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Moving...

2007-07-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

I've decided to switch to typepad...

Check out my new blog here!

New Car!

2007-07-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

I bought a new car today! I have been wanting a new car for a while now, since my civic hasn't been running very well and I'm always scared it's going to break down on me. Jarod and I discussed a new car, and we decided to hold off and buy one for about $7000.00 at the end of the summer, before my long commute to school starts. However, the other day one of his bosses asked if Jarod knew anyone who might want to buy his 1994 VW Jetta. Jarod mentioned he was interested, and he got it for only $1800.00! It is dark, dark purple (dusty mauve, I'm told). It has a sun roof, four doors, air conditioning, and is a 5-speed. It was dropped off today and I got to take it for a spin when I got home from work. So thrilled! It is worth much, much more than $1800. It has lots of kilometers, but Jarod said it should run fine for about two years and then we can maybe replace the engine.

I have also been busy taking a self portrait every day. Today was number 19. I'm so proud of myself for sticking to it... I'm pretty bad a that usually. I think it's really making me a better photographer. I'm starting to notice lighting much more and am trying to be inventive with my shots (such as the Snow White one). Check out all of my self-portraits here.

My parents are off sailing together. So happy for them :)

I have a new boss at work and he seems to really like me. I have been put at the business wicket two days in a row, which is where the senior tellers usually go. I also told him that I'll be going back to school in September and will only be able to work Saturdays. He said that would most likely be fine! Pheewph, I'll really need the money!

I think that's enough of an update for now... I worked 34 hours this week!

Look!

2007-07-13T22:38:00.001-07:00

It's Snow White!

3.

2007-07-12T19:05:00.001-07:00

So the wonderful Kal has asked everyone who reads her blog to post three things that they like about themselves on their own blog. So...

1) I like that I'm artistic. I can't imagine not being creative, it is just such a huge part of who I am. I've know since I was 6 years old that I want to be an artist. I love being know as the "creative" one.

2) I like that I'm sensitive. Although this trait means that I can burst out crying at any moment, it also means that I care for other people and animals. This explains the vegan thing. Yesterday at work one of the girls pointed out a big beetle crawling across the carpet. She yelled for someone to come kill it. I yelled out "No!", and then proceeded to go to the beetle and let it crawl on my hand so it could be taken outside. Yes, I know it's just a beetle to most people, but to me it's a creature who deserves to live.

3) I like that I have naturally black hair (well, dark, DARK brown). It's not all that common to see Caucasian people with my shade of hair colour, so it makes me feel unique. I'm also told that my pale skin looks good against it... although it would be nice if I could get a good tan!

Art Challenge: Number Two

2007-07-11T23:17:00.001-07:00

For the second challenge, I invented as I went along. Feel free to do the same by doing your own thing with it.

Step One:
Print out a photo on regular paper in black and white. I printed mine at 8"x10". Then trim off excess white around the image.

Step Two:

Cut image in to squares. I did mine 1"x1", but you can choose whatever size you like.

Next, glue down on to another piece of paper. I glues my image directly in to my art journal. Leave out random squares, keeping them for reference for the next step.

Step Three:

Draw the lines from the missing squares in. Don't focus on detail, just the general outline of objects.

Step Four:

Use pencil crayons to colour in your squares, and then add decorations around the outside of your image!

Other ideas:

Instead of squares, cut photo in to strips.

Use decorative paper to replace the missing squares.

Instead of removing squares, colour some of them before you glue them all down.

Now let me see what you can create!

Sweat.

2007-07-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

Gizmo is not enjoying the weather. He is soo lazy, and to cool him off Jarod and I have started to give him ice cubes to play with. He seems to love them.

It is 11:11pm, I am simply sitting at my computer, with TWO fans blowing, and I have sweat dripping down my face. It is TOO hot. Record temperatures today in Vancouver. Yuck.

My car almost died on me again driving home from work in the scorching heat. A new car might be in the works (Money, money, money).

Coming up next... a new Art Challenge! Yay!

2007-07-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today I picked up a package from the post office! Don't you just love getting parcels? I ordered a bunch of vegan items from Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe. It was so exciting to open and see all my goodies! Being a vegan is very hard work (constantly reading labels and explaining that you DO get enough protein). So I decided to treat myself to some fun things. I got an adorable shirt with a cute illustration that says cow hugger. I also bought gummy bears with NO gelatin (Gelatin is made from by-products of the meat and leather industry, mainly pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides).

I also went grocery shopping today and bought lots of fruit and veggies. When I got home I made myself a yummy smoothie. I posted a self-portrait to my Flickr page (I'm in a group where you take one self portrait every day for one year). Now I think I'm going to make a big salad, and then work on the next Art Challenge!

HOT!

2007-07-05T22:29:00.000-07:00

It is so, so hot outside these days! As soon as I leave the house I can feel my skin getting all sticky with sweat. Yuck. I like cold weather, when I can wrap myself in a blanket to get warm. It's so much harder to cool off than get warmer.

Last night the fire alarm in my building went off FIVE times. Every unit has two alarms inside them as well, one happens to be right beside my computer, and the other is in my bedroom. The first time it went off I left with Gizmo (because aren't you supposed to LEAVE when an alarm goes off?) I think there were maybe about 10 people from the entire building that went outside! I took Gizmo for a walk and then we heard the fire trucks coming. They told us it was a false alarm and then Gizzy and I headed back upstairs to watch Canada's Next Top Model. About an hour later, the alarm went off again! The fire trucks came back, this time without their sirens blaring, and I decided to stay inside. They turned it off and left, and then a little bit later it went off another time! The last time it went off was at 12:30am! So annoying... but at least I know I'd be warned if we had a real fire!

Tonight I had a meeting with Shannon and Ryan. They want me to do their engagement photo's, as well as their wedding photography! They are getting married this October. I am so, so excited! I showed them an album of my best photographs, and they loved them. They told me what they wanted, and now I am in the process of figuring out how much to charge. I did a bit of research and most wedding photographers charge between $1600-$5000. That seems like a crazy amount of money to me, but now that I've started to add up the costs I can see why they charge so much. I have so many idea's for cool shots to do, so glad to have the opportunity!

Apple Crisp

2007-07-03T21:50:00.001-07:00

I Love apple crisp, so I made a big dish of it tonight! Yum!

Since our five year anniversary is a month away, Jarod and I decided to splurge and buy a Wii System last night as our gifts for each other. It is so much fun! Unlike normal video games, you get to actually hold the remote like a tennis racket, baseball bat, bowling ball, etc. I was sweating so much last night after we played for two hours! This morning, both Jarod and I were so sore! It's great that they've come out with a system where you actually get exercise rather than sit on the sofa. So, so, so much fun.

Today was the busiest day of the year at the credit union, since it was the last day to pay property tax. I also felt really sick, so it didn't help improve my mood much. At least I know what I'm doing now, so it's far less stressful than when I had to constantly ask for help and made mistakes.

Just wanted to do a little update before I go and eat some crisp!

PS... next challenge will be up in the next few days. I have two circle journals to do, plus lots of other things (laundry, yuck!) so I need to get that in order first :)

One: The Journal

2007-06-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

I challenge YOU to play along with me. Weekly, I will be posting an art challenge for you. It doesn't matter if you only draw stick people, or are an advanced artist. Man, woman, teenager or grandparent... do this for yourself. You'll grow as an artist, and as a person.

I thought it might be a good idea to have all of the challenges together in one book, so we can track our progress. I will not be giving deadlines to you, or to myself. I will try and post a challenge every week, but you can do them whenever you like. Mix them up, skip one, do one five times, whatever you like! All I ask is that if you have a blog, you post a link to it in the comments under the right challenge, and post a photo of your work on your blog so we can all give you comments! So this weeks challenge is:

First, find a journal. Preferably blank, sturdy pages, however any old book will do. I chose a large scrapbook that was lying around.

Next, get together some supplies. You'll need paint, brushes, water, and whatever else you feel like putting on the front of your journal. I like to use an old magazine as a pallet. When I am done painting I rip off the sheet I was using, leaving a clean surface for my next painting adventures. I used Golden Acrylic paints for this, but you can use a cheaper version if that's what you have on hand. The idea of this is not to go out and spend a fortune, but to let yourself play.

I mixed the blue with a bit of white and painted just the top of my journal with it. You can paint the entire cover if you wish, although it may get messy.

Now play. Look around your house for things, scrap paper, flowers, buttons, etc. Stick them on the cover. Write your name, a poem, a sentence, or just draw pictures. It's your journal, make it represent you.

Once everything is stuck on and the paint is dry, use a sharpie to outline shapes and add detail. I also sanded some of the edges and my chipboard letters, just to add some personality.

Finally, I coated the entire front in a coat of varnish to protect it.

Join me.

2007-06-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

I have come to a realization. My blog is boring. I like to read blogs because I like to look at their cool art work, photo's, etc. All I do on here is blab about my boring life.

So.... to change this, I am going to start posting more art work. I'm going to start posting challenges once a week. (Mostly to motivate myself). Feel free to create along with me and post a link to your blog in the comments! Yes... I'm talking to everyone, even if you are NOT artsy!

Challenge number one, coming tonight! EDIT: Coming tomorrow... project number one is drying before I photograph it :)

Camping and Jarod's Birthday!!

2007-06-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

My vacation was wonderful! Jarod went white water rafting from June 15th-17th. I worked on Saturday, and then had a full week off. I spent the rest of Saturday cleaning, and Jarod was happy when he came home on Sunday. On Tuesday we borrowed Jarod's parents truck and trailer, and drove up the mountain to Alice Lake. There were hardly any other people there, and the weather was beautiful... for the first two days at least.

We went hiking up a big hill with a gorgeous view at the top. It was quite the hike, especially since I am really out of shape. I didn't give up though, and I'm really proud of myself for continuing!

The lake was too cold to swim in though, and after playing cards, playing catch with a Velcro ball, reading magazines, hiking, throwing stones, and playing horseshoes, Jarod got bored. We went to a movie on Wednesday night in Squamish (Fantastic Four). Thursday we went into Whistler for a nice day outing, and visited all of the little shops. When we got back to the campground it started raining and when Jarod suggested we go to another movie we decided to head home. Camping is great when the weather is nice, or when you have a big group of friends... but for just the two of us sitting in our tent in the cold, we knew we'd have more fun at home. So we drove home Thursday night and spent most of Friday cleaning our condo, getting rid of all the things we never use like old books and clothes.

On Saturday we went to my parents boat for dinner. Two of my second cousins from Ontario came as well, along with their friend Robin and my brother. Jarod and I left right after dinner to head home because we were having people over to celebrate Jarod's birthday, and then my cousins and their friend stopped by for a visit later on in the evening. I haven't seen then since I was 14, so it was nice to catch up.

I made Jarod's friends watch the deleted scenes on the Goonies DVD. A scene was cut where an octopus attacks them in the water near the end... but it is the most ridiculous looking thing! It is so fake and robotic, and to scare it off they put a radio in its mouth and it dances away. It's so finny! I see why they cut it from the movie!

Sunday was Jarod's birthday. He turned 25. We went to the Ladner Village Market with my friend Stacey and her boyfriend Paul, and then for dinner we had a BBQ at his parents house. It was lots of fun and I came up with a "Jarod Trivia" game that everyone seemed to enjoy.

For Jarod's birthday present I bought him a fish tank. He loved it, and bought two Oscars to go in it. We named them Frank and Herman. Gizmo likes to watch them :)

My craft room is more organized now, so I am planning on doing a few projects from my to-do list tonight! I work Monday-Friday this week, but they're all 5 hour shifts. At least I get to sleep in a bit!

To see the above pictures one by one, go to my Flickr page!

Make your own mosaic here.

Going Camping...

2007-06-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

Jarod and I are leaving this morning to go on a little camping adventure up at Alice Lake. Should be fun! Gizmo will be staying with Jarod's parents, so it will be a nice get-away just for the two of us. We'll be coming home on Saturday, and then Sunday is Jarod's birthday! Hoping to take lots of photographs, so expect a post when I get back!

Day at the Aquarium

2007-06-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Jarod and I went to the Vancouver Aquarium. We had a lovely day, and I took lots of photographs. You can click the above image to go to my flickr page. After the aquarium we had lunch at a mongolie grill, and then went shopping along Robson Street. I bought a sweatshirt from Lululemon that I have been wanting for a very long time, and we also stopped by chapters where I bought two vegan cookbooks.

Yesterday while I was at work from 9am to 6:15pm, Jarod left to go rafting with his friends. They'll be coming home tomorrow. Last night my mom slept over to keep me company, and left early this morning. I worked today for four hours, and now am officially on vacation for a week!

I have noticed that my place is much messier without Jarod here (even after just one day), so I hope to do a super-clean up before he returns home tomorrow afternoon.

I am feeling happy, which is always a welcome emotion. Hoping it stays around for a while!

Just living.

2007-06-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Things have been going well lately. I have been spending time reading rather than surfing the web, and I am really enjoying it. I forgot how much I loved to curl up with a good book.

Jarod and I cleaned up our deck the other night, and purchased a white bench from IKEA. Now we can sit out there together (or alone), watching the neighborhood. I am also excited to buy pretty plants to go out there too... something to add to my to do list.

I was at work in Ladner yesterday, when we heard a loud screech come from outside. We all ran to the door to see what had happened, and saw that an elderly woman had been struck by a car at the cross walk. She was still under the front tire. She was alive, and the ambulance came and removed the car, then took her away to the hospital. It really upset me. While driving home from work I was honked at once by a jerk behind me in the left turn lane because the light turned yellow and I was waiting to see if a truck coming towards the intersection was going to stop or run the light. Then a bus honked at me later on because as I was driving it decided to go into my lane without using a signal and almost hit me. I was in tears by the time I got home. Why do I have to be so emotional? Every little thing affects me. If someone kills a bug around me, it can bring me to tears. If I get yelled at by a customer, I break down. Stupid emotions.

