Adventures on the East Coast!

Last week I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to Halifax for a career fair. The major bonus (aside from seeing the other side of the country again) was that I was able to extend my stay a couple of days and see Maureen and her boyfriend Barry. They were gracious enough to let me stay with them and made sure I had an amazing time and got to see some of the many highlights the city (and Nova Scotia) have to offer.

~Drinking Champagne out of mason jars en route to the restaurant~

The night I arrived we went for supper and drinks at a restaurant known for their martinis. It was excellent and a nice cap to a long day of travel. Thursday Maureen took me downtown where we wandered the shops. We had intended to go to the Maritime Museum but never made it. Ha! Too many fun stores to look at before hurrying back to her place to help Barry make perogies for a supper with friends that night. We made a heap of perogies (around 80 I think) and everyone enjoyed the delicious meal.

~The restaurant owned by Mike Smith from the Trailer Park Boys! Love it! ~

~Maureen and I in front of Citadel Hill~

~Making perogies~

~At Barry's Brother's place~

Friday was the career fair which went very very well, and afterwards we went back downtown to look around and visit some more cool shops. The three of us went out for an amazing supper that night at a fantastic Italian restaurant downtown. Saturday Maureen took me for a tour of the Halifax Farmers Market. It was just amazing! The whole thing is held in a series of historical buildings and is jam packed with craftsmen selling their creations, as well as meats, cheeses, baked goods, and veggies. Maureen had promised to take me on the ferry from Halifax across the harbour to Dartmouth. Since we were short on time, we took the 12 minute ride over, got off the ferry, re-boarded, and came right back. It was a neat way to view the city though and reminded me of the Seabus in Vancouver.

~Taking the Ferry to and from Dartmouth~

Saturday night was Halloween and Barry's brother Robbie and his wife Sonia hosted a Murder Mystery Party at their place, 30 minutes outside of Halifax. It was a ton of fun and I loved meeting all of their friends. We spent the night there (long drive, plus a little too much booze) and left after breakfast.

~Dressed up for the Murder Mystery Party~

~The cast of Murder in Margarhitaland~

After showering, Maureen and I went for a drive to Bridgewater to try to find a huge Adirondack chair that was apparently somewhere in the town. We got mildly lost (it wouldn't be a roadtrip adventure for me if we weren't somewhat lost at least once!!), and asked for directions twice. Despite the help from locals, we couldn't find the chair and left the community to visit Peggy's Cove before going home.

Peggy's Cove was incredible! I was struck with how powerful the ocean is. And it was a pretty calm day at that!

~Peggy's Cove~

We left Peggy's Cove after sunset and went back to Halifax where Barry had made supper (yum!) and afterwards we went to a comedy sketch show with a local troupe called picnicface. I certainly laughed my money's worth!
Monday it was a ridiculously early morning and I was on my way by 7:40 Halifax time, arriving back in Swift at 5 Sask time. A long day of travel and a busy busy week, but so worth it!

I'm one of those people....

...who dress up their pets.

I feel no shame.

Nick and Kim's Wedding

Nick, my new brother in law, got married on October 24th to his girlfriend of the past five years, Kim. It was a beautiful ceremony at the Palliser Pavilion in Swift Current, followed by a delicious supper, and great reception also at the Palliser. I think we all had a great time and it was just what Nick and Kim wanted to mark the start of the rest of their lives together!

It just slipped out...

It was one of those moments where I was thinking it and thinking it and thinking it and then suddenly realized I had actually spoken.
Brad and I went to see The Invention of Lying. The theatre wasn't very busy, but there were a few crowds of people scattered around, inluding two groups of teenage girls. They were giggly and a bit disruptive a few times but very briefly so I wasn't terribly bothered. Towards the end, however, I suppose their little girl brains became bored with the movie and they started making comments and laughing and talking quite loudly. I was becoming more and more annoyed and thinking ...well, a number of things, but the main one that kept resurfacing was "You're not at home; please be quiet". It went through my thoughts again and again and suddenly I realized that I was hearing myself actually saying it out loud in the theatre. The talking stopped immediately. I did see one head in the row in front of ours turn around and glance at me, but she didn't look like she and her friend were part of the crowd of adolescents. I wasn't sure though, if she was looking accusingly or not.
After the movie though, she and her friend came up to me and thanked me for speaking up. They said when the girls sat down in front of them she had said to her friend "oh great, we're behind the dumb blondes who are going to talk the whole time" and that they were glad I said something.
Brad said later he was a bit shocked when he heard me and I admitted I was too. At least I was polite and said "please".

