love

in love with running

yesterday was one of those perfect days for running.
the air was crisp.
the leaves were coloured.
the sun was out.
the clouds were different shades of white to dark blue.
no wind.
just my me and my ipod.

and my memories.
jr. high memories of doing worlds
and beating the boys (wink, wink) 
going to track meets
 
high school memories of running in the hallways.
doing cross country.
running in cities not far off from where i run now.
going to meets in airdrie.
training in the 500km club
having fun with friends.

more memories.
15 years later i am still running.
even longer distances.
that is still hard to believe.
i truly love running.

its nice to have some friends

school has begun and let's just say i am slightly overwhelmed. the assignments, the extra work, not to mention the actual clinical and the extra job that one hangs on to to make money. sigh. sometimes being a student kind of sucks...

but then you talk to your friends. the one's that are in the same boat as you. AND the one's that listen with an outside perspective and tell you everything will be okay. AND it will. i know this. deep down inside. but sometimes it gets a little buried.

so thanks to all my lovely friends this week. you have calmed my nerves for another week. (but keep your phones on standby...he he he, jk).

i love you all!
xoxoxo

summer winddown

with school fastly approaching (tomorrow) the summer has officially ended for me. sigh. it is sad to see it go, but overall, i have had a pretty fantastic summer. just the right amount of rest and relaxation, fun and adventure, escapism and hilarity that i cannot complain at all. the last month i have:

• conquered a trail and come out feeling good about hiking again. who would have thought it?? thanks west coast trail, you were grand!
• read some pretty good books...for leisure! that is always the best part about reading!
• saw some more movies with some pretty fantastic people i.e. mark, jimi, anita, jeaninne, christine and a.s. (a co-worker of mine)
• gone out for dinner, snacked on brownies, or celebrated with the last days of work with even more fantastic friends from my high school days to my present university days to my (now) former co-workers. i love you girls and guys! :)
• gone to a place that i love on a day that celebrates just that place: b.c. day AND getting to explore with the person that i love.
• had my fill of seafood from mussels to crab to just yesterday with lobster. who says i need to be in the east to eat that stuff!!
• continued in our festival attendance by dancing away at the cariwest festival
• going to the market, buying fresh flowers, fresh fruit and seeing a special little lady with her special mom (aka hailey and casey)
• ran a marathon and scored a personal goal and personal best for myself.
• finally organizing and putting final deposits on the rest of the major aspects of our wedding for next year.

it's been fantastic. hopefully next summer can live up to it (wink, wink).

love

new girl

okay this is seriously my new favourite show even though it hasn't started yet. i swear this girl is me...besides the whole horrible breakout thing...BUT seriously she lives her life like a musical....LIKE ME!! :) so pumped! love

i have an obsession....

an obsession with meatloaf. 

not the food

the singer

you see i have borrowed my dad's car this semester to get me around the city and some of the city's far limits (seriously!). mark, on the other hand, will use the other one to get back and forth from school. it will most likely be late nights for both of us so it is extremely useful to have this. thank you parent's as you are helping both of us this year!!

but what about meatloaf. well dad left some of his prized cd's in there (maybe to make it on the drive back to n.b.). i came across bat out of hell. there is just something about his music, while driving. memories of suicide ski trips or driving lessons come to mind. BUT overall, meatloaf is the perfect driving cd. i find myself singing (aka yelling) along with his musicality. wonderful! don't you wish you were in the car with me??

love

a sunday with jimi

two weekends ago, mark and i hung out with jimi
after a million ideas
or what seemed to me that amount
we figured out what to do.
remember jimi, you drive me crazy!

the fringe we went
jimi got root beer
mark got green onion cakes
jimi got a waffle
i got pizza
jimi got ice cream
mark got ice cream

after the eats, we decided to go to a movie.
BUT before,
we had a mini waterfight
courtesy of jimi-jam
in the car...
...while mark was driving...
...i was amused!

at the movie we laughed hysterically at the film
or atleast jimi laughed.
then i laughed because his laugh was so darn infectious
then we both started re-enacting the scenes that just happened...
...while the movie continued to play...
...in the theatre
mark looked slightly embarassed

ahhh, i just love the good times with my brother.
and mark, you are pretty awesome for putting up with us!
love

the half marathon continues

as i look back at this post i laugh a little because i was right. i did do it again. but this time around i felt fantastic. i used the same training program as last year but instead of running four times a week (something i felt i was overdoing and causing unnecessary soreness and potential injuries) i ran three times a week with hills on one day and progressive distances the second and third days. in between i rode my bike to work and did some weight training (plus a monstrous hike) so the strength and cardio were there...

....and guess what!

i felt great. wonderful morning of sun, slight breeze and zero cold. did my warm-up and off i went. this time around i ran solo as jeff was in training for a marathon. so my strategy was to stick to the back in the beginning and do the passing. it seemed to work! PLUS it was flatter than the hillier one i had done previously.

best of all was my friendly supporting team. RIGHT when i was about to walk (seriously) within the last kilometer jeff spotted me. shouting my name he ran right with me leaving me no excuse to stop until he left during the last portion  (and really who walks that part). jeaninne and dj caught the finish this time and cheered me on and mark rode his bike effortlessly to find me (unfortunately to no avail) but he was there for me in the end and that is really all i can ask for! :) thanks guys, you make a girl feel so special, so glad you could spend your sunday morning with me! :)

overall i got my goal time sort of. i had wanted to get under two hours. well my total time was two hours and one minute. ooooo one minute i will love you for ever as i enjoyed my water breaks and small walks in that time! i am actually really excited to do it again....we will see if i can make it happen! ;)

here is a little photo slideshow of the ending with my lovely friends. note jeaninne posing as a pregnant marathon runner! yes she is that amazing! :) lol

have a good night,
love

awesome

so i came across this book at the library and started to read it last night. it contains "daily" excerpts of little things that this person (or others) consider AWESOME. overall it is a little pick me up to look at the little things in the day that are actually pretty good and make you smile.

this book came from a website where you can also get daily update or even go to their facebook page. this was a post that i particularly enjoyed about napping. napping is one of those things that i never thought of as AWESOME and sleep lines...well. but i do nap and reading his perspective is pretty AWESOME! :)

enjoy your saturday!

hair drama

mark and i got engagement photos done yesterday.
trying to plan ahead for any kind of mishap as the drive to our "site" was far:

• our clothes were washed and laid out from the night before. 
• both of us got home at reasonable times. 
• he showered. 
• i showered. 
• he got changed. 
• so did i.  
• i plugged in my straightener to do my hair...
• yes, the power button was on...
• but the plates were cold...
• totally broken.

