we're hoping for the best. Though we're fully prepared for the possibility of having to stay in Tumbler a little longer.

BTW...since I started typing this this morning(kept getting distracted by laundry and groceries) it has start and stopped snowing at least 3 times... Might have to put off plans of bike rides along the river trails for a few more weeks....

Breaking A Bad Habit and What To Do With Beer

2010-03-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

I don't think I could count the number of blog posts I started..then forgot about. I have so many drafts to delete that I'm just pretending that they don't exist for now. I've really wanted to blog these past days/weeks/months? I just haven't been able to finish anything.

I'm hoping that with this post that my lack of follow through will be at an end. I'm consciously making efforts to do all the things I start and finish them. This blog will be my starting point.

*********

We've had the same beer in our fridge since Christmas. Neither Brandon or I am particularly inclined to finish it...and I'm sick of it taking up precious refrigerator space. Not wanting to waste it started looking into things I could cook with it. First on the list. Beer Bread.

Beer bread is something I've wanted to try for ages. Today I finally took the step to do so. The recipe I used is from Farmgirl Fare(link will take you to the recipe). Since I don't have any dill I used some garlic powder, and I also subbed 1 cup of the white flour for whole wheat. As for the beer, I used Stella :)

I really wish I had some chilly to go with this bread...

=^.^=

2010-02-16T23:18:00.000-08:00

The snow and ice need to go away so I can start biking around in the sun.

That is all.

Sometimes people suck.

2010-02-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

A couple of things really upset me last night. One of those things was rather enlightening.

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, there was a death at the olympics. I'm not going to go into it..because it was incredibly terrible. I was rather horrified when I saw the video, because I honestly didn't think it would show me more than I was willing to see. Then I thought that there are people out there who are probably watching it over and over, and being trolls** about it. Those people suck. Not to mention the fact that the young man's family must be devastated as it is without having to see it over and over on the news.

Then I discovered why I'm no longer fiends with someone(They decided that I wasn't worthy of their friendship some years ago..I just went with it). I don't have them on any social neworking webiste, but one of my other friends commented on their status which I was then able to see which said "that's what you get for throwing yourself down a track of solid ice in nothing but a dinky sled". I'm all for freedom of speech and I realize that there are varying opinions on ALL matters out there , but is it really too much to expect an adult to convey some degree of class and respect?? It's just 1 comment, but it's a very telling comment about the person who wrote it.

In short, RIP Nodar. His family especially are in my prayers today.

**a troll is someone who posts rude and disrespectful comments in the attempt to cause controversy and gain a reaction.

2010-01-22T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today's attempt...was half-way. I did manage to do quite a bit...but Brandon came home early. It's pretty hard to focus on anything when there's a hot guy sitting on your couch consuming all your attention.

On the bright side, I tried goat cheese for the first time today. I made a 'fancy' pizza for dinner. On it was thinly sliced potatoes, leeks sauteed in butter, artichokes, goat cheese, and a bit of cheddar. It turned out well, though I'm thinking that goat cheese isn't one of my favorites. The tangy-ness was less than appealing. I still ate the pizza, I just wound up scraping off quite a bit of the goat cheese. Otherwise it was really tasty. Though next time I'll add crumbled bacon.

Because I can!

2010-01-22T10:53:00.000-08:00

Today I aim to be a true domestic goddess. My uniform includes a skirt, a string of pearls, and heals, and my weapons a dish towel and a vacuum. I aim to make my apartment clean and smell amazing, and I'll look good doing it. During the process I will sip on orange juice and peach shnapps. When all is said and done I'll sprawl on the couch and bask in the glow of my work.

Point form updates.

2010-01-18T05:09:00.000-08:00

-Brandon got the call from Prince George to take their test.

-The car is still a lemon.

-I got an open spot on one of my incision, but the doctor in my dream said it's healing very nicely. And behold, when I woke up it was in fact healing very nicely, all closed up and stuff.

-I started going to the gym. The eliptical is my friend.

-I've started going over a friend's house more or less regularly. Human contact is great!

-Brandon is still allergic to cats.

-WE HAVE A BED! (Thanks Dad)

-I just woke up so this list is being cut short due to my lack of brain power(coffee's not done brewing yet).

Art!

2010-01-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

Below are a few examples of me dabbling on my tiny canvases. Imperfect..because it takes a lot to get me to slow down and take my time. All the same, I will gladly find some place for them to hang.

2010-01-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

So it would appear I'm not as burnt out from WoW as I first thought. This still doesn't change anything. 9 more days and away into a corner it goes.