I'm ok with this

So it snowed yesterday. I spent the whole day in blatant denial of it, telling people I was quite content with the lovely sunny day and 30 degree weather we were experiencing (the manager of our Mental Health department, clearly decided I was off my rocker, offered me some drugs...but didn't follow through when I said yes please...tease). Everyone's insistance that it was, in fact, snowing had begun to wear on me, but this morning when I looked outside and saw a thin layer over the lawn and clinging to the trees I remembered why I don't always hate winter. There's something really beautiful about the morning after snow and the way it makes everything look brighter. I've come to terms with the snow today. That being said, I also haven't had to go outside and scrape off my car before being able to drive it. My opinion may change.

16 Hours on the Road + Just me = lots of time to think

So you'd think I'd have come up with something really interesting, or really mind-blowing. Nope. Nothing. Just a few random observations.
1. When the wind is blowing just right, Brooks AB only smells a little, but when the wind is blowing wrong, it's enough to make a girl dry heave.
2. Sitting down with a friend from College for the first time in 4 years can feel exactly the same as it would have four years ago. And it wasn't even creepy that she knew just about everything about my life (I guess there are some people who read this!)
3. I still have no idea what that semi was doing with a full side ad for Rex Goudie heading towards Swift. Is there an underground Canadian Idol runner-up factory beneath the city that I am unaware of?
4. I am still very frightened of Bridges. More so after driving over the god forsaken Walterdale Bridge in Edmonton. My blood pressure rose exponentially. Terrifying.
5. It's best not to yell at that car with the out of town plates that darted in front of you like she didn't know where she was going. It was me. I didn't know where I was going. Sorry.
6. Sometimes cab drivers are some of the nicest people with really interesting stories to tell.
7. West Edmonton Mall is just a big mall. There. I said it.
8. First impressions of towns are everything. Vegreville gets my thumbs up thanks to the A&W that was still serving bacon & eggers after 11 (till 12 on sundays!!), and the giant Easter Egg that will forever make me giggle. It's on a stand that allows it to spin in the wind which is actually very eerie. Lloydminster, on the other hand, did not impress me. As soon as I crossed the border to SK, it looked like it had been 30 years since someone did any work to anything there. Plus the wind blew dirt onto my icecream cone as the girl passed it from the drive thru. (I ate it anyway).
9. A first, listening to the same songs is kind of fun, but after 8 hours, I don't really want to hear the following songs anymore: Cascada - Evacuate the Dance Floor, Nickelback - Never Gonna be Alone, Theory of a Deadman - well...any of them, Jay Sean - Down, Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling, Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me, Lady Gaga - Poker Face and Love Game . That being said, I could listen to Miley Cyrus Party in the USA on repeat for another 6 hours (sure, go ahead and judge me, but you know you want to dance when you hear it too...you just haven't admitted it to yourself). And I'm still enjoying Lady Gaga Paparazzi, and Owl City - Fireflies even if it is kind of weird. Though I imagine those will be somewhat short lived as well, especially if I keep listening to 001 on Sirius Satellite.
10. I sincerely hope that Karl Wolf has been careful with his money. A cover of Toto's Africa and one other single won't pay the bills forever buddy...and I don't think it takes a gypsy fortune teller to see that his career will not span decades (or even another year, for that matter).
11. A 4 door sedan with a spoiler is still a 4 door sedan. It just looks like you wish it wasn't.

There. That pretty much sums up my 16 hours of driving. Thankfully I've only got another 4 or so before I'm home on Tuesday night. In the meantime, here is my latest picture with one of the world's largests.

Not as bad as I thought.