sigh. i know in the grand scheme of LIFE this really doesn't matter and it did put me in a fit of giggles 15 minutes after BUT if you did see my hair at that time, it did need some work done, considering lately when i wash it i put it immediately in a bun. those girls with long hair will understand what it looks like after the elastic is out. AND if you put a bit of money into pictures being taken...hopefully i have a bit of support ;)

thankfully in my life i have wonderfully supportive and fantastic-ly great friends and an equally supportive and fantastic boyfriend. call jeaninne, she plugged in her straightener (my old one) and told me that i could come right over. mark cut his dinner conversation short and with his ice cream cake in tow we drove to sherwood park earlier than expected. he may have even driven me to the mall to buy a new straightener (as my old one, isn't mine for a reason). at jeaninne's house, she was there by my side to help do my hair in 10 minutes flat (the back had never looked better, he he he). off to elk island we went.

the photos were done and we actually had a lot of fun, joking around, enjoying the scenery and having many laughs. AND my hair was straight so i was happy, seriously i can be such a dork! he he he

love

jump, jump

so the other day i went to see friends with benefits with my girlfriends. quite funny and it played this song...totally reminded me of grade 6 and the overalls we used to wear (although i never wore mine backwards...that is just silly). enjoy and see if you still know the words! :)



love

remarkable women

while i was on vacation i read a great book. i don't know if it was great because i had no worries, no deadlines, no work. OR was it just great because (to the author) it was about a great person. it was by jeanette walls. i had previously read the glass castle, a book that i found triumphant but heart-breaking. this book,  half broke horses, was a true-life novel about her grandmother. a woman who lived a HUGE life.

i like books that make me feel good, that show me how people live extraordinary, yet ordinary lives. this women was probably like many in her time, BUT she took chances like flying a plane, breaking horses, playing poker and getting her teaching certificate in an unconventional way. she lived her life as it was her only life so she made ever moment count. i love that message!

this made me think of my grandmother. her desire more than anything was to go to university not a common sentiment at that time (even within her family). her determination brought her to the university of new brunswick where she graduated with a degree in entomology. she substitute taught in the states and when she later came back to canada (air force wife) she did research in her passion of bugs. love it. not only that but she managed to travel to far places and had (what i think is one of her greatest achievements) my mom, my aunt and uncle. simple things, yet so extraordinary all the same.

one does not have to be in a position of power, receive a pulitzer prize, a grammy or nobel peace prize to be remarkable. just to live a life of both hard work and HAPPINESS (and take advantage of any opportunity that comes your way) can leave an imprint on the lives around you. it did for jeanette walls and me. the ordinary done day in and day out, when looking back in time will seem extraordinary to others. at least it will to me!

love

if you happen to go...

so if you decide to ever do the west coast trail can you do me a favor? if you decide to go on day 5 or possibly day 2 and you get to tsusiat falls, (one of the more beautiful sights i have ever seen) can you look for our buoy? its by the toilets (where i figured it will not blow away). it is our little landmark that we did the trail and i would like to know if it is still standing. cheers!

love

let's talk about food

one thing i forgot to mention about the west coast trail was something that is very near and dear to myself. what is it, you ask?

FOOD

yes this trail is so fantastic-ly unique that not only does it have one...but TWO restaurants set up along the trail. now when i say restaurants it was not a chateau louis or for that matter a denny's. BUT for a backpacker who has been eating dehydrated food for 4 days, it was heaven.

the first one was chez monique's serving fresh fruit, juice, chocolate and chips, not to mention hamburgers with lettuce, tomatoes, relish, ketchup, mustard AND cheese. located just off the beach on our day 4 adventure. one lady, monique, taking the orders and three cooks/servers. it was awesome!

day 5 we got spoiled too. this was the ferry crossing (or boat crossing) from one side of a salt water lake to another. along with the boat ride, the guys running it will serve fresh salmon and crab caught on that day (obviously for an extra price!). no matter the cost, it was delicious. i may have been accused of whacking my poles at a certain blond hiker within our crowd (aka anita). but in my defense, i was starving and saving all my hunger for the food at the boat crossing. really, people should no better than to let me starve. ;) BUT there might be an unhappy picture of me prior to the food. 

probably one more post coming of the trip...so stay tuned...or avoid! :)
love

this is for jimi

this is something i think my brother would enjoy. so this is for you! :)



love

a week on the west coast trail

it has been about a week and i am starting to get back in the grind of things. the camp stuff is FINALLY packed away for another year so i thought i would work on some posts as i do have plenty to say about this trip. first up (because my mother is dying to see some pics) is a little slideshow of what we saw (and if you are going) what to expect on the west coast trail. enjoy!

ladders: there were tons of these. one section with 200 rungs alone. let's just say i probably have buns of steel right now, he he he. our friend anita, knew extensively about the ladders as they were her nemesi. BUT she conquered them even with her fear of heights! even though she may have (a couple) war wounds here and there...regardless, GOOD JOB ANITA, YOU DID IT!

mud: yes, like the north coast trail this one was full of mud. luckily for mark and i we were quite used to it, and the trail seemed FAR better maintained as there was extensive boardwalk. i was extremely thankful for my gators as they kept me clean during the majority of the trip (a christmas present) well used. some of us did not fare so well as anita's boyfriend, fraser soon gave up and just trounced through the mud pits.
other mud things: also amongst the mud was the slugs. everywhere. one was roughly 9 inches. i was lucky enough to hold one as it was smack dab in the middle of a ladder as i was coming down. he, sadly, didn't make out as well (i have a tight grip, what can i say??)

bridges: another conquered fear of anita's. yes the log bridges and suspension bridges. i personally loved them as i felt i was at circus camp and i was a trapeze artist. she, didn't take to them as fondly. but she did do a far majority (when mark and her had the chance they would go down and back up, hence the upward shots of me on them). i did enjoy the suspension bridge as well as me and fraser may have swung on it....