This weekend Jarod is going away river rafting for a friend's bachelor party. It will be nice to have the place to myself for a few days. I have plans on getting the place super organized, but I am not putting any pressure on myself. My mom is coming over Friday and spending the night, which should be fun.

Next week Jarod and I are going camping for a few days, which I'm really excited for. I hope the weather is nice.

I've started a new system to encourage me to do simple daily things. It's quite silly, but really works for me. I have a chart with days across the top, and then on the side are different tasks such as, eat a good dinner, walk Gizmo, do some exercise, read, etc. If I do a task I put a check in the box, and if I do more than five in one day I get a gold star sticker! It's actually been working quite well, and helps me remember to take my medication and such. Plus, it always feels great to get a gold star!

Feeling like a bad blogger lately... hoping to change that soon!

Officially 22.

2007-06-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

I had a levely birthday this year. On Saturday I worked in the morning, and then had friends over in the evening. More people came than I expected which was great. We only deided to have people over about two days before, so I was amazed that so many people could come!

My friends gave me lots of great gifts, including a box full of yummy Body shop product from Jenna and Rob, a funky bottle of wine from Stacey and Paul, an adorable book from Devon, and more!

Gizmo enjoying the party :)

Me in my pretty, new dress

Chelsea relaxing!

Party time!

Devon

Carrie

Jenna and Gizmo

Sam, Megan, and me

The lovely Chelsea

Taryn

Rob and Jenna

Me!

Adam, Devon, Paul

Stacey :)

Me and Carrie

Paul and Gimo.

Megan and Gizmo.

Jarod and me!

Megan brought me a beautiful bouquet!

On Sunday we drove out to Jarod's parent's house and cleaned out my car. It was such a mess, and looks so pretty now :) Afterwards we drove to Ladner and had dinner with my parents on the boat to celebrate my dad's birthday.

Monday Jarod and I both ended up feeling miserable, and both had to phone in sick to work. Monday night we both stayed up watching movies until midnight so Jarod could give me my gift. He gave me a gift certificate for Le Chateau to buy new shoes, as well as a novel by a really good author. He also purchased a CD player from his friend Adam to put in my car since my other one was stolen.

Tuesday June 5th (the big day!):

We had my parents, my brother, Jarod's parents, Jarod's sister and Jarod's grandma over to celebrate. Jarod made a lovely dinner of gazpacho, roasted root vegetables, pasta, and sesame asparagus. Jarod's mom brought over a delicious salad, I made some strudels for dessert, and my mom brought a vegan chocolate cake that she bought at my favorite restaurant, The Naam.

I received so many wonderful gifts.

My sister sent out gifts for Jarod and I (his birthday is June 24th). She gave me two awesome shirts, a necklace, and two pretty bracelets. Everything is exactly my taste.

My brother gave me LoveLife, a book by Kal Barteski that I have been wanting since I met her at ARTistry. She is such an inspiration for me, and she even signed the book before mailing it! Really excited to cozy up with a blanket and read it.

My parents gave me lots of goodies, including a gift certificate to MooShoes (an online vegan shoe store)! They also gave me two vegan cookbooks, and a tank top from the Naam!

My grandpa and grandma from Toronto both sent me money, and I recieved a very pretty card from my Aunt Jane.

Jarod's grandma gave me a lovely vase in the shape of a swan that had roses in it, very pretty.

Jarod's parent's gave me a beautiful plant holder to go out on our deck because I've been mentioning how I want to grow flowers out there. They also gave me another of my favorite movies, Romancing the Stone.

It was a wonderful evening, although I did start to get pretty exhausted by the end. It's been a long couple of days!

Cleo and Gizmo, hanging out.

Making a wish!

Here comes the cake!

Jarod having dessert.

My mom.

The vegan cake!

Love Life, a gift from my brother. Kal even signed it for me!

The best movie ever!

A cute penguin statue from my Nana.

Today I slept in late, and then went to the mall to use my gift certificate from Jarod! I bought two pashmina's, a cute sweatshirt, and a gorgeous pair of heels.

Flickr Mosaic

2007-06-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

1. Cinderella (The morning after),

2. El colibrí esmeralda,

3. F.B.I. Ils sont partout...........,

4. Gotcha!,

5. Untitled,

6. .make a wish.,

7. Feeding time for a baby white tiger,

8. A Pregnant Seahorse,

9. Pregnant and Abandoned,

10. Anna Pregnant,

11. congolaise3,

12. Untitled,

13. A Poppy Crop,

14. Almost Glowing,

15. yum,

16. Untitled,

17. Good old Blue Eyes,

18. Aichmophobia,

19. Untitled,

20. Untitled,

21. Got ya,

22. IMG_2393b,

23. Eating Meat Is Cannibalism,

24. Crime Scene,

25. boathouse

feeling good

2007-05-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

Had my final shift at Purdy's tonight. It went well. I really do love that place, especially my co-workers. I was thinking that I may go back and ask all of them to tell me what their favorite chocolate is, and then I could make a pin for each of them made of clay (like the items on my Etsy page). I really must find time to do that.

My birthday snuck up on me this year. Five days left of being 21.

Something *sparkly* is in the works... can't let it out until it's official though ;)

Currently I am addicted to Jelly Belly's. They are so yummy! I hate regular jelly beans, but jelly belly's have the most amazing flavors (50 of them to be exact)! Picked up two packages at the mall tonight.

Also hooked on Theme Hospital. I love computer games, and I discovered this one in my computer CD booklet the other day. Once I beet it I'm going to play Theme Park. I really want to go to a big computer store and see all of the amazing games they have... really gets my imagination flowing.

Love the new coke ad that plays at the movies theatre. Watch it here. It makes me so happy every time I see it. They had another one a while ago that was amazing too. So much detail. I love illustrations like that too. When I was little I could stare at my books for ever, looking at the pictures and imagining the people actually moving and such. I still have some of those books. I hope I can produce illustrations some day that inspire people.

Feeling pretty good about life right now. Tired, but happy.

Etsy!

2007-05-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

Just finished adding 15 new items to my Etsy shop! More to come soon too! Take a look and let me know what you think!

-A

BIG news!

2007-05-19T01:08:00.001-07:00

Today started off a little rough. I slept in, didn't have time to eat breakfast, then when I was driving to work I came to a road blockage and a flag woman told me that their had been a serious accident on the road, so I had to turn around and backtrack for quite a ways before getting on to a different road. Then I came to a semi that had rolled over on a turn, so that slowed me down too! However during this drive I received a phone call from the IDEA program! I got in! I can't even explain how thrilled I am about this. I have told so many people about it, and have pretty much planned my life around it... so it is huge that I got in. I am so ecstatic!

I ended up being about 5 min. late for work, which was no big deal. After work I drove over to my parent's boat for dinner with my dad. He made a very nice salad, with big chunks of tomato and cucumber. We also had bread with oil and vinegar, and for dessert we dipped pieces of bread into maple syrup that my sister's boyfriend, Mike, collected from trees on his farm. It was so yummy! My dad and I had a very nice talk, and listened to some of his favorite music.

After dinner with my dad I drove to the Fisherman's hall in Ladner for my friend Jody's going away party. She is moving to Alberta with her boyfriend. I saw so many people from high school that I've lost touch with. It was all very emotional for me, and I cried a bit when I was leaving. It was sad for me to see all of these people who have stayed so close, and I hardly ever see them. I had a very nice talk with my friend Taryn, and she made me realize that if I wasn't important to them, I wouldn't have been invited after so long of not seeing anyone. I hope that now that I work in Ladner I can get together with old friends. I left the party just before midnight, and now it's past 1am. I think I'm ready for bed now, but I just have so much on my mind. Looking forward to my three days off!

Yadda Yadda Yadda

2007-05-17T23:31:00.001-07:00

Jarod's friend Adam, the party host, ready to groove to some eight-tracks!

On the weekend Jarod and I went to an eight-track party at his friend Adam's house. We were the first people there, so I entertained myself by taking photo's of his fish tank. He had the most adorable mini frogs too! The purpose of the party was to raise money for a walk for Cancer that Adam will be doing, and people could either bring eight-tracks to listen to or money to donate. Adam owns an entire dresser full of them! It was lots of fun listening to older music... much different than what you hear on the radio now!

Tomorrow I work from 1:15 to 6:15 at the credit union. After that, I'll be heading over to my parent's boat to have dinner with my dad. He's making us a big salad for dinner. My mom is still in Edmonton visiting her mom, but I think she should be coming home soon. After dinner with my dad I'll be going to a going-away party for my good high-school friend Jody who is moving to Alberta. It will be nice to see old friends from school who I've lost touch with.

I'm really wanting to start a daily art journal... but I have to be totally committed to it. I also need a fresh new sketchbook for it. I have plenty of sketchbooks, but they're all about half filled and I want to be as messy as I like with my art journal. I'm also thinking I want it to be pretty big, so I can go crazy on the pages. I'm adding it to my birthday wish list :)

I saw some aqua high heels at Le Chateau yesterday and I fell in love! I really need new shoes for work since my boots were stolen and Gizmo ate another pair. Adding them to my wish list too :) I also love the look of pashmina's and want one in every colour! They look great tied around the neck, and if I get cold... instant blanket!

I have three days off this weekend which has me almost giddy. Plans to go out with my friend Chelsea on Monday, but that's all I've set up so far! Jarod also booked our campsite at Alice Lake for our vacation in June. I'm really excited about it!

Note: I was looking up links to add to this post and I came across this dress (the black and white floral print). I am so in love!!

Visual DNA

2007-05-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

This is super cool! Elsie had it on her blog. You answer quetions by choosing images and then it tells you your personality. It got me and Jarod both dead on!

I quit Purdy's on Sunday. I gave my two weeks notice, and then that's it, I'll just have the one job at the credit union. It will be nice to have a bit more spare time. Jarod and I are going camping in the middle of June for four days. We're going up to Alice lake (hee hee a lake named after me!?). It's near Whistler. I'm really excited!

My friend from work, Stacey, brought me a big box of old art supplies that used to belong to her mom. The packaging on them is so cool! It has so many interesting things, even old prismacolor pastels and things. Super excited about experimenting with them. Trying to get out of my artistic rut. I started making mini foods out of sculpey last night. It was super fun! I'll see if I can turn them in to jewellery and sell some on Etsy. My birthday is in about three weeks. 22 years old. That just sounds silly! Time has gone by SO fast since I graduated! I'm enjoying life though.

That's all for now!

Portfolio

2007-05-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Leigh-Ann requested that I post some photo's of my portfolio that I submitted to the IDEA program. I took them quickly, and there is some glare from the page protectors. It looks much better in person, but here's a peek at it.

Who cursed me?

2007-05-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a bill from the government. I've been getting GST cheques, and apparently since I live with Jarod, they want the money back. So now I owe $200.00. It's not my fault that they were sending me money and I spent it!

Then today I worked in Ladner from 1:15-5:15, and on my drive home my car started acting funny. As I pulled up to a red light, with lots of cars behind me, my car turned off and wouldn't re-start. I had to get two people to help me push it over to a parking lot. Then, crying (remember I'm super emotional!), I phoned Jarod. He was at work and told me to phone his parents since they lived nearby, but they weren't answering. I phoned my dad and then waited for about 30min. in the boiling heat for him to come. Luckily he's a mechanic and was able to hook up a temporary solution so that I could drive it to Jarod's parent's house. He put an extra battery he had in my passengers seat, and then hooked up jumper cables from it through my window to my car battery. I stayed there for a bit, and then Jarod's sister, Megan, gave me a ride home.

Luckily I have a day off tomorrow, but I'm going to have to spend it getting my car fixed.

please, please no more bad luck!

Interview

2007-05-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had my interview for the IDEA program. First, I had a 30 min. interview with two of the instructors. I think it went pretty well. I was friendly and talkative, and they seemed to like my answers to their questions.

After that I had a writing test. We were each given a pad of paper, a dictionary, a sheet of sentences, and a photo of a collage. First we had to correct the mistakes in each sentence, and then we had to write a formal essay about the collage! We were only given one hour to do everything. I am not the best writer out there, especially when it comes to essays. After the evil essay we had a one hour lunch. I went to the cafeteria with a few other girls. They were all very nice, and just as nervous as me. After lunch was the drawing test. We were given an easel and a big piece of paper, and had to draw a still life of a vase of flowers, some apples, and a tea pot. We were only given willow charcoal and white chalk to draw it with. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see anyone elses so I don't know how I compared.

85 people submitted their portfolio's to the program, and 50 were called back for interviews. Now they will narrow it down to thirty who will be accepted. I should hear back at the end of May. I am so nervous. I have no back-ups. This is what I want to do.

Check out the grad work from this year here. I get so excited when I look at their work. It is exactly what I want to do. Design company logo's, make pamphlets, create packaging, do illustration, create fonts, it sounds so amazing!

mad.

2007-05-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

Today was pretty sucky. I woke up in a very strange mood. I felt really sad, like I could burst into tears at any moment, and also really anxious. I had planned on going over to Valerie's house for a scrapnight after work, but because of the very strange mood I was in, I sent her an e-mail from work to cancel. I felt really bad about it, I knew it would be lots of fun, but sometimes I get in these moods where nothing can cheer me up, and I didn't want to be a downer. So I came home after work at the credit union, and then Jarod and I went to buy vegetables. Then we went to IKEA because when I get in these funky moods I like to go shopping, not really to buy things, but more to look at items, and get my mind off of other stuff. It seemed to work, and we had a nice time. I bougth a bedside table and some mini cacti to go on it. Later on we met up with two of Jarod's friends and went to see Spiderman 3. I was not at all expecting the silly movie to be 2 and a half hours long, so wasn't in the best mood when we got out. Then we got back to my car, and I noticed a small flashlight on the seat. As I was asking Jarod if he left it there, I noticed the CD player was gone. Someone broke into my car. Both doors were locked when we got back, so I guess they re-locked when they left, just to be nice. Stupid robbers.