2010-01-06T18:50:00.000-08:00

I started painting again :)

What with being burnt out from WoW and trying to do things that don't involve my computer, my crafty side has come out from hiding. The only thing that's got me down is that the only canvases I have are tiny squares(4"x4"). But it is what it is and I'm working with what I've got...which despite my large craft supplies organizer, isn't much. Water paint doesn't work on these canvases, so I'm using the cheap paint that came with my sister's paint by number that she bought while she was visiting in November.

Regardless, I'm enjoying myself. Which is kind of the whole point.

In other news...

Brandon is FINALLY doing mine rescue. He's been applying for it since he started at the mine, and we were both so sure that he'd get on because of his training and experience with fire fighting(which is 10X more than the vast majority of the people who were chosen above him could claim). But he was denied 2 times before finally getting accepted.

And finally....

I REALLY LIKE SWEET NAVEL ORANGES! Pretty random, I know. But gosh darn are they delicious. I've had 3 today already...and am itching for another. I'm very thankful that you can't O.D. on vitamin C.

2010-01-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'm quitting World of Warcraft. My subscription ends on the 16th and honestly, I wouldn't mind if it ended sooner. When I informed my guild of this, it was met with the usual chorus of pleads for me to stay...but honestly, other than a few people no one really cares. If they do care, I'm quite certain that they'll continue on without a second thought. It's a game, one that I know I can do without.

But here's the kicker...

I'm going to start playing Aion >.<

Same as WoW, it's a MMO(MassivelyMultiplayerOnline). I never actually knew of it's existance until I started hanging out with Michelle and Aaron(the people we temporarily got a kitten from). While Aaron was at work the other day I spent the day playing on Michelle's account while she played on Aaron's. This was part of the plot for them to lure me over...and boy were they successful. The games is so freaking PRETTY! Even the water is beautiful!

Now I'm just waiting patiently for next week when Brandon and I are going to Dawson Creek for the day so we can stop by Walmart and pick up the game :)

Resolutions?

2009-12-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

Another year is coming to a close. Gosh what a year it's been. I went from being a girlfriend, to a fiance, to a wife. Lived in 3 cities. And discovered some pretty great things about myself.

Now is the time that people reflect on the past and plan for the future.

The future. If there's one thing I've learned is that plans almost never turn out the way you wanted. It's definitely a good idea to have some kind of outline and thoughts for the future, but things get thrown into the mix and can really throw you for a loop.

As far as resolutions go, I have an idea of what I'd like to work on. Things like: improve my stamina, shave on a regular basis, and eat more oranges.

I like to think that I'm in a good place in my life right now, and that to make some BIG aspirations for the future would force me to focus too much on things that really aren't necessary. There are plenty of things I'd like to do, sure, but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to accomplish them.

In the long run I put my faith in God to point me in the right direction. He's taken great care of me thus far and I trust the he'll send things my way when he feels I'm ready. So for now I just enjoy what I have, because it's pretty darn awesome ^_^

BTW

I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to shave on a regular basis until spring. And even then I'll likely opt for waxing instead.

2009-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

It's cold outside.

It's also snowing.

While I usually enjoy the cold, I'm avoiding it like the plague today.

I have to return a movie today, but I refuse to walk there...because it's cold.

Brandon will be home in a couple of hours. He drives, and can use a warm car to return the movie.

2009-12-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over(more or less) things have winded down around here. The apartment is now back to being suitable for a population of 2. Our Christmas village is packed away and we'll be taking the tree down as soon as Brandon finishes his current set at work. I suppose I could do it myself, but he's a lot better at repacking oddly shaped objects to actually fit in the original box.

As for the new year, I'll be spending new year's eve quietly watching some DVDs and probably go to bed early. This is assuming that I spend it alone. Brandon works that night, so as far as I know I'll be left to my own devices. I'm holding out for the possibility of hanging out with our new friend Michelle. She's who we got the kitten from, and who we hope we can return the kitten to.

So the news...

2009-12-26T21:05:00.000-08:00

A little late coming. I would have posted a few days ago, but having family over has kept me occupied away from the computer.

The news is....

We got a kitten!!! His name is Jasper, he's white with orange ears and tail. He's perfectly litter trained and is fine to leave home alone :)

But guess what!!!

Turns out Brandon is alergic to him... As in, he's had to use his inhaler 1-2 times per day since we got him plus having to take a reactin every morning. Before kitten, he used his inhaler 1-2 times per MONTH! He's also super itchy a lot of the time and other unpleasant things.