wildlife: probably one of the more magnificent hikes for mark and i when it came to seeing things. at one point there were two bald eagles in the air to the right and grey whales bobbing up and down in the water to the left. where does one even look? plus many anemones, starfish, a black bear (forgot to put that picture in) sea lions, birds of all shapes, crabs, and fish...it was amazing. our own private wildlife zoo! :) my favourite part (similar to the north coast) was running through the seagull flock and watching them fly...until they started defecating....he he he

beauty: again, in terms of beauty it was amazing (although i probably would still pick hawaii for the warmth and tropical atmosphere). but where do you go when you get not only one but two gorgeous waterfalls that you can swim under? i hadn't found that place until now. not only that but the ocean was gorgeous during fog, sun, and rain. we saw all sides of it with tide going out (up we went on the sand beds or reef) or in (walking on the sand). oh water how i love thee! :)

love and friends: going on this hike gave me quite a new perspective on hiking. i thought back to some of my hikes and some have been less than joyous compared to others due to injuries or difficult terrain. this time around i was approaching the hike with a certain amount of apprehension as i wasn't fully willing to trust what we were about to do (last year's hike was so difficult). having friends around, watching them as they truly appreciate what we were doing, giving the area a vast amount respect, and greeting it with new excitement helped me get more excited and be more appreciative of what me and mark have been doing for 4.5 years. for that i am grateful as my friends have given me a gift! :) AND to watch mark, glow with happiness at everything around him from the wildlife, to the gigantic trees, to even the mud on the ground made me realize how much he really does love this and have such a deep passion for it. so this hike gave me so much more and to my love and friends THANK YOU! :)

love

one year from today...

we have picked the venue.

we have picked the church.

we have our photographer.

AND

i have my dress.

our colours are almost set.

dj's are in the works.

our friends and family have wonderful ideas.

AND 

this bridal thing kind of works for me...now!

one year from today we will be married.

who runs the world?

my half marathon running song right now. so simple but love it! ;)



love

summer so far

thus far my summer has been pretty fantastic. i really enjoy my "student" summers. it is a bit different than being in a permanent job as i know it is temporary and i know books and classes are waiting for me in september. SO i really try to appreciate everything that i so and sit down and soak in the relaxation! :)
thus far i have:

• watched 5 summer blockbusters starting with the hangover II and ending with harry potter and the deathly hallows part II (which by the way was very fantastic but bittersweet as the books and now the movies have concluded).
• gone on a canoe ride down the north saskatchewan seeing plenty of wildlife on a beautiful day.
• experiencing new dates with mark like visiting the devonian gardens, the clifford e. lee bird sanctuary, the highland games, and the muttart conservatory. love new and exciting things especially with the one you love
• have a very special mom (aka MY MOM) visit and vacation with me at the beginning of may...lots of shopping and visiting.
• continue to train for my half marathon...coming soon in august
• attend a very special graduation for a very special graduate!
• go to a fabulously fun concert with a dear friend!
• attend the street festival twice and have a sampling of the green onion cakes...drool and yum!
• attend a wedding (our only one this year...very shocking!)
• plan some wedding details...that is a whole other post!
• go out with my brother and practice our yoga and attend movies!
• see wonderful friends on those other days off.

so far summer has been good to me. AND it shall continue to be wonderful as our vacation is coming up in a week today. although i am unsure what to expect i know i will be happy if we accomplish it!
hope you are enjoying our sunny skies!
love

they came, they sang, they danced, they left.

okay. i am going to be a complete dork here and talk about this once again but (hopefully) it will be my last time.

the backstreet boys were to me what others had with elvis, the beatles, the monkees, new kids on the block...i could go on. they will not go down in history as a remarkable band but one that in my teenage years i loved. they were the one band that jeaninne and i would figured out the choreography and re-enacted it (i may still know some moves). their hits were playing during pivotal times in our teenage lives like learning to drive, traveling to foreign cities, graduation dances, or those serious talks you have with your girlfriends.

new kids on the block were a different kind of trend for me. i was eleven when my parents bought me one of their cassette tapes. i played them over and over for quite some time. yet i don't think i held them at the same threshold that other girls did at that time. one memory of them sticks out. jeaninne had a new kids tape and when we were in grade 11 she brought it over to a sleepover and we (once again) re-enacted the dances (much more simpler moves during that era).

cut to yesterday. the reunion tour uniting those two bands together. really what can i say? it was pure cheese but in such a delightful way. the bedazzled costumes, the dancing (as they kept the original moves), the sing-offs, the trademark pelvic thrusts...he he he. 

making it all the better was being with the girl that loved them along side me all these years as we could relive everything. we spent more time over the course of the evening remembering and laughing over our memories.  if a concert can do that to you it really has to be the best concert.

thanks for bringing back the memories!
love

check your phone!

checked my phone. 7 missed calls.

checked my voicemail. 2 missed messages.

anita comes by. one missed call on her phone

one missed voicemail too.

message one: mark, "hi tracey, i may need you to come pick me. i hit my head, and i may have a concussion"

message two: mark, "hi tracey, its okay. i am fine. i can drive. i went to the medicenter. see you when i get home".

wonder what i saw....take a look!

diagnosis: twelve stitches

one tetanus shot

one headache

some blood loss

one bald patch

tons of paperwork

but no concussion!

love

internet exhaustion has got me thinking....

i am becoming an internet addict. who am i kidding. I AM AN INTERNET ADDICT! he he he.

i have spent way too much time today looking at photographers' pictures, their quotes, emailing them, looking at dj sites, emailing them for quotes and in between checking "in" on facebook (and maybe playing a little bejewelled here and there, thanks mom).

i really should have cut my computer time in half or totally for my new year's resolution. BUT my thought is that at this time in our society can one live without internet? i don't think i could. i utilize the computer so much from finding recipes, to diy, information on how to plan a wedding, download my music, look at how i improve in running, watch old television shows, to doing my research through databases at school. not to mention writing on this blog!

looking at this i KNOW the time i didn't have a computer. it was when i was about thirteen. i didn't have internet till about 18 (unless you count the small times my dad brought his laptop home, so we could surf the net). i survived.

did things take longer to do? i remember when i was young my dad built me a skating rink in our backyard. not to sound knowledge deficient but really, how did he know how to do that? if i wanted to do it, i would just check the internet. did you talk more? do we talk less?

sigh. a little thought that has turned into a ramble. :) i think i need to get off the computer.
love

just a thought

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." —Ashley Montagu

summer makes me happy

i really can't say it enough:

i love the sun
i love the blue sky
i love the soft wind
i love summer.

i can officially say it too since yesterday was the first official day! AND on that day i went for my first SUMMER run. the river is very high (suprisingly so) from all the rain that we had last week. so much so that one of my favourite running spots has eroded away. tear. BUT from all that wonderful rain we got green grass AND:

 i love the green grass!

in gretting this summer day two, i decided to have a sweetheart shrimp and watermelon salad. DELISH. i then promptly called my dad so i could brag about how awesome the meal was. he was jealous, i could hear it in his voice (tee hee).