They took:
My nice knee high boots
A basketball
CD player
Ash tray (why?)
Jarod's book of CD's
Tacometer (a nice big one for racing)

They left:
A flashlight
A socket

If I claim my insurance it will be a $300.00 deductable, which I can't afford right now.

My mood is now much worse than when I woke up.

I work at Purdy's tomorrow. I just want to sleep all day.

Busy as a bee!

2007-05-01T21:56:00.000-07:00

This was a super busy weekend for me!

Friday night my sister, her boyfriend Mike, and my parents came over in the evening to watch some episodes of the Office and hang out. Saturday I worked at the credit union until 3:15, and then headed over to Jarod's parent's house to make brownies for my mom's birthday. Then I went home and got fancied up before Jarod and I drove downtown to Bishop's, picking up my brother on the way. My parents, sister and boyfriend, and Nana were there all ready. The dinner was wonderful. They made a special vegan meal and appetizer for me. First everyone was given a little teaser hat I think was some sort of crab or fish cake, but I was given the most adorable carrot swirl on a stick. It was so fresh and yummy! My appetizer was a grilled portebello mushroom with asparagus on top. It was amazing. Then for dinner I had yam tempura with mushrooms and other fancy things in it. My mom was given a plate of beautifully sliced pears and apples for her birthday that we all shared.

After dinner we drove out to North Delta to Jarod's parents house. His mom had decorated with balloons and even made a cake and cut up lots of fruit for us. It was lots of fun, and it was really nice to have my "two families" mix. I gave my mom the special gift that I am making for her. I am making her a scrapbook. I e-mailed lots of her friends/family and had them send me letters, and then I gathered together about 150 photo's, scanned them all on my computer and got them printed. The album is nowhere near complete, but she loved the start of it. Since my parents plan on sailing away for long periods of time, I thought it would be nice for her to have pictures and letters from her loved one's.

Back: My mom, Nana, and me

Front: My dad, brother Graham, bf Jarod, Mike, sister Emily

After the wonderful evening we headed home, and I took Cleo so she could sleep at my place. On Sunday Jarod, Cleo, Gizmo, and I slept in. My car has been having issues lately, so Jarod took it to get fixed in the afternoon (a new alternator or something). Around 3 we left to go for a ride on my parents boat, moving it from one marina to another. It was a beautiful day. We did get grounded once, and had to get a big motor boat to pull us out. We also had to go under the Whestom Island bridge. The middle of the bridge spins so boats can pass.

Monday I worked at the credit union from 10:15-5:15. My sister and Mike flew home, but I met up with them for a few minutes at Starbucks before work. Work was super busy because of taxes being due and such, so it was a crazy day. Then, on the drive home, I checked my messages and I got THE call. The IDEA program looked at my portfolio and wants me to come in for an interview!!!! I'm thrilled! It's on Tuesday May 8th at 9am. Apparently 87 people applied for the 30 spots, and I think about 50 people get interviewed. Cross-your-fingers and toes for me!

Toothbrushes

2007-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

I've been scrapbooking again! This blog has inspired me :)

A good day.

2007-04-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Today was great. My mom stopped by around 2pm and we cleaned until 8:oopm. We watched a few episodes of The Office season 2. I can't wait for the third season to be available on DVD, same goes for LOST. I love watching shows on DVD because there are no commercials, and I can watch them again and again if I want!

Our main goal today was to clean up my horribly messy office (just ask Leigh-Ann how bad it was when she was here and double that). It is so pretty now, and I can actually scrapbook again and make some art! Yay! Goal for tonight: Make at least one layout.

Tomorrow my sister and her boyfriend Mike arrive from Ontario! I haven't seen them since early December, and they've never seen my condo either. They will be staying with my parents on their sail boat. Don't ask me how that's supposed to work! I've invited them all over tomorrow night to see my place and hang out for a bit. Yes, I have two days off IN A ROW! It was so nice to sleep in today, and now I'm super stoked on staying up late scrapbooking. Valerie and ARTistry have really inspired me. Saturday afternoon I work, and then for dinner my mom, dad, sister Emily and her boyfriend Mike, brother Graham, Jarod, my nana and me will all be going to a super fancy restaurant down town, Bishops. They know that there will be two vegans too, and said that's no problem! After dinner we'll be heading over to Jarod's parents house for cake! Then on Sunday my parents will be moving their boat to a different marina and my dad asked me to come along and he'll pay me to take photographs! He's so supportive of me :)

OK time to go play!

Happy Birthday!

2007-04-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

done!

2007-04-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty exhausted but thought I'd post letting everyone know I just finished my portfolio! Yippy! My mom is dropping it off at the school for me tomorrow since I have to work. They also have the 2007 gallery up for the program, so if you want to see what sort of projects I'll be doing if I get accepted (cross your fingers!) click here.

I had training for the credit union again today. They're long, boring days but pretty stress free. I have a meeting with my manager tomorrow to go over how I'm doing, if I have any questions, etc. Should be good.

Note to Megan:
I signed out a debit card to someone the other day all by myself! yay! And I got a Master Card referral too!

Oh and on Friday I didn't end up going out, but I did go to Valerie's after work on Saturday! We had so much fun. We went to Starbucks, then Michaels, then hung out for a bit looking at her gorgeous albums before getting sushi for dinner. After dinner we scrapped for a while. It was so much fun!

And then yesterday I went out after work with a girl I work with, Stacey. She's a vegetarian too and we had lots of fun! She recently bought a townhouse in Ladner that's being renovated so she showed me around. We also stopped by the boat to see my folks. My mom bought a bike that folds up that she's quite happy with. She looks so cute riding it.

I don't think I can last another 36 minutes until midnight, so I'll say it now:

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
LOVE YOU!

Sunshine

2007-04-20T18:28:00.000-07:00

No this wasn't taken by me... it's from an e-mail forward, but I LOVE it!

It's beautiful outside today! The sun is shining, and it is making me so happy! I had training today and yesterday for the credit union, which means sitting at a desk from 9-5 listening to an instructor. I was nodding off before lunch, but then Jarod's mom (who works at the head office) and I went to Starbucks for coffee (soy vanilla latte and a vegan brownie, of course!). The drive home was very long because of traffic, and I was starting to get really tired again, but now that I'm home I seem to be feeling a little energetic! Trying to decide right now if I should:

a) edit photo's for my portfolio

b) clean my office (it's a DISASTER)

c) have a nap

d) sort art work for my portfolio

e) watch TV

Decision E would be the lazy way out... so let's avoid that one. I guess C would fit in the same category. B would really make Jarod happy, and he's had a bad day... so let's go with that one! I talked to him a little bit ago. He went to a friends house to play street hockey and when he shot he ended up breaking their really big front window. It's going to be like $500.00 to fix. Poor boy.

I'm so excited for tomorrow! I get to meet Valerie and we're going to scrapbook! I used to be obsessed with scrapbooking, but haven't done any for such a long time. I really want to get hooked again! I think she'll be perfect for inspiration!

Tonight I think I'm going out with my gal pal Chelsea, not sure when or where though!

I work tomorrow. And Sunday. And Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. That's a seven day stretch! Yuck! But it does mean money! Yippy!

Photography

2007-04-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

I told my dad how I was asked to photograph a wedding, and he suggested that I e-mail his good friend George who is a professional photographer from Toronto. So I did, and he e-mailed me back with lots of advice and what I'll need to shoot the wedding. He also sent me a bunch of photo's from his recent trip to Costa Rica. They were so amazing! I want to be a photo journalist now haha. I'm always changing my career choices.

Remember how I said I wanted to move away? Well I looked into photography programs at other schools in Canada, and Nova Scotia has a really cool art school in Halifax. I looked at the price of housing there, got all excited, and told Jarod on the phone when he was at work that I wanted to move to Halifax. He wasn't too thrilled, BUT didn't say no either. Then when I got off the phone I realized it was a lot to ask of him. We still haven't been able to talk about this in person because of our stupid opposite schedules. Today during our nightly phone call I told him that I would still apply to the illustration/design program in Vancouver, and if I get in than we'll stay where we are and la dee da. BUT if I don't get accepted, than I think we should consider moving. He seemed to agree with that. He also told me he can probably get a job transfer in a few years to Kelowna or someplace else in BC and only work three days a week making big bucks.

Now I'm stuck deciding if I should study photography or design. I wish I could take them together. But seriously, how fun would it be to be a photographer and travel the world taking photographs!? I love to travel, and I love different cultures, so it would cover all of it! My oh my... decisions!

I'm getting together with my good friend Chelsea this Friday which is exciting, and then on Saturday I am scrapbooking with blogger pal Val! I have a life... score!

Links Update

2007-04-15T00:39:00.000-07:00

I updated all of the links on the right side of my page. I added some new ones, deleted some old ones, etc. Check them out! It took me all night to go through all of them, but I've been wanting to do it for a while. I added quite a few photographers so at least look at them.

Mom and Dad!

2007-04-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

My parents finished their drive from Toronto to Vancouver today. It took them five days, and they stopped to see friends along the way. They dropped by my house on the way to a hotel to spend tonight before going on their boat tomorrow (That sentence sounds funny in my head, but I'm not going to fix it). So I got to see my mommy and daddy, as well as Cleo the black lab and Ruphus my sister's dachshund. I hadn't seen them since the beginning of December, so four months or so. We talked about the silly housing prices in BC, and how my sister bought a house in Ontario for half the price of our condo here. So now I'm thinking AGAIN about how it may be cool to move away from the lower mainland for a bit. But then what about school? Well, it's not like Vancouver has the only University's in Canada. I guess the main thing is bringing this topic up with Jarod. My parents think it would be good for us to move away for a bit before having kids and stuff. Live our lives. Explore, etc.

Blah I'm rambling. Tomorrow I work at the bank 11:30-4:40, then drive straight to Purdy's for my shift from 5:50-9:30. yuck.

Don't worry Megan, no plans for moving yet :)

Easter

2007-04-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

I had a very nice Easter this year (except of course for not being with my family).

Saturday I worked at the credit union in the morning, and had a very bad day. I ended up forgetting a step at the end of my shift which made us out. It was something that could be easily fixed Monday morning, but I still felt so stupid. My brother stopped by our condo later on on Saturday. It's always nice to see him. In the evening Jarod, Gizmo and I drove out to Jarod's mom and dad's house where we slept over. Jarod and I went out and saw Blades of Glory, and then came back and played Battle ship for a bit.

In the morning we were given Easter baskets and goodies, and they even bought us a brand new fancy fan because our condo gets SO hot in the summer. For dinner we went to Jarod's aunt and uncles house in White Rock. It was a bit difficult because we're vegan, so Jarod's mom made us vegan food at her place and we brought it with us. She has been really great about the vegan thing, especially since she had already bought us tons of Easter chocolate and then had to buy us new stuff when she found out we were vegan.

Yesterday I worked at the credit union again, and at the end of my shift one of my old best friends from high school came in. We ended up talking for a bit, and it was so nice to catch up. In the evening I was on the computer and started talking with another one of my best friends from high school, and then she drove out to my place, picked me up, and we went to the Naam for dinner. It felt great to see an old friend again. I couldn't believe it had been two years since we had last seen each other.

Today I had training from 9am-5pm in Langley. It was my orientation for the credit union. They do a really good job of training at Envision. They make it fun, have toys and candy on the tables, etc. but I still had a very hard time keeping my eyes open in the morning. Lunch was brought in for us, although I couldn't eat any of it. The sandwiches were all meat and although they had two salads, one had bacon on it and the other had feta cheese. I brought a lunch with me anyways though, so it didn't bother me.

I was also asked to photograph a wedding which has me super excited. It's next March, and one of Jarod's good friends told his ex-girlfriend (the one getting married) about me, and that I do photography. So she e-mailed me and she wants me to do engagement photo's, the wedding (all day), and then she also said she's planning on having a baby next year so she wants me to do pregnancy photo's and then baby photo's! I am going to make a portfolio of my best work first, and then have a meeting with her and her fiance.

Also, a friend of mine knows two bands that could use me to take band photographs for them. I think I'll do these for free to develop my portfolio.

Pretty Easter flowers!

The cake Jarod's aunt made. I couldn't eat it so I took photo's!

Gizmo

Center piece at Jarod's Aunt's house

My meal at The Naam

Help Shane

2007-04-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

I thought this was super cool... a boy in Ontario wants to set a word record by receiving the most birthday cards! Check out this link, and then send him a card!

My sister bought a house! Way to go Em! Wow... maybe Jarod and I should move to Ontario too, quite the differance in housing costs. I was looking online the other night at places in North Vancouver (where I hope to go to school) and the prices are ridiculous!

I would love to live in an actual house with a yard. Our condo is really nice, but it is just so small for the amount of stuff that I have! I want a cute house with a third story loft as my studio. Oh and I want a white picket fence and I want to my paint the house fun colours, like aqua trim or something.

I'm a vegan!

2007-04-04T19:19:00.000-07:00

As planned, Jarod and I both became vegans on April 1st. We went shopping together, and I don't think I've ever read so many labels! Animal products hide everywhere... and I thought being a vegetarian was tough. Did you know that gelatin (made from cattle bones) is in frosted mini wheats cereal? I knew it was in marshmallows, jello, etc, but never bothered to look at the label on cereal for it! We bought some lime sorbet that Jarod read the label for, and after getting home and having some after dinner we both agreed that it was really, really good.. but maybe a bit too creamy. Jarod re-read the label to discover the first ingredient was milk. Oops. So that will have to get shipped off to Jarod's parents house along with some other food that we can no longer eat. I think Jarod will be vegan only for April, and then gradually add other foods back in to his diet to see what gives him such bad stomach problems, whereas I may stay vegan permanently. I already feel better in so many ways. I asked Jarod to drop me off at work yesterday so I could walk home, and I feel myself leaning towards healthier food. I stopped at Chapters on my way home from work today and bought a vegan cookbook. On my way to work today I stopped at Starbucks and bought a soy vanilla latte and a vegan brownie. So yummy! They make the brownies with applesauce instead of egg.

