Merry Christmas to All!

After all of the build up and all of the hype, Christmas has come and gone. It's difficult being so far from my family during the holidays, but Brad and I have started out own traditions, many of them spin-offs from my family traditions. On Christmas Eve, after supper, Brad, Ollie and I got into the Escape and went for a drive around the city looking at Christmas lights and delivering some Christmas cards. We picked up Darlene and came back to our house to watch the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol while enjoying a mug of hot chocolate with Irish Cream...yummers!
On Chrismtas Morning, Brad and I got up and made coffee then opened our stockings and prezzies followed by a fantastic breakfast. It was a perfect morning!
We got dressed and headed out to say hello to Ben and Brenda (and the whole family it would seem!), and then went to Darlene's for the day where we stayed for Christmas supper (I heart turkey and mashed potatoes!)
It's hard to be so far away from my family, like I said, but I still had a very nice Christmas.
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Our tree and Prezzies!
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Stockings! (the little one is Ollie's)
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Ollie didn't quite know what to do with the prezzies, so we had to help him open them)
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Me and Brad in our new comfy pants!
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The greatest hat EVER. Clearly.

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Darlene had a bird feeder right outside her kitchen window and the birds and squirrels were very very very interesting to Ollie.
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Frank and Christi sent us a ton of stuff from Smokescreen. Ollie got a new shirt, Brad got a Oneway toque and a hoodie, and I got a super warm hoodie, original screenprinted t-shirt, and purse.

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I Always Wanted A Sister!

On Sunday my big brother Frank called to tell me the night before he asked his amazing girlfriend Christi to marry him! I couldn't be happier for these two! Christi is such a sweetheart and so much fun to be around, and Frank is so kind and caring. They're a fantastic match. I can't think of any two people who deserve this happiness more!

Congrats you two!

I feel all growed up!

Yesterday, I did something I haven't done in probably about 8 years. I went to the library and got a library card! I then promptly went and found the book I was looking for and checked it out. (Beautiful Boy by David Sheff...very good so far)

This morning, talking to the guys about my new aquisition (the library card, not the book) I remembered how big a part of my childhood the library was. At least, I remember it being a big part. I remember the old library in Surrey and how much I liked the children's room. The new library was neat, but it felt almost too big and organized. It just reminded me how reading has been such a big part of my life.

My goal was to read 52 books this year. Ok, so I'm not even close, but I've made a good honest effort at it! I'm onto my 26th book. So, for 2009, same goal.

Discovery:

-33 with -50 windchill is cold.
That is all.

Finally! It feels like Christmas!

After weeks spent wondering when it would start to feel like Christmas, it's finally setting in, and I'm so excited!

Yesterday Brad and I set up our Christmas tree. It still feels a little early, but I guess it was less than two weeks until Christmas, so why not? I unpacked the rest of our decorations and put them around the house to make it more festive as well

Then it was time to set up for our Christmas Party! Every year Vince and Shay have a party, but this year they have a three week old baby who started to feel under the weather earlier in the week, so they decided it was best to just cancel. Well, since everyone already had planned for the party, Brad and I moved in and invited everyone to our place instead. We made a ton of food and everyone that came brought something too. Surprisingly though, there is literally nothing left over today. NOTHING. I guess that's a good thing though! We had a mini gift exchange and listened to music while watching the fireplace channel (I LOVE that channel!) and then played some Wii. And what party would be complete without Ever Hopeful Ollie trying to mooch some food?

Ashley and Brian came over around 10 and brought Leighton with them. Ollie was delighted to have a new best friend and they chased each other around the house for a couple of ours. Turns out the only thing that can tire out a 3 year old boy and a 10 month old puppy is each other! They finally got pooped out around 1 am when Leighton spotted the movie Cars on my dvd shelf and begged us to put it on.

This was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life. Bar none.

Holiday Cheer, anyone?

I had to share this...
O Holy Night
Rob and Bev played it for me the other day and I haven't stopped laughing since. This guy is INTENSE.

Merry Christmas!

The one thing I really really hate...

