currents

I'm borrowing this idea from girl loves friday

listening: yeah yeah yeahs.
eating: oatmeal, raspberries, yogurt. All mixed together.
drinking: extra large coffee
wearing: my pjs. Yes, still, at 11:42 am. So what? don't judge me :P
feeling: excited. inspired.
weather: overcast, with a chance of sun, perhaps?
wanting: to stop having what seems to be sinus pressure. Also, a very expensive watch that I saw the other day. And a trip to Plattsburgh.
needing: to finalize my CV.
thinking: about getting some new library books.
enjoying: endless summer.
wondering: should I buy a super cheap point and shoot from Walmart (available in pink!)?

Also, guess what? I am going to the Bahamas next Sunday! Hellz yeah! So excited :)

Some random tidbits

Just finished this book, oddly at the same time as Ali. I started by devouring the pages a little over a week ago. Towards the last 3/4 I wasn't too sure what to make of it all anymore. It's eerie, strange, yet charming in it's right. At certain parts, the details felt a little contrived, but I plowed on regardless, hoping that the ending would satisfy me. It didn't completely. It felt a bit anti-climatic, yet also appropriate. It took the saying "be careful what you wish for" to a whole new level. It didn't tug at my heartstrings the way the Time Traveler's Wife did, and I guess I kept expecting it to. Don't get me wrong, there are certain very appealing aspects (the London setting, the paranormal aspect, the character development and exchanges, the flowing prose....) but some element was absent. It was still a good read, I conclude, but I am not remorseful to be finished - instead a bit relieved. It was rather grim and gothic towards the end, and becoming burdensome on a sunny afternoon by the pool! On to other reads... I'm still on the Sookie series, but it feels a bit junky and juvenile. Need to get me a real book soon. A trip to the library is in store. Oh yeah, that place. Haven't stepped foot in there for a good while as it is summer.

Of all the photos I took at Julie's cottage and Tremblant, not more than a handful turned out nicely. Since I am cameraless for the moment, we were using Pat's point and shoot, which seems to be having an issue with the flash. It only comes on when it feels like coming on (so annoying) and it's resulted in many blurry, dark nighttime photos. Rest assured, we had a nice time there. The blues fest was going on, so we had the chance to catch a free show by Angel Forrest, who I'd never heard of before, but was impressed by. The last song was a cover of Hallelujah and she did a wonderful job. Apart from that, we did a lot of drinking, eating and lounging. We also canoed and swam, but got caught in a thunderstorm while on the dock in the middle of the lake! Luckily it passed and we were able to resume our fun. Overall, it was a nice little getaway and we were lucky to be invited.

While browsing Etsy a little while ago, I came across this inspiring store. It got me thinking that maybe I could create my own digital art sort of thing, tailored to my style. So I played around and produced this:

I have the intention of adding some real embellishments to make it feel more complete as I think something might be missing at the moment. But overall, I got all excited at the thought of taking my favorite lyrics and making them into something that can be displayed in my future house. The words are from my favorite song by Edward Sharpe. I couldn't tell you where I got all the other digi stuff since I can't be bothered to keep track. Ooops!

Yesterday I went out for brunch with my friend Audrey. We ate at the Dix30 and then explored. I can't get over how nice the garden area is - there are benches, ponds, fire pits and gorgeous, lush plants right in the heart of all the shopping. Even though I have been there countless times, I never really stopped to appreciate the outdoor spaces. There is so much to do and see right in front of our eyes! I also did a lot of damage at the Tommy outlet. I don't normally shop there, but sometimes being with a friend can encourage you to try things out of your style/comfort zone, and the end results are pleasing. There are some really good sales - polos and shirts for 20$ and less.

Anyways, there is another big plan brewing which I will be happy to report once things are finalized. Hopefully all the kinks can be ironed out as I would love to shout this news from the rooftops.

Visitors lately

My aunt and uncle were passing through the day before last, on their way to Nova Scotia. They are moving there from Calgary to try out the Maritime lifestyle. Lisa is not convinced she will like it, but Jeff is coaxing her. We shall see I suppose. They brought they doggies with them, Saydie and Ruby, who were very well-behaved and fit right in. It's surprising that my mom actually allowed dogs to sleep over in the house, but it happened! Being around dogs made me wish, for the billionth time, that she would let my dad get a dog.... but that is a fight I have given up in vain.

Jeff and Lisa happened to be visiting on my dad's birthday, so we had a mini-celebration. We hadn't bought a cake yet, so he had to settle for a banana-chocolate chip muffin. The jumbo candles looked ridiculously big on the muffin-top, so it was rather amusing.

Tomorrow, Patrick and I are going up north, to Julie's cottage. I am really excited for this mini get-away. Pat has been hard at work for the last two weeks and is well-deserving of some time off. I hope the weather holds up. I can't wait to go swimming in the lake, and visit Tremblant. Summer is grand.

Why not nothing?

Just checkin' in on the blog front. I have been "busy" tanning, floating around in my pool, reading, scrapbooking, working out, relaxing, catching up on some TV, and working on some projects. Summer is the greatest. Being a teacher is the greatest.