Any of it, really; I wasn't as bad as I thought I'd be, the game wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be, and I wasn't as drunk as I thought I'd be. Haha!
I think I caught on somewhat to how to golf...though really, any of the good shots I got were more than likely pure fluke since I still don't really understand how to do any of it. My team, comprised of me, Brad, Kyla and her fiance Landon was really supportive of my terribleness and gave me some tips and pointers that were actually very helpful. They were encouraging when it took me four (or more) swings to finally hit that little damn ball, and they were excited with me when I made a really good (albeit totally fluked) shot. The major downside was the extreme heat. We reached a high of 34 degrees at 3 oclock, right smack dab in the middle of our 18 holes (by the way, 18 holes is waaaay excessive). I pounded more water than I ever have in my life and still ended up with minor heat stroke - really disappointing since I'm pretty sure a 6 pack would have drastically improved my game. Hahaha!
Anyway, here are some pictures:

Highlight of the day: careening around the course in a golf cart. I now totally understand why people love/buy these things. (I still think Scoots would have been fun...if only I could strap my clubs to it somehow...)
~

Our team members, Kyla and Landon
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Ok, so before you start snickering to yourself about how I swung so hard (looks like I was trying to murder that ball) and the ball is still sitting there, know this: The white ball is not mine. We played best ball and my ball (which was purple) actually went reasonably far. So there. Ha.
~Me standing next to my pink ball (which I later lost in the water). This was my first really good shot and it was the best ball! I was so proud of myself! The next highlight of the game for me was a few holes later when I got a birdie! My drive was best ball, and my putt sunk it! I literally jumped up and down with my putter above my head screaming "Woohoo!!!"
~
Now, as to whether I will play again...definitely next year in the staff tournament, and maybe once or twice before. But don't you go thinking you've found a permanent golf partner, Brad. (I do take bribes though)

Golf...?

These are my golf clubs. Brad bought them for me yesterday (don't worry, they're used, he's not delusional enough to think that new clubs were a good idea).
I am participating in the Cypress Health Region Staff Golf Tournament today.
Allow me to break down my Golf-Related History.

Age 8 (ish) - I take golf balls and club to the field at the end of my cul-de-sac. Swing club. Hit ball. Ball hits 9 year old neighbour boy on the head and knocks him unconscious. I run.

Age 20 - Friend takes me to driving range. Thinks hitting a bucket of balls will be "fun". I hit a total of three balls a total of three meters (including the ones that roll three inches behind the marker when I knick them with the club). Remaining 10 don't go anywhere. Friend gets frustrated and confiscates balls and clubs.

Age 26 - Purchase Nintendo Wii. Really good at golf game. Become delusional that I am actually a natural at the game.

Age 27 - Sign up for staff golf tournament. Begin to suspect that my practice on the Wii will not equate to actual talent at game of golf. Become terrified. Consider running again.

More Pics!

The squeeling has started again! Rob has updated his blog with more pics from the wedding!! EEEEEE! (Linked on the sidebar)

Rat Population several hundred... minus 1

Apparently Swift Current has a rat problem. Not that I'm denouncing it, or sitting in my house with my ears plugged shouting LA LA LA LA! I just haven't seen any rats. I make regular trips to the hospital for work and haven't seen any in the field behind where they apparently hold their daily rat parties. I've been to the Southside where apparently they congregate. I've been down allies, past garbage piles...nothing.
Until Friday. Brad and I were leaving Movie Gallery when we saw a man (who shall now be refered to as Slack Jawed Yokel...or Mr Yokel for short) run across the street with a vehicle window scraper. In front of Mr Yokel was a medium sized rat scampering desperately across the street. The pair made it to the lawn of an apartment building on the other side and Mr Yokel began wailing his window scraper at the grass. We watched with disturbed facination as he enthusiastically began stomping his boot. His travelling companion who I can only assume was Mr Yokel Senior laughed from beside our Escape. After a few moments, Mr Yokel strutted confidently across the street laughing to himself and saying something akin to "I got him good!"
Now I believe that we have a rat problem, but more disturbing in my mind, is the hillbilly problem. How much money will the city put towards dealing with these rabbid hillbillies?

OMG OMG OMG!