Anyways I'm off to eat dinner, read my new book, and then watch Americas Next Top Model!

More self portraits

2007-03-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I worked at the credit union and then in the evening attended an awards night. We got to dress up because it was a James Bond theme. I took some self portraits before heading out the door (above). The meal was good, and so was dessert, but then they gave out awards for a very, very long time. People from my branch kept leaving and eventually I was the only person left from the two tables where we were seated! I entertained myself a bit by taking photo's, but was glad when the evening came to an end. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been with the company longer, since I hardly knew any of the people winning awards. I went with Jarod's mom and she got to go up on stage for an award which was cool.

Worked today at the credit union from 12:30-4:30. I'm getting a hang of it now, but there are still some things that when I ask for help they just do it because it's busy and I don't get taught how to do it myself. We had some really long line ups today, but I survived. I got off at 4:30 and drove home, ran inside and changed and gave gizzy a kiss, then ran back to the car and drove to Purdy's for my 5:30 shift. I got off Purdy's at 9:30 and now I'm home ready to crash. Tomorrow I work at the credit union, and then Jarod and I are heading out to his friends BBQ. Sunday I work at Purdy's, and then finally on Monday I will have one day off to clean my home.

ARTistry: Day Three

2007-03-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday now, and the last day of ARTistry was on Sunday, but I have been too exhausted to post! On Sunday our instructor was Claudine Hellmuth. It was so awesome to meet her, I've been a fan of her work for a long time. She was really funny and the class was really fun. I also talked more with other women in our class. I didn't really expect to come to this event and leave feeling this inspired. Not only by the amazing instructors, but also by the other women in my class. They were so encouraging and supportive. I really hope we stay in touch.

Sunday night Jarod and I dropped Leigh-Ann off at her aunt's house and went out for Greek Food. We found a yummy new restaurant, which is awesome!

Yesterday morning I called in sick to the Credit Union. I was exhausted, and felt really gross. I didn't have the horrible illness that Leigh-Ann had when she was here, but I just felt overall yucky. I slept in most of the day, and later on Jarod and I went grocery shopping.

For the month of April we are both going Vegan (I've been a vegetarian for 9 years). Because of this, we didn't buy any food with any eggs/meat/dairy. It was really hard! I think I am going to be making a lot more of my meals from scratch, most microwave meals, etc. have cheese in them. I really think that I will feel a lot healthier by doing this. If by the end of April I am feeling better, than I may decide to stay vegan, we'll have to see though! I bought "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegan Living " to help me out a bit. You'd be surprised where animal products hide!

My Grandfather turns 90 in April, and my mom turns 50 (Yes mom, I'm telling your age but it's only because you actually look 30). I have a special project planned for her that I am really excited about. Also, my parents will be coming home from Toronto this month, and my sister Emily and her boyfriend Mike will be out to celebrate as well as my Nana! I'm so excited to have my family together again.

Work today was very hard. It was my first day all on my own, and there were lots of things that I didn't know. Being new is so hard, especially for me with my silly anxiety issues. I did end up balancing at the end of the day, but I phoned Jarod on my lunch break and started crying because I was so stressed. For me to learn, I need to actually do something. It doesn't help when someone comes over and does it for me, but because we need to go fast that's what usually happens. So today, there were lots of things that I had never done and I'd have to get someone to help me but they would be busy so they'd tell me what to do, but I need to be shown. It was hard and I am so glad I am home. Jarod sent me a nice e-mail and left me a cute note though, so I'm in a not-so-bad mood. It's hard when I work at the credit union. I leave for work at 8am and by the time I get home at 6pm, Jarod has left for his job and then doesn't get home until 4:30am.

OK time to stop ranting, but I will leave you with one last thing. My sister Emily has started a blog about food/travel, and she is a really good writer, so take a peak if you like. She only has two posts so far, but I'm sure more will come soon! Check it out here.

Artistry: Day Two

2007-03-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

Today was another great day. Leigh-Ann and I got to ARTistry early so we played around in the parking lot taking photo's.

Our instructor for today was Donna Downey, such a hilarious woman. Loved the class. I got her to sign my copies of her three books, as well as took some cute photo's.

Today was also the crop at Clipper Street in Langley for ARTistry students only. I am proud of myself for going (If you don't know the details, look here and then here). When we got there I thought I was going to cry. I was actually shaking and was so angry/upset. Deanna came over to me and pretended to be all sweet and stuff, asking me how I was doing, telling me my album was adorable, etc. Grrr. I STILL have no idea why I was fired from that stupid place. So much emotion... I talked the entire drive home. It's midnight now. I'm waiting for Jarod to get home so I can blab away to him for a while. I've hardly seen him this week! I've been out all day, he's out all night working, blah. I miss my lover boy :)

I've met so many AMAZING woman at this event. Wow. Love how creative they all are. Went out for lunch today with Lilli, and she reminds me so much of my mom. She was so sweet and got me thinking about things. Dreams, passions, etc.

Loving life today.

Me and Leigh-Ann

I love my foot in this shot

Donna and Me

Ali Edwards, Donnna Downey, Claudine Hellmuth

Artistry: Day one!

2007-03-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome! I met Ali Edwards (in the scrapbooking world, she's like Madonna).

Leigh-Ann and I are taking a three day course called ARTistry. Each day we have a different instructor. Today we made a chipboard album about our evolution through childhood to now. It's really cool, although I'm still not done. There was quite a bit of painting involved (note my hand, below). I got Ali to sign a copy of her book that I own, as well as the scrapbook I made during her class.

Leigh-Ann has been very sick since Wednesday. On Wednesday we went to Ruby Dog's Art House, and Granville Island. She started to feel really sick when we were down town and ended up getting sick during the car ride home and all evening. Yesterday I worked from 9:15-5:15 and when I got home she was feeling better. I think the resting did her good. I took her to Purdy's for ice-cream, and then we watched Grey's Anatomy. Today she started to feel weak in the afternoon again, and so we stopped at Super Store on the way home so she could get some gravel (and I bought a pie). I hope she sleeps well tonight and feels better for tomorrow, I know how important ARTistry is to her.

My house is a disaster, and I keep meaning to clean it but I never have the energy. I worked Thursday, spend today, Saturday and Sunday at Artistry, then I work all of the following seven days, two of which are double shifts working both jobs, and one day I go to a staff awards night after work. I always plan on cleaning on my days off, but usually get distracted with other things to do (like sleep).

Anyways, I'll leave you with a few photo's from today!

Leigh-Ann is here!

2007-03-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

I picked Leigh-Ann up from the airport this morning at 8:30am. It was strange to finally meet because I felt like I already knew her so well. We took this photo at the airport while waiting for her luggage... (THREE suitcases for a one week trip haha).

After we picked up her bags and got back to my car we drove to Michael's in Richmond, actually the one that I worked at for two years. I hadn't been back since quitting. It was really nice to see some old colleagues of mine. Then we went to Tim Horton's for some hot chocolate.

After that we drove to Daiso. On the way we saw a bus with a bike rack on the front which amazed Leigh-Ann. "Is that a bike on the front of a bus!??!" She thought the bus hit a bike or something :)

Daiso is this Asian store in an Asian mall in Richmond, and everything in it is $2.00. It is really big (two stories), and has tons of cool things. We bought fun paper and other goodies.

Then we drove out to Ladner to see my old house, the credit union I work at, and we stopped at the Ladner thrift store and Bakery. We bought pizza bagels (or pizza buns as Leigh-Ann calls them... then what's the hole for Leigh-Ann!?)

After Ladner we drove to Tsawwassen to see the ocean! It was so pretty, but very cold.

We spent a long time searching for a heart shaped rock for Leigh-Ann, and then one for me. We finally found them though!

And finally we drove back to my house stopping at the grocery store on the way. Leigh-Ann met Gizmo, and he loves her :)

Tomorrow will be awesome. We're going to Granville Island and lots of other cool things!

Moody

2007-03-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have an addiction to Q-tips. I use about 2 of them per day to itch my ears. I have been doing this for about 8 months or so, and I know it's not good for my ears but I can't stop, they're so itchy. Last night I think I did some damage though, because my right ear has been hurting SO bad ever since. It even hurts to chew or yawn. I really hope I haven't done any serious damage, and let's hope I've learned my lesson.

I fell asleep last night around midnight (after doing crosswords and eating ice cream, of course), but then woke up again at 2am. After that I could not fall back asleep. I got up and played video games, then read an Archie Comic, and then did more crosswords. Jarod got home from work at 4am and I was able to rest for a bit with the lights out until 7:25am, but hardly got any real sleep.

I worked at the Credit Union from 9:15am-3:15pm. Today was my first real day on the job, although I am still being trained. For the first half of the day I was watching another teller, and then after lunch I got to help members! I was able to help customers all by myself, without any assistance for anything on multiple occasions, which my trainer and my boss were both very impressed by. I was really nervous last night because I've never done banking before and there is tons to learn, but I am really proud of myself for doing so well.

I got home from the credit union at about 4:10pm, ate a burrito, and then left to start work at Purdy's by 5pm. I worked there until 9:45pm. I was supposed to get off at 9:30, but about one minute before being totally done for the evening I accidentally spilt an entire bucket of water over that I was mopping the floor with.

I finally got home to discover that Gizmo had torn up a toilet paper roll, eaten half a jar of mixed nuts, and destroyed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He is currently shut in the bathroom. The other day he chewed up the heel of a nice pair of my shoes as well, so from now on he's will have to be put in the bathroom when we go out. He knows when he has done something wrong, too, because he hides under the coffee table when I get home. Silly boy.

My friend Leigh-Ann from Winnipeg will be staying with me next week before the ARTistry event. I'm so excited!

Alright, it's time for some good old TV, and I have to let Gizmo know I don't hate him.

Park!

2007-03-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Jarod and I took Gizmo for a walk today to a park near our house. I brought my camera along and took lots of photo's. I posted a few here, but take a look at the rest on my Flickr page (link is in my side bar).

Puppies!

2007-03-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

Our friends Jenna-Lee and Rob's dog just gave birth to puppies! I haven't visited them yet, but Jenna sent me this photo. Aren't they adorable!?

Jarod and I went out to a dinner and a movie tonight with some friends. We saw the movie 300. It was a bit gory, but nothing I couldn't handle. I really enjoyed it actually. Really cool special effects.

I also rented a movie the other day which we started to watch today before we left to go out. We are only part way through but I am really, really enjoying it so far. It is called Manufactured Landscapes and it is a documentary about the photographer Edward Burtynsky. I highly recommend it. (Mom and dad, you would really like it).

More pics of me!

2007-03-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Honestly, I am not obsessed with myself. I just have a fascination with photography and no models to shoot!

Confessions of a procrastinater

2007-03-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I am really bad at procrastinating. It doesn't matter if it is an ugly job, such as chores, or something that I love, like art. I will wait until the last possible moment to get it done. Yesterday I collected all of our dirty laundry and put it in a pile. It's kind of scary what procrastinating can turn into! (The photo hardly shows the true amount of laundry). Gizmo thought it was his new bed.

Today I had my first training session for the credit union. It was at the head office in Langley and there were two other people in my class. Today we learned how to use the computer program for doing transactions. The other two people have worked in the branch already, one for several months and the other for two weeks, so I was a little more clueless than them. It was fun though, and they had Slinky's, Silly Putty, and candy's on the desk to keep us occupied while watching demo's. We were there from 9am-5pm, and I was scheduled at Purdy's from 5pm-9:30pm. We got out of class at ten to 5, then I drove home and quickly changed and drove to Purdy's. I didn't get there till 5:30 but my boss new I might be late. Now it's quarter to 11pm and I am pretty exhausted. Tomorrow I have another training day for the credit union from 9am-5pm. Luckily, I don't work afterwards so I wont miss Grey's Anatomy! I did, however, miss America's Next Top Model again tonight because of work. Grrrrr.

I had three days off this weekend which was really nice. I convinced Jarod to rent video games and we stayed up really late one night playing Family Guy for PS2. He was such a good sport :) We even moved the coffee table and made a bed on the floor with blankets to lye on as we played. I also rented The Sims 2 and have been pretty hooked on it.

OK... have to get up in 8.5 hours and I still have to eat dinner!

Shopping!

2007-03-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

I had my second shift at my new job today. I am loving it so much. Everyone is really nice and friendly, and it is a really great atmosphere. Today I was finally feeling better as well... I have had a nasty cough/throat pain/feeling exhausted thing for the last week or so. I hardly had a voice on some of the days earlier in the week. At work today I was put in a back room with a desk and a computer and courses. First I had to read through about an hours worth of material, and then take a test on what I read. I had to do this four times, for different topics, and each time had to get over 80% correct to pass. I ended up with an 85%, 88%, and two 100%'s!

After returning home and hanging out for a while, Megan and I went to The Bread Garden at the mall for dinner, and then went shopping for work clothes! I phoned my mom earlier in the day and she agreed to pay for some new work clothes for me since I am out of money and most of my clothes are either stained with paint or are too small for me since I added an extra ten pounds in my knee to hip region. Darn ice cream. Anyways, we had fun visiting all our favorite shops, and I found some great pieces that I can mix and match with other clothes I already own.