So when the people we got him from get home from their holidays, we'll be finding out if they're willing to take him back. They are a cool couple(we started to hang out with them when we first met the kitten), and I'm sure things will work out fine. Otherwise we'll be putting up posters around town.

It sucks that we won't be able to keep him, but at least we know for the future.

Speaking of the future, we'll be looking into getting some fish instead. They don't shed, scratch, bite, or whine. Goodness knows my arms could use some time to heal. I've got scratches all over!

Teaser!

2009-12-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

I've got something pretty exciting to blog about...but I can't quite yet. But gosh golly it's pretty awesome!

I'll just drag it out for a couple of days :)

Little Madam Me

Meatball Sub....nomnomnom

2009-12-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with a terrible mirgrain. I should have gone right back to sleep until it wore off, but without some kind of heavy sedative that just wasn't going to happen. Once I'm awake, I'm awake for the day. Unless I pass out on the couch around 2pm.

Luckily I have an amazing husband who'll go to the store first thing in the morning after working the night shift to get me tylenol. Honestly, he's pretty darn amazing that way...and many other ways in fact.

So, despite feeling like complete and utter crap, I'm making him the dinner I promised. Normally when I don't feel well, I'll just make a lazy dinner with nothing particularly special about it. But I decided that he deserves something that'll make the other guys at work jealous.

First I made sub rolls from scratch. They turned out pretty darn nice...though I think I'll spread the dough out a bit more next time.

Now I'm making the meatballs from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Once they're done I'll be combining them with sauteed green peppers and onions. Top it off with some cheese and throw it all into some rolls, and dang have we got delicious sandwhich. A meatball sandwich no less!

I have to admit something though. I say I'm making this for Brandon...but I probably would have made a lazy dinner if I didn't want these so badly myself.

: )

2009-12-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

With Christmas rocking it's way towards us a but quicker than I realized I've decided that I need to starting cracking my own whip...after all, there's no one else around half the time to do it for me.

This will be mine and Brandon's first Christmas together as a married couple. We're both pretty excited about doing things 'our' way this year. There have been comprimises, but I think we're both pretty happy with how things are going to turn out. Our tree has be up since sometime in November, the gingerbread house is in the works, the menu is set in stone(ish), and we've re-arranged some furniture in order to accomodate Brandon's parents and younger sister who are going to try to make it here(weather permitting).

While these things are certainly well and dandy, I've procrastinating a bit too much on other equally important details.

I still haven't mailed out my gift for the secret Santa. Though I'm determined to do it on Monday. I had plans for making some gifts from scratch, but have only completed one. I'm unsure whether I'll find the motivation to make anything else at this point.

But far worse, is that I haven't even thought about Christmas baking. In my parents house growing up, the freezer would start filling with all kinds of goodies right at the start of the month. This was always a treat because I'm very quiet when getting up in the middle of the night for a glass of 'water'.

But here I am, a week away from the day...and nothing.

So now I'm contemplating if it's worth while to start making sugar cookies at 8:30pm. Then I need to speed-learn how to make caramels. I'm also wondering if I want to make truffles this year. And then I'm going to think about those sugar cookies again and groan about the fact that the dinner dishes need to be washed first. In which case I'll likely try to destress first with a bit of yoga. When that's done, I predict that I'll be too relaxed to want to bother with baking...

Gosh am I thankful that there is no whip or whip-like device in the apartment. I'd be hurtin' pretty good by the end of the night.

Hope you're holiday baking is more successful than mine.

Roxy

2009-12-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

The power in Tumbler Ridge was out for 13 hours yesterday. Slightly exciting at first, because we had the room lit with candles. Then it got cold(-30-40 cold).

Brandon called to the fire hall to see if it was the whole town. It was. They then told us to come hang out there because they have a generator which meant they had heat! So we spent the day watching TV(our first time doing so in a very long time). It was also convenient because if a page came in Brandon was already at the hall.

As far as the power coming back on...

First we were told it would be back up at noon. That turned into 3pm which turned into 4pm. At that point they started moving high risk folk to Dawson Creek. The power was back up at 6pm-ish.

Our apartment was COLD. We cranked the heat and turned on the oven and stove. We were lucky enough to get some hot water and showered as long as it was available, which wasn't as long as I would have liked.

The water isn't working this morning...which means I can't have coffee or do the dishes. Bittersweet.

It's -30 right now.