I had a sneak peak and I want to share!! Rob, our amazing friend and stunningly talented photographer posted one picture from the wedding to his new blog. I've linked it on the side, but I'll link it here too: Rob's Sente.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! It's all I can do not to start squeeling like a 13 year old at a Jonas Brothers concert (or me at the New Kids show in April...this totally trumps that for my most-squeeled-moment)!!!!!
Thank you Rob, you're a genius, I tell you!!

Mr and Mrs Giesbrecht

It was perfect. Every last moment of the wedding and the days leading up to it. Having my parents, my brother and his fiancee, and Mare (Maid of Honour) and Jer (honourary bridesmaid, hee hee!) helped tremendously with the plans, and my other bridesmaid, Vassy was a miracle worker with the cake and our makeup! I'll go into a little more detail when I get the photos back (OMG, can't WAIT!!!), but for now, suffice it to say, the day was perfect!Mmmmm, Starbucks! Best Maid Of Honour EVER!!
~

Going to Supper to start off my Sex and the City Stagette! Everyone looked HOT!
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Mum and Me at the spa getting our Mani-Pedis
~Vassy...Bridesmaid, Cakemaker extraordinaire! Yes, she's HAND PAINTING those flowers.
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Me and my ladies the night before the wedding
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The honeymoon? Not so much. Haha! We left on Sunday instead of Saturday as originally planned. It was universally decided that leaving on a long distance trip would not be wise when we could barely stare at each other without our vision blurring over (we were just a little tired). We stayed a little campground outside of Jasper called Robson Shadows. It was right on the Fraser River and had the most incredible view of Mt Robson. That was home for two nights and we left on Tuesday morning to head south to Banff area. We made it about 20 minutes south of Jasper. The bumps on the road jostled our tent trailer and blew the leaf spring (which holds the tires to the axle...or something). Anyway, we were stuck in a little campground called Kerkeslin on the Athabasca River. I'll bet you didn't know there aren't any RV businesses in Jasper, did you? Well there aren't. Luckily for us there is a Napa with some very very friendly and helpful people who supplied us with two brand new heavy duty leaf springs (to replace the other one too...afterall who wants to go through that twice?). Brad got to work on Tuesday and we set up camp in the little campground. The next day it was back to Jasper again for some U-bolts (or something), which they didn't have so we went to Hinton to get them. Long story short, the camper was all set and good to go by the evening on Wednesday, but we were so tired of the back and forth driving that we decided to stay on more day and leave on Friday.
Thursday we got up early and took one more trip to Jasper for a battery for the tent trailer (the old one was no good anymore and our heater won't work without the carbon monoxide detector which requires battery...it was a cold cold four nights) and to get Ollie checked out at the vet (he had developed several scarey red spots on his abdomen that the vet assistant said was likely bug bites), and then we went to hike to Horseshoe Lake and Athabasca Falls.
Friday morning we packed up and continued south through the Columbia Icefields to Calgary and finally stopped in Medicine Hat for the night. We stayed in a hotel. It had a shower...a luxury we hadn't enjoyed since Monday for Brad and Tuesday for me. Ha!

Today we shopped a little and made the final trek back to Swift.Our Resort (and that's my bouquet from the wedding on the table)
~

In front of Mt Robson
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Ollie doesn't want to drive anymore
~At Horseshoe Lake, called one of the bluest lakes in Jasper National Park
~

Daaaaaaaaaam!
(ok, so it was part of a beaver lodge, not a dam, but I couldn't resist!)
~Me and Ollie at Horseshoe Lake
~
Athabasca Falls

~Athabasca River as it ran by our campsite at Mt Kerkeslin
~

day one down!

Brad and I packed the trailer and escape last night and hit the road early this morning for day one of our trip to smithers. Of course, it was windy as hell from swift to biggar, and somewhere around rosetown it started to rain quite a lot. The rain finally gave out around camrose, and we had sun for most of the way to edson. Now we've set up our tent trailer for the night so that we're well rested for tomorrow when we make the last half of the drive! Can't wait! One more sleep!

And Awaaaay We Go!