I had seen a similar red jacket at a different store last week and was tempted to buy it, but today Megan took me to a shop that I had never known about and I found this... with POLK-A-DOTS! Costa Blanca $29.50

I normally don't go for yellow or orange, but I really like this yellow tank. It also has polk-a-dots that are a shear material! I thought this was perfect to wear under another shirt for a little pizazz! (See down below). Off the Wall $18.00

This black shirt is nice and simple, and I can wear a shirt under it to add colour (and cover up the cleavage!). Off the Wall $20.00

I bought this black vest and really love it. I photographed it on top of the yellow tank so you can see the cut of it. Costa Blanca $25.50

These pants are brown with a light pin stripe... polk-a-dots and pin-stripes... my faves! RW&Co. $55.00

Back

Front

Love, love, love this skirt. I saw an episode of What Not to Wear ages ago where they recommended a skirt like this and I have been looking for one ever since. The back has a really great cut to it. RW&Co. Reg: $59.95, Sale: $39.95

I've been wanting this necklace for a long time too! Off the Wall $10.00

And last stop... Jugo Juice! I love fruit smoothies :) This one is called Powerzone and has strawberries, pineapple, lime sorbet, orange juice, tropical nectar, and boosters.

Etsy

2007-03-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

I lowered the prices on some of my items in my shop, as well as added two cute new finds!

Gizmo is One!

2007-02-28T22:04:00.000-08:00

It's Gizmo's Birthday today!!! He is now one year old :) He was also chosen to be in a special "onesies photo collage" at The Daily Puppy. Click on the link and scroll down till you see him! I am thrilled that he was chosen! You can leave a comment for him there too!

Sick, Snow, Oscars and Slurrpies.

2007-02-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I worked and picked up fresh vegetables and bread from the mall. I came home at 6:00 and Jarod and I made dinner together. We had corn-on-the-cob, baked sweet potato rounds, yummy bread dipped in oil and vinegar, carrots in a sauce, and fried green tomatoes(like from the movie!). It was so nice to have a real dinner, and I am a vegetable lover. In the evening I had a very sore throat. We watched Running With Scissors. Another flick that not everyone can appreciate, but I found to be hilarious (Mom, you have to see it).

I went to work yesterday, and my throat continued to get worse. For dinner we went to Jarod's parent's house and had wraps, then watched The Oscars. I was thrilled that Little Miss Sunshine was nominated for several awards, it's one of my favorite movies. I don't completely agree with the winner for best picture, The Departed. Although I enjoyed the movie I thought Babel was spectacular and should have won. I was also really happy that Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Actor for Half Nelson, another great film. We came home from visiting and I played The Sims on my PS2. I'll admit it, I LOVE video games, especially RPG's (roll-playing games), and old classics like tetris. Jarod, however, can't stand video games.

Today I woke up with half a voice and it has still not come back. I slept in quite late, Jarod made me soup, I played more of the Sims, and we went to Chapters. I only bought one magazine (after Jarod convinced me to put one back) high five for Alice!

Oh! And it snowed this morning! I woke up to huge snowflakes falling from the sky.
After Chapters, Jarod and I rented some movies (Planet of the Apes with Mark Wahlberg, Man of the year, and the Trailer Park Boys) and bought Slurpee's. So I'm off to relax and sooth my throat, then go to sleep because I start my first day at my new job tomorrow!!

Circle Journal

2007-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

I am partcipating in a circle journal (my first one) and we sent them out last Thursday. We have five people in our group, and I think it will be lots of fun! Everyone starts out by decorating an album, including the cover, intro page, sign in page, and does a layout. Each album has a diferent topic, so when you get it you do a page on that theme, put it in the album, and send it on to the next person in the circle. Eventually you get your original back, with a layout in it from each person in the group about your chosen theme. I took some quick photo's of mine before rushing off to the post office Thursday night, so they aren't very good quality but you get the idea! The theme for my album is "Happy". I am asking each person to make a page about all the things that make them happy!

New Pics

2007-02-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

New photo's on my Flickr page. They're artistic self-portraits. Click here to see!

Lululemon Manifesto

2007-02-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

Lululemon is a company that originated in Vancouver. They sell really comfortable clothes, mostly for yoga and exercise. The following is their manifesto. I love it.

~Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins and keeps your brain sharp.
~Observe a plant before and after watering and relate the benefits to your body and brain.
~Coke, Pepsi and all other pops will be known as the cigarettes of the future. Colas are NOT a substitute for water. Colas are just another cheap drug made to look great by advertising.
~Be yoga. Breathing has you live in the moment and stretching releases toxins from your muscles.
~Do yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
~Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
~SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
~Compliments from the heart elevate another person’s spirit and will often result in an encouraging word for someone else ... a domino effect.
~Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
~Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
~Write down your short and long term GOALS four times a year. 2 personal, 2 business and one health goal. A university found only 3 percent of the students had written goals. 20 years later, the same 3 percent were wealthier than the other 97% combined.
~You ALWAYS have choice and the conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
~Communication is COMPLICATED. Each person is raised in a different family with a different definition of each word.
~Love.
~Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
~Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. ~Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top. Be creative. Do one thing a day that scares you.
~Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
~Dance, sing, floss and travel.
~Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Try vinegar and lemon. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
~Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them. Children are the orgasm of life.
~Friends are more important than money. Don’t trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
~Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water. Vancouver will do nicely. Stress is related to 99% of all illnesses.
~One hour of aerobic exercise will release endorphins to regenerate cells and offset stress.
~A daily hit of athletic induced endorphins will give you the power to make better decisions and help you be at peace with yourself.
~Wake up and realize you are surrounded by amazing friends.
~lululemon athletica was formed to provide people with components to live a longer, healthier and more fun life. If we can produce products to keep people active and stress free, we believe the world will be a better place.
~Do it now. The world is changing AT SUCH A RAPID rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you two steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!!

2007-02-20T16:46:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I had a portfolio workshop to attend at Capilano College. I received quite a bit of information about the program and what to include in my portfolio, as well as a tour of the facilities. The program is three years long and each year has it's own classroom. You take all of the same classes as the rest of the people in your year (30 people) so everyone becomes really close. The first year students each get a cubicle with a drawing desk, and the second and third year students each get a cubicle with their very own brand new computer. At the beginning of second year each student gets a new mac, and that computer belongs just to them. At the end of third year you get to keep it! I had a good time and feel much more confident about my abilities. I was able to see examples of portfolios that current students used to apply for the program, and also heard many people who are applying say how nervous they are. Third year students also go on a trip to New York, and have a grad show near the end of the year where many big names in the design world attend. Plus, each student gets their own space to show off their work and give out business cards, etc.

Jarod dropped me off for the workshop and then met up with our friends Jenna and Rob, and their two dachshunds (one of whom is pregnant!). We brought Gizmo with us so they played for a few hours and then picked me up and we went out to eat.

On Sunday Rob and Jenna picked Jarod and me up and we drove out to the Greater Vancouver Zoo. I always struggle with zoo's. I love animals, and want to see them and photograph them, but I am also against the fact that they are caged up with not much space to roam. So I feel bad paying money to support the zoo, but also feel like the animals need my money... just like buying clothes made in sweatshops. Anyways, I decided to go to the zoo this time. It was really cold but we survived. We rented two seater bikes and the boys had fun racing them around. I made Jarod stop quite a bit so I could take photo's. I think one of the saddest animals to see was the eagle in a cage, but the sign explained that it had been injured in the wild and would not be able to survive on it's own. I also felt bad for the tiger because he was all by himself. At least the lions were in a group.

Kangaroos

Crows

A giraffe

A monkey

A peacock

A bald eagle

Me and Jarod on a statue of a pig. (photo taken by jenna-lee)

Sign post

Dangerous animals: Rob and Jarod

A snake

Tiny monkeys

A really big snake

A crocodile's eye

Crocodile

Ostrich's

Me and Jarod on a turtle (photo taken by Jenna-Lee)

Snake skin (I was the only person who wouldn't touch it!)

A lizard

A tortoise

A swan

A donkey

Another donkey's eye

Rob and Jenna on their bike

A camel

Jarod and Jenna watching the lions

Bore-type animals

Jarod pet one even after reading the sign saying that they have two razor sharp husks in their mouths. Then it suddenly freaked out and almost bit Jarod. I' d like to say he learned his lesson, but I doubt it.

A bear (she was far away and we could hardly see her, but luckily my camera zoomed in quite a bit)

A swan

A miniature horse

Jarod having fun with the bike

Me taking a photo of the giraffe when it was inside

Jenna riding a giraffe statue

A group of lions

Anyways, I'm back to work tonight for a staff meeting, and then work tomorrow at 9am.

Artwork

2007-02-15T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just uploaded tons of my artwork to my flickr page. Check it out if you like! (It's all old work... I'm procrasinating).

HAPPY

2007-02-15T17:31:00.000-08:00

I got the job!! I am the newest employee of Envision Financial!! I'm a bank teller now!! I'm still going to work at Purdy's, but this is SUCH a relief for our current financial situation. I'll be able to work only 2-3 days a week at Envision and get payed like I was working full time at Michaels. I am hoping it will give me the time to play with art and photography. I think we've all noticed my lack of art recently. My first day will be Feb.27, and then not until March 8. It'll give me some time top shop for clothes heehee... business casual! (I might need some pay cheques first though). I have the next 4 days off of Purdy's, so I have major plans for cleaning, reading, and creating!

I discovered this photographer and am seriously in love with her work. It is so brilliant!

I also discovered a bunch of blogs last night of different artists and am really feeling inspired. I know I keep saying that and then slack off and watch TV... but I'm serious this time!

Jarod and I watched a movie that was really good called Half Nelson, it has Ryan Gosling from the Notebook and Breaker High. We also rented Hard Candy, which I only recommend if you like movies that are a bit "intense". Good but crazy at the same time.

Cafe Press

2007-02-15T00:05:00.000-08:00

Check out my new shop at Cafe Press where you can purchase items that have photographs taken by me on them! T-shirts, pins, magnets, cards, and more! (Or you can just take a look!)

Click HERE to see!

Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

First off, Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! (It is my middle name, after all!)

Since Jarod works tonight, we celebrated our Valentine's Day on Monday. I got home from work a bit after 6pm and Jarod had made me my favorite dinner. Mashed potatoes, with heart shaped tofu and veggies in a super yummy honey ginger sauce. It has become our Valentine's ritual. He also bought me a very pretty plant and a heart shaped box of turtle chocolates. After dinner we went out to a movie... Jarod got to pick so he chose Smokin' Aces. It was entertaining (but a bit gory), and parts of it bothered us because they didn't make sense, but overall it was an OK movie.

We both ended up being sick yesterday, and both of us called in sick to work. I felt super guilty because I knew how busy my work would be (Day before Valentine's at a chocolate shop!).

Today I was still feeling really sick when I went to work, but I felt too guilty to call in sick again. I was pretty shaky for the first half of the day, but it was so crazy that I didn't really have time to be sick. The line ups were ridiculous, even when I got off at 5pm. Talk about last minute shopping!

I have the next 5 days off and am so excited about it! I really hope I get a lot done, but we'll see. The house is a mess again, so I need to clean, and I also have to get my portfolio together. This Saturday is Portfolio Day at Capilano College, so I bring it down there and get some tips on what to include, and what not to include, etc. I hope it will increase me chances of getting accepted to the illustration/design program.

If I don't get in, I've been thinking of a backup plan, and I would like to take the continuing studies photography program at Langara College. Even if I do get in to the IDEA program, I may take a few photography courses this summer for my own interest.

I was supposed to hear back from the credit union today about the job... but they never phoned me. There is an opening at another branch though, so I plan on applying for that one tomorrow.

OK, I'm exhausted, so I'm off to lie down and watch TV!

Park Photo's

2007-02-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

One thing that's great about where I live is that we have a large park across the street from us. Hidden amidst tons of trees is a a small lake. Jarod and I walked Gizmo there yesterday and I brought my camera along.

For dinner last night we made a super quick and yummy meal after I saw it made on Everyday Italian. All we did was boiled tortellini (Jarod got chicken, I got cheese) in fake chicken broth, and didn't strain it after so it became a soup! We also added carrots and onion too it. It was so good and I have extra that I plan on eating for dinner tonight too :)

As you may know, I am a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I do not eat anything that had eyes, including beef, pork, chicken, and fish. I do, however, eat dairy products and eggs. I am a vegetarian because of my beliefs. I think it is not necessary to kill animals to survive, although I do think they taste amazing (From what I can remember after nine years!).

Jarod, on the other hand, has stomach problems and can not eat cheese, sour cream, yogurt, or cream. He can have milk if it is used as an ingredient, but couldn't drink a glass of it. He also can not eat pork or hot dogs because of the chemicals used to preserve it.

So we made an agreement. For the month of March we will both go vegan! Eeek. That means no ice cream, no eggs, no cheese, no chocolate (uh oh!), and jarod can't eat any meat either. It was actually Jarod's suggestion, I think it's his way of getting me to eat healthier. I have a bad habit of eating junk, because it's easy. So this way, I'll be eating healthier which will make him happy, and he won't be eating meat which will make me happy!

Inspired!!

2007-02-07T22:09:00.000-08:00

I am feeling inspired right now so I'm going to make this a quick post and then go make some stuff! Last night I made a small teddy bear from felt. I think he's adorable and I'll post a picture of him later on.

Check out this site for something cool.

Oh yeah, and today was the day that I was supposed to find out if I got the job at Envision credit union. I did get a phone call, but it was to say that a lot more people applies at the last minute, so they have more interviews to do. I should hear back in a week. Cross your fingers for me!

Flickr

2007-02-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

I am really in to Flickr lately. If you want to see my gallery on it, just look at the right side of my blog and you'll see a link that has a bunch of mini photos. Click on it twice and it will take you to my Flickr page where I have posted lots of photo's. Feel free to leave me comments!