Bi-Polar Morning??

2009-12-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

Things that made me happy this morning:

- Getting out of the shower reeking of rosemary and mint body wash.
- I brewed half a pot of coffee, and got to drink it all by myself.
- "Banana Pancakes" by Jack Johnson
- Yogurt with my name on it (litterally)

Things that made me a sad panda this morning:

- My gameboy colour didn't save my progress on Pokemon Crystal.
- I can't find the power cord for the super nintendo.
- There's a kink in my back.
- I'm out of flavored coffee cream.

#102 - Go read webcomics!

2009-12-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

Wow...I passed 100 posts without so much as a blink. I always thought it would be a really monumental achievement. But it would appear it's an anchievement I wasn't really aiming for... it just happened. Interesting, though, is that it took me over a year to reach this point. My mind is boggled by those who take the time to blog EVERY SINGLE DAY! These people have drive.

Anywho, if you're looking for an interesting read, here are some webcomics that might interest you :)

Questionable Content

Ctrl-Alt-Del

Least I Could Do

These are the three I read most regularly. I've actually been reading Questionable Content since highschool. The creators of these websites go that extra step and live off of the income generated from their webcomics. It's pretty awesome, if you ask me. It's not exactle a career most people would think of.

2009-11-29T19:12:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty slow around here lately. With the snow, then the rain, and now the really icy, there hasn't been much opportunity to get out. There's also the fact that we still don't really know anybody. We've made small talk with the neighbors on one side of us. I'm currently trying to build up the courage to invite them over for dinner. It would be an easy enough task...but our carpets are in desperate need of a vacuum. If all goes well Brandon will borrow one from the firehall tomorrow.

As far as the holidays go, we're pretty much ready. The tree is up, the christmas village as been errected, and I have my Christmas dinner menu picked out. The only thing that is still in need of being decided is how we'd like to do Christmas this year.

I grew up doing dinner on Christmas Eve and only being allowed to open one gift(the one from Grandma). Christmas morning is when the rest of the gifts would be opened. During the morning there's coffee(with baily's), tea, hot chocolate, breakfast, and whatever candy and cookies we've accumulated. The rest of the day was left to visit family. I'd usually go to my cousin's and spend the rest of the day with him.

On the other hand...

Brandon's usual Christmas is the opposite. Gifts and things are done on Christmas Eve after the Christmas Eve service(as well as a story from Mom), then on Christmas day would be when the dinner would take place(and sledding).

Not a huge difference, really. But enough so that we've had to make up a comprimise.

Christmas Eve = Dinner, Story, and some gifts.

Christmas Day= The rest of the gifts, big breakfast, sledding, and all the wonders of leftovers.

In between everything will likely be filled with boardgames and movies. Honestly...this isn't in stone. Knowing how life usually goes, we're just going to have to play it by ear. The only thing I'm completely certain about is when dinner will happen. Because honestly, I don't want to spend all of Christmas day cooking.

2009-11-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

It has been snowing like crazy around here over the last week. The only good thing I can really say about it is that it is REALLY pretty. Other than that it's been a big hassle. The big thing being that apparently there's only one person in all of Tumbler Ridge who can do snow removal for our apartment's parking lot. After getting three feet of snow the guy and his bobcat didn't get around to us until 5-6 days later when the snow had already been pact down by all the trucks that could actually manage to get in and out. Then once he had finished "plowing" it snowed another foot or so. Brandon's been really annoyed and is extremely unimpressed. Especially since part of his car fell off from the snow(nothing vital to the car's function...just annoying that anything fell off to begin with).

I've resigned to the comfort of our apartment. We put the christmas tree up yesterday and it definitely adds that bit of cheer that we so desperately needed.

This is Stu. He lives in our building. This is his car(a neon) before we dug it out.

This is Stu's car after we dug it out.

This is in front of the apartment doors. The parking lot can be a very exciting place.

Me vs. Snow

It's not really that deep. I'm behind kneeling into a small hill. The snow was actually only up to my thighs(Above Brandon's Knees)

Not too impressed.

2009-11-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

In the past 48 hours 3+ feet of snow has fallen. Beautiful as it is...we have the only parking lot that isn't plowed. If we had a nice big truck like most of the people around here this wouldn't be too much of a problem, just a mild annoyance. Unfortunately, we have a mini cooper. Trying to get it through 1 foot of snow is painful, but three!? It's just not happening.

What really bugs me is that the managers are showing no sign of considering to take care of it.