now i am off to go scrapbook. something that is extremely hard to do on these beautiful summer days but at the same time something that i really love to do!
so long for now
love

rain rain and more rain

it has been a fairly rainy week and i have to say that i love it. it is a little cold but it cleans up the streets, the air smells so fresh and it gives me a great excuse to stay inside on these days i may snuggle under some blankets while watching reruns of so you think you can dance OR do some baking OR do some strenght training OR do some chores OR do all of the above.

it was a busy morning. i dropped mark off at first aid and they advertised the wrong time so we took a small trip to the italian bakery where i found rose water and orange blossom, something i had been looking for for awhile as i have cookbook that uses that quite a bit! so pumped.

did a yoga session. me and my body have really missed it! my hamstrings are tight! especially since half marathon training has commenced. jimi came too. as i was laying on my mat waiting for class to commence, i could hear jimi's car park. love it! thanks for coming jimi-jam! and namaste!

so off to start my lovely rainy day plans! love to you all!

lets get a little of hawksley shall we....

so sad for mark right now as vancouver lost the cup (vs. boston). sigh. but i am sure there are a certain bunch of people in a small town in n.b. that are absolutely thrilled.

this song (having nothing to do with any cup) is one i adore. both artist and song, actually. i have been to two of his shows (once at the winspear...excellent) AND since i really have no news to share here you all go!

so far on my summer vacation i did...

the summer days have been wonderful this past "celebratory" week. it brings me to talk about what i have been up to this summer. thus far i have:

• attended a graduation, 95th birthday, and wedding celebration
• gone to FOUR summer movies thus far: hangover 2, bridesmaids (most excellent), pirates four, and super 8 (my favourite movie thus far this summer).
• worked my two jobs still, and still having fun
• started training for a half marathon again...i obviously don't remember the pain from last year ;)
• started "eating" better for my training. big step for me especially when it is green onion cake season.
• shopped around for venues for our upcoming BIG DAY! when it comes to wedding planning, i would love to have the whole wedding planned and done in a week but i guess it doesn't work that way! :)
• visited with some AWESOME nursing friends that i have not seen in awhile...fun evening ladies!
• gone to the muttart, a place i don't ever remember going (unless i was fairly young). fun times.
• canoe trip from devon to edmonton involving two very crispy people that may have not put on sunscreen....sigh, I KNOW YOU ARE DISAPPOINTED MOM! :)
• enjoyed some summer walks, market days, and just being outside!

so far this summer has been nice. have much more to look forward to, too! until then...
love

happy graduation

a bachelor of education allows you to:

• go on a ski trip in the "outback" of the mountains
• gives you an idea of what to expect with children at different ages
• learn many different dancing styles from hip hop and jazz with videos to prove it
• having fun (and sometimes difficulty) with sports from curling to hockey, gymnastics to badminton, swimming to kayaking
• being able to debate about people such as piaget and erikson
• wanting to learn more about reading comprehension
• getting to teach twice in a classroom setting and confirming many times over that that is what one loves to do
• knowing that one cannot simply condense it all on their blog but realizing.....
• ...that having a degree allows you to finally do what one wanted for so long! 

CONGRATS TO MARK ON HIS GRADUATION! GREAT JOB AND WE ARE ALL SO PROUD OF YOU! 

love

i'm so excited

since i have done MANY dedications to my father when it comes to music i thought i would do one for my mom! i think i managed to get both of their tastes in music integrated into mine. i love that old school rock from my dad with a mix of some eclectic beats. my mother (like myself) loves all broadway all the time...seriously when we get to new york one day broadway will be ours! but she also loves the "woman" singers (as dad calls it) and the fun mainstream pop.

this little music video is a reminder of my mom when i was young. she (like myself) loves to pump up the music loud especially when cleaning (again like myself). i still remember her jamming out to this while vacuuming...the image is forever ingrained in my mind. love it! :) this song is now a motivator for me while i run. so enjoy!



love

soooo

so this is a lazy post with a story. i JUST saw bridesmaids with my bridesmaids and laughed till i cried....still ladies take some hints (ha ha ha, joke). the movie brought a song close to my heart from the elementary era when i would listen to it with my dad...so dad this is for you right here! :) sorry i couldn't get one without commercials!



love

the stool

my mom told me to throw it out. we were cleaning out the "junk" in their basement. i came across a broken stool that mom got back in the day at county's reach. i loved that stool. it reminded me of a country/cosy style that fit in my parent's house perfectly. mom told me it was junk. toss it. i restrained. call it nostalgia...or that i wanted to grasp whatever i could of my parents but i was determined to make this stool mine somehow. thus the wheels started turning....

cut to two months later i went to a fabric store (i rarely frequent them). i came across this fabric (below). i know what you are thinking...orange??? but it matched a chair that we happened to have and the flowers are really pretty...or at least i think they are. i headed to casey's house for a craft night and we set up on stapling this fabric on to the cushion. easy-peasy.

the last bit i needed help. i didn't get a before picture but the stool was in pretty bad ruins and it was confirmed what my mom had originally said. it was junk. the wood was slightly cheap and a handy kind of handy man managed to put it together but warned not to put too much pressure on it. i promise i won't.

it now sits idly by the orange chair waiting for a nice kitty or a foot. the project is finished and i am happy!

thanks so much david for your hard work! :)

time to be appreciative

its been awhile since i have wrote about what i am thankful for. i really enjoy doing it as it allows me to concentrate on positivity rather than some of the negative things that can happen in life. here is what i have today!

• dance offs with my boyfriend...leading to hysterical laughter
• lilacs blooming. it is officially spring
• biking to work and having paths to do so
• running outside. i have missed it so much
• fresh fruit
• finishing one scrapbook project that i have been trying to accomplish for two years. felt good!
• spring walks
• downtown market opening. it makes me so happy as its my favourite market!
• having a job. i really do like working!
• hanging out with friends that i haven't seen in awhile
• movie dates
• pillow fights (yes, event though i am "how old" i still have them...and they are fantastic)
• sun because it is finally out in all its glory after so many months
• my library card...seriously, why didn't i get this sooner. so much fun! :)

that is it, for now. have a glorious sunday! :)
love

nursing in my genes??

came across these pictures that my dad put in my digital frame...what do you think? was it meant to be? *wink wink*

love

barbra streisand

so glee had a flash mob with the lovely diddy below. it brought up a goal that i would like to accomplish. i want to be part of a flash mob. i have added it as part of my "likes" on facebook to alarm me of any in canada.

what else could i do? suggestions??



love

biking part IV

i rode
i went
got to work
very nice
home time
i rode
i went
flat tire
again
not so nice.

maybe its time to get a mountain bike?
don't get shocked/dismayed my dear father...
love

she came and went

so it has been a week since my mom has been here and i have not written about any of it. SOOOO here is a little summary of all the events that occurred during the 2011 mother visit.