I have started a mini-book about my trip out West and am feeling rather impressed with myself to have crawled out of my rut. I want to get some new supplies to motivate myself even more. There's always a reason to buy more scrap stuff ;) Not like I need a TON of things... just some paper and possibly embellishments. And whatever else catches my eye.

What sucks is that my camera is on fritz. I had to bring it to Future Shop. Thankfully I took an extended warranty, so it is still covered. They say it should be repaired in 4-6 weeks. I am secretly hoping that it will take 60 days or longer, in which case I will get a new camera. It's kinda time for an upgrade anyways. We'll see what happens. I do need to get a bit more serious about my photo skills though. I want to take a course, perhaps online, to teach me how to actually use all my settings. I need to gain more patience in that domain. I can borrow my mom's camera if need be, since she bought the same model as I have a little while ago.

Anyways, time to get on with my day! Enjoy your Tuesday.

hello scrapbooking!

For the first time in months, I made a scrapbooking layout! Cue the applause track...

Yesterday I was editing and printing photos from my trip to BC while simultaneously downloading/sorting some digi scrap stuff (yup, adult ADD brain keeps me jumping from one thing to the next). I was pretty impressed with a free kit I'd downloaded from Sweet Shoppe Designs (found via Barb on Ali's blog a while ago - scroll waaaaay down to find it as I can't seem to link directly to the free download). I opened Photoshop and started playing around, until finally creating this. Feels good to get back into it. Maybe today I will attack my paper stash.

Hope you're all keeping cool during this on-going heat wave. The table revamping has been put on hold over here as we enjoy swimming and tanning. Summertime and the living's easy!

stuff right now

Reading...

Watching...

Listening to...
Also, hoping to get back into the scrapbooking groove soon!! Why is it so hard to start? My desk is clean but I have no motivation to print photos... I'd rather be by the pool. What a terrible dilemma ;)

Back from the West

Well, I have been back for several days now, but it apparently takes a while to decompress, recover and get organized!

I said goodbye to my little ones on the 23rd. That was hard times. They didn't quite get it. I actually got choked up in front of them at a certain point and they were looking at me, confused and unsure what they should do. It's the uncertainty of what will happen, of what will become of some of them - that was what really got me. It's tradition at my school for all the teachers to line up to see the buses off on the last day. I watched them all zip past one last time as we waved goodbye... I sucked it up as much as possible to not look like a complete idiot! At least my dear partner in crime was crying as well, so I wasn't alone.

Afterwards, we had an ice cream party in the staff room, where I spilled my drink all over the back of my pants. So typically clumsy, which was particularly funny after joking with the janitor that he'd better not spill his ice cream on me! The party committee gave out presents to the teachers who wouldn't be back next year, and I realized just how many of us will be going our separate ways. It's not to say that we won't run into each other again the future, but still, the chances of our group reconvening are slim. Such is the nature of this profession, though. I should at least be thankful for the friends I've made and the times we've shared.

The very next day, at the crisp hour of 4:30 am, we awoke to prepare for our trip to BC for my dear cousin's wedding. I was beyond tired, but also very excited for the road ahead. After a pretty smooth 4.5 hour plane ride, we touched down in Wild Rose Country. The beauty of the mountains for afar, juxtaposed against the city of Calgary... truly breathtaking. (I have been far too lazy to edit any of these photos very much yet).

We were greeted by uncles Jeff and Randy - gotta love them! The original plan was to take two vehicles, but due to an unforeseen doggy emergency that morning, we were one traveler short, and thus one car short... So we had the pleasure of cramming six people and mounds luggage into a Tahoe, which appears rather large but fills ups very quickly, let me asure you. We were four people in the backseat for 400+ km. Not the wisest or most comfortable move, but hey, whatcha gonna do? We made due, and it was still fun, albeit we were slightly grumpy.

We drove to Banff for some sight-seeing, but sort of ran out of time, so decided to return on our way back a few days later. The scenery is difficult to comprehend if you haven't seen it first-hand, but here are some photos to try to do it justice.

We also went to Lake Louise. Amazingly beautiful!

As for the wedding itself, I am so impressed by what Jessica and Andrew planned. It was perfect in every way - the setting, the music, the ceremony, the vows, the games, the people, the food... I am so proud of Jess's planning abilities. She crafted a lot of the things herself (center pieces, card box, and so forth) and also bought from Etsy (how cool). They danced to Weezer and concluded their ceremony with Arcade Fire - my kind of wedding! We were also beyond happy to finally meet Andrew, the groom. He is the nicest guy ever and I know that my cousin will be very content and well taken care of. Here are just a few highlights from the big day.


There are many more stories to tell and photos to post, but the day is already getting away from me and there are other items on the famous to-do list. Patrick and I started refinishing a table and that's a huge (and gratifying) project. I also need to work-out very soon. Some cardio is in store. I should be back more frequently, however, now that I have all the time in the world...

Cheers!