They didn't do anything the last time it snowed either. It wound up getting driven over so much that it all turn to ice. People were falling all over to place. Now add this snow on top of that ice...it spells disaster.

Brandon can't even go on calls anymore because his car just can't get out. We really needed to get a shovel so we wound up pushing the car out of the parking. He really wanted to give the managers a piece of his mind(his very peeved off mind), but had to settle for leaving a "polite" message on the answering machine of the company that owns the building.

Interesting: All of September I saw the managers out and about mowing the lawn every few days and taking care of the property. Funny how at the first sign of snow they can't be contacted.

This is very frustrating...

On a slightly brighter note: We plan on making a huge snow pile just below our balcony. Stupid as it sounds, it really is almost deep enough for us to just jump down from our floor(2nd). I'll likely chicken out, because I don't want to cause damage to my ladies. But it'll be a hoot to watch the guys** have their fun :)

**By guys, I mean Brandon and Stu. Stu is a guy Brandon knows from work who had his neon completely hidden in the snow last night. Pictures viewable on Brandon's facebook)

Just a wee bit too late

2009-11-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Ah!

Around the end of October I was thinking about participating in NaNoWriMo...had my ideas all written out along with a vague time-line of sorts. Then I was going to participate in NoBloPoMo, where I'd likely just post my progress with the former. Then I was sitting in the living room with my sister and it occurred to me... I'm 10 days too late to start. I suppose I could get a late start on NaNoWriMo...but I think my motivation is just shot at this point.

Besides, with the holidays creeping up on me I'm in a very creative place right now. I've already started on christmas gifts for the nieces. Once I find out my person for the family's secret santa, I'll start on theirs as well.

While it's all well and good to go a buy something...I've decided that I really want to do everything by hand and from scratch this year. I think it has something to do with the fact where this is my first Christmas as the woman of the ~~house~~ apartment. I have a romatic idea of their being hot apple cider, cranberry muffins, board games, sledding, rosy cheeks, blinking lights, candles, and that wonderful afterglow you get after eating more than you know you could handle and having that top button of your pants undone. All the while still finding the room to scarf down a slice of pie.

ugh...

2009-11-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Once more...but with feeling.... UGH!!!

Brandon is sick. I've got him hopped up on buckley's and tylenol. Handy and within his reach is his inhaler, tea, water, tylenol, and more buckley's. There's some vapor rub for good measure as well. But his biggest worry isn't that it might be H1N1, but that I might get sick too now.

Unfortunately I think I might be on my way into his boat. Throat is full of scratchy ickiness, and a bit of a wooziness is coming over me.

Luckily we don't expect any visitors until this weekend(my sister is coming to visit for 10 days), so we can just stay in our pyjamas and play video games all day. We even got around to moving the spare bed back into the liviring room. That's where Brandon is. On the bed while playing Lego Batman, with a fair number of pillows proping him up. I get the couch...because I'm shorter.

Our cuddles have turned into affectionate pats on the shoulder. Just being comfy and in the same room seems to satisfy at this point.

WoW Ladies

2009-11-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

Yay! Another World of Warcraft Post!!

I regularly visit a livejournal community for ladies who play World of Warcraft. It's just place to post questions, stories, and anything WoW related, but from a girl's perspective. I especially love the rants and drama posts. There's a bit of something for everyone.

Posts like THIS make me smile :) A lot of people give others flack for creating emotional relationships with people over this game. But I think it's no different than meeting someone on dating websites. Besides, at least this way you don't have a potential match giving you weird looks because you play the game in the first place. It's really amazing how many people meet in-game and end up getting married. It's kind of sweet, really.

Phil Schawel

2009-10-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

The last time I posted something from Phil Schawel was a year ago when I stumbled upon his Paramore covers. Since they came out with their new album I went to his youtube page to see if he's covered any of the new songs yet. Unfortunately there is no new Paramore covers....BUT there is this amazing cover of Taylor Swifts song "Breath". I highly recommend that you go and see it!

Every time I listen to his music I'm in complete awe. I find his voice very soothing.

From his youtube page I stumbled on over to his myspace. Turns out he's come out with a worship CD. I was only able to listen to a short snippet of one of his songs before the lag became unbearable...but I am very excited for when I can buy his songs and have them forever!

Little Madam Me's Guide to a Productive and Happy Morning.

2009-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

Mornings. I love them...when I take the time to deal with it properly.

I know I'm going to have a bad day when I wake up, but stay in bed. These bad mornings have me emerging from the bedroom around 9am and I usually don't eat breakfast until lunch. Those are sad, sad days.