1. went on a roadtrip to calgary. visited my great aunt (who i think i have seen in atleast 16 years...yikes) and my mom's cousins.
2. numerous expeditions to the mall where even mark accompanied us once (a promise of chapters may have been made)
3. a mandatory trip to costco for a hot dog of course...
4. a bridal/engagement shower may have occured leading me to think that mark is WAY more bridal than myself
5. wedding dress shopping AND buying. one solo trip with just my mom (exactly how i wanted it) and then with a crew to see if they also thought the dress was the dress...IT WAS!
6. brunch (mark's favourite meal) at the sawridge. a place that mom swears dad needs to visit.
7. renting "the girl with the dragon tattoo" and all of the sequels. very enjoyable, if not a little risque.
8. going on a mother/daughter (plus friend) movie date like we used to. (p.s. jeaninne said it was like hanging out like old times at your old house).
9. sushi attack for jimi's belated birthday party with sugar overload after.
10. waking up early in the morning to see the royal wedding...craziness!!!
11. babysitting a little gal.
12. lobster rolls!! YUM!

plus many more events but overall it was nice to have her around just be there.
glad you could come up mom. lots of people sure missed you (of course i am included in that combo). glad that you got to see all your friends, we got to spend lots of time together, and you got to go on a bonding shopping trip with my little bro.

glad you made it safe back home and that you are with dad. lets face it: he totally missed you!
love you lots
xoxoxoxo

beware of mush

mark asked what i wanted to do today. i wanted to walk downtown and get some ice cream.
"really, that is what you want to do?" he said.
"most positive," my response.
i love our walks. we don't do it on a regular basis (which we should) but it does make it all the more special when we do spend that outside time together (especially when we have slightly different interests: he being a gardener and me a runner).
it reminded me of our first times together in the summer of 2007. one particular time i took the bus downtown from my parent's place. met him up with him then walked to MEC and bought him some hiking boots. then off for some ice cream. next back tracked to a lot of mark's favourite trees in the downtown area. during our trek we watched people running the obstacle marathon, the live bands in churchill, just downtown people and finally soak our feet in the city hall pool.
today it was just as sunny, with some fantastic wind. the ice cream was coconut and raspberries for me, for him birthday cake and gummi bears. we walked downtown to the legislature, down to the river valley, back home.
both are nothing special but to me, something i love and feel the need to appreciate. like in i said in the title: pure mush!
love

a love

glee covered a "mash-up" version of this song last week. reminded me of the original and how much i loved these gals! :)



love

biking part III

conquered the hills.
got to work on time.
had time to change.
success on all fronts!

biking part II

a little bit of wind
the sun was shining.
the bike's tire was newly changed.
no mishaps on making it to work.
success.
now i just need to conquer those hills....

love

biking

i was determined to bike today.
even though it was raining,
a soft little drizzle.
it didn't look so bad,
until i started to ride.
the rain fell harder,
the wind blew harder,
the gravel seemed more slippery.
i finally made it to the top,
with just five minutes to spare.
then i got a flat tire.
sigh.
hopefully tomorrow will be better.

what i learned about the royal wedding

1. three am is much too early to watch a royal wedding. especially since your father laughs at you via skype.
2. good laughs are bound to come if your fiance is catching bits on television. imitations like "twist from the wrist, from the wrist you twist" are said with an impeccable english accent.
3. princes don't have to wear rings...but according to your fiance they are not "betrothed" (again in said english accent).
4. even prince's get nervous as they have trouble getting the rings on their princesses.
5. normal brides don't need to be nearly as nervous as 750 million will not be invited, let alone watching their wedding (hopefully).
6. it is terribly sad that one has to wait 2 hours for the groom to finally kiss the bride...especially when that is what this writer was waiting for and fell completely and utterly asleep by the time it happened.
7. no matter what the stipulations are for a bride, she does always look beautiful and the groom looks so very handsome.
8. little kids in your bridal party are quite amusing for those serious moments, especially since the service may be a little long.

AND FINALLY, MOST IMPORTANTLY WHAT I LEARNED FROM THE ROYAL WEDDING:

9. hats are fabulous fashion pieces to wear at any event, especially a wedding. i particularly enjoyed the fascinators. absolutely gorgeous. i really think that canada is in need of these fantastic head pieces!

love

horrible horrible horrible sister

yesterday was my fantasticly fantastic brother's birthday. so i must Must MUST say to him: 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMI!

i wish you lots of love and hugs for this upcoming year. you deserve it as you are one of the most kind, good natured, lovable, goofy, humor filled, laughter-loving, relaxed people that i know. love you lots dear jimi-jam!

love

let the planning begin

i know our wedding is so very far in the future but with my mom being around and school over the planning has begun. we are in the final stages of refining our guest list so that we can go through (the painstaking) process of finding a venue. lucky for me i have a very thorough and dedicated fiance to look through the venues to find one that suits our needs (seriously so lucky).

mom is dying to do some wedding dress shopping in the next two weeks (my very own say yes to the dress if you will). wish me tons of luck on that one!

AND tomorrow i have my first shower/party to attend. this should be fantastic as i haven't seen anyone really since the final study session began. so i get to see my lovely friends and more (i have no clue who is coming). sigh...it begins.

so far in this very beginning process i have discovered that i am not very bridal and mark is not very groom-al(?). but we have established that we just want to have a fun day, with good food. PLUS i want a fabulously awesome honeymoon (he has my list of places to go, tee hee).

continuing on my lists...
love

dreams

since i have study brain and i can't really think, let alone write, i will just have this picture as my blog post.

oddly enough, i had a dream i went to australia with my mom and cousin last night. the lovely thing about dreams is the flight was super fast, we found just what we were looking for (for some reason that was seals) and i woke up content and happy.

ahh back to the 10 hour study session!

love

because you are a loyal reader...

this is for you! he he he...keep watching it gets so good and complicated!



p.s. check out this lovely link...its back!

love

he is back!

and as i confess to my horrible self control yesterday guess who shows up on my televison today!

jamie oliver and his food revolution!

the show is back! if you haven't seen it, check it out. enjoy him thouroughly. i feel like i am being put back on the right track again. he he he

love

i cracked...

i was so strong for so many months. four to be exact. but i just couldn't help myself. i have been thinking about it since friday. i came so close on that day to getting it but forced myself to drive away...unsatisfied. but it is study week. so on the way home after working both jobs i had to stop...i couldn't help myself...i bought...

