¡Que Linda!

Diamond Jubilee

2012-02-06T19:13:00.000-05:00

In Honour of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, I snagged a few pictures that show her true beauty. Also, this list of 60 facts about Her Majesty is quite an interesting read - especially # 27.

Such a beautiful young Queen

A caring Mother

Official Portrait for the Jubilee

Progression

2012-01-20T23:05:00.002-05:00

Starting from Day 1.... it goes so quickly.

1 Day - with his poor little squished head

3 Weeks

1 Month - the colic begins

2 Months - it's almost Christmas

3 Months - a smile!

And yes, my husband is a HUGE Leafs Fan.... clearly I need to get some more Flames gear.

12 years ago

2012-01-12T09:54:00.001-05:00

12 years ago I woke up in the sweet Swiss village of Avully .. I was hired to be a nanny to 3 poorly behaved children - fast forward 12 years and now I have my very own. Time really does fly.

2011...

2012-01-11T09:42:00.000-05:00

Like most people, the past few days - or rather weeks... this post is slightly late.....I looked back at how 2011 shaped up. It was certainly one of my busiest and most dramatic years to date...

Jan

Began the New Year on the right foot with a Resolution Run, actually it was on New Year's Eve, but that's almost 2011...
Started a job at the President's office of a Government agency. It turned out to be somewhat like "The Devil Wears Prada" but was a very interesting kick off to the year. I learned how particular the President was with his coffee, how to print documents and hand deliver them to someone sitting 10 feet from my desk (please note the sarcasm), but hey, it paid the rent, so yay!
We started building our house! Well, we put money down to buy the house and signed the contract, the construction didn't begin until June....

Feb

Ended said "Devil's Wears Prada" job and started my dream job at the logistical support command of the Military. It was nice to be back in uniform on a daily basis and get paid a lot more, but the learning curve was STEEP. Suffice it to say, I was in a wee bit over my head.
I also found out I was pregnant shortly after starting my job... yikes! Cue morning sickness, joy.

March

I made it back home to Calgary to see my friends... passed on the fun baby news :)
Missed out on a military ORCA trip to Victoria, boo :(

April

Pete and I had a lovely weekend out in Mont Tremblant. Very romantic and the best Spaghetti Carbonara I've ever had... yum!
Made it back to Sharon for Pete's family Easter celebration, and had a special afternoon tea at the Old Mill

May

Cruise time... first time on a cruise, first time to the Caribbean - very, very fun. Maybe next year we can hit up the Baltic?

June

Still on the cruise, trying desperately to stretch out the week.
House construction begins!
All the way at the end of the month a few friends and I headed out for a shopping trip to the outlet's outside of New York - amazing deals!

July

Last trip to Calgary with Pete before the baby arrives! Spent the week showing Pete the wonders of the Stampede and Spruce Meadows... he's a good sport :)
A trip to Kingston to attend the Baptism of our darling God Daughter... so cute!
Pete turned the big 3-0!

August

Baby Shower! My fantastic sister in law threw me a lovely baby shower. All of Pete's female relatives were there and we had such a great time.

September

I turned the big 3-0! Yikes!
My last day of work.... a week early as it turns out. My blood pressure was up and down, and up and down, and up and down.... so my Dr decided it was best to rest at home.
Continued to be in and out of the hospital with the threat of induction.... at the end of the month we still didn't have a baby yet... boo

October

More hospital time... and finally on the 17th of October after 44 hours of (mostly back) labour, and an emergency c section, we had our darling baby boy. I can't say it was a wonderful, easy, magical experience - it was awful, excruciatingly painful and one of the worst things I have ever had to endure. Thank goodness he is the cutest thing I have ever, ever seen....
Cue the flood of relatives to our TINY apartment... I was very thankful for the help, how do single parents do it???

November

Busiest month by far.... never again will I have a newborn, move into a new house with furniture coming from across the country and more furniture from the apartment, with your husband working. However, once we were in the house, we were good to go.

December

Hosted the Sands' family Christmas with my Mom at the new place.... busy, busy, busy, but awesome and the extra hands to help with our colicky baby was more than welcome.

So there we go, 2011 in review... typed as fast as I could while Will sleeps... Happy New Year!

One and Only?

2011-12-14T13:46:00.001-05:00

Echoing this blogger's thoughts - and after an especially hectic morning, having a newborn in a town where you have zero family is less than ideal. We have a few friends who live in Ottawa (one great couple who live around the corner) and luckily Pete has been working from home and can help a lot, but it is still quite tough. We are still in the "we can't imagine doing this all over again" stage, so for the time being it seems as though William is likely going to be a single child. He's been a good baby but is sliding into colic territory and is testing our sanity. Parents must eventually forget how difficult the first few months are, otherwise I know I wouldn't be here (having 2 sisters). I just keep thinking about how it would be later in life, only one kiddo running around... and even later - only one to come home and visit. Although, having only one would mean we could help him have a lot more experiences. Tough decision I think, but I guess we'll have to see how it goes.

Some more fun news - Sunday night my Mom flies over form Calgary (our first Christmas together in 4 years) and Pete's family is coming up for Christmas so thankfully we'll have some help soon. We even have a babysitter for our anniversary next Monday - a date with my husband, yay! I think we are going all out this time, sushi dinner and a movie :) Sherlock Holmes here we comes!

Hopefully I can unpack a bit more between now and Christmas (with my one free hand) - the house is finally looking more and more lived in, and we even had company over for coffee and muffins yesterday!

Happy Wednesday

Christmas Elf

2011-12-10T22:27:00.001-05:00

So darn cute

Thursday's Photo

2011-11-24T12:03:00.000-05:00

It's still a bit big, but I couldn't resist trying it out.

Remembrance

2011-11-11T20:37:00.001-05:00

Langemarck at Ypres

William Wilfred Campbell

THIS is the ballad of Langemarck,
A story of glory and might;
Of the vast Hun horde, and Canada’s part
In the great grim fight.

It was April fair on the Flanders Fields,
But the dreadest April then
That ever the years, in their fateful flight,
Had brought to this world of men.

North and east, a monster wall,
The mighty Hun ranks lay,
With fort on fort, and iron-ringed trench,
Menacing, grim and gray.

And south and west, like a serpent of fire,
Serried the British lines,
And in between, the dying and dead,
And the stench of blood, and the trampled mud,
On the fair, sweet Belgian vines.

And far to the eastward, harnessed and taut,
Like a scimitar, shining and keen,
Gleaming out of that ominous gloom,
Old France’s hosts were seen.

When out of the grim Hun lines one night,
There rolled a sinister smoke;—
A strange, weird cloud, like a pale, green shroud,
And death lurked in its cloak.

On a fiend-like wind it curled along
Over the brave French ranks,
Like a monster tree its vapours spread,
In hideous, burning banks
Of poisonous fumes that scorched the night
With their sulphurous demon danks.

And men went mad with horror, and fled
From that terrible, strangling death,
That seemed to sear both body and soul
With its baleful, flaming breath.

Till even the little dark men of the south,
Who feared neither God nor man,
Those fierce, wild fighters of Afric’s steppes,
Broke their battalions and ran:—

Ran as they never had run before,
Gasping, and fainting for breath;
For they knew ’t was no human foe that slew;
And that hideous smoke meant death.

Then red in the reek of that evil cloud,
The Hun swept over the plain;
And the murderer’s dirk did its monster work,
’Mid the scythe-like shrapnel rain;

Till it seemed that at last the brute Hun hordes
Had broken that wall of steel;
And that soon, through this breach in the freeman’s dyke,
His trampling hosts would wheel;—

And sweep to the south in ravaging might,
And Europe’s peoples again
Be trodden under the tyrant’s heel,
Like herds, in the Prussian pen.

But in that line on the British right,
There massed a corps amain,
Of men who hailed from a far west land
Of mountain and forest and plain;

Men new to war and its dreadest deeds,
But noble and staunch and true;
Men of the open, East and West,
Brew of old Britain’s brew.

These were the men out there that night,
When Hell loomed close ahead;
Who saw that pitiful, hideous rout,
And breathed those gases dread;
While some went under and some went mad;
But never a man there fled.

For the word was “Canada,” theirs to fight,
And keep on fighting still;—
Britain said, fight, and fight they would,
Though the Devil himself in sulphurous mood
Came over that hideous hill.

Yea, stubborn, they stood, that hero band,
Where no soul hoped to live;
For five, ’gainst eighty thousand men,
Were hopeless odds to give.

Yea, fought they on! ’T was Friday eve,
When that demon gas drove down;
’T was Saturday eve that saw them still
Grimly holding their own;

Sunday, Monday, saw them yet,
A steadily lessening band,
With “no surrender” in their hearts,
But the dream of a far-off land,

Where mother and sister and love would weep
For the hushed heart lying still;—
But never a thought but to do their part,
And work the Empire’s will.

Ringed round, hemmed in, and back to back,
They fought there under the dark,
And won for Empire, God and Right,
At grim, red Langemarck.

Wonderful battles have shaken this world,
Since the Dawn-God overthrew Dis;
Wonderful struggles of right against wrong,
Sung in the rhymes of the world’s great song,
But never a greater than this.

Bannockburn, Inkerman, Balaclava,
Marathon’s godlike stand;
But never a more heroic deed,
And never a greater warrior breed,
In any war-man’s land.

This is the ballad of Langemarck,
A story of glory and might;
Of the vast Hun horde, and Canada’s part
In the great, grim fight.

Wilfred Campbell was a Canadian Poet. Many Canadian troops fought and died in the 3rd Battle of Ypres, otherwise known as Passchendaele. The fighting around Langemarck was just one part of the long bloody battle in 1917.