The time has come! After months of planning and months of craziness and busy-ness and months of transition, the time has FINALLY come! I put on my out of office manager on my email, changed my voicemail to say I won't be back until the 31st, and practically sprinted out of the office! My vacation has officially started!
Tomorrow morning Brad and I will put our suitcases into the Escape, buckle Ollie into his seat, and hit the road for Smithers. It's a bit of a duanting drive, but Brad and I have always been good with long road trips together. We love each other's company (I should hope so!) and the time alone is always comfortable. Tomorrow we'll drive to Edson Alberta, which is the exact halfway mark between Swift and Smithers. Then on Sunday we'll get up and do another 10 hours to Smithers!
I'm so looking forward to having some time with my family, my friends, and some time to just relax and take a break.
Oh, and on Friday Brad and I will be getting married. That's kind of big I guess. ;) Haha!

My Bridal Shower

As the wedding day creeps closer (or maybe I should say sprints closer) I'm finding almost no time for blogging. That being said, I really wanted to get some pictures up from my Bridal Shower. Darlene and her friend Marilyn threw my Shower on August 4th. I was a little overwhelmed by the number of people who came and by the heaps of prezzies! It was so touching to be surrounded by so many women who care about me.

There were games including "who has the heaviest purse", remember the kitchen items on the tray (I remembered 12, but I didn't know what half of them were for, an apparently "teal plastic knife thingy", "some sort of pink coloured scoop", and "red measuring cup thing" don't count as actual kitchen utensil terms), and "Toilet paper wedding dresses". I had to laugh at the creative styles modeled by Norma, Kim, and Brianne!Michelle helped to make my hat from the bows on my gifts. I think I look quite stunning, really!

And Vassy, my amazing bridesmaid made the 2.5 hour trip to Swift Current and home again to Saskatoon just to spend an hour and a half at my shower. She is one amazing lady!

(P.S. It's not 12 days to the wedding, and only 7 till I'm in Smithers! ...but who's counting?)

A Good Day

Yesterday was a good day.
It was the first day in two weeks where I wasn't overcome by coughing fits throughout the day, the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island Launch of the Screaming Narwhal was released on wii (judge me not! Pirate video games definitely trump any "computer geek" stigmas...don't they?), I found out that I'm not getting paid enough (my boss actually sought me out and told me it would be remedied), and I got a cavity filled.
Ok, so maybe the last point doesn't get totally classified as "good" because, let's be honest, how many people actually enjoy going to the dentist, having their jaw frozen making them suddenly appear to be severely drunk, and having someone reach into their mouth with a scarey sounding drill? Not many, I'll wager. And it certainly doesn't top my list of "Things I'd Like To Do Frequently", but there is a certain ammount of satisfaction in knowing I'm looking after myself.
There was not a lot wrong with yesterday at all.
And today is officially 24 days until the wedding! Even fewer until we load up and go to Smithers! It's days like yesterday that make me think "everything is comin up J-dub" (to quote some of my previous radio co-workers)!

For those of you keeping track...

It's officially a month until the wedding. Am I ready? HAHAHAHAHAhahahaha, NO! But I'm doing my best not to be stressed. I want to enjoy the wedding and not be in a fog of stress leading up to it. Thankfully I have a wonderful support team in my Mum and bridesmaids, and Brad who keeps my head on my shoulders and is always ready to help and give me a hug.
It's been quite a process, but things have come together really well and I have confidence that they will continue to do so.

27...

Saturday was my 27th Birthday. It was one of those birthdays that didn't feel like a big change because for some reason for the past few months I've been telling myself I'm already 27. I don't know why I do that, but other people have told me they do the same thing, so I don't feel quite so bad. I suspect it will backfire on me when I'm convinced I'd 30 but am still 29. We'll see.
To celebrate July 18th (the best day of the year to have a birthday), Brad and I invited some good friends for a barbeque. Brett came with Broden, Rob and Bev came, Ashley brought Leighton and Derek came too, and Vassy and a coworker drove down from Saskatoon after work to wish me a happy birthday!

Brad made sure my birthday didn't get lost in the midst of all of the wedding plans
~

Broden and Leighton held him down and tickled him on the lawn
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My wonderful friends!
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"Blowing out the candles" on my enormous cheesecake! (Ok, the wind was way too strong for candles, but we pretended)
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Leighton wanted to sit on the "motorspikel"
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Bev, me and Vassy...I have the best friends!