MCDONALDS!

GASP, SHOCK, HORROR!!!  

and guess what??? it was worth every bite! so good. he he he. as i told mark, new years resolutions are meant to be broken. AND this has probably satisfied my cravings for another 4-5 months.

so what does one do after breaking their resolution? sign up for a half marathon of course! yes, i am torturing my body once again (i swear, it is just like hiking, i forget about all the pain once it's all over). august 21st is d-day!. i am going to try and be a little gentler on my body this year focusing more on strength training and resistance with a little less running. by that i mean running three times a week instead of the usual four. however, my ultimate goal to keep my cardio up by riding my bike to work like i did two years ago. hopefully i can keep it up! THAT ladies and gents, is my summer goal!

off to procrastinate...
love

date night for friday night

rented movies last night
choices were as follows
black swan
the fighter
tron
tangled

guess which one mark picked
*wink wink*
it was a disney one
with a girl
she had long
blond
hair.

heart him!

hug a tree today

feeling blue...hug a tree!

dear tracey...

won't you come out to play,

dear tracey. 

greet the brand new day...

the sun is out, the sky is blue

its beautiful and...

i will stop right there! but in all fun, april welcome back! i have missed you and your sunshine. the snow is finally melting. mark is having the utmost fun playing in puddles (or "getting rid of them"). i feel that i can run outside pretty soon. AND i am just feeling plain ol' happy right now!

the group projects are done. big shout out to both groups. we did awesome (even if no grades are back). i have to admit that i don't usually enjoy group work but when you have really good groups, it is all good! you get to know people, all the strengths come together and the weaknesses never come out (or hopefully not!). BUT they are a lot of work so i am glad to be done!

i have scrapped some photos two nights in a row now. i am almost astonished to see that i have completed our 2009 album in 3 months. it feels great. it was a bit more slack then my usual albums but i will have tons of trips to scrapbook in the near future (i developed all my pics for two hikes and two trips...those should take some time...)

i also have some ambitious goals for the summer. i was thinking that i would like to start biking again to work BUT also train for a half marathon again...that means a lot of workouts. (i hope you are ready for me ice)! and i just bought another punch pass so i am coming for you again hot and hatha yoga!! plus, the west coast trail is on our agenda this summer...hopefully i am not to crabby this time around as we are hiking with company. ;) no guarantees.

i think that is all i am going to say. i am updating my photo blog as we speak...sorry if it bores all of you. it does kind of crack me up on the amount of food pics that we both take. what can i say...we love food!

enjoy this lovely wednesday evening
love

today is a good day

1. i got one group project finished (we just have to present)
2. another group project is half way done (we just have to work on our presenting skills)
3. the sun is shining, spring is coming
4. i can start running outside again (with the bridge opened, means more variety)
5. a new grey's is on tonight (even if its a sad one)
6. i am going to start scrapbooking in roughly 5 minutes
7. i am seeing some friends saturday night for some "games" time
8. school is done in 4 more days!
9. finals are done in 20 more days!
10. my mom will be here in 20 more days just as i complete my last final exam!

happy days! :)

a little bit of mumford and a little bit of sons

and iiiiiiii love this song



love

where have i been?

my lack of blogging seems to indicate i have been up to something. but no i have not even been gone. what have i been doing?

• working (a bit more than i usually do)
• running (on a treadmill)
• hot yoga (is back in my life)
• weight training (ugh, but i am doing it)
• organizing my pictures (it really does take a long time)
• watching big love (i can't believe the show is over all ready!)
• hanging out with my wonderful friends (for a fun craft night and brunch)
• hanging out with my wonderful partner (for one failed movie attempt and a successful one)
• preparing for a lab (that acts out scenes of what could happen when we are working in the field)
• and the usual daily life things

so really, not that much but enough to keep me busy enough not to blog. so poor, i know! but summer is coming and i will be the blogs best friend!
love

where does the time go?

it seems like yesterday that i was "complaining" about the semester ahead. now i am sitting here, with all my midterms done and just two group projects to complete. wow. so fast, how it flies. i have one more semester down and this much closer to my goal (SCARY!!). but as i do my readings, tests, and assignments the answers come a lot easier than they used to...probably an indicator that i do know stuff.

i have been really getting into these albums lately. i (almost) have all of my 2009 pictures in an album. so exciting. i have just developed 2010 pictures and their album is on standby. it feels great to finally get some organization to my pictures!

i spent all of sunday cleaning and adding an addition to mark's shelves. it is huge! mark jokes that i am trying to kill him, as it would be quite a big load if that thing ever tip over (don't worry, i checked on the tipping factor). but i love the way it looks and it took a lot of his books (that were scattered everywhere) and put them in a place. i do have to say though, he has a lot of books. but as my mom says, you gotta love a person who reads...(guess the reader in my family?).

not much else going on. i dabble in wedding planning but nothing at all in seriousness. i am still enjoying the engagement phase that just involves thinking and no work is involved. we both have ideas of what we want, we just need a plan to get there. BUT i did buy a book! mark laughed as i bought a book to plan a plan. whatever, i welcome the reading. i know how to plan trips, ride a bike, do svanasana in yoga, and sing every word to la vie boheme but i have no idea how to plan a wedding. hopefully this book will help!

not much else going on. tomorrow is st. patty's day so i must think of a green recipe to make as i had a lot of fun doing it last year with our green milk and green pancakes. and i am getting together with my girlfriends this weekend which should be loads of fun and laughter and talking! 

till next time...
love

i heart you so much glee

this show is so fantastic



love

so how are those goals i set...

so let me reminisce on the goals i am hoping to accomplish this year. let's see the progression... :)