T-1 week

2011-11-10T12:26:00.000-05:00

We headed out to our new place last night to check on the progress of the house - everything is nearly finished, only the paint touch ups and the baseboards to finish - yay!

Thankfully, we've slowly started to tie up loose ends with the house, mortgage and movers from Calgary. All the stresses are slowly dissipating and now I can concentrate on chilling with this little man and packing up our apartment - not the most fun task, but it won't be too awful. After looking around a bit, it's really amazing how much one can accumulate in such a short while.

The funny thing is, this apartment is the first place that Pete and I were able to live together, and although we were only here for 11 months, I've been here longer than anywhere else since joining the military. Hopefully once we move, we'll stay put for a good couple of decades.

I should also mention a big thank you to everyone back in Calgary who is packing up all my stuff and meeting with the movers - that's not a fun task either. Once it all arrives, I think we'll have a great time going through all the boxes and getting reacquainted with all my belongings / all the extra stuff my mom threw into the mix.

Just for fun I thought I would leave you with a picture that Pete was pretty excited to take. Apparently William has followed in his Father's footsteps and has begun studying Arnold's Encyclopedia of Body Building - like Father, like Son.

The Grand Entrance

2011-10-23T17:25:00.000-04:00

I've been re-assured by my Doctor, the labour and delivery nurses who saw me through the 44 hour ordeal, the whole surgical team, and all the post delivery nurses that I have the worst delivery story they have experience in a long while....

Not quite the plan I had envisioned - but in any case, it is over, I am home at last, and our little one is here - he (along with Pete and I) is happy as a clam, and undeniably (to us anyways, but we are understandably biased) he is the cutest thing we have ever laid our eyes on.

Without further ado - our darling William

A theory

2011-10-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

I think I've figured it out, why our little once hasn't made his/her appearance. Although my decided due date is tomorrow (after being changed from the 17th, to the 10th and then finally tomorrow) I was convinced that he/she was coming early - I even bet on the 29th in my baby pool, and my husband bet on the 1st - oops!

Anyways, as I sit about my apartment (on sick leave for the past 3 weeks - a blood pressure thing) I've come to have more positive feelings about where I live. Originally, I was rather unhappy with my apartment - the location was awesome, the amount of space was also awesome, however the kitchen and bathroom left something to be desired. But hey, when your husband has 2 days to find a place to live while your house is bring built, somethings are less important. As I was saying, since I've been home, and Pete works from home 4 days a week, we've had a great time cooking, cleaning, getting things organized for our new arrival - it's become more of a home, I'm almost sad that we get to leave in 1 month and 11 days. But my theory regarding why this little one won't come out is because he/she would rather live in the house and not our 1 bedroom apartment....

Still nothing

2011-10-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

Because Heather put it so eloquently (she is due today, me on friday) - head over and read the post on being 40 weeks pregnant.

I've had my share of texts / facebook messages / bb messages / phone calls all inquiring about the status of Baby S - all well meaning and all nice, but no, nothing yet and yes, I will make sure to call everyone once he/she arrives.

Besides just wanting to hold / meet one wee one, I seriously cannot wait to

sleep on something other than my aching hips (ie: my back)
eat sushi, soft cheese and prosciutto
bend down to pick something up
have my hands back (swelling + carpel tunnel = useless appendages)
not have heartburn all the time
wearing all sorts of shoes - not just sandals
get back to running (my last run was at 6 months when Pete and I visited Calgary)

Chaos

2011-09-17T14:33:00.000-04:00

An update on the chaos that has happened over the last week:

Last sunday night we noticed the paint where the ceiling and wall connect in the bathroom and our closet was bubbling.

Diagnosis: 3 floors up there was a water leak and it made it's way down to us....this can be fixed, but the unfortunate news is our building superintendent was taken away in an ambulance on monday and hasn't been able to come in to repair it (thank goodness he is ok, just not back at work yet).

The bad news:

Because it affects our closet, everything we had in there is now in random locations throughout the bedroom mixing in with all the baby stuff (which there really isn't room for to begin with), plus this makes it pretty frustrating to get dressed in the morning - thank goodness I'm not at work anymore and Pete luckily works from home.
We move into our new house in exactly 2 months so the rest of our apartment is full of packing boxes and we are doing our best to contain the mess.
We could possibly have a newborn in the apartment any day now.... because
Thursday my doctor discovered that my blood pressure is elevated - normally it's low / normal but when you are 37 weeks pregnant, higher blood pressure is not a good sign. So, I'm on sick leave and we get to pop into the hospital tomorrow and tuesday to re-check it. If it remains high that means that we might get to meet our little one sooner than anticipated - hows that for news?
When he does come to fix it, we won't have a bathroom for a while, and our bedroom will be a construction zone - all things un-good when bringing home a brand new baby.
The longer we wait the higher the possibility of mould - also un-good for a teeny baby (not to mention us)

So there we go... the chaos that is our lives at the moment. Fingers crossed it all comes together next week.

Sister #2

2011-09-06T12:56:00.000-04:00

Oops, I am a few days late with this one. I blame the awesome fun that is the metropolis of Sharon. In any case - it was my older sister's birthday on Saturday...

Happy Belated Sarah - let's hope the weather held for your BBQ

Note: Yes, this photo is ridiculously old (that would be Sarah in the peach shirt and white shorts - Amy is the wee one beside my Dad, and I am rocking the plaid shirt).... but I know she was pretty happy that day, she bought her first horse "Indy" - he was awesome.

Sister 1

2011-09-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

A big Happy Birthday to my little sister.... I can't be in Calgary to share a toast, or slice of cake with her so I'll have to settle with this awesome pic from our trip to Veags.

Note: the point of this picture is to illustrate that even though she is not a large person by any right, the "adult" sized shirt in question (from a very popular american retailer) is ridiculously small on her... and I am pretty sure it was a medium or large...

This pic is shamlesly stolen from facebook - a very good friend of hers painted this, I think it's awesome.

A Month of Birthdays

2011-08-29T10:32:00.000-04:00

This time, it's for my old roomie from Quebec City... Happy Birthday F! Thinking of you lots today :)

Up next next week: BOTH my sisters...

Jack's last letter

2011-08-22T14:17:00.001-04:00

A true Canadian, who loved Canada and did his very best to make it better -

Something we can all agree on, regardless of how you are politically aligned.

I believe his email quote says it best - From the late Tommy Douglas

“Courage my friends, ‘tis never too late to build a better world.”

August 20, 2011

Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,
Jack Layton

Another Happy Day

2011-08-18T09:43:00.000-04:00

Quite the Birthday week - this time it's for my Mom...

Happy Birthday Mom - wish I was there to celebrate with you - I'm raising a glass of Iced tea (no sugar) in your honour.

xoxo

2 for 1

2011-08-16T08:25:00.000-04:00

A Big Ole Happy Birthday to two special ladies today.... Heather and Vivian

How is this little munchkin already 1???

What I've been up to this summer....

2011-08-14T17:54:00.000-04:00

Firstly, The house is progressing.... soon we'll need a key to get in :)

Dug out basement

Walls being poured

Foundation!

Framing

Checking out the mudroom

We have 2 stories of Great Room

Et Voila! A house!

Secondly, our visit back to Calgary - our last until next year, and our last with just the two of us!

Pete's first visit to Spruce Meadows

With my Mom - you can just see the belly

Ronnalie and I always go to Spruce Meadows together

Pete's frist Calgary Stampede - The Rodeo

The Chucks

Back in the NCR...

Pete in heaven - Gatineau Park

Vivian's baptism - can't believe she is running already!

A Wednesday Morning Funny

2011-07-27T09:26:00.000-04:00

WAL-MART SENIOR GREETER
You just have to appreciate this one. Young people forget that we old people had a career before we retired......

Charley, a new retiree-greeter at Wal-Mart, just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day he was 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, really tidy, clean-shaven, sharp-minded and a real credit to the company and obviously demonstrating their "Older Person Friendly" policies.

One day the boss called him into the office for a talk.

   "Charley, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job when you finally get here; but your being late so often is quite bothersome."

   "Yes, I know boss, and I am working on it."

   "Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear.

Yes sir, I understand your concern and I will try harder.

   Seeming puzzled, the manager went on to comment, I know you're retired from the Armed Forces. What did they say to you there if you showed up in the morning late so often?"

   The old man looked down at the floor, then smiled. He chuckled quietly, then said with a grin,

"They usually saluted and said, Good morning, Admiral, can I get your coffee, sir?

Recipe Success

2011-07-18T14:18:00.000-04:00

When your husband emails you and asks you to make another 2000 of these for the freezer, so that he can eat them all the time. You might have found a winner.... Thanks Jenna!

Photo Credit

Floor Tiles Stress

2011-06-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow morning, we have the much anticipated Interior Designer appointment scheduled. Since we decided to build this house, I've tried very hard to keep in mind kitchen and bath cabinets and back splash and floor tile colours when I watch anything on TV, go to anyone's house, peruse a magazine etc... I've even asked nicely for Pete to drive several loops around the community to see all the different stone colours for the exterior of the house (I'm terrible at seeing the "big picture" from a small sample). So far, Pete and I have been really good at agreeing on the cabinet colours and even the counter colours, but I am really worried about the floor tile situation. Lucky for us, we aren't suppose to paint for a year so those decisions can wait!

Let's just hope I don't walk into my house and regret anything.... Thankfully we have a professional helping us to pick.

Kitchen colours... however, with more "warm caramel" tones in the counter

Bathroom cabinet colour... maybe with a white counter though

Giveaway Friday

2011-05-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Because everyone loves a good giveaway, especially when it involves something delicious :)

Spa....