But I'm slowing fighting this funk I've been in. Here's a list of things I do to start the day off right.

1. If I wake up and know I'm not going to fall back asleep, I don't force myself to sleep. I get up(even if it's 5am).

2. I shower as soon as I'm up. People sweat a lot when they sleep. So not only am I getting clean, but I'm shocking my body into awakefulness.

3. I make breakfast. This morning I had an egg in a hole, some grapes, orange juice, and coffee.

4. I sit away from the computer for at least a few minutes to write down my to do list. This list is never more than 4 or 5 simple things (ex. Dishes, Get Mail, Make the Bed, Go for Walk, and Blog)

5. With my coffee in hand I do my morning intwebbings. Read blogs, check email/facebook/twitter, and play a bit of WoW.

6. I do a 5 minute tidy of each room...usually less...but 5 minutes is the max!

I'm usually bumbling around between tasks, either having more coffee, or oogling a new site I've stumbled upon. But by the time 9-10am comes around I've already accomplished at least 1 or 2 things from my list and any messes from the day before have been rectified.

I'm not always so efficient. But now that I'm rarely in pain, and have more pent up energy, I'm actively trying to make small changes in my daily habits. Making sure I have a good morning is key in making my days more enjoyable and productive.

To me, being productive doesn't mean doing absolutely everything that needs to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible. I believe that I've been productive if the dishes are washed(and drying in the rack), the bed is made, and the living room is tidy. I don't need to live in an immaculately clean apartment. In fact, if that were the case I'd be too scared to do anything for fear of making a mess.

So now I have a question for all my lovely readers. How do you start a morning on the right foot? And does it have a positive impact on the rest of your day??

Not mine...I just can't find the website of the person who did this :(

Woe is me ...

2009-10-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ever since my surgery I've been really up and down. Half the time I feel amazing! I can move around, cook, clean, go for walks, and run minor errands! The rest of the time I feel nauseous, crampy, and still in some degree of back/neck/surgery pain. All this teeter-tawtering is really starting to wear me out.

Today, unfortunately, is a bad day. With Brandon working night shifts I'm unable to sleep at a reasonable hour, getting maybe 4-5 hours of sleep per night. In order to compensate I try to take it easy throughout the day, but can't help but overdo it. When there's no pain I think that I'm fine and that I can do all the cleaning and cooking, only to pay for it later. The day then ends with me hopped up on tylenol and feeling like a failure because I can't do all the things I feel like I should be doing. I know it's not my fault and that Brandon doesn't expect me to do too much too soon, but when he works 12 hour shifts the last thing I want is for him to come home and feel like he needs to do everything for me.

It's like a never ending cycle of good days where things get done and bad days where I feel like a failure for not being able to do something as seemingly simple as keep a small apartment in order.

Complete Strangers Inspire Me

2009-10-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

I've been slacking in the creativity department. No excuses to be made. I've had more than enough free time to get cracking on all those projects I keep telling myself to start on...but it never happens. I just make up a reason not to do it then I go read a book(I suppose there are worse things I could do to procrastinate).

Today, I feel a change in the wind. I've been obsessively hunting down free patterns for embroidery and cross-stitching and all kinds of needle crafts. And boy howdy am I inspired!!!!! Below is a list of websites that have gotten me completely excited!

1. Feeling Stitchy

2. Mimilove

3. Wild Olive

4. Sprite Stitch

There were a few others...but I can't find them :( Though I'm sure I'll find them hidden away in the wrong bookmark folder.

And in this flurry of arts and crafts I have come out triumphant! Below is the first crafty thing I've done in a long, long, while!!

It's not much. But I'm pretty proud of it :) The one major downside is that the only place in TB that I can buy any craft stuff is the dollar store. Not to be picky or anything...but whenever I've bought stuff at a dollar store it never lasts(as in things break, tear, fray, etc). Though I'm sure I could at least get a few hoops..since those are usually the same across the board.

Jack Frost

2009-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just when I was getting excited about autumn.....

THIS HAPPENS

Sigh.... Where a few days ago I was walking into town wearing a t-shirt and hoodie, today I was full on with a warm coat, a toque, etc. When I finally arrived at the library I was very rosy in the cheeks and my hair was frozen and crackly.

I love winter..I just wish I could have enjoyed the autumn a bit more...

In order to cheer myself up I'm sipping on a glass of white peach chardonnay and listening to Paramore's song "Miracle" over and over again :)