I'm going to complain for a moment.
I love Christmas. I really do. I love the lights, the snow, the smiles, buying fun prezzies for everyone... But there is one thing I really really hate about Christmas. I hate how so many holiday treats include nuts. And not because I can't have any and get left out.
Once a year the staffroom and much of the office becomes a danger-zone for me. I think nut trays are the worst. People will go and take a handful of them and then wander around the office and touch things without washing their hands leaving behind dust and oil. I basically have to wash my hands every time I leave the newsroom.
Sure enough, last Friday the staffroom was adorned with a nut tray. Sure enough I went and made coffee this morning, and sure enough my eyes started to itch and sure enough I was having an allergic reaction. I washed my hands carefully and took half of a benedryl to stop the reaction and allow myself to see. The downside is that one side effect of benedryl is that it knocks me on my ass (hence taking just half a pill). I'm sitting here struggling to keep my eyes open and feeling a little bit drunk.
There is a constant conflict in my head between being irritated and frustrated with people who still bring nut/peanut goodies to work even with allergies becoming more and more prominent, and the reasonable side of me that tries to be understanding and asks why I feel like everyone in the world should cater to those like me. Right now, I feel too wiped out and fuzzy feeling in the head to be able to come to a conclusion.
And THAT'S the one thing I really really hate about Christmas.

*(I should add that I did send out an email on Friday requesting that people wash their hands after partaking in the holiday goodies since there are a number of new people who might be unaware, but I guess it went out too late to be preventative...most often people are good about warning me to stay out of the staff room)

Busy Weekends are a Sign of Christmas

It was a busy weekend, to say the least. Friday night was the Golden West Christmas banquet in Moose Jaw. As always, the company buses everyone out to Temple Gardens Spa in MJ for supper and mingling. The meal is always wonderful and it's a nice evening in general. Last year I partook in too much of the wine provided on the tables, but I learned my lesson this year and had only a glass. It's always nice to see Rox from Rosetown and we sat together once again this year.
On the way home from MJ we got a little silly and many of us decided to head out for continued partying once we got back to Swift. It was a bit of a late night and I definitely overindulged (though I thought I was being moderate), so part of Saturday was used up as I paid for my actions the night before. The rest of Saturday was spend baking cupcakes for Shay's Baby Shower on Sunday.

Saturday night was supposed to be Brad's Christmas party, but we ended up going out for supper with his aunts and uncles and cousins and grandma. Nice to see everyone and have a good sit down meal together.

After supper we went home where I proceeded to totally botch my first batch of icing. BRUTAL. Not only was it totally rock-hard, not mixing, and messy, but it also used up the last of the icing sugar. I gave up on the icing and moved on to my other project for the shower: chocolate bird's nests. I had no recipe, so I was just winging it ... the chocolate and shortening just wouldn't cover the noodles right, so they also ended up fairly awful looking. After my second attempt to make something went awry, Brad kicked me out of the kitchen. Probably for my own good. :S

The shower on Sunday went well, even though Kim was totally thrown into it all last minute. I offered my help and we decorated the hall and set up everything to look nice for the guests. I'd say it was a success, little Lily was well behaved and slept the whole time. She looked very festive in her little Christmas outfit. Very sweet.

A pain in the neck...

Literally. Mid-morning on Wednesday I was sitting at my desk (with my amazing posture of feet up on the drawer, typing away in a slouch) when my right shoulder/neck area suddenly felt pinched and spasm-y. That was the start of it and it has yet to end. I've tried everything, heat, pain killers, sleep...nothing works. Dono suggested it was a virus and Jon also suggested the same thing. I don't know what it is, all I know is it SUCKS. I've had enough of this junk. It's super hard to get comfortable at night to sleep, which I'm pretty sure is one of the only things that will actually do me a lot of good. Lame. Super lame. Suggestions anyone?

Irritating

I don't know why, or who, but someone is irritating me in a big way. I've started noticing when I come out to my car in the morning that someone has written on it. Most often I can't read exactly what it says (the person in question has poor writing), but there have been a few 'messages' that I can see properly. Everything from F-bombs on the roof of my car, to something with the word 'suck' on my hood. I had 'F*** Yah' (apparently there was confusion over how to spell "yeah") on the driver's side rear window, and and a reference to male genitalia on my front driver's side window. Most often it's just written in the frost that builds up on my car, but the past two words/phrases were written in road dust. It doesn't really bother me, except that I have to do a walk-around of my car each morning to make sure I don't drive off with something really offensive scrawled on the side.
I'm really not sure what bothers me more; that they're writing on my car every morning, or that they're not writing anything of value and are spelling things wrong. Please, go ahead and scrawl on my car, but make it something interesting! "Balls" just doesn't cut it.