• scrapbooking: how i can i put this nicely? school is evil. ha ha. but to counteract its evilness i have found an album that lets me do a little scrapbooking/photo-journaling but so much simpler (and less time consuming) because it's set up like a photo album. a facebook friend of mine actually liked the person that created it hence how i stumbled upon it. they are right here. i have so far started on 2009 and am already in the month of may. i believe i will cave and do one for 2010. it makes me feel so good to have all my pictures in an album. i started to get into the serious habit of keeping them on my computer and never printing them so i feel like i have accomplished something in just the printing.  BUT i have not given up on scrapbooking in its entirety. as of now i am going to do tiny spreads of favourite pics and keep to scrapbooking my trips. PLUS that wedding album for a lovely friend. i should finish it since, sadly, they have been married for too long and now have a child (sick tracey). she did mention that i should finish it before i get married. sigh. did i mention i will never scrapbook my wedding album?
• travel: well i think you know of my experience thus far. yes i have been a very lucky gal! the plan for the west coast trail is still and it will probably be our vacation for the summer (or maybe the rest of the year). after the last two hikes that we have completed, this has to be easy, right? a friend of ours is on board to go with us (poor girl doesn't know what she is getting into and may actually regret being part of our bridal party after this, he he).
• reading: i am still reading "between a rock and a hard place". nearing the end though and i have to say, he is one graphic writer. OUCH that must have hurt. this was actually a book i started three years ago but (obviously) didn't finish. i have a couple of those lying around so i am working on finishing them up. the next one is "caught inside: a surfer's year on the california coast".
• take more photos: i have been doing this but kind of falling off the map a bit because frankly some of our day to day life is really not photo worthy. i still am trying but will see how far i keep it up (or shut it down all together). i have to say though, having my camera all the time does make for awesome photo opportunities when needed!
• eating healthy: another reason i shouldn't have this. if you look at it you will probably see how i sometimes don't eat so healthy. but i can't help it, chocolate is my ultimate downfall! :) BUT i can officially say i have yet to step inside a mcdonald's and it is march 8th. i can at least give myself some credit.
• exercise: who would have thought this would take a back-burner? well an accident involving a treadmill, two x-rays to determine its not broken, three weeks to heal the soft tissue damage and humiliation at the idea of returning to the gym has prevented me from working out. i was going to do it today but i HAD to catch up on school work...but i WILL do it tomorrow...i swear!
• AND a new goal to add to the mix: wedding planning. i have already recruited my bridal party to help in the planning (i have very experienced gals when it comes to this). so hopefully it will be okay. BUT i really have no interest in the planning stages at all right now. just enjoying being engaged and thinking of tiny ideas, and the honeymoon travels. planning will commence in the summer, when my mom comes to visit and i have time to do look at places and sample cake, tee hee! :)

so that is it. have a great wednesday!
love

the ending to our wonderous adventure

instead of going into the other things we did, i thought i would make it easier on myself and just do a little picture montage. this was our last full day on the island.

going to the markets

enjoying fruity drinks

visiting the dry cave

another day on the beach, this time snorkeling.

love

the hike

since i talked about half of our trip i feel like i should include the other bits. probably the most interesting part of our trip was the hike. i have described it already but it really was tough. the north coast trail was the hardest i have done thus far but this was a different kind of difficult. many inclines, tremendous heat and humidity played huge factors when we were trekking along. not to mention some fear factor bits when you look over the edge and see the steep declines right in front of you. what can i say, we worked hard.

the beginning of the trail. blue skies beautiful day

crazy roots on crazy trees

look at that ocean...sigh.

smiles. just passed approximately 3miles

due to the heat we stopped at many creeks just to cool off. at one said creek my camera happened to pop out of its waterproof case and take a dive into the refreshing water (oh the irony). needless to say i took that hard. i had taken 200 pics on the trip thus far and none could be seen in my broken camera. those last 3 miles were rough for me! :) i have since found out that everything was recoverable.

long way down.

the end point was the beginning of our adventure. we passed about 20 "residents" (and we have heard there are close to 50) who have set up camp to live there permanently. they are not living there legally but living there nicely (again, we have heard that people live in this area for roughly 1000$ a year). they plant various seeds and because of the climate things grow with no problems. just us looking we saw arugula, tomatoes, salad greens, limes, plantains, lemons, basil, and oregano BUT apparently there are papayas, mangoes, oranges further up the hill.

included within the residents are the nudists. so many times i wished my friends and family were there just so i could hear the funny witticisms they would say. case in point: getting water from the creek we look over and see a girl perched on a rock playing a ukulele. look over again...completely naked playing her ukulele. seriously it was like we entered the twilight zone and all that was in my head was "age of aquarius". its probably a good thing my camera broke...

one of the more hysterical aspects was how they get food shipped in. this is an 11 mile hike into camp therefore the residents need some supports from other places to bring in food. cut to the motor boat. looking over at the ocean, where professional surfers were surfing for the waves, we see a motor boat jetting into the surf.  next thing you know we see garbage bags being tossed into a wave from just behind its breaking crest and the boat zipping out before the next set could swamp it. INSANE! lol

in terms of us we were both pretty happy for other reasons ;) but it was cool to be immersed in a culture that was so different than the hiking culture.

our camera phones saved the day capturing out last images as we head out.

i don't know how it is possible but i am already dirty before even leaving. lol

love

she said...

 so Mark and I have been keeping a little secret...now that the family knows we will out ourselves to the facebook world and let you all know we are happily engaged ♥

 ~facebook message

we are back from an absolutely fantastic trip. not only did we have a delightful time, we had even more delightful news to share with our loved ones, both family and friends alike. it occurred soon after my last post.

we were hiking the kalalau trail. a hike i was later told is one of the top 10 hardest hikes in the usa, and rated 9/10 in difficulty. sigh. needless to say the reviewers were right. the combination of inclines, steep drops and (myself) dropping the camera in a creek, left us pretty weary (me a little worse than mark). things started to brighten up near the end of the day as mark set up camp in a nice solitary spot and we had supper under the sunset. we even saw some humpback whales breaching in the ocean.

the next morning being relaxed and feeling MUCH better, mark and i sat on a part of a wall that composed a heiau built by hawaiian natives long ago (mark wrote that bit...totally doesn't sound like me, he he he). i have to admit (although i really hate being a mush) it was an absolute perfect day. huge blue sky, sun shining, ocean in the background (with more whales surfacing) and being totally isolated from much of humanity. we sat there taking it all in when mark got up and said "tracey i love you, if you are willing to come here with me, then i will go anywhere with you. will you marry me?". then he got down on both knees with a ring in one hand. i wonder what my answer was...;)

YES! a very happy day. nothing more to say. pure bliss!

i later told him jokingly that i would be more than willing to go on more hikes if i have the promise of more shiny things in my future...we shall see about that one!

i hope you enjoy our mushy story, i promise i won't get totally mush on all of you in the future. however, mark did say we are allowed to be like this since we just got engaged!