2011-05-14T18:21:00.000-04:00

This spa may have just saved my sanity.... They make all their own scrubs/masks/moisturizers from proper organic and natural ingredients and even have special treatments for preggos - how fantastic!

Thank you Peppermint Organic Spa!

If you happen to be in the Ottawa area, check them out.

Best of my life

2011-05-09T11:26:00.000-04:00

We joined some friends for a Mother's Day Afternoon tea at the MacKenzie King Estate in Gatineau Park. Besides being surrounded by the beauty of the Park, for the former PM had some lovely stone "ruins" erected for his enjoyment - and now ours...

The estate is also home to the most delicious scone I have ever had the chance to taste. If you happen to be in the Ottawa area and are looking for a lovely afternoon in the woods, make sure you pop by for a cup of tea and the world's most delicous scone, you won't regret it!

Four things Friday

2011-05-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

1. I desperately want a bike so that I can bike the canal all the way to Parliament and see the Tulips, Kath bikes all the time and rarely uses her car… I'm jealous - plus the price of gas is terrible these days….

2. I miss my friends in Calgary terribly… email is nice, Skype is better but they both pale in comparison to visiting face to face - and tea o'clock is beyond fantastic when you can share it with some pretty fantastic people.

3. More on #2, my next visit to Calgary (7 July!) will be epic… It's Pete's first Stampede, my first in 3 years (Yahoo!), and the last time I'll be in town until next year… Newborns + a new house = Linda has to stay in Ottawa for a bit.

4. This is my first summer since 2007 where I won’t be elsewhere training… I was in Victoria in 2008 and Quebec City for 2009 & 2010 - I will forever miss the 400 stairs up to the plains of Abraham… perhaps I'll roadtrip it up and see some friends that will be there for a few weeks.

Royal Quiz

2011-04-28T09:12:00.002-04:00

I am ashamed to admit that I am not doing very well on this quiz.... yikes!

Things I've noticed lately...

2011-04-27T14:03:00.001-04:00

Sliced tomatoes with salt sprinkled on them is an acceptable and delicious dinner
I no longer crave chocolate :(
Changing your uniform at work causes a lot of ruckus….I've had more people stop to talk to me today than ever
Apparently afternoon tea is all the rage… when Pete and I lived in Victoria, we would partake once a month - haven't done tea in Ottawa yet, perhaps during the Tulip fest we'll find a cute tea house
I love that my new city has a festival dedicated to Tulips
After growing up in a very Conservative city, and having the PM as my MP, I think I've actually changed my tune for this next election
Baby furniture / accessories are rather expensive
My job is very Excel heavy - somehow this is really exciting to me.. I guess I'm a closet Excel geek

Epidemic

2011-04-17T15:51:00.001-04:00

So it seems there is somewhat of an epidemic going on, first here, then here, also here, even here and a good number of my facebook friends are also signed up - so I thought what the heck, why not?

I'm speaking of course about babies…

I've been married for over a year now… lived in the same location as my husband for only 4 months (that would be thanks to different military postings) and am currently 3.5 months pregnant. Yep, correcto-mundo - the Sands family is growing by one in October.

The thought suddenly hit me on Wednesday when I was staring at the fuzzy black ultrasound screen watching a teeny tiny baby (8.8 cm long) move around, kick his/her legs, open and close their mouth and generally live it up inside me - what a bizarre concept. I did have a few symptoms but nothing that really made it hit home until I saw that image, which is now of course up on the fridge and greets me every time I walk by.

I'm so lucky to have a husband that is beyond excited and has already begun chanting "Go Leafs Go" to my tummy (I had to marry a Leaf fan - ughhh). Plus a fantastic family of in-laws who live close by and are ready to help in any way - it also helps to have a sister in law who is a soon-to be nurse and adores babies (jackpot!). The plan however, so far is a bit off kilter when it comes to dates - Pete goes away on training Sept to Nov, Baby S comes in early Oct, and the house is ready mid Nov…. But hey, that’s how we roll apparently - never a dull moment for us.

Giveaway - Sony W series Walkman

2011-04-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

Because everyone loves a good giveaway....Also, if you are into running (as most of you are I suspect) check Laura's running blog... full of all sorts of neato stuff.

Weekend Update - a day late...

2011-04-12T09:48:00.001-04:00

Since my last post, life has been quite busy with the new, new job. My life
still has some "Devil Wears Prada" parts to it, I no longer fetch coffee
for people, and act on their every whim. However, I do work for another
"strong female personality" and everything that entails. Luckily, I
have others in the office to balance that out. My new job puts me back
in uniform - hallelujah for not picking out a "work outfit" every
morning, and goodbye to bad hair days. Plus, my health benefits are back and
my pay went up, and I wear combat boots to work everyday (except civie
Fridays of course).... I love being in the military.

In non-work life, Pete and I have been busy visiting friends - more
people swung through Ottawa these fast few months, and a few repeats!
As well as been busy visiting family - all the in-laws came up and we
went down - more visiting to come at Easter :) We also started the
"house building" process. We meet this evening with the builder to
finalize our floor plan changes and then later on, another meeting to
pick out the finishes inside. We've been told several times how
flexible the builder is regarding moving walls and changing parts of the
house - for free! As long as we don't change the "structure" we are
good to go. Hopefully we'll end up with a house that has all we need
and isn't as cookie cutter as the others in the neighbourhood of the
same model.

This past weekend Pete and I were able to sneak away for a mini holiday to Mt Tremblant. I had visited once before with a friend from Montreal,
but hadn't spent much time seeing what they had to offer. This time, Pete was able to find a great hotel located right on the main square (at the foot of the ski hill - check the view). When we got to our room - read: condo suite - our living room windows opened to the square where they had a big outdoor concert happening. I felt a bit badly for telling Pete that I thought the room was even nicer than our apartment- then even make you a gourmet hot breakfast in the morning! ! If only we could
bring it all home with us! After exploring the ski hill shops, we ventured down on the other side of the lake to the "village" for dinner. We opted for Italian (can't go wrong with Italian) and ended up having the best Spaghetti Carbonara of my life! If you do go to Mt Tremblant, try the Resto Ital Delli!

Back in Ottawa, and back to reality we are dealing with overcast skies and thundershowers.... At least April showers bring May flowers... or at the very least, Tulip festivals :)

Six Things Saturday

2011-01-22T21:40:00.000-05:00

Because it's all the rage...

Microwaved Grapenuts cereal is delicious, and amazingly fast to make and eat, as in overnight oats with yogurt.
Rome and Spartacus are my newest TV addictions, also Rogers on demand is great for catching The Big Bang Theory when you are at work every Thursday night
Having your bestest military friends just happen to be attending conferences in your new city for a week and a half is amazing and I wish they could come back more often! (fingers crossed for February!)
Living along the Rideau Canal is fabulous and beautiful... my husband makes good housing choices in my absence
The Devil Wears Prada has now become my life
I actually do miss seeing my in-laws every week - good thing they are visiting this weekend!

Life as an Ottawan - Month 1

2011-01-21T15:57:00.003-05:00

Things have progressively gotten better since moving here, meaning that we are finally on the homestretch to changing all our addresses, and my ID into my new married hyphen name (yes, I am one of those people... ) and my new province. Truth be told, this was one of the most heinous things I could have done. I have ended up swearing profusely at the Ontario government for their ridiculous procedures and rules, and becoming terribly depressed when I had to hand over my beloved and treasured Alberta licence to the evil women at the Ministry of Transportation. I just wish that Ottawa could be it's own entity, like Washington DC - because honestly, it's better than Ontario and it really shouldn't have to be part of the craziness that this province is... pardon the Anti-Ontario sentiments... but I really, really miss Alberta.

In any case, it's Friday and I for one am THRILLED that I am *this* close to finishing the work week. The new job (onto week 3 now!) has slowly become the norm, the office and it's people have become more familiar and I think I narrowly avoided a "Devil Wears Prada" moment with my boss and the other office ladies... fun, fun times. Navy work has been interesting too... just got to the new unit, already was called out on parade to accept something for a department I didn't know I was in charge of, found out that the former Divisional Officer didn't do hardly any work, and I've inherited a mess - plus we have an inspection in 2 months - awesome! Guess I get to put in some overtime after my day job to straighten out the mess. But hey, extra money is always nice to have, and the experience is welcome.

Last week was a whirlwind of two jobs and friends in town and staying over. Luckily, all roads lead to Ottawa when you are in the military, and for this reason we generally have friends in town every month. This month many happened to come into town the same week.... so we were kept busy playing host and visiting with people each evening. This week was much quieter on the visiting front but busier on the work front. Tonight, however, the in-laws are arriving tonight for a quick weekend visit. They are bringing up some armchairs for our living room (the blow up mattress just isn't cutting it anymore) and Pete's wonder road bike and a spinner so he can cycle indoors. We plan on showing them the lot and the model house for our newest acquisition, delivery date to be November 2011!

Resolution Run

2010-12-31T15:08:00.000-05:00

To kick start our 2011 fitness goals, Pete and I are heading out to do a quick 10 km down the gorgeous Rideau canal before celebrating with friends tonight..... and yes, we will be sporting these matching awesome orange jackets (exactly as shown) - What an awesome way to end off the year! Happy New Years Everyone!

Note: After the super mild weather of late and the rain from last night, the snow has almost disappeared... makes for much easier running!

A Holiday Quiz

2010-12-21T17:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Lu for the link on this one....

Pete and I scored 29/30 - but I think we need to re-watch a few of the films... good thing we are going to the In-laws for Christmas tomorrow!!