Elves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday!

Sunday was the first birthday of my sweet little buddy, Alex! I can't believe how big he's gotten over the past year! Brad and I went to Rob and Bev's on Sunday to wish the little toddler (and boy does he toddle around!) a happy birthday. Usually a really active kid, Alex snuggled right down when I picked him up. I guess he just felt cuddly for a change, but I was delighted to take advantage of the moment. Afterwards it was play time! He was eager to show off his new toys and show us how much fun they were.

Nice knowin ya...

It wasn't the way I hoped things would end, but since I'm not willing to lead La Resistance against the alien overlords, I'll just have to bow out gracefully when the war of the worlds begins. Since this is probably only making sense to people who live in Saskatchewan or Alberta, I'll explain a wee bit.
Last night around 6:30 or so a meteor was spotted by just about everyone who was outside or by a window in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The best part is how many people are completely convinced it crashed in their backyard, or just over that hill, or in the next town, or behind the mall. (At this point it's believed it may have actually just skipped along the atmosphere, but if it did land it might be around Lethbridge)

Regarldess, this seems an awful lot like It Came from the Desert. Clearly, it's all over.
I have no regrets.

How far we've come

It's been four years...

2004
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2005
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2006
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2007
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2008
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...and we're still smiling, that's gotta mean something good, right? Haha!

Spam, spam, spam, spam! Spam, spam, spam, spam!

I do believe I have been spammed. Or something.

I checked my email this afternoon to find three new comments. One just said "visit our blog"...but the whole thing was Spanish, which leads me to believe it was spam. Two other comments were legit (I think), so I posted them. I was curious to find out how they found me, so I opened up trusty old SiteMeter to find the origins and locations of my visitors. Apparently I had 230 visitors today. From all over the world. Since I'm fairly certain I don't have any friends in Espoo Southern Finland, Zaragoza Aragon, or Radevormwald Nordrhein-Westfalen, I'm guessing I got spammed.

...Though there is always the distinct possibility that everyone I know has suddenly scattered around the globe and decided that I am, in fact, the most interesting person they've ever encountered and they just can't wait to read about my escapades. Hey, it could happen!

Made in China? You don't say!

The station is holding a contest called Dollies for Dolly in which listeners donate dolls and toys for the chance to win tickets to Dolly Parton.

Darwin picked up a doll set to donate. Sure it's a Barbie knock-off, but let's take a closer look...

Why, for just 15 dollars you too could own your own Dignity Girl!!! from the ever reputable company Fajaiboa. That's right, it's the "Beautiful Set"...not to be confused with the many other sets available....

...such as the High Sofa set which is described as "more funny to play it with different modes". Or the "Collecter Happy" which is "Design for The Children with funny function"...????

And remember, Dignity Girl wants to be played with. It says so! "Please always stand by me. I am happy today because you are with me and still world is beautiful and worthy".
Not to mention the warning about not letting kids play "rnder 3" with it, and making sure that parents "remove any staplers" before letting their children play.
Ohhh dear...seems that something was perhaps lost in translation.

Breaking from Routine

I've always heard that animals are creatures of habit. It's very very true. Animals love their routine. It goes beyond that though, they don't just like having things a set way, they get distressed when that routine is changed.

Brad has gone to Saskatoon for a two day conference. He left yesterday afternoon and won't be back until Wednesday after work. That means it's just me, Ollie, Nibs (chinchilla), and Peet (budgie).

Oliver is a smart little pooch. He knows what time Brad usually comes home from work and damned if he didn't want to be outside to greet him at 5 oclock yesterday. The problem was, Brad didn't come home. Ollie was out of sorts for the rest of the night. He sat on my lap, or curled up next to me at all times and kept giving me a look that was brimming with blame as if to say "You made him go, didn't you?" I tried my best to calm him and convince him it was nothing out of the ordinary and that things would be just fine with just me around. He wasn't buying. As bedtime crept closer, the poor little guy kept looking to the door. When we went out for his evening constitutional, he kept looking to the driveway, totally confused as to why the Escape was parked there but Brad wasn't around.