Photos and Babel

2007-02-06T02:11:00.000-08:00

I love playing with photoshop :)

I've been thinking lately, if I don't get accepted to the illustration/design program at Capilano college for September, than I think I'll take some photography classes. It's really hard to get in to the actual photography program at Langara College, but they have evening classes and such as well that I could take. Anyways, just trying to think positively so I won't get totally bummed out and depressed if I don't get in. I love photography. I'm still a novice, but I think it would be so amazing to be a pro some day. Just have to keep playing and practicing I guess!

Jarod and I went to see Babel tonight. AMAZING movie. I loved it so much. I can see it being one of those movies that some people just don't get, and therefore hate, but I loved everything about it. The music, the cinematography, the actors, and the plot. I love movies where everything ends up being connected. Brilliant.

Weekend

2007-02-05T02:21:00.000-08:00

I felt like this post needed pictures and I didn't take any this weekend, so I used these from a forward e-mail I got. They make me laugh so hard!

I had a good weekend! Yay! I had planned an open house for my Stampin' Up business, but only two people RSVP'd. Then I found out that one of Jarod's good friends was having a birthday thing downtown at the Blarney Stone the same night, so I tried to cancel it. But they wanted to come anyways to learn some techniques, so we booked a class for earlier in the day, and Jarod's mom ended up coming too which was good. I taught them how to emboss and use Pearl Ex, and it was really fun to teach again! I know that I am going to get some good orders out of it too, which is great.

Anyways, so we went down to the Blarney Stone (Jarod and me in one car, his sister Megan and friends Sarah and Sam in another) and got there around 8. It was great because we didn't have to stand outside in a lineup. A hockey game was on but I don't watch sports so we were sitting right under the huge TV the entire night, and everyone else was watching the TV, but it felt like they were staring at us which was funny. I invited my brother to come, but he couldn't make it out which was too bad. We also ran into my sister's ex boyfriend Joe.

My friend Jenna and her boyfriend Rob came, but they came later and had to stand in the long lineup for a while. Luckily they knew someone who snuck them in. Anyways, Jenna knit me a scarf!!! How sweet is that! For no reason whatsoever! And she gave me a gorgeous necklace that is so my style. What a doll. It feels so amazing to have REAL friends again. So what if I haven't met you Leigh-Ann.... you're a real friend too :)

I drank a little... or a lot? Well not too much but I'm a light weight so it felt like a lot. I had SO much fun! And luckily for me I rarely get hangovers. It is so strange to have gone downtown drinking two weekends in a row because that's just not what I normally do. I'm also lucky because Jarod doesn't drink so we never have to worry about who will be the designated driver!

I worked today at Purdy's and it was kind of fun! Getting to know my co-workers more and they're treating me like "one of the gals" finally.

I've been keeping it on the down low just in case it doesn't pan out, but I've had two interviews so far for Envision credit union. Both Jarod's mom and sister work for them and it's a great company. I would be working at the Ladner branch (I grew up in Ladner.. 45min drive away). My pay would be up about $6 an hour from what I make at Purdys, although I would still work there. The job is about 2-3 days a week. Anyways, I'll hear on Wednesday if I get the job and am SO nervous!

OK... bedtime (crosswords first of course!)

Picture Perfect

2007-01-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

I took all of these photographs today (Jan.30, 2007), in Ladner, BC.

Good Day

2007-01-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

My parents have been in Toronto helping to take care of my grandparents for the past few months. My mom flew home yesterday and she is staying in Vancouver for a few days before going to Edmonton to see her mom. My brother picked her up last night, and then the two of them came over to my place for dinner. We had Greek food delivered, and talked for a while before my brother left. My mom, Jarod, and I watched Little Miss Sunshine (I just saw it at Christmas, but it's so funny!). My mom slept on our sofa, so Jarod and I played cards in our bedroom for a while before I went to bed around 3am. This morning I slept in until 11am and then my mom and I went to Starbucks for coffee. After that we went to Talize, which is like Value Village. Look what we found!

It is an amazing bag with a luggage tag on it. The bag belonged to a G. Rogers, who was in first class on the Franconia. I investigated a bit when I got home and found this link. Apparently the ship Franconia sailed quite a bit in the 1920's from Liverpool to New York, and then during the war it was used to transport soldiers. In 1949 it started sailing from Liverpool to Quebec! The luggage tag on my bag says it is going from Liverpool to Montreal, so I think it is about 58 years old! I bought it for $49.99. I really don't have extra money right now, but it was one of those things where I felt like I had to have it. I have no idea what it might be worth, if anything.

The really funny part is I hate leather (vegetarian)! I don't wear any leather, not even shoes or belts, yet I love this bag so much! If it didn't have the label, I probably wouldn't have bought it, but I love that I know the name of the person who used to own it.

After that we went to Ikea and then we drove out to Ladner so I could drop my mom off with her friends. It was great to see her again, and both of my parents will be home in a month!

After saying good bye to my mom, I decided to go take some photo's. I went to Hawthorne Elementary School, which I attended for half of Kindergarten and all of grade one. That is where I had my favorite teacher ever, Mrs. Helen Robertson. She got me stuck on art. I walked all around the school taking tons of photo's. It was so much fun. Then I went to Ladner Harbor Park (Also called the Bunny Park). I walked the path where my dad and I used to walk the dogs together, and took more photographs.

*** Currently Gizmo is sprinting back and forth across our condo as fast as he can holding a squeaky toy. He looks hilarious.***

Anyways, I'm going to end this, and then do a second post with the photographs from Ladner!

Studio Friday: Look who I found

2007-01-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

The topic for this week's Studio Friday is "Look who I found". We were asked to introduce an artist we admire, who is relatively unknown. I have so many (as you can tell from my links list), but I chose a few of my favorites.

Claudine Hellmuth doesn't really fall into the category of "unknown", however she has really inspired my work. I own two of her amazing books, and visit her blog frequently for more inspiration. I get to meet her in March at ARTistry and am so excited about it!

Jenny Hart creates stunning embroidery designs. Each one is a small masterpiece.

Loretta Lux is an extraordinary photographer... I could look at each photo for hours.

Leigh-Ann Keffer makes beautiful photo albums all from scratch! Each one is filled with gorgeous paper to attach your photo's to, as well as fun charms hanging down the spine. She also custom embroiders great craft totes.

I recently discovered Heidi Kenney. She creates adorable plush objects. Haven't you always wanted a plush head of lettuce or ice cream sandwich?!

Christophe Baudson manages to create works of art out of slabs of paint that I almost want to eat!

I love the portraits done by Marci Washington. They are very simplistic yet stunning.

Check out Carrie Macpherson if you want to see another awesome photographer.

And for many more amazing artists take a look at my links on the right!

Ladner

2007-01-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

This morning Jarod and I headed out to Ladner, the town I grew up in. It is about a 45 min. drive from where I live now. First we went to my old high school to get my transcript so I can send it off to Capilano College. Strange feeling to walk through those doors again. Gave me shivers! I saw my old photography teacher in the office. He made me hate photography my grade 12 year, and I ended up dropping his class. So glad I fell back in love with it!

After that we stopped by the Ladner Bakery. I grew up walking here and buying their amazing meringues and coconut slices. Picked some of them up as well as two long johns.

Next we went to my parent's boat so I could search for a ring that belonged to my great grandmother. We couldn't find it though, so I'll have to get my mom to look when she comes to visit. She's coming to Vancouver for two days next week before going to see my Nana in Edmonton, super excited to see her!

After we checked the boat, we went to Cobblestone Cottage, a kitchen store in Ladner. Jarod bought me a gorgeous apron, but I had to promise to cook him dinner and lunch once a week.

We then headed to Taverna Gorgona, my favorite Greek restaurant. Love it so much!

On the way home we drove by lots of eagles sitting in trees, and when I saw a group of them together I made Jarod pull over so I could take some photo's.

We went to Chapter's and I bought two books (bad Alice!). But they both looked so good, I couldn't resist. The first is The Personal Organizing Workbook by Meryl Starr, and the second is Last Minute Fabric-Gifts by Cynthia Treen. (I also discovered this great blog while looking for a link!) I don't think I've really mentioned on here how much I love books. I have a large collection of craft books, and it just keeps on growing. Not only do I love them for their information and great ideas, but they always have such beautiful layouts and photographs. (TIP for scrapbookers: pick up a book or magazine and use the placement of photos and writing for your layout!)

When we got home we played a bit with Gizmo so I could take some photo's of him jumping and standing. Such a sweetie pie!

And that was my day! Now I am listening to music and ripping all of my CD's on to my computer so I can play them while I'm at my desk making art. And that brings me to my plans for tonight. To make some art and read my new books! Jarod has gone out with friends for the evening, so that leaves me able to play my music loud and zone out!

eggs, ducks and kleenex

2007-01-21T22:27:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day. Woke up around 10am (went to bed around 3am). Jarod's mom Cindy came over at 11:15am and the three of us drove into the city. We went to the Naam (favorite vegetarian restaurant) for breakfast. We usually go there in the evening, so eating breakfast there is a special treat. On Sunday's they serve breakfast until 2pm, which means we didn't have to get up early! I had pancakes with organic blueberry sauce, two scrambled eggs, some fruit, home fries, fake sausage, and tea. Everything was spectacular, like always.

I took this picture the other night while I was making myself some eggs and toast for dinner. Love it.

The original reason that we had gone downtown was for Jarod's tattoo appointment (he's in the midst of getting a sleeve). However, at breakfast he got a phone call and it was cancelled. So the three of us headed over to Granville Island. First we headed over to the water and I took some pictures of the pretty ducks.

After that we explored the island, stopping at my favorite stores such as Paper Ya, I'm Impressed, The Market, Siegels Bagels, and Opus. I picked up a book on paper art as well as some other treats. We headed home later on and Cindy dropped us off. We used to keep Gizmo in the bathroom when we went out, but since he's older we've been letting him stay out. Today we came home and found a bunch of torn up cardboard all aver the floor... at one time it had been a tissue box. The one thing missing, however, was all of the tissue! It was a brand new box, and not a single sheet of tissue was visible anywhere. That is until Jarod looked under the bed.

Gizmo had taken every piece out of the box and scattered them about under our bed! Silly, silly puppy.

After I had a nap Jarod and I went out to see Pan's Labyrinth. Amazing movie, although quite violent in some spots (I had to cover my eyes). It was really beautiful though, very well made.

Well, other than the tissue,

Today was a good day.

My Happy List

2007-01-20T01:40:00.000-08:00

ice cream
puppies
The Goonies
scratch and wins
the final round of Wheel of Fortune
The Price is Right
getting compliments
buying new clothes
browsing the supermarket
cupcakes
polk-a-dots
apple crisp
fresh sheets
crossword puzzles
getting flowers (I love orchids, iris's, lilies, and snap dragons)
taking great photo's
getting my photo taken
whipped cream
babies
goldfish
pretty jewellery
boxes of chocolates
fresh snow
kisses on my neck
splashing in puddles
sledding
The Office
star gazing
travelling
Granville Island
big umbrellas
Shrek 2
Romancing the Stone
getting love notes
a super clean house
bubble baths
pajamas
pretty smelling candles
manicures
new art supplies
making snowmen
bellini's/fancy martini's
little bakeries
thrift store finds
farm animals
sunday comics
playing board games
old video games (tetris, commander keen, mario kart)
getting meaningful gifts
fresh made frozen yogurt
buying new books and magazines
looking at my childhood photo's
children's books
penguins
elephants
getting into a creative mood and making art for hours
getting real mail
The Naam

Stampin' Up!

2007-01-19T01:38:00.000-08:00

I have updated my Stampin' Up! website. I will be having an open house on Feb. 3, as well as teaching a Techniques class on Feb.18. Please take a look at my website for more information! It's also Sell-A-Bration time for Stampin' Up!, which means that you will receive a free stamp set for every $75.00 you spend! Feel free to contact me for more information.

links

2007-01-19T01:08:00.000-08:00

I just finished updating all of the links on the right side of my site. I deleted the one's I never go to, organized them better, and added some new ones!

Evolution of a Painting

2007-01-18T02:49:00.000-08:00

Because I am applying to Capilano College's IDEA Program, I need to develop an awesome portfolio. I have been procrastinating quite a bit on it because I am really nervous that I wont get in. Jarod has been pushing me however, so tonight I decided to surprise him and do a painting while he's at work. I started taking photo's as I went along so you can see my process! It took me about 3 hours from start to finish. At least 1/3 of the art work in my portfolio must be from life, and since I have a hard time finding a model who will sit still, I often just draw myself.

If you would like to see some work from the graduates of the IDEA Program in 2006, look here.

Step One: The Drawing

While watching TV, I grabbed my make up mirror and sketched my portrait on to a canvas using a pencil. I had my hair up, and also played around with the idea of having a floral background. Step 2: Blocking it in

Next I went to my studio and painted in different area's with flat colours of paint. Nothing fancy, and no detail yet. I also decided I wanted my hair to be down, so I painted that in.

Step 3: Shading

Next I started to add the shadows on my skin, as well as different colours.

Step 4: Detail

Lastly, I added the small details and highlights, re-painted the background, and signed my name!

PS. click on images for close ups!

Hopes and Dreams

2007-01-16T22:16:00.000-08:00

Back in July I wrote a list of goals for myself. It has been 6 months since then, and my goals have changed quite a bit so I decided to update.
This is the old list:

1. Have a work of art published in a magazine. -This has yet to happen
2. Be one of Creating Keepsakes "fresh faces". -No longer a goal
3. Design a font. -No longer a goal
4. Become a garden girl on Two peas in a bucket. -No longer a goal
5. Get asked to teach at a scrapbook store. -DONE, yay!
6. Get a fan letter. -Yet to happen
7. figure out a way to make money doing what I love! -DONE, I have my work for sale on my Etsy shop, but I still need to make it a hit.