love

aloha

thanks to my marvelous brother, it looks like i am able to make a blogpost (or maybe two) on this trip! thanks for lending us the laptop jim...its been a lifesaver a couple times thus far. we have arrived on the island of kaua'i. so far we've been having a marvelous time. it was a rough start when our plane got delayed (for six hours) in san fransico leaving us wondering about our connecting flight and haggling with our rental car company. BUT all worked out so the focus on the negative is gone.

yesterday was a day of rain, humidity and activity. we saw many sights with the fog giving a feeling of mysticism to the scenery. very nice! we took a try at paddle boarding. hard to balance but tons of fun! mark even attempted to surf...he did pretty good. we rented from a lady who moved here from b.c. in 1973. this has led me to coercing mark to live here...so far it is not working! :)

today was another busy day without the rain. we visited queens bath, kilauea lighthouse and (of course) melvin the parrot. not to mention drinking fresh coconut milk from the very thing itself! our activity of the day was surfing on hanalei beach. very fun although my wrist is paying for it now and probably will pay more tomorrow. i have many months after this for it to heal, right? i can already see mom rolling her eyes.

that sums up the trip thus far. but i must mention the food before i sign off. best burgers were from bubba's. we have tried ahi tuna (fabulous) and onaga (more fabulous). cooked with coconut oil (i think i going to bring it home by the gallon, jk) and speaking of coconut, we have enjoyed some coconut dates. everything has been way to good to us! it has been nice to stay in this condo (it has a dishwasher...eek) so we can cook all our meals for dinner...really do i ever have to go home???

tomorrow is the kalalau hike. hopefully all fairs well!

lots of love...till next time

post valentine's day

hope everyone had a very happy heart day. everything was pretty laid back here. mark once again came through with his personalized cards that i love ever so much. that, indian food (again), with a little bit of chocolate in the mix made me a very happy gal....ON TOP OF THAT, i was lucky enough to receive another valentine in the mail (LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD XOXOXOXOX)

actually speaking of my lovely parents. i was talking to them the night before and joked around with mom that valentine's was really for the women. therefore, girls shouldn't feel obligated to get their partners anything. guess what. that is just what she did, he he. dad gave her a card and roses, then asked if he got anything...mom sold me down the river saying that i said it was a women's day. lol. little did i know she would take me literally. ahh you both make me laugh so hard (especially since i talked to my beloved father today and he doesn't look/sound too crushed).

gotta go now. pretty tired since i have been studying (research no less). have to get as much down now before i see the sun, surf, sand and everything else wonderful that starts with an s!

love

hearts to you

since this blog is 1/3 love i thought i would make a shout out to all those people loving or being loved whether you are a:

mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, boyfriend, girlfriend, grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunt, cousin friend, co-worker or a lovely little furry creature!

the list can go on and on. just know that you are loved!  

happy valentine's day!

guess what?

1. the sun is shining. blue skies. melted snow. (maybe a run outside pretty soon)
2. had a movie date this weekend.
3. got him to watch one of my favourite friday night shows (he he he) and i watched one of his.
4. i am going on a trip in exactly 7 days. hiking. beaches. sun. relaxation. 
5. i am finished my paper. really it doesn't get any better than that sentence.
6. the swelling in my wrist has gone done. can't quite flex yet, but i am feeling wednesday will be my day!
7. we have left over indian food in the fridge at this very moment.
8. FINALLY jimi jam is coming over tonight!

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP! :)

be careful where you step!

hello again!

its been awhile i know BUT i do have the best excuse. i could only type with one hand. yes, that is correct, the other had undergone a sprain/strain. i don't know really, the x-rays just indicated there was soft tissue damage but no (thankfully) broken bones.

so how did this disaster occur? one word: treadmill. yes, i fell victim to a treadmill injury. i have heard of such injuries. AND i am now in good enough humor to laugh about it (the first two days...maybe not so much). what went down was this. i signed out treadmill number 6 (one i probably will never run on again). i got all my stuff ready, put my book down on the floor. stepped on to the treadmill and soon found myself on the gym floor. humiliated, shocked, embarrassed and wondering what the heck happened. one of the ladies at the gym ran right towards me. apparently she was working on the treadmill and left it running but went to go get some things. initially i felt a pain in my wrist but i thought i could work it out. so what did i do? continued to work-out for 40 minutes (was i in shock or just crazy?). the ladies at the gym came over to see how i was doing and i told them i am fine but i will know more the next day if any injuries set in. in seriousness i really just wanted them to go away because i was so embarrassed. i know they were concerned and trying to help but i just felt like a tool. everyone around me pretended like nothing ever occurred and just worked out their stress (although i am sure they had quite a laugh that morning) i think them working out just made me more self-conscience (but really i think if they all stopped i would have cried...lol). as the day progressed and the pain started to set in, in my wrist...i realized that i really did hurt it (and concluded that i must have landed on it). there were other sore tendons the next morning but nothing that a week of rest (i am sure) couldn't cure. but i did start to worry about being able to type AND being able to surf on our vacation two weeks from now.

the good news is i can type again. in great timing too as i really have to wrap up that (never-ending) paper. there is a bit of mild pain but not as bad as the last two days. i can't really move it back and forth or weight bear...but i can get my paper done so as far as i am concerned i am feeling (SO MUCH) better than yesterday and the day before.

plus the bonus sympathy from my parents is always good. times like these i need their comfort! love you both and thanks for being there!!!!

love

funkless

isn't it amazing how a bit of music can brighten your day? seriously puts me in a happy mood again! love it. that and a fun superbowl party with friends!



love

warning...this is a vent post

i have a paper due next week. i think i have paper bloc? is that possible? its been awhile since i have had this much difficulty writing a paper. maybe its because i have been in the clinical setting and out of the academic aspect of writing. or my mind is on more tropical matters. regardless this paper has become the bain of my exisitence. the research part has been okay but the words on the screen...grrr. i find myself distracted by movies, music, food, grocery shopping, chores, blogs that really don't need to be watched, listened, ate, bought, done or written...but regardless.

on the bright side of things. THIS really is my only big project this semester besides some group work that needs to be completeted. that is the focus right now for me. get it done and i am free.
i have one more week before it is due...wish me luck! (and hopefully the funk will be gone)
love

just because...

- i don't really know what to post
- the countdown is on till i see some beaches of my own (eek...16 days!)
- i really miss those sunny skies and said beaches

i will give you this picture of a time so long ago...but really not!

love

the week's song...

one of my most favourite songs right now! love this song. i pump it really loud and dance like a fool! poor mark and kitty! :)



love