Ok, so a dog who is a little messed up about a break in routine is not terribly uncommon, but a chinchilla? Nibbler was right irritated that Brad wasn't around. All evening she sat in the corner of the cage glaring at me. If you've ever had a chinchilla glare at you, you know how unnerving this can be. I fed her, and gave her fresh hay...but I committed a sin most foul. I forgot to give her a bedtime snack of a Shreddie. I paid dearly for this transgression. Throughout the night she crashed around in her cage, waking me up at 1:21, and again at 2:55 when she threw her food dish to the ground. After refilling her dish, I went back to bed and closed the bedroom door.

I like a good solid routine as much as the next guy, and I'll admit it can be a little disconcerting when that routine is changed through no fault of your own...but can we please keep the tantrums to a minimum?

Halloween Fun

This year for Halloween I retired the tried and true pirate attire and went with a different look. I bought two packages of rubber snakes, curled my hair, pinned them in, donned a toga and went as Medusa. At work the snakes as the finishing touch earned me Best Costume. That was truly a feat as there were a number of really good costumes at work.On Thursday Brad came home at lunch and announced to me that I needed to find him a Halloween costume. So I started the search and came up with and idea that we altered and expanded on. This is what we ended up with:


After around 20 kids came to the door trick or treating, Brad and I got dressed and went to Vince and Shay's for their annual Halloween Party. It was a good time, but we're so lame we had to leave around midnight to go to sleep.

A New Name.

I've decided I need a new title. Chance helped me out on the Eagle Morning Show.

Have a Listen

A Lost Art

Remember the thrill of opening your mailbox (the one physically attached to your house) and seeing a slightly yellowed, partly bent envelope looking up at you with your name on it? An envelope that didn't have a clear window on it telling you it's a bill. An envelope with actual postage, not that pre-paid postage that billing companies use. Remember what that felt like? Yeah, I don't either really. It's remarkable really. We've drifted from that time when letters were the only way to write to each other. After dropping an envelope into the mailbox you could wait two weeks at best for a response from your penpal. Does anyone do that anymore? Sure I mail packages and presents to my family and loved ones, but does anyone actually have a penpal with whom they physically write letters using pen and paper? I would, really and truly, I would...but I'm too damned impatient now.

Dial-up internet came to Smithers a while after the rest of the world had already gotten used to the phenomenon, but we jumped on the bandwagon and clung on with whiteknuckles. I think I was 12-14 when I got my first email address (because my address was jessw13 and I know that I wasn't 13 at the time). That means I've had email for roughly half of my life, and certainly for the majority of my letter-writing life. I have had penpals. I wrote to a boy named Kirk Cameron in Australia (through a school penpal program in grade 2 or 3), and I wrote to friends in Surrey after we moved. Penpals were neat...and I'm sure they still are neat, I just can't wait for replies anymore.

These days if I send an email, the time it takes for a response directly impacts my mood while reading said email.
The scale looks like this:
1-15 minutes after sending: Excited, happy, and impressed

15-60 minutes after sending: happy and curious

1 hour - 3 hours: reasonably pleased

3 hours - 12 hours: getting impatient

12 hours - 24 hours: wondering what the hold up is

24 hours - 36 hours: questioning the level of commitment from the respondent

36 hours - 48 hours: considering that something awful has happened to the other person.

48 hours + : debating cutting off all ties with this "so called friend".

Unreasonable? Maybe. Obsessive? Absolutely. Harsh? Entirely possible. But that's the way it is. Obviously there are other factors that count in the equation as well. For example, I will consider the person's access to a computer, I will consider the person's work/school schedule, family life, and response track record as well. But the point of the scale is that I like immediate replies. Instant gratification.

So what is better than an instant email? Why, and instant message! In the form of a text! Funny though, I'm not nearly as calculated in waiting for a response to a text message. I'm understanding, gracious even. Because when I send a text I understand that the person I am texting likely has their phone with them and it is interrupting their life in a very insistent manner. I understand that people can't drop what they're doing to respond to my "How r u?" The beauty of texting though is that it usually does garner instant replies, and has greatly helped me to maintain friendships with people who live far away (most of my friends for that matter).