Obviously I have switched over a bit from being madly in love with scrapbooking. I am now working in all sorts of mediums, and am still in to scrapbooking as a hobby, but am no longer into the scrapping "scene". I rarely purchase scrapbook magazines anymore, and hardly ever check out scrapbook websites.

This is my new list of dreams. I am not calling it a list goals because I don't want to be disappointed if they don't end up happening. Instead, I want to be thrilled if they do.

1. Sell at least 10 items on Etsy.
2. Make a great portfolio of my best work to apply to Capilano College.
3. Get a second job and earn a decent income, while also continuing to do art.
4. Eventually have a work of art published in a magazine.
5. Get sent a fan e-mail or letter.
6. Build a website (not a blog) featuring my art.
7. Post more of my creations on my blog.
8. Become more than a novice photographer, and be a wedding photographer.
9. Sell my art in a real store or gallery.

I'm sure there are many more things to add, but this is a good start. I guess I could sum it up by saying that I hope I become successful with my art, and have people want to purchase it.

This is a painting that I have for sale in my shop. I have a custom order to do a similar painting, but for the flower to be a water lily. I am very excited, and will post it when I'm done.

Illustration Friday

2007-01-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

This weeks topic for Ilustration Friday is the 80's. I decided to make this paper doll with 80's style clothes! I drew them on paper, scanned them, and then added colour in photo shop.

Amazing

2007-01-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed to have met some truly amazing people on the world wide web. My friend Leigh-Ann read my last post and is now doing a fundraiser to get my car fixed. How AMAZING is that!? I feel guilty though, because there are plenty of people/charities out there to donate to and I don't feel like I am at all important compared to cancer research, etc. However if you do spot anything in her shop or in mine, any purchases would be amazing.

Thank you Leigh-Ann.

Car go BAM!

2007-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

It snowed the other day, and I hate driving in the snow/ice, so I had planned on walking to work today. It would also benefit Jarod because he would be able to drive my car to work again. Jarod offered to drive me so I wouldn't have to walk, and I gladly accepted. We took my car and half way between our condo and the mall (which is only a few blocks away) we hit ice and rear ended another car. We were hardly going fast at all, and Jarod told me far in advance "We're going to hit them". He tried the emergency break, and tried swirving too but we were stuck in the grooves in the ice. We hit an older couple, who seem fine except that the man said his neck hurts. We did the insurance/ info thing, and then Jarod dropped me off at work. My ankle hurt for a bit because I had it at an odd angle when we hit, but that's gone now. For most of the day I had headaches, and my neck hurts too which I am hoping will go away.

Jarod went to ICBC while I was at work, and then he stopped by on my break to tell me that he can't get the accident switched to his insurance, so it takes away all of my discounts and I am going to have to pay an extra $600.00 a year in insurance. He is so mad at himself. I feel so bad for him. I am not at all angry with him because I was there and I know he wasn't driving crazy or anything. The damage on my car is about $200.00.

So anyways, if anyone wants to donate money to the Alice was broke and now is even broker fund, let me know :)

And on that note, I'm still searching for job #2. I love Purdy's and want to stay there, but I am only getting about 8-12 hours a week. I applied at a few places online, but now I guess I need to go in person and apply all over. I was thinking of Starbucks, or a restaurant as a hostess. Plus there's always clothing stores or Rodgers video. I also called my friend Rachael today and asked if I could tag along with her one day when she photographs a wedding so I could build a portfolio. She said for sure, so I'm excited for that.

OK...time to go see what today's Illustration Friday topic is!

Clean

2007-01-12T01:40:00.000-08:00

My studio has been a mess for months now, so I am always crafting in the living room. I know that it bothers Jarod when I spread my mess to other spots in our condo, so tonight while he was at work I cleaned up my huge mess! Such a good feeling to have everything in its spot, and I'm really feeling inspired! I'm sure Jarod will be thrilled when he gets home!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

New Items on Etsy

2007-01-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

I have added some more items to My Etsy Shop, so take a look!

It's snowing out here in BC, luckily my shift at work was cancelled today because the mall is so dead, so I got to stay home and Jarod took my car. An old Honda civic is a bit easier to drive in the snow than Jarod's fancy Camaro. It still took him almost two hours to get to work though! I tried cleaning today, but procrastinated a bit and ended up on the computer. I have tomorrow off, so I'll clean then.

I had lots of comments on my Buzzed Bee illustration, which made me really happy. I hope to make a habit of participating in both Illustration Friday and Studio Friday every week. And remember, if you have any ideas for art I should do, just let me know! I really need to develop my portfolio for school next year.

Tagged!

2007-01-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Valerie!

A= Available~ Nope! Jarod and I have been dating for 4 1/2 years!
B= Best Friend~ Jarod... and I'm building on some other friendships
C= Cake or pie~ both please!
D= Drink of choice~ I love bellini's from Milestones. Apple juice is good too!
E= Essential item you use everyday~ my bed :) I love to sleep!
F= Favorite color~ Laguna Blue, Red, chocolate brown
G= Gummy bears or worms~ neither :( I don't eat gelatin because I'm a vegetarian. But I'd go for the clear gummy bears.
H= Hometown~ Ladner, British Columbia, Canada.
I= Indulgences~ bubble baths, chocolates, ice cream, crossword puzzles/sudoku, i could go on for quite a while on this one!
J= January or February~ February because of Valentine's Day. Jarod always makes me my favorite dinner.
K= Kids and Names~ No children yet, but I have some idea's for names.
L= Life is incomplete without?~ Jarod and my family
M= Marriage date~ nothing set yet!
N= Number of siblings~ One brother, Graham, and one sister, Emily. Both older than me.
O= Oranges or apples~ Apples... although I love mandarin oranges too.
P= Phobias or Fears~ SPIDERS. (bigger than a quarter)
Q= Favorite Quote~ "I shut my eyes in order to see"-Paul Goughin
R= Reason to smile~ Looking at Gizmo's face!
S= Season~ All of them. They each have their own beauty.
T= Tag 3 or 4 people~ Eeeek... well Leigh-Ann for sure, and anyone else that's reading this and has a blog!
U= Unknown fact about me~ I have two uvulas. (Dangly thing in the back of your throat). Oh, and I was born in the arctic.
V= Vegetable you don't like~ Brussel Sprouts... and raw onions
W= Worst habit~ doubting myself
X= X-rays~ I've had quite a few... I have a benign tumor on my left shoulder. (my bone has a big lump on it)
Y= Your favorite food~ oh my... Popeye pizza from Boston pizza, spaghetti, garlic mashed potatoes, lasagna, Greek food...
Z= Zodiac Sign~ Gemini

And now that it's 5:30am I think I'll go to sleep!

Memories on MySpace

2007-01-08T00:53:00.000-08:00

I was browsing different people's sights on MySpace today and it bummed me out. I looked up people who graduated with me, and it was strange to see so many familiar people. I guess I pretty much vanished from Ladner, my home town, and hardly stayed in touch with anyone. It's hard looking through every one's photo's and such and seeing how much fun they all seem to be having. It also brings back this really gross anxiety feeling as well, like I am afraid of not fitting in. Strange, since I'm just surfing the net, but I still get nervous or something seeing pictures of the "popular" crowd. I wish I had more confidence to not care what people thought of me. It not only comes out in how I dress and act, but also in my art. I am shy when meeting new people, I don't dress as unique as I would like, and my art is tame, lacking true emotion.

Hmmm.... gotta deal with this issue.

Illustration Friday

2007-01-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is "Buzz". So I did this painting of a bee drinking a martini. I call it "A Buzzed Buzzer". Oh my that makes me giggle :) I'm so glad that I did a painting, and I came up with all of it out of my own noggin!

Studio Friday

2007-01-06T00:35:00.000-08:00

This weeks topic for Studio Friday is 'Changing Names'. If I could choose any other name, what would it be.

Well, to tell the truth I wouldn't change a thing! I love my first name. Sometimes I get called Allison by mistake, and that's frustrating, but most of the time it is great having the name Alice. My favorite thing about it has to be how unique it is. I only knew one other girl growing up named Alice, and I didn't encounter her until high school. She was a year older than me. Many people tell me that their grandmother's name is Alice, which is another thing I love about it. It's nice that it is sort of a classic name. One downside to having Alice as my name though, is I can't name my daughter Alice! (Well I could, but I'm not into juniors and such).

I would also keep my middle names, Valentine and Marie. Valentine comes from my mom's grandma, Winnifred. Her middle name was Valentine too. I hope that I can pass it on to my daughter some day. I often get asked if I was born on Valentine's Day, which I wasn't. My other middle name is Marie. This was given to me because it was my father's grandma's first name. I love this name as well, and am proud that it is a part of me.

As for my last name, it doesn't really have a nice ring to it or anything, but I am proud to be a Hess. I am prepared to give it up when I marry, although I will always consider myself to be a Hess. Plenty of amazing people share this name with me, and I am glad that it is a part of who I am.

2006

2007-01-03T22:53:00.000-08:00

Well, 2006 is over. So much happened this year!

January:

We had to give Jarod's pit bull Gator away because he became aggressive towards me.

February:

Told that our basement suite was to be torn down in two months.
Gizmo was born on the 28th

March:

Purchased our condo

April:

Stopped teaching art for the Acquired Brain Injury Program after one year. They didn't have enough hours to keep me on.
Tried to quit Michael's but my boss convinced me to stay by giving me a promotion to Event Coordinator.

May:

I finished school and got my Diploma of Fine Arts
Jarod and I lived with his parents after moving out of our basement suite May 1.
We welcomed baby Gizmo in to our family
My parents sold my childhood home and moved onto their boat

June:

We moved in to our condo.

July:

Quit Michael's and stuck to it this time.
Got hired at Clipper Street Scrapbook Co.
Jarod and I went to Cirque de Soleil.

September:

Got Fired from Clipper Street

October:

My mom, sister and I went to Toronto and Europe together.

November:

I got hired at Purdy's Chocolate shop.

December:

Jarod, my brother Graham, and I went to Toronto to celebrate an early Christmas with my family.
Sold my first piece of artwork on my Etsy shop.

I hope 2007 is full of great things! I have quite a few New Year resolutions, but I think I'll keep them to myself in case I don't follow through :)

Santa Train

2007-01-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night (the night before Christmas Eve) Jarod and I drove out to North Van to visit with our friends Jenna and Rob. We played Playstation 3 for a while, and then went out to dinner at Milestones. After that we picked up Rob's sister and boyfriend, and drove out to Stanley Park to go on the Santa Train!

Jenna and Rob... too cute

A big old fire truck, perfect photo op!

I saw this person dressed up as a gingerbread person running around entertaing the kids. I took a photo of her, and she ran over and told me that I should be in the photo too... she was SUPER hyper and a tad scary.

A tradition for my family is to buy roasted chestnuts and pestachios while waiting in line. Couldn't miss out this year!

Jarod and me on the train.

Me and Jenna!

I saw so many mittens and gloves on fences, waiting to be found my their owners... and then I saw this shoe and it made me giggle. Some poor child had to go home without a shoe on!

That's the train on the right. The ride lasts about 15 minutes, and you stand in line forever before hand, but it's a tradition for so many people. I was so glad we got to go this year... I loved going with my family when I was little.

The train was going much slower than it looks in this photo, but I love the way the lights turned out.

Fishy Fishy

2007-01-02T18:34:00.000-08:00

These are some photo's that I took this weekend at our friend's Jenna and Rob's house. Jarod really wants a piranha now. I wouldn't mind some fish so I can take more photo's :)

Christmas Photos

2007-01-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

Tucker and Gizmo play fighting. They love visiting with each other!

Opening a Christmas cracker on Christmas Eve.

Me, Jarod, Megan, and Grandma playing Tvivial Persuit 90's edition on Christmas Eve

Megan, Jarod and me reading The Night Before Christmas

Jarod's parents pretty tree, and the mounds of presents beneath!

Me and Gizmo (wearing his new Christmas sweater).

Jarod, his sister Megan, and Gizmo on Christmas day.

Time for an Update!

2006-12-27T22:28:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy lately, I haven't had much time to post! Purdy's was super busy before Christmas, and I found myself usually working at the ice cream counter, scooping for an entire shift. My right hand is very dry from it, and my right bicep is noticeably larger than my left when I flex! I had Christmas Eve off from work, so Jarod and I took my brother Graham out to lunch at Earls to celebrate his birthday. Later that day we packed up all of our gifts and drove out to Jarod's parents house with Gizmo. We ate crackers, cream cheese and jalapeno jelly (Cindy's specialty) with Jarod's parents, sister and grandma while waiting for his aunt and uncle, cousin Amber and her boyfriend Cam, and cousin Ryan and his girlfriend Michelle to all arrive. Once they did we chatted until dinner and then played 90's edition of Trivial Pursuit. Some of them went home or to mass, while Megan, Jarod and I opened our traditional Christmas Eve gift of pajamas. This year mine were pink with penguins on them! I love penguins! Then we cozied up and watched The Polar Express. After the movie we read The Night Before Christmas before heading to bed.

I was the first one up in the morning (around 6:30am). I attempted to get Jarod up but wasn't having much luck, so I got Megan up around 7 and we woke him up together. The tree had so many presents under it, and my stocking was overflowing! I received so many wonderful gifts this Christmas. Of course the one's that I got in Toronto (like my camera!!), but I also got many presents from Jarod and his family. Jarod gave me the DVD Little Miss Sunshine (Awesome movie!), an OTT-lite (it's like sunlight, perfect for artists), an embroidery hoop, a chain for a locket he gave me years ago (my other one broke), a gift certificate to Chapters, and a gift certificate to Lululemon. His parents gave me pajamas, a gift certificate to lululemon, lots of stocking stuffers and more. Megan gave me a tea cup and saucer to add to my collection(Tea Party by Joyce Shelton). I also received many other fabulous gifts from the rest of his family.
For Christmas dinner we drove out to White Rock to Jarod's Aunt and Uncles house. We had a very nice evening and played the DVD edition of Family Feud.

