Surf, Sand, Sleep = Success

The weekend was amazing as usual. We’re pretty sure Lexi enjoyed herself. It was hard to tell because she was either tearing maniacally around the beach or sleeping.  

Every time we come home, I spend the entire the car ride figuring out a way to move permanently to the island. I’m still scheming as I have a husband to convince. 

Looking ahead we have a busy weekend, coupled with work, work and more work. I think we’ll need to blow up some of these photos so I can stare at them and pretend I’m back in paradise.

Tofino Bound

It’s 7am in the morning and I’m on my way to the happiest place on earth. Maybe I should clarify, I’m on the way to my happiest place on earth. We’re going to Tofino.

Also big news? My sweet little Lexi Doodle turned two this week. I can’t really fathom how my twelve week old puppy that was just a bundle in my arms, has become this loving, spunky, snuggly little running buddy. They grow up so fast.

As a gift to her, we’re taking her to play on miles of beach and introduce her to surfing.

Surf's up.

Mighty Neighbourly

Lexi sniffing the air - I love the snow sticking to her fur

It snowed about 10 cm this morning, pushing Vancouver into a full blown snowmageddan. I’m serious, that’s what the papers are calling it – granted other parts of the Lower Mainland did get more snow than us. I’m not a huge snow lover, but as long as I don’t have to drive anywhere I don’t mind a few inches.

There’s a bylaw round here that states you need to have your sidewalks cleared of snow by about 10 a.m., so usually when it snows Derek and I grab the complex snow shovels and will clear the paths. Our complex makes us laugh, there’s a North side vs. Courtyard divide, and usually the courtyard ignores the North Side, meaning they’ll clear all of their paths and sidewalks, but won’t touch ours.

This morning I saw that it was starting to snow, so I waited until the majority of it stopped, grabbed a shovel and started clearing ALL the paths, stairs and sidewalks in the complex, North and Courtyard. After about 45 minutes of shovelling and working up a good sweat, I was literally on my last 3 sections of pavement, when a neighbour came outside and said that he’d do the rest.

I had done about 98% of the shovelling, but my hands were freezing so I was happy to hand it over. Just as I gave him the shovel and was walking away, another neighbor started walking up and thanking him for shovelling all the paths.

How neighbourly of him.

A half has never felt so huge

Other than a brief spell in University, I have never enjoyed running or considered myself a runner. Running was something I did to train for basketball or boxing, but I never pushed myself for more than 30 minutes and never had the desire to go faster or further. In fall 2010, with one year to go before the wedding, I started running with a friend twice a week. Our distances began to increase and we set the goal of running a half marathon in the spring.

Running a half scares me so much, it's a mental thing. In my mind, it's a long distance (read 23 km!! aka 13 miles) and the ability to do it seems so far off. But bit-by-bit we increased our distances and the goal seemed so attainable. Just when I was finally starting to enjoy running, I ended up injuring my hip to the point where I couldn't walk up the stairs in my house. Couple this with my running-buddy getting pregnant, the goal died and spring came and went.

I did get in shape for the wedding thanks to the South Beach Diet (I won't blog about it... but it worked, I lost 25lbs before the wedding) and boxing/running twice a week - but I never got back to loving running.

Once we were home from our honeymoon I wanted to maintain my weight, but still eat carbs. In November I started running small distances (4km) just to test out the hip, get Lexi out of the house (my car was totalled this summer and I can no longer drive her daily to the dog park like I used to) and get back in shape. Low and behold I'm building up my stamina.

I'm up to 6-8 km several times a week and I really want to revisit my half marathon goal. The BMO Vancouver Half/Full Marathon is the first weekend in May. So here is my public declaration that I will RUN THE HALF MARATHON! I'm putting it out there publicly so I can't back down.

I'm going to watch my hip carefully, so hopefully it'll hold up through training.I'm also thinking that if I run the half marathon I'll treat myself to a Disneyland trip. Ha Ha, I think I'd drag myself across the line if it means Disneyland!!

Another goal for the year will be to start taking photos again. I got a new laptop, and haven't uploaded any of my photo software on here, and Lexi ate the memory card in my other camera - so I don't have the ability to take anything.... therefore I'll post a few random photos from Easter.

H is for Hitched. A is for Apology

I don't know why I chose today to foray back to the world of blogging. Actually, I do know why. It's because I have work deadlines and I needed a way to procrastinate.

Here we are, I skipped blogging in 2011. I know, I'm sorry - most of you probably stopped caring, but I'm here, I'm alive and I have a new last name. To recap my 2011, I got married and I went on a honeymoon. Those two activities pretty much took 365 days.

I'll write more about the wedding, as well as a few lessons learned, but first I just wanted to come crawling back, tail between legs and promise you that you'll hear a lot more of my ramblings in 2012.

Here are some wedding photos, they were all taken by the talented Vanessa Voth

Boots

Can I just point out that I've lived in two well-known rain capitals in my life and never owned a pair of rain boots? At least I can’t remember owning a pair.

As a person who meticulously plans everything, after the acquisition of our small fur-baby I started to realize that I would be spending countless hours trudging around the block during rain storms once fall arrived. Derek, being the loving fiancé he is, purchased me the most gorgeous pair of Navy Hunter Wellies for my birthday.

I sit here today, with the rain streaming down, patting myself on the back for finally owning a pair. They’re gorgeous, they keep my feet dry (and my jean cuffs dry – wet jean cuffs are my biggest pet peeve), and I look absolutely fabulous in them. I don’t really understand how I survived without them.

Now, to finally complete my life, I shall be ordering a pair of fleece Welly liners to keep my feet warm during the Winter as well.

Rumour is that we’re getting snow this weekend, YUCK! Although, my hatred of snow is somewhat overshadowed by the excitement of my tiny puppy playing in the snow for the first time.

Knock Knock

I just want to put it out there that I don’t find knock-knock jokes funny. I never have, maybe it’s because I don’t really understand them? Why is someone knocking on my door? Have you ever actually said ‘Who’s there?’ before opening the door? I HATE it when people knock on my door, its such an intrusion into my space. Unless the person on the other side is delivering Thai food.

Kind of like when the phone rings, I hate answering the phone. I rarely do. Except for this morning when my father thought 6:50 am would be an appropriate time to call. I bolted for the phone because I thought something horrible had happened to mom. She’s fine. But I did leave my cell phone at their house last night.

Anyways, back to the jokes. Who invented them?

Such a waste of time...... Kind of like this blog.

That being said – I tell a lot of knock-knock jokes. I make up my own on the spot and they’re never funny nor do they make sense, yet I continue. They make Derek laugh and he loves them, and that’s why we’re getting married.

Knock-Knock

Who's there?

Unconditional Love.

Unconditional Love who?

Unconditionally Love me.