The next step, obviously, is to get a blackberry which will be kept on my person at all times and have access to the internet and emailing capabilities immediately. Then I will be able to check email any minute of any hour as I choose...Though, this may actually have a sharpening impact on my email-response-scale...I may end up alienating friends much faster..but at least it will be with greater efficiency!

A Winter Tradition

It may have started out as a strange coincidence, but it's now become a conscious decision; I might even call it a tradition. Every year on the first truly cold morning of late fall/winter I will wear something completely impractical. Usually it's a skirt, or dress or something with short sleeves or no sleeves at all. Whatever outfit I put on, it inevitably attracts comments of "aren't you cold?!" or "Are you crazy? It's winter!" Regardless, I will sit there at work (occasionally with goosebumps on my arms) in an unseasonable outfit as the temperatures drop below freezing, just so I can lay one last "screw you!" to winter before it takes over completely.

Thanks Everyone! (Engagement Follow-Up)

I've been overwhelmed by the wonderful happy wishes and congratulations from everyone since Brad and I started telling people about our engagment last week.

There was a little bit of confusion between us on Sunday night though. Brad was under the impression that we weren't going to tell everyone right away, whereas I was under the impression I was going to go on the radio and announce it on Monday morning. The Breakfast Boys had me on the show to talk about it.
Listen Here to the story.

When Brad got to work several of his co-workers came to his office to congratulate him, and he even received a call from someone about a plumbing inspection and at the end of the conversation the person (who he did not know personally) congratulated him. Guess the cat was officially out of the bag. Whoops!

So thank you again, for the wonderful happy wishes. I think my favorite reactions have been Mare screaming into the phone and running around her bedroom while Jer watched bewildered, (or so I'm told), and Rri mouthing "Shut the F--- up!" when I pointed to my ring through the window to the Production room at the station.

To answer the FAQ: We haven't set a date yet. Brad's only just figured out that he actually has to marry me now. ;)

A Perfect Moment

My wonderful boyfriend of nearly four years made me the happiest girl in the world when he proposed to me on Thursday October 16th.

We were just about to head out the door for supper at the Logpile Lodge with my Mum and Dad, and Frank and Christi when I found myself standing in the spare room of my parents house with Brad. He looked very nervous and hugged me, telling me how much he loves me. He told me he was very nervous and I asked what was making him nervous. He explained that he had been trying all day to find a time to do something. I asked him what he was trying to do and he told me he had something for me, asking if I wanted to see it. It was at that point that I took the hint and started to figure out what was going on. I hugged him tight and said "yes, I think I do." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small white box and handed it to me. When I opened it and saw the beautiful princess cut diamond in a white gold setting, I started to cry. I looked up at him and asked if he was sure and he said yes, so I told him he had better put it on my finger. I hugged him and we cried and laughed. Then I looked at him and said he had better ask me the question so I could say yes. So he asked me if I would marry him and I hugged him tight again and said "absolutely!"

Vacation!

It's back to work this morning after a week away from the desk. Brad and I left Swift on Friday the 10th around 3 oclock on our way to Smithers BC. We split the trip up into two days of driving (1800kms is a bit much for one day) and after some vehicle trouble in PG we made it to Smithers at 8:30 on Saturday night.

The dogs weren't exactly the best of friends, but they learned to live with each other.

The week was filled with excellent food, lots of visiting, gallons of tea, big family suppers, nights of Wii with Frank and Christi, and lots of rest.

Leaving is always hard, but it actually felt like we had a good solid visit.

Somewhere around Jasper. Ollie has had enough of being in the back seat and tries (yet again) to coerce me into allowing him into the front.
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Ollie and his buddy, Dad

Dad, Mum, Gus, Christi, Frank, Brad, Me and Ollie wearing our ball caps care of Frank and Christi embroidered with Frank's company logo. Yes, we often spontaneously pose in matching hats.
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Frank and Christi getting ready to race cows on the Wii
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Ollie and Me, chillin in front of the window
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At the Logpile Lodge for a celebratory supper
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Brad and Me
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Frank and Christi (awwww!)
~Ollie got a hoodie! (Frank and Christi embroidered it with his name, a mustang, and "car ride?") Yes, we're now those people who dress their pets.
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By Fraser Lake, BC
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Swift Current Creek, by Mt Robson
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Driving through Jasper
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Ollie has had enough of driving, thank you very much.
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