I worked at 11am on boxing day, and the mall was packed! I did manage to slip in to Off the Wall on a break and bought a funky vest, a pretty sweatshirt and some fancy underwear all on sale.
Today Jarod and I drove out to Ladner to see how my parents boat is doing. It is all safe and sound, much to my dad's relief I'm sure. We drove by my old house and they are doing many changes to it. The took down all the cedar trees from the backyard and put up a fence, and had men up on the roof re-roofing. It was almost to much to take seeing the house I grew up in, but knowing I couldn't go in and that my family no longer lived there. We went to Taverna Gorgona for lunch. It is my favorite restaurant, with the best Greek food I've ever had. On the drive home we stopped twice so I could take photographs. Once of a farm with sheep, and the second time for a bunch of geese that had stopped in a field.

I started work at 5:30 tonight and worked until 9:30. It sure is different now that Christmas is over! I think everyone has had enough chocolate, our store was empty. The ice cream counter was steady though, so I had another shift of scooping.

I am having troubles uploading more photos right now, so I'll make another post later on with them! I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Sold another item!

2006-12-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

Sold another item on Etsy!!!! This is so exciting and I never expected to sell two items within the first week or so of posting them! This time I sold one of my flower pins. I am so happy and I can't wait to make more items to put up for sale! I think this may be the encouragment I needed! I also applied to Capilano college finally. I really have to start working on my portfolio.

I invited Jarod's mom Cindy and sister Megan over tonight to make some Christmas cards. I haven't even started yet! I don't work untill 3pm tomorrow though, so I think I'll stay up late making things. I am also going to give Megan my resume because her and Cindy both work for a credit union and they are hiring right now. I really need a job that pays more, with more hours. I worked out my monthly bills and everything yesterday and I was shocked. I waste way too much at Starbucks and really need to start paying off more on my credit card. Silly grown up financial problems.

Anyways I am going to go and keep cleaning before they come over. Adios!

I sold something!!

2006-12-14T22:28:00.000-08:00

I am so ecstatic... I just sold my first piece of artwork!! I sold a mirror on my Etsy shop! It is the one that I did the painting/decoupage of little bo peep! So happy..... :)

Etsy Shop

2006-12-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have finally added an item to my Etsy Shop, so please take a look! I will be adding more items soon!

Trip to Toronto

2006-12-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

Although it was a short trip, I had a great time visiting in Toronto. Jarod and I spent Wednesday night at his parents house. Early Thursday morning Jarod's sister Megan drove us to the airport, picking up my brother Graham from the sky train on the way. The flight over was fine (about four hours), and my dad picked us up on the other side. We drove to my grampa Quimby's house and met up with my grampa, mom, sister Emily, and her boyfriend Mike. That night Jarod, Graham, Emily, Mike, and I all went out to dinner with some of their friends. It was fun, and the restaurant was good. On Friday Jarod, Graham, my mom, and I went to see my grandmother (Unfortunately she lives in a home away from my grandfather). She had a cold and was coughing quite a bit, but other than that she seemed to be doing very well for a 93 year old! I gave her a box of truffles from my work that she seemed to enjoy. Friday evening we went out to Milestones to celebrate my brothers 25th birthday. It is actually on Dec.24, but we wanted to celebrate while we were all together. My Aunt Jane was able to come, and she gave my brother an amazing diamond ring that was passed down to him. On Saturday I slept in and then we took a drive into the city. We all met up at 3:00 and unwrapped our Christmas presents. I received a funky sweater, a subscription to Applied Arts magazine, sewing scissors, a cute PETA t-shirt, Gizmo's outfit, and money. Later on we had "Christmas" dinner while my grampa got a bit tipsy and told us hilarious stories. After dinner my uncle John, cousin Sam and his girlfriend Cat, and my Aunt Jane stopped by to visit. It has been such a long time since we visited them as an entire family. Usually only one or two of us can come out to Toronto at a time. They gave me some wonderful shampoo and conditioner. On Sunday my mom, Jarod and I took the subway to a big mall and I bought an AMAZING camera!! I used the money that my grampa gave me, as well as traded in my old camera to my mom. I bought a Canon EOS Digital Rebel/350 D. It is spectacular! I have been wanting a dSLR for so long and this camera is perfect. I can't wait to play with it more and do all sorts of artsy things. I also am excited to buy cool lenses and things. My dad dropped Graham, Jarod, and me off at the airport around 4pm, and we were picked up at the Vancouver airport by Jarod's mom after a 5 hour flight. We picked Gizmo up from Jarod's parents house (he had so much fun playing with their dog Tucker), dropped Graham off at the sky train, and finally arrived back to our cute little condo. Gizmo is zonked out and has hardly been awake at all today. I worked from 9:30am-6pm, and am pretty tired myself. It was so great to see my family again, although it was really sad to have to leave them. It's hard not having my mom around , especially as the holiday's are so soon. Overall it was a great trip, with no major catastrophes, so I'm happy!

A Christmas tree at the mall, decorated in Swarvaski crystals.

A pond of Coy fish at a pet store. (Click the image for an awesome close-up!)

The Christmas tree that my dad put up and decorated at my Grampa's house.

Me and Jarod out for dinner at Milestones.

My adorable grandfather!

Doggy Clothes

2006-12-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

Toronto was great! I'll update about it later on, but for now I just wanted to quickly post these photos of our puppy Gizmo. My brother Graham bought the outfit for him for Christmas, isn't it adorable!? The best part is that he LOVES to cuddle up in it! We tried it on my sisters dog Ruphus while we were in Toronto as well. I also included a pic of my lab Cleo because she's a cutie!

Illustration Friday

2006-12-05T21:19:00.000-08:00

It's not friday, but so what, I'll post this anyway. This weeks topic for Illustration friday is "Might". The first thing that came to my mind was ants lifting really heavy things, so I painted this picture.

Beautiful British Columbia

2006-12-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Jarod and I drove into the city today for his tattoo appointment and I took this photo on the way. It is so nice to live in a city that has such amazing scenery!
We both got a coffee and then Jarod went to his appointment while I drove up Main Street to my favorite store, Ruby Dog's Art House. It is such a great place to find items for collage art. They have so many wonderful items! I spent about an hour and a bit snooping through all of the bins and eventually left with $45.00 worth of goodies. I am so excited to play with it all! I also bought an old book for $2.oo that I am going to turn into an art journal. It took me about half an hour to get back to the house that Jarod was at because of all the traffic and no left turns in Vancouver. It should have only taken about 5 minutes! I hate driving by myself and it was really, really frustrating. I went to pick Jarod up and the artist doing his tattoo, Sean, showed me some art he's been working on. It was spectacular. So much wonderful detail in each piece. Some of it was really funky, like a guy with a TV for a head and such. It always amazes me what some artists can come up with. I think that is what I find hardest about art, and what stresses me out. If you give me a photo, I can copy it. However if you just tell me to draw something, I have a hard time thinking of what to draw, especially in the more abstract style. I really need to practice that, especially for my portfolio. So if anyone out there has some idea for a drawing or painting that I should do, please, please tell me! Make it is strange as you want! Like a rabbit eating soup with an elephant while riding a bike!

On Saturday night Jarod and I went to his Christmas party for work. Jarod's parents bought him an awesome suit and he looked so good. He usually makes a joke out of his outfit and wheres something way too small from a thrift store or adds a spiked belt and skate shoes. This time he looked so handsome! We ended up sitting with Jarod's friend Rob, and his girlfriend Jenna. I met them at last years party so Jenna and I talked again. Turns out she is a lot like me. She doesn't have many girlfriends to hang out with, and many other things are similar. She grew up in South Africa and has an awesome accent. So after dinner we all drove out to North Vancouver and went to a bar, then picked up their wiener dogs (they have two, one is part Chihuahua) and drove back out to Surrey. They spent the night at our place and we watched the new Superman movie until very early in the morning. I think I fell asleep around 4:30am, and then had to get up around 8am for work. I worked an 8 hour shift, came home, and stayed up until 1am preparing for a Stampin' Up! party that I did last night. I woke up at 9:30 yesterday and worked for 7.5 hours before getting Jarod to drive me out to Richmond (an hour drive in traffic) so I could teach the party. It was fun, but I was pretty exhausted. We arrived home after 11pm and then I went to sleep later on. This morning I was finally able to sleep in, but I am still really tired! Tomorrow I work for 8.5 hours, and then we are staying the night at Jarod's parents house so his dad can drive us to the airport first thing in the morning. We will be flying out to Toronto for 4 days to celebrate the holidays with my family.

Photo Friday

2006-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

This week's topic for Photo Friday is stillness. I thought this picture fit with the theme. I took it during a sailing trip that Jarod and I went on with my parents this summer.

energized to emotional

2006-11-30T02:34:00.000-08:00

It's 2:30am and I feel totally energized. I think it might be from the exercise I got today walking home from work (Go ahead and laugh, but I'm not exactly an athlete). Not only did I get home from work and NOT have a nap, but I also made myself dinner! Normally, when Jarod is not home, I make simple things for dinner. Cereal, toast, Mr.noodles, etc. Today, I made wild rice and cauliflower with cheese sauce! Yes, the rice was a bit mushy and the cheese sauce came in a packet that also had a bag to steam the cauliflower, but the point is that I made myself a decent dinner! I'm so proud of myself.

After eating my dinner and a few chocolates (you guess which I ate first), I settled down on the sofa with Gizmo to watch some TV and work on a special project. At about 2:15am the fire alarm for our building went off. We even have two speakers in our condo that blare the alarm to make sure you get up. I put on my jacket and boots and took Gizmo outside. I was the only person out there! I went back in to the lobby and eventually more people came down until there was a total of 14 of us. What if the building was really burning down? Gizmo was bothered by the noise so we went outside again, and then he would get cold so we would go back inside. Eventually the firemen (I'm aloud to say that because they actually all were men) came and discovered it was a false alarm. Somebody had been SMOKING in the stairwell and it set off the alarm! How silly is that!? I mentioned to Jarod the other day that the stairwell stunk like smoke. Anyways, now we're back inside safe and warm.

Back to feeling energized. When I get like this (non-lazy) I also feel creative. It is such an amazing feeling. Jarod has been pushing me lately to clean more and do more art. As angry as I get when he tells me to clean, I know he is doing it because he loves me and knows I need encouragement or I would sleep all day. He really wants me to start working on my portfolio. It's so great to have a boyfriend who cares about me.

We leave to fly out to Toronto in a week. I am so excited to celebrate an early Christmas with my family. I miss my parents so much. It's hard growing up and not having the usual customs of the holidays. Sometimes I wish I was little again and my brother would run into my room early on Christmas morning and wake me up, then the three of us would go get our stockings and sort through them until my parents got up. One of us would be the elf and pass out the presents. I remember one year I got a print of a Van Gogh self portrait. It's actually hanging in my living room right now. In 2000 my mom had the diamonds of one of her rings turned into necklaces for my sister and me. I hope I can pass it on to my daughter one day. One year my sister bought me a big tin full of different types of popcorn. Our neighbor told me what I would be getting, so I added "popcorn" to my Christmas wish list. My sister obviously knew that the secret was out, but I denied it and pretended I had no idea. One year I wrote a big letter for Santa with cross words and games for him to play. I left it for him on Christmas Eve, but didn't get it back the next day. I mentioned to my mom that I never got it back a while later, and it eventually showed up, entirely filled out in my dad's handwriting.

Now I'm getting teary eyed. It's so hard to think back to my childhood Christmas' and know that I will never have anymore. This is the first Christmas that we wont be able to celebrate at my childhood home. It is keeping a new family warm now. We all live far apart and have new people in our lives who we also have to make time for. I guess what's important now is to make new traditions together.

Wow. That took a lot out of me. It's so nice to remember the good times. Needless to say, I can't wait to have my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister and me all together again. Of course Jarod will be there too, but he's really a part of me :)

Snow Trek

2006-11-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

It started to snow again today. I had to work at 5:30pm (or so I thought), so I planned on leaving the condo at 5pm to walk to work. I live pretty close to work, probably about 6 blocks away, but I had never driven in the snow before. As I was about to leave I looked in my day planner and realised that my shift actually started at 5:00, not 5:30! I decided to drive. It sure was scary! I was going super slow, and my car was still sliding all over! My co-workers were totally fine with me being 15 minutes late, and another woman was actually an hour late! During my shift people kept telling me how much more snow was falling, so I decided it would be best to walk home and leave my car at the mall. I told a security guard who wrote down my car description so it wouldn't get towed. It turned out that a really sweet woman who I work with lives only two blocks away from me, and she was walking home too, so we walked together. It actually wasn't that cold out, and it was nice to have someone to talk to. Tomorrow I work at 5:30pm (this time I'm sure!), so I don't know if I'll just walk to work then, or go earlier with Jarod and pick up my car.

These are some chocolates that I decided to buy at work today. It's hard having a discount!

I was actually surprised that my feet didn't look worse than this after the trek home!

And to get in the holiday spirit, this is a picture of Jarod with Mr. and Mrs. Claus in 1984 (six months before I was born!). Isn't he adorable?

Winter is here!

2006-11-26T20:11:00.000-08:00

It started to snow yesterday! I had heard that it might snow this weekend, but I didn't expect this much snow! Our power was out for most of today, so Jarod and I took Gizmo outside for his first experience with snow, and then went to Safeway and hung out there for a bit. It is amazing how much we rely on power. We bought magazines and came home to read by candle light. Driving was a bit crazy, not just because of the snow, but also because of the power being out and us having to do the 4 way stop procedure at most intersections. It's ridiculous how some people just don't understand the process! Anyways, our power is back up now so I am able to post these photo's of our fun in the snow today! The third one was after we came back inside and put Gizmo's new shirt on him to warm him up.