Life as an Ottawan - week 1

2010-12-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

I am pretty confident in saying that week 1 as a resident of Ottawa is officially a success. I've:

had 3 job interviews;
created a bedroom;
set up the dining room;
shopped at Ikea;
got a free military gym membership at the YMCA;
spent 6 glorious days with my husband hanging out in our first home together (a sort-of Honeymoon - just a year too late); and to finish it off
made several lovely dinners in my kitchen.

Although, the apartment isn't quite as amazing as Kensington Palace, in fact, it is quite possibly one of the smallest kitchen's I've ever seen :(, but at least it's a kitchen, and I can make my own food - that alone makes me happy. The bathroom is now our "project" - it needs some serious caulking work, happily though, after my marathon cleaning session, I can now barefoot it on the floor. My bedroom is the one awesome - no work needed room - we bought ourselves a lovely fancy tempurpedic bed and with it decked out in my flannel sheets and down comforter, we sleep like babies! SO amazing... and warm!

We still have to get a couch and a tv - might not happen for a while though, neither one of us has a proper full time job yet, and really, the internet can function as a tv for a while. Besides, isn't your first apartment suppose to be near empty?

The area where Pete found our place is quite awesome. We have a Tim Hortons, Italian grocery store, BMO, Shopper's Drug Mart and MacDonald's across the street.... so far, the grocery store has been a god-sent, especially when the roads are awful and we can just pop across the street for dinner. In the summer it will be even better - Moody's Bay is nearby and the canal has lovely running paths.

I was chatting with my mom the other day and she reminded me of a time, 9 years ago when I was living in Montreal and visited Ottawa. She recalled that I told her " I LOVE Ottawa, I want to live there". This prompted me to recall a plan that KQ and I had, once upon a time in University - we planned on moving to Ottawa to find government jobs. That then led me to think of the visits to Ottawa over the years.... when I visited Pete for the first time in Aug of 2008, and the many many times we've returned to visit, to get engaged, to get married (one year ago on Sunday!), and finally move here for good. Almost 10 years in the making - wow!

And now for some pictures of my best day in Ottawa...

Adult Truths

2010-12-09T22:29:00.000-05:00

A colleague passed this onto me this morning and then I forwarded it on, and thought to share it here - really quite entertaining, so without further ado, I give you:

Adult Truths

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

THE Question

2010-12-08T17:24:00.000-05:00

More often than not (since Pete and I were married last year) the topic of having children comes up between a colleague and I. At one point he even told me that he KNEW I was pregnant based on how I acted and looked (for the record I was training for a half marathon and thought I was looking quite svelte). He thought himself the expert on the topic as he, himself has 7 children, and was able to predict the pregnancy of another co-worker before she knew!

Needless to say he was wrong, but has kept at the questioning and trying to impart child rearing wisdom upon me at least once a week. Today was an examination of my age and a comparison with his life - apparently when he was my age, he already had 4.... I've tried to express my frustration at constantly being questioned but to no avail - thank goodness my last day is Friday.

I know this happens to a lot of women around my age, and especially newly married ones - but seriously, who thinks this line of questioning is appropriate? Has anyone else had this happen to them?

A connection at last!

2010-12-07T21:28:00.002-05:00

I've been stuck on base for the last few weeks and haven't had any decent access (besides at work of course) to a reliable internet connection, or a decent Starbucks for that matter. Being stuck though means that I haven't had the chance to post - until now. Luckily, I ran into a friend in the hall who mentioned he found a connection to use - yay!

The countdown has run its course, my post it note on my desk reads "1", this of course can only mean that my time in Borden is almost finished, my last day is on friday and then I'm off to Ottawa. Pete has already found a nice apartment for us to live in while our home is being built. To date we have a blow up mattress, a yoga mat, some dishes and a frying pan and pot - very minimalist. Since I began my military career, I've moved around a bit and consequently have tried to pare down my belongings, carting around things that I don't have much of a need for it tiresome. I've succeeded somewhat in riding myself of extra bits, but on my last trip home I went through my pile of belongings and realized that I still have a great deal of "stuff". The sad thing is that most of it will remain in Calgary until we do have the house and can actually accommodate all the furniture that I've acquired. Until then we are trying to be minimal in our purchases but some things are pretty essential. A bed for one, was needed - neither one of us had anything close to a bed since we've been in military accommodations, and luckily Pete was able to come down for the weekend and we managed to find a bed and mattress. It should be delivered on saturday, just in time for my arrival ;)

Next up, a table - this one really fills two billets, a desk and a place to eat dinner. Ikea has a few inexpensive options that will transition into the house nicely. Secondly, a couch would be lovely. I know I have living room furniture in Calgary but we can't survive a whole year without somewhere comfortable to sit (and guests to sleep on). And finally, a dresser - again, I have one in Calgary, but the house has more than one bedroom and it too can be used once we move from the apartment - Ikea has a few options to fit the bill. I've said it once and I'll say it again, thank goodness for Ikea! I should look into stock options for that company, heck, why don't I get a job there... blue and yellow really bring out my eyes ;)

In other news, what's up with this "lake effect" weather I ask you!?!?!? Since Sunday afternoon, we've had almost a metre of snow - walking to work, albeit only a short jaunt in nice weather, has recently turned ugly. I stepped out of my building this morning and sank past my thighs into the snow drift - fun! Walking in that kind of snow is exhausting - but hey, it's a good workout. I've been told though that apparently we are due for at least a good 40cm more tonight / tomorrow and then another storm on the weekend. At least is isn't -40, that would be heinous.

Alright, it's time to sign off, must get ready for another fun day with the recruits - Ciao!

We Shall Remember Them

2010-11-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

For The Fallen

Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

In Flanders Fields Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Cooking Chronicles cont.

2010-10-16T21:49:00.001-04:00

The madness continues this weekend... I blame it on the Food Network (particularly the wednesday evening line-up) and all those darn food blogs I read... how am I suppose to sit by and watch such delicious and amazing things and not try to make them for myself? What I really need to do is have my very own kitchen and make these things everyday instead of blitzing the kitchen on the weekend and salivating my way through the week. So, what's on the menu for this weekend??

First up:

Stuffed Zucchini from a random Sobey's inspiration magazine. I changed a few things around, added some nutritional yeast instead of cheese and added a shake of cayenne pepper- they were a wee bit bland but I am sure that can be fixed. After dinner I whipped up a batch of Jenna's Cinnamon Walnut Bread (with a splash of vanilla and a bit of nutmeg for fun). It was ridiculously easy to make - she promised 45 minutes tops (including the 40 minute baking time) and she didn't steer me wrong. The bread is delicious, and even makes for a mighty tasty slice of toast the next morning too! I think I'll bake another loaf tomorrow for the office crew back at base.

Tonight:

Fish tacos with guacamole ala Alton Brown at Good Eats. Both were fantastic, I've never done the fish version of taco, and this did not disappoint. My mother in law pronounced it be to amazing and I left the dinner table rather pleased with my progress.

Tomorrow:

I'm thinking something yummy I can bring back to base with me (can you tell I'm avoiding the galley?). Since perusing Jenna's blog daily, I see her eating her homemade Channa Masala quite often and I think it will make an excellent après yoga meal! Now I just have to get something green to complete the meal - Jamie's special green monster smoothy maybe (amazing grass powder, spinach, frozen mango pieces, orange juice and pasteurized egg whites), yes I do think so!

In other news, Pete and I have decided to sign up for the Resolution Run put on by the Running Room. It sounds like great fun on New Years, and we even get a snazzy jacket out of it! Score! That being said, I really should start a real training plan though, my runs these days have been up to 6 km and either hill sprints or proper sprints. I have also - ahem - "agreed" to do a triathlon sometime next year - I blame Frayed Laces and her amazing finish at last weekend's Ironman. For those who know me, know I CANNOT swim. I somehow faked my way through many many levels of swimming, mysteriously got my SCUBA license and passed the swim test in the military without actually physically being able to swim. What I do in water cannot be called swimming, nor can I keep it up for enough time to make it a proper distance consistent with a triathlon. Pete seems to think that we can work on this and improve if we do it together. That, however, remains to be seen. Maybe once we move to Ottawa I will magically find my groove and not drown in the pool - fingers crossed!

Alright, it's saturday night, almost 10pm and I am beat - night!

All things Pumpkin

2010-10-09T21:49:00.002-04:00

Hi, my name is Linda and I have a problem.... I can't stop baking... or cooking for that matter - especially anything that involves Pumpkins ;)

Way back in high school I discovered cooking, and baking - I won the Food Studies award from my high school and cooked my way through my time in Switzerland and France - my kids in Geneva had never eaten peanut butter cookies before I made them - bizarre, I know. After I came back to Canada and eventually had my own kitchen, I began reading food blogs and started collecting cookbooks (today however, they remain in a box, in someone's garage waiting for me). I officially have 10 weeks until I finally get to live in my own place again and can cook for myself and my husband. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to save money for the wedding, house and move to Ottawa and by doing so I end up gyming it up quite often and either reading borrowed books (yay for friends and base libraries) or watching TV (you've got to love recession TV, it's so much better during a downswing in the market!). My TV of choice these days??? The Food Network. Now living in barracks makes it rather difficult to cook for myself - however, I do have these wonderful in-laws that invite me over on the weekends. My repayment for the lovely hospitality?? Cooking dinner, and snacks, and dessert as often as they'll let me.

Now for the rundown:

The weekend before last it was the Pumpkin Spice Bars and pumpkin spice overnight oats.
Last weekend I went all out, No-Butter Chicken, Spaghetti Squash, Wedding Bliss Soft Ginger Cookies, and Pumpkin Pie Brownie Cupcakes - the last two from Angela at Oh She Glows (her granola bars are really that good!).
Yesterday's meal inspiration was courtesy of Emily over at The Front Burner Blog and Angela - Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chilli in Pumpkin Bowls and Cornbread Muffins. The chilli was amazing, the bowls were awesome, but to be honest the cornbread muffins could have used more flavour - next time I'll add a lot more green chillies! (
Jalapeños
were tough to find). In preparation for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast at the Aunt & Uncle in-law's I (with the help of the fabulous sister-in-law) whipped up a couple of lemon meringue pies.
Tomorrow I might do up another round of chilli - I've taken to bringing some leftovers up to the base with me - not eating at the mess does wonders to lift the spirits.

Although I am by no means Vegan (being from Alberta and having cattle ranching in my blood I love me a good steak) Angela and Emily both write a vegan geared blog - their recipes are awesome and it truly is nice to be full from a meal without meat and help out the environment a bit. When I finally do have a kitchen full-time I might go crazy with the freedom to create, but for now I'll have to settle for being a weekend kitchen warrior.

Source : Angela @ Oh She Glows

Hibernation

2010-09-16T19:45:00.000-04:00

So it seems as though I've been in somewhat of a hibernation these past few months..... Perhaps I should update on what's been going on - lets start with where I left off.

Love the Dad glasses

June: From all accounts it was a tough month - From finishing my Logistic qualifications, having our promotions delayed, and then the toughest part of course, was losing my father. At the funeral we had an amazing slideshow with pictures from when my father was young, to when we were all really young and then the last chapter of his life. It was a sentimental trip down memory lane that made us all laugh and cry. My husband, who was able to fly in from CFB Shilo for the day, was grateful to see how I grew up. Since then I've thought a lot about my childhood and all the fun times we had and have come to terms with the loss. It still makes me sad some days but I can always be happy that I do have the memories.

July: I went back to work in Ontario, back in Borden for another few months working away doing neat Log stuff. Pete was back in Shilo finishing his course - firing big guns and blowing stuff up. I met a great friend in Borden at work, and got to see another fellow Calgarian as well. My weekend trips to my in-laws resumed and I was feeling pretty good.

August: Pete finished up on course and we both took 2 weeks off for leave. As per usual, our leave was filled with driving. First a birthday party for Pete's Uncle, and a belated birthday party for him, then a few days at the cottage (so wonderful) and then off to Ottawa for round 1 of interviews for Pete. That weekend was in London for a friend's wedding, and then back to Sharon for some much needed downtown, only to go right back to Ottawa for more interviews, and to meet this darling little girl...

September: Pete is back in Gagetown, I am still in Borden - this time my office was moved and I am now a Company Commander... in charge of 180 recruits and their staff - craziness... I have a lot of ruck sack marches coming up and some teaching to do, plus all my Logistic bits - I think life is going to get rather busy real soon...

Future: Pete should be home within a few months, and then off to School again for 3 months. I've decided however, that I'll be in Ottawa beginning in Jan, with or without a job - enough is enough and it's time to live with a kitchen again.

So there we go, all caught up, feels better to be back. Ciao

Sad News

2010-06-13T16:59:00.000-04:00

Dad

1945-2010

Monty Python in Iraq

2010-05-31T20:03:00.000-04:00

Everybody loves Betty White....

2010-05-16T21:10:00.000-04:00

My new favourite commercial....

Demotivational

2010-05-11T19:39:00.000-04:00

Because procrastinating with a Starbucks on a sunny evening in old Quebec City is just what I need to distract me from the amount of homework I have left to do......

Quebec- Part Deux

2010-04-25T13:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I said my goodbyes (still not good at that) and hopped on a plane eastwards to the land of winding cobblestone roads and sun soaked boardwalks.

I was the first of the group to arrive, was able to check in early, catch up with one of our instructors from last year and unpack everything before my roomie arrived. Luckily we pulled some strings and Francesca and I were able to book our room together. We had thought that it was a 3 person room and had wanted Sarah with us, but instead Fran and I are together and Sarah is next door - not too bad :) After a few more people arrived we headed out for dinner - it was so nice to see everyone again. Most of them I haven't seen since last year!

Luckily when 10 o'clock rolled around the bizzarr-o movie from last summer was not up and running, so we watched The Young Victoria before bed - just like last year :)

This morning was breakfast and a walk through the old town before we laced up and headed out for our regular run - along the boardwalk, past the cruise ships, along the river, up the muderous stairs, through the plains of abraham, down through the old towne and back (see the pics below). It was so so so beautiful - I can't believe I am lucky enough to get to stay here.

Gettin' Antsy

2010-04-21T09:20:00.001-04:00

Yep, I feel like it's just about that time again - time to travel. Although I have a trip in a few days, it isn't really the trip that I need.... I'm feeling the need to explore internationally and I'm not sure I can do that for another year (boo!) I have this fantastic map of Europe that I bought way back in France.... it is full of little pink highlights of all the places I have visited thus far, but there are some very serious gaps - The Iberic peninsula for example - despite having a degree in one of the languages spoken there, it only has a tiny highlight on Barcelona, not acceptable! Also, the northern bit, I've been to Copenhagen, and Edinburgh but thats as far as I've ventured north of Amsterdam. I seem to have an addiction to Europe and should really consider going elsewhere.

Pete and I toyed with the possibility of going down to Peru with the Eye Exam Mission people in August - sadly his course isn't finished in time and I don't have a guaranteed contract for that time = uncertain leave. Oh well, maybe I'll fell better this weekend once I get to QC. The old city feels very France-like and perhaps that will be enough to tide me over until next April.

Ok, I've procrastinated enough - back to that essay.

Jamie's Food Revolution

2010-04-20T08:58:00.000-04:00

I'm holed up in my room for a few days writing my last essay (hooray!), thus I've been preparing myself for the self -imposed isolation by reading through my daily blog tour.... I happened across this post, and to answer to the question, have you seen it?... YES!

I try to catch each episode of Jamie's Food Revolution. I've watched almost all of Jamie's shows, from the his cook shows on the Food Network to his School Lunches... awesome stuff!

In other news, I had my last round of French exams yesterday. This time it was the Oral Exam... I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't study very much. Besides the few hours leading up to the exam (I watched French Food at Home) I didn't speak to anyone in French, I didn't watch any French TV, I didn't review my verb tenses, I basically winged it.... and I think it showed :( Despite understanding everything (thank goodness I haven't lost my comprehension) my vocabulary was pretty trash. I passed, that much I know, but by home much? Originally I was hoping for an exempt status, but that was before I wrote the other 2 parts... after that I was going for the next level down "C". I can thankfully take the test again in 30 days, and after my time in Quebec City I am sure I will do much better.

Ok, time to get going on the essay - Au revoir!

What a week...

2010-04-17T08:57:00.003-04:00

Late last night we got news that Pete's sister and her BF of almost 8 years were engaged! How exciting! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my in laws, I love my new sister in law and I love her now husband to be. They are such a sweet couple and after just finishing their first home renovation, I think this is a perfect way to celebrate everything!

No word yet when the wedding will be, but I wonder if the family will have 2 weddings in 2011 (ours is scheduled for April next year) - in any case, she will make a lovely bride and he a handsome groom - I can't wait :)

Luckily, I might have a chance to spend some more time with her if I get another contract back in Borden after my course. Seeing how whenever we are posted we will be in Pet, Gagetown or Shilo, it will be so nice to spend more time in this area and hang with my new family.

So there caps off the week, taxes done, an eye exam, an exempt status on the expres test, a final day at work, a dinner with the command team, a date night to the movies, a family announcement and now I'm stuck indoors all day wrapping up my homework - thank goodness for tiny coffee makers and a lovely picture window - at least it stopped snowing, Pete is on the range today.

Happy Weekend

Expres Friday

2010-04-16T10:02:00.000-04:00

Just got back to my room after my expres test (read: fitness test, military style).... Halelujah, it is over and I passed, I even reached the incentive level and am now exempt from doing it again until 2012.. Hooray!

Last night we had our Graduation Dinner with the Command Team. Our current CO and his Cox'n as well as the new CO were there and the whole command hallway from the unit, plus all the junior officers. We had reservations at a cute italian restaurant in Barrie, turned out to be quite yummy, although my Beef Carpaccio was VERY oily and not as pleasant as I had hoped for. My Penne a la Vodka was delicious and I thought a carb loading meal would be a good thing to eat before my test this morning. Pete had nice roasted red pepper salad and yummy salmon dish, and both skipped out on Tiramisu (it's a sugar free month). Unlike all the fantastic food blogs that I scroll through daily, I did not photograph the meals (didn't want to try that out in front of the bosses). We have another graduation next week, I'm technically on leave tuesday onwards and m not sure if I want to go out with all the same people to another long dinner - we'll see where we decide to go and if I want to subject myself to more schmoozing, I know Pete doesn't.

In an hour I have an appointment at the Base Clothing Stores to return all my green army gear... I fly out to QC in one week and will not be donning any green kit between now and the end of the year. Now, all that is left is to pack up my room and move for 2 months... I think I will be back to Borden for another 6 month contract after QC so it's a bit annoying to pack up everything only to come back to it. Oh well, at least I won't have to drive 4 days across country again :)

Happy Friday to all!

Passions

2010-04-12T16:18:00.001-04:00

I wrote this a few days ago after Ange over at OSG asked her readers what their passions were, I guess I should post this.

What are YOUR passions in life? If you could nail them down to 5-10 
what would they be? Most importantly are you ACTING on them?

 * Running - although I am no where near as good or as dedicated as I think I should be. As K says, the head games are not fun and I need a better strategy for getting past them. My next half marathon in Quebec City is less than a month away, and my 10km was suppose to be 2 months away - that one has been postponed due to military stuff but I'll try to do an unofficial one in it's place and see how that goes.


* Nutrition- this is a toughie lately, I've said this a few times but eating at a military mess can be a challenge and when the desert is so close all the time it is difficult to ignore. I at least have a little blender in my room that I can use to make green monsters (ala Jamie), but I am counting down the time to when I have my very own kitchen - yay!


* Travelling - lately I've been back and forth across the country visiting Pete and taking contracts, Victoria, Calgary, Borden, Toronto, New Brunswick, Quebec City. All fun in their own right but I crave international travel. I had to write a bio this morning and it just reminded me how much I used to use my passport and how neglected it has


* Learning - After university I've managed to study continuously. First it was Land Admin at SAIT with KQ, then the military which has kicked it into overdrive. I've even started up the Officer Professional Military Education Courses... 2 almost finished, 4 left to go - and they can be used for university credit later on, and will only help with promotions. I've also been thinking of doing an accounting diploma to round out my Logistics career and these extra courses could help it to become a degree...

I could only think of 4 big ones but I think they'll do.

Days when I wish I had an iPhone instead of a Crackberry

2010-03-22T18:49:00.002-04:00

This might just be the neatest app I've ever heard of.... well, that and the one that tells you where the nearest Starbucks is. Damn you Crackberry and your inferior web browsing capabilities!

16

2010-03-21T19:27:00.000-04:00

Last tuesday I experienced an epic failure at the gym, I was set to run 16km - not a new thing to my legs - but for the entire time I was running I felt awful. My legs were tired, my calves were burning, my lungs were unhappy... WTF?! I stumbled off the treadmill with only 7.5km completed... it was crap, I was pissed off and I moped for the rest of the evening.

Fast forward to yesterday. I had originally planned on running outside, the weather was amazing all week and I was looking forward to the sun shine. Saturday rolled around and it was cold and windy, so I opted to try the treadmill again. This time I rocked my 16km. My legs were awesome until about 13 kms in when they started to get a bit fatigued, and my lungs were great... quite the difference from tuesday I would say!

Today was suppose to be a quick recovery run but I decided some power cardio-burn yoga would be better for my hamstrings - and I was right, it felt wonderful.

This week I have some more 6.5 km runs scheduled and a great big french test on thursday - yikes! I've had the test on my goals list for ages and I really would like to get an "exempt" (meaning I scored high enough that my bilingual status will be good forever). However, my french has been,- how you say - non-existant since I graduated so I may not get that E.... oh well, anything would be beneficial from a job standpoint so off I go.

34 days until I leave Borden for Quebec City!!! Although leaving my cosy private room, my car and the closeness of my awesome in-laws is not ideal, I will be finally completing my training and getting a promotion - another stripe, and a pay raise! Hooray!!

Back to studying I go, night.

The return

2010-03-14T14:06:00.000-04:00

Way back in University I worked 2 jobs and had a full time class load. Needless to say, I didn't sleep a lot and was pretty hooked on caffeine... These days I sleep more and only have 1 job, but I still like my caffeine.

Where was I going with this, oh yeah - Second Cup.

Because I worked at an Opto office near a large outlet mall type area in Calgary that also had numerous coffee shop options, I would often stop at Second Cup and grab a crème brulée ristretto before heading to my night class - it was delicious and it was my first foray into the world of coffee. But sadly, one day I found out that they had discontinued the creamy cinnamon syrup used in the ristretto :( and I had to get a new drink. I was pretty upset when I found out and then switched over to Starbucks because it just seemed easier somehow (not really sure how that makes sense). Later after we graduated when I lived with Heather, we had a great supply from Starbucks, so I continued to drink their coffee. Then I moved to Victoria for the military and as there are ZERO second cup stores on the island I remained dedicated to Starbucks. Now however, I am in Ontario and there are some Second Cup stores but besides the Maple Latte I didn't have a real reason to go. A few weekends ago I was visiting Pete in Fredericton and we popped into a Second Cup for my coffee (didn't see any Starbucks in the vicinity) and they had a new drink feature - The Cinnamon Spice Latte. I tried it, and I am amazed at how similar it tastes to my beloved crème brulée ristretto - hooray!

So in short, I have my drink back, it makes me very happy, and it helps me to get through my crap essays- ughh, I've been struggling with this one all weekend, good thing it isn't due until Tuesday ;)

Short training / weather update - it's been grey and dreary all weekend. I was suppose to run 16.5 km today but I have a severe dislike for running in the rain so I've decided to change it to a 5 km easy run on the treadmill on base tonight and the 16.5 km tomorrow after work. OK back to the essay :)

Happenings

2010-03-13T15:34:00.000-05:00

After a good amount of research P and I decided to take the plunge and sponsor a child through Plan Canada. He picked South America as our preferred location and I sent in the request. Now all we have to do is wait 2-4 weeks for the picture and profile of our child and voila- we are foster parents! I'm amazed it took me this long to sign up, $35 / month is not a lot of money, and with all the perks we get from being in the military we are quite certain it won't even change my budget.

The neat thing is that now I can write letters in Spanish again. It's been a while since I actually used my languages, and with my upcoming french profile test ( 12 days from now - yikes!) I guess this marks my return to my languages - thank goodness.

I've also been course loaded on my next course in Quebec City... I'm rather excited to get back to the 400 and the gorgeous atmosphere that is QC... I'll be (hopefully) driving home and staying for a day or two before flying out east and then back home for a week or so afterwards. P has his course in Shilo in May and then back to Gagetown in september. We are trying to arrange a stay in Ontario at the cottage for a week or so in August - wish us luck ;)

Due to schedule changes this year we have also decided that 30 April 2011 will - barring any new training schedule changes - be our wedding date. I have a shopping trip booked in 2 weeks with an Aunt to the garment district of T.O. for my dress material and if I have enough time in April when I am home I will consult with my dressmaker. I do have a year to actually plan this thing so I'm taking it slowly. I have a pretty good idea of how this wedding will pan out and I don't see it taking up much of my time to plan, logistics are my speciality these days after all.

I should get back to the books though, I have an essay due on tuesday and I have a lot of work to do. I'm hanging out at the in-laws' this weekend, I'm on duty next week (including the weekend) so I'm stuck on base, or very close to it - boo!

New Security Threats

2010-02-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

My MBFF sent this to me the other day... I shared it around the office, we all laughed, now it's your turn

NEW SECURITY THREAT LEVELS

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorised from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

The Scots raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards" They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the frontline in the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide". The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability.

It's not only the French who are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout loudly and excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose".

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels .

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Americans meanwhile are carrying out pre-emptive strikes, on all of their allies, just in case.

New Zealand has also raised its security levels - from "baaa" to "BAAAA!". Due to continuing defence cutbacks (the air force being a squadron of spotty teenagers flying paper aeroplanes and the navy some toy boats in the Prime Minister's bath), New Zealand only has one more level of escalation, which is "Shit, I hope Australia will come and rescue us".

Australia , meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be right, mate". Two more escalation levels remain, "Crikey!', "I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend" and "The barbie is cancelled". So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

Stuck

2010-02-22T19:15:00.002-05:00

Last night on my drive back to base I was flipping through the radio stations and caught the tail end of this song... and now it's stuck in my head... Ridiculous!

Today's Motivation

2010-02-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've been chillin' at the in-laws this weekend... as I said on facebook, it is BLISS being off base... Not that the base isn't a happening place (oh boy it is!) but eating at the mess, hanging in my room, and at the gym doesn't make for a happy Linda. She needs to spread her wings and see some non-military folk every once and a while so off I drive to my in-laws. Life here is SOOO nice... they have real food, and a dog :) and a whole house that I can lounge around in. Plus, they take me on outings to visit the extended in-law family... AWESOME! (I'm being serious, my in-laws - all the extended in-laws included - are amazing and lovely and everything fantastic) YAY!
Anyhoo, I've been able to run around a neighbourhood in the out of doors which is a welcome change to the treadmill at the base gym (although it is nice that I can watch the Olympics while running) . But I digress, the actual reason for this post is because I saw this over on Happy Go Lucky Alex, and it made me laugh... well done!

Favourite Olympic Commercial

2010-02-16T18:32:00.000-05:00

Of course this is my favourite, it's about hockey!

GO CANADA GO!!!!

New Toy

2010-02-01T16:32:00.000-05:00

See how your neighbourhood ranks...

New Motivation

2010-01-26T20:50:00.001-05:00

Is it wrong that I increased the length of my intervals and my speed (fastest ever) so I could do my proper miles and get home in time to watch NCIS????

I just can't help it, these Ontario times are killing me.... who puts a prime-time show on at 8:00? My whole life I've structured my tv viewing for the 9 o'clock hour... darn you Ontario!

Happy Robbie Burns Day

2010-01-25T07:08:00.000-05:00

It makes me sad that I'm not in Calgary to celebrate this today, perhaps somewhere on base they will have something Scottish, if not I guess I'll head on over to the mess and have a nice dram o' Scotch Whiskey

Address To A Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy o' a grace

As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,

Your hurdies like a distant hill,

Your pin wad help to mend a mill

In time o' need,

While thro' your pores the dews distil

Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright,

Like ony ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn,

they stretch an' strive:

Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,

Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,

Are bent lyke drums;

Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,

"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout

Or olio that wad staw a sow,

Or fricassee wad mak her spew

Wi' perfect sconner,

Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view

On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,

As feckless as a wither'd rash,

His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,

His nieve a nit;

Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,

O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,

The trembling earth resounds his tread.

Clap in his walie nieve a blade,

He'll mak it whissle;

An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,

Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,

And dish them out their bill o' fare,

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware

That jaups in luggies;

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,

Gie her a haggis!

She's earned it

2010-01-23T13:20:00.000-05:00

Shamelessly stolen from akinoluna:

"From the blog At tack of the Toddler!!! which is written by a former female Marine and Iraq veteran - when her Marine husband's coworkers asked if it bothered him that she doesn't work, this is what he said:

"My wife spent five years in the Marine Corps and has spent more time in Iraq than most of the people in this company. She works; when I get home I don't even have to lift a finger, it's all taken care of. So as far as I'm concerned, she can do whatever the fuck she wants, she's earned it." "

I would be hard- pressed to argue with him...

2010-01-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

Apparently this is the new ad for Fuller Edge Photography as featured in Wedding Bells magazine, and it features my friend Teila and her hubby Brad - they look awesome!

You can also check Teila's photography company out here

Amazing

2010-01-17T14:59:00.000-05:00

I'll be thinking of this girl the next time I think about not giving it my all when I run.

Book Club

2010-01-16T23:52:00.005-05:00

So I've joined my first real book club. My new sister-in-law (and mom) and her friends (plus their mom and their mom's friends) met tonight to discuss what we should read. It actually turned out to be less of a what book to decide on and more so "how literature influenced my life" We spoke about our first memories of books - a lot of us remembered Beatrix Potter's books as our first, I also remembered a series of books about a clumsy maid named Amelia Bedelia, and those crazy choose your own adventure books that drove my Mom crazy. We also spoke about our favourites, and our not so favourites. I mentioned Outlander of course and took turns jotting some notes down as to the next few books that we should be reading. Jane Austen was tossed about for a while but in the end we settled for "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel. Indigo lists the description as :

"England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.

From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage."

In any case, it should be great. However, I seem to be getting myself deeper and deeper into a reading debt with my military university courses and my current book "The Guns of Normandy". It's an intriguing account of the canadians in Normandy after D day and one of the artillery sergeants at work brought it to my attention. With Pete being artillery now it is very fitting that I should be reading this.

Alright, time for bed - good night!

Blue Sky Thinking

2010-01-16T16:48:00.000-05:00

It's been 4 years, amazing how quickly time flies by, and yet it seems like it's been such a long time all at once.
I'm thinking of you and your family today Matt.

Delays and more delays

2010-01-15T22:27:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note before I start the recap - I read this over at The day to day, semi-normal life of a female marine and couldn't believe my eyes... some people have no idea how ignorant they can come off spouting out their opinions...

Beginning tonight with some bad news - Pete's course has been delayed from next week to May. This means of course that he'll still be on course in Sept and not finishing until December. Which then translates into no wedding in the fall and of course no living in the same location until Christmas this year. Just as I was beginning to plan stuff, well, that's the military life for you.

Other fun news though, looks as though my next course will be offered (we think) at the end of April and in June. Hopefully I will be able to get on the earlier course, be qualified sooner, get promoted and therefore have a pay raise all by the end of June! Although, with my track record so far who knows what will happen.

I've begun properly training again for my next half marathon - normally I just run every other day, gauging how far I run with how I feel. I guess doing that doesn't really put forth a real challenge for my body to work with so I'm thinking this will be a good thing to kick my butt off this plateau. My friend also signed up for the CN Tower stair climb in April, also a good idea for me. Luckily the stair-climber at the gym has a magical button that lets me pretend like I am climbing a set of landmark buildings (the CN tower is #7 on their list) this keeps me pretty busy on my Cross training days.

Anyways, I'm at the in-laws for the weekend to escape the base a bit and catch up on my reading (history and military courses, pleasure reading, and now a new book club book - yikes!) So it's off to bed for an early sleep after a real dinner, I love hangin' with the in-laws!

Christmas at the In-laws

2009-12-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update on the happenings in my life... Had a fake Christmas at home in Calgary in early December. It was so quick (4 days) and I feel very much like I gypped everyone from a good long visit but that will have to wait for my next trip home, in april perhaps. We did however get to visit the Zoo in preparation for the wedding next year. The zoo itself was amazing, so lovely and fun. We were set on it until we by chance drove by Heritage Park. I know it's a bit corny but I love history, and I love traditional so we might have there instead. When I inquired about which venue we could host the event, due to the number of guests our only option is Gunn's Dairy Barn - so yes, I will be having my wedding in a Barn, complete with a Barn dance..... Somehow I never dreamed of doing that, holding a barn dance, but to be honest - as long as my friends and family are there I don't care where it is.

I also introduced Pete to Peters' Drive - In, which you all know is a Calgary must - needless to say he gobbled up his hamburger and fries and of course the obligatory milkshake (we had egg-nog ).

Back in Ontario we just had 2 trips up to Ottawa - we can't seem to stay away from that place... here's hoping to a posting in Petawawa next year then maybe Ottawa... Friends were seen, wings were eaten at minglewood's, trees were viewed at the Chateau (thanks to K for the suggestion )and all in all we basked in the glory that is Ottawa.

I did have to do one quick week at work between the Alberta / Ontario christmases - it was really quick and easy - a lot of schmoozing, dinners, luncheons, a BMQ (basic training) grad to attend, all cumulating with my last day in green combats (working with recruits means wearing CADPAT combats, but as it is the Navy's Centennial Year I have been directed to wear my Navy combats instead).

Now back at the in-laws for my 2 week christmas break means visiting with my new family, pilates / yoga in the morning, going for evening runs with Pete to see the Christmas lights (yay!) and relaxing - lucky me!

So, Merry Christmas to all, I hope your holiday season is just what you wanted it to be.

Gadgets!

2009-11-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

This is awesome... I have so many ridiculous power cables that I continuously lug around with me every time I move (which stands at a record 4 times this year!)
It is definitely going on my must buy list.

Chairs are dangerous?!?!

2009-11-20T12:24:00.003-05:00

I don't know why we needed a study to tell us this.... isn't it just common sense?

Finances

2009-11-18T17:32:00.000-05:00

Every morning I am in my office (seems to be less and less these days :) I scroll through my list of blogs I read. I like to keep up with people back home, and abroad as well a big bunch of people I've never met. They all write interesting things, stuff that I like to incorporate into my own life. The list below is from my newest fav - Carrie... on the cheap. She writes about finances, and as my new career path is taking me down the finance path (yay!) I've really begun to get interested and have decided to pursue my next degree in accounting . finance. She's listed a financial bucket -list of sorts - I love lists!! Anyways, I've always kept a list of goals on my computer, financial ones included, but I've posted hers as I think all the points are really quite relevant. I've added a few of my bits for fun.

Pay off my home before I turn 40 (next year Pete and I are planning on buying our first home - we both need to be posted first... thank goodness for inexpensive property near Army Bases :)
Open Education Funds for each of my children when they’re born and fully fund their college educations (in cash) (much easier to do in Canada... yay!)
Never finance a car again (this might not be a reality just yet, next year we are going to get a new car and have a wedding and a house to pay for - we'll just try to pay it off asap)
Have $3 million in my 401K when I retire (401k = RRSP in Canada, luckily we will both have government pensions, but we still have plans on investing for retirement and using our pensions as a last resort. $3 Mil might be a bit steep for us, but we'll see)
Never pay a cent of credit card interest ever again, or any interest for that matter (except interest on a mortgage) (Good idea!)
Retire before I turn 60
Stay physically healthy to avoid high costs of poor health as I age (a job requirement actually)
Never make a loan to a friend or family member; if they are in dire need, give them a gift of money
Never take out a loan for anything EVER again with the exception of a mortgage
Always have an Emergency Fund of $10,000 per person in my family (already working on that one - just about there)
Max out a Roth IRA every year that you are eligible until you become ineligible (kind of like our TFSAs but without the retirement addition - mine is maxed for this year)

So there we go, finances are fun! Gotta go for dinner, ciao!

Remembrance Day

2009-11-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

For The Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Happenings

2009-11-04T20:35:00.002-05:00

This week is the first week that Pete was in the field - for those non-military types think of it as crazy hard core camping - Army style. Basically they are testing his navigation skills whilst experimenting with sleep deprivation. I think each day they navigate 32 km through the New Brunswick bush, with (I'm told) swamps on top of hills and killer insects. Although, the swamps should be pretty much frozen, and the bugs should be almost all dead. They also have to do some night navigation - which I can tell you from experience that it is both slow going and ridiculously difficult, mostly because you can't see and spend the night being wacked in the face with branches and falling over logs and in ditches. As for being attacked and fighting off enemies, I'm assuming it will be a nightly occurrence. The instructors love an opportunity to screw over their instructees... poor bastards!

On my end of it (prepare yourself, this is quite sappy) this is probably the longest we've ever gone without speaking to each other. We tend to talk a few times a day, and text each other somewhere near 20 times... it's hard when you never live in the same province.

Last weekend, I drove up to Ottawa for the weekend. Jamie was in town for a "field-trip" She came down a day early and we got to spend the day talking. It was wonderful to catch up with her again - I haven't seen her since her trip out to Vic last March. We spent the entire night talking, over sushi, over our favourite dessert and almost all night. We opted to stay at the Chateau Laurier - after living in military barracks for as long as we have, we deserved the luxury. The drive was killer though, almost 5 hours each way - I'd do it any day for time with Jamie though. Meanwhile here in Borden, life is as regular as usual. I have a few more projects to work on for the head instructor, some more meetings to attend, not much new. I did just finish a marathon 90 minute Yoga session though... tough stuff!

Next week is Remembrance Day. I've been given the option to attend any ceremony I like. Being that it is the Navy's 100 year Anniversary and we have this "Bring the Navy to the People" theme going, I've decided to attend the ceremony in my in-law's town. I'm assuming I'll be one of few in uniform but as I was working last year, this year is my first.

The Story of Stuff

2009-10-31T23:58:00.002-04:00

A must see... seriously, watch it

CHIA

2009-10-28T21:39:00.001-04:00

I popped off base this afternoon to a cute little town nearby called Alliston. It is quite quaint, it has a lot of useful stores to shop in when I need to make a purchase and most importantly a Bulk Barn! I first discovered this lovely shoppe in Ottawa, with Alex - we were off to a movie and made a stopoff in Bulk Barn to load up on fun candies... and I was hooked (on the store, not the candy sadly)!

Today I brought my self restraint with me, I only picked up 2 things - almonds and my newest addiction, Chia seeds... I plan on sneaking them into the galley in the mornings so I can add them to my morning oatmeal - yum! The best part though was the price - I scooped out almost 1/2 lb of chia seeds and paid less than $6! Unbelievable!

In the news

2009-10-28T07:31:00.003-04:00

Why sometimes I think I would have been quite happy if I

was born, or lived in Sweden... it's amazing what they have

created.. In a world where (thankfully) people seem to be

taking notice of our impact on the environment, it's so

nice to see that a big city, with a climate much like our

own here in Canada can create such an effective and efficient

system. Well, that and the fact that Ikea is like a

wonderland for me.

Bon Voyage

2009-10-21T20:21:00.000-04:00

So I've moved cross country - I got the call that I had a contract in Borden on my birthday and had to wrap up my visit home. I had thought it was going to be a year long visit but just as I was getting into the Calgary groove I was moved elsewhere. Everyone that knew where I was headed all gave me the same advice - "Drive there, do not fly, bring your car, for the love of GOD bring your car" Nevermind the 3400 km commute....

It wasn't the worst thing I have ever done, but it tried my patience....
From Calgary to Brandon was about 1100 km. I did this in one day... I figured I could drive for 7 hours to Regina or push it to Brandon and be done almost 1/3 of the trip in the first day. It got a bit tedious with the endless fields, but at least there was more civilization than in western Ontario. The gas was cheaper too... As I progressed through each province I noticed that the speed limit decreased by 10km/hr and the price of gas rose by $.10....
The hotel in Brandon was awesome... they gave a government discount, the bed and linen were divine, they toiletries were from Bath & Body Works and the continental breakfast was fantastic. I departed Brandon at 6:30 the next morning and headed through Winnipeg to Thunder Bay. Overall the drive was pretty decent, I lunched in Kenora and continued on to see the sleeping giant. Thunder Bay was a bit disappointing, the hotel was scary and full of unsavoury characters, the room was grungy and the breakfast was pretty sad - and it was the nicest hotel I could find :(
Anyways, the next day I headed off to Sault Ste Marie. The drive was brutal. There was quite a bit of fog but that wasn't the bad part. It was the trees! Normally I'm a big tree person but if that is all you see for 6-7 hours and nothing else you might go a little loopy - luckily it was only like that for one day.
My last day was a quick one, Sault Ste Marie to Pete's parent's house near Newmarket. The scenery between SSM and Sudbury was a lot like what you see when you get off the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver - how weird!

So there we go, my poor little car has now driven from Calgary to Victoria and back, then all the way out here - next year it will make the return trip and with any luck I'll have someone to keep me company.

So far here my life has been pretty normal - I get to eat in a galley (oops - it's called a Mess on an army base) again, get to wear a different uniform (Army Cadpat this time, no navy gear for at least 6 months), and get to commute across 3 provinces to visit Pete - pretty normal for my life. The great thing is that I have some awesome people to work with, I get to learn a lot on the job with my new supervisor and am able to take loads of important courses - Unit Environmental Officer, Resolving Conflict Effectively, First Responders, First Aid Instructor, plus more office based excel courses (exactly what a junior Logistics Officer needs).

Let the planning begin

2009-08-26T18:11:00.006-04:00

Last week after the course ended in Quebec, I zipped off to Ontario to visit with Pete and relax a bit. It tuned out to be a whirlwind vacation, driving everywhere, to Ottawa, to the Cottage (twice) to Wonderland, but it was awesome, and I needed it. Our wonderland trip was awesome! We went with his sister and her boyfriend - perfect ride partners! Since Pete is certified roller coaster maniac we had to ride as many as we could. We started with the Vortex and over the course of the day ended with the Behemoth.... if you haven't seen it you have no idea, it's ridiculous.... the has 6 different drops with the first being 230 feet.... yep, that's 23 stories..... and you aren't even in a car, but a chair on a platform.... with a pole restraint.... it could be the scariest thing I've ever done - ever!

After that it was off to Ottawa.... I wish I could live in that city, it is so beautiful...Pete and I always have a wonderful time there and perhaps next year we can move to Petawawa (closest army base to Ottawa)... fingers are crossed. It also holds a special significance for us as we got engaged there, in the park, near the Parliament buildings with our tummies full of sushi and gelato... yum!

The rest of our time was awesome, we went to the cottage for a few days, met up with loads of family and relaxed.... best vacation ever :)

So there we go, the vacation was a success, we are happier than ever and now we have to figure out where the heck we are going to hold this thing - Calgary or Ontario....

Threes

2009-08-09T15:09:00.003-04:00

Three names I go by:
Spence, Spencer
Lady Spencer
Linda Lou

Three jobs I have had in my life:
Logistics Officer (CF)
Optician Extraordinaire
Teacher (France)

Three places I have lived:
Calgary
France
Switzerland

Three favourite drinks:
Long Island Iced tea (doubles)
Coffee (fancy or non)
Perrier

Three TV shows that I watch:
Desperate Housewives
The Unit
NCIS (can we see a trend)

Three places I have been:
Turkey
Tunisia
Bulgaria

Three of my favourite foods:
Indian
Sushi
Nana's cranberry pudding

Three things I am looking forward to:
Having a real place to live (ie: no more military barracks, having a kitchen, not living out of a suitcase)
Getting my second bar (sadly, I need a half one first :( )
Traveling, not for work

Weepers

2009-07-18T13:12:00.004-04:00

Last night us LOGOs hosted our course weepers event - for those unfamiliar with our weepers tradition it basically involves a group of people hosting a booze fest with a theme at a mess... our theme this year was Jazz & Martini Bar. We were able to book a jazz trio to come for an hour or two and play and we made a menu of different martinis to sample. The whole thing was a huge success. We had HQ people come, almost every officer at the school, and most of the officer students. It was awesome and actually wasn't a really late night as it started at 4 in the afternoon.

The only glitch was the poor bartender. I felt awful for her because there was about 100 people there and the line up for the bar was HUGE. I was in it several times and ended up waiting about 30-45 each time to get my drinks. Also, I'm not sure what language she spoke cause neither English or French really worked. To top it all off, our martinis were awful.... We were trying to drink Cinzano rosso martinis (2 shots Cinzano Rosso and a touch of sprite) but after the first one we coached her through we ended up getting something that would rival Purel (that's right, I mean the hand sanitizer....). Her concoction, from what I can recall, was basically gin, vermouth, lemon juice, an olive, a sugar rimmed glass and a lemon peel... and we had 2 each :( It was so bad, so unbelievably bad...but we persevered and got through the two drinks only to move onto Spiced Rum & Coke.

This morning was a bit tough, thankfully the galley made sure to have enough greasy breakfast bits for all the hungover officers and even made bacon cheeseburgers for lunch - thank god :) After some yoga with our resident yoga expert we all started to feel much better and now we are doing our best to study for our massive test on Wednesday - yay!

PS - it is still raining!!! Unbelievable!

Coffee!

2009-07-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

The sun is shinning! After almost 2 weeks of rain I am so happy to see the sun! Sadly I have to spend the majority of the day indoors creating my presentation (topic: Battle of Ortona) but I think I could squeeze in a run later on this afternoon.

Another Calgary kid and I have decided that we need to get across to Levis and pickup a Starbucks asap. We've been craving a decent cup of coffee for 2 weeks now (the coffee at the galley has lovingly been deemed battery acid). Although yesterday's trip to the mall yielded a Timmie's run, Second Cup could also be a good choice for today - and I've heard there is one rather near to our residence on Rue St. Jean.

When I'm finished with the presentation I think I'll upload a few pics from my recent Ghost Tours Of Quebec Tour that 12 of us took on Friday night... it was spectacular and our guide did a phenomenal job on recreating some of the historical events that helped to create Quebec City's sordid past.

Alright, onto my presentation, and maybe a bit of yoga at 11 ;)

Happy Canada Day, or in Quebec, Wednesday

2009-07-01T09:58:00.004-04:00

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!

Not sure what kind of celebrations are happening around town, I think they have a concert of sorts up on the plains so I'm headed there for some fun. Hope everyone has a great day!

Rain

2009-06-27T14:56:00.004-04:00

For some reason I had decided that it wouldn't rain in Quebec City this summer.... Back when I lived in Montreal for the summer I don't remember it raining - ever so I assumed it was the same here. How wrong was I? This is the 3rd day in a row that it has down poured. Yesterday I was caught in the rain on the way home from MEC, today it was in the middle of my run, and the forecast looks the same for the entire week... very uncool Quebec! However, having said that I did enjoy the total soaking, it was actually quite funny. The group of us drenched and laughing hysterically must have been quite the sight. We were all reminiscing about last year in the field and how miserable we all were, cold, wet, stressed... oh the fun!

Anyways, our first week of course has been really interesting. I never did take accounting in high school or university so this is my first go at it. It doesn't seem too difficult (knock on wood!) but it can be tricky and requires some studying so thank goodness this weekend is a rainy disaster and I have an excuse not to want to be outside. Tonight though we are breaking the study-a-thon for the new Transformers movie - yay!

Running here has also been challenge - the humidity this week was much different than Victoria's levels.... well that and the fact that we are all masochists here in the Navy and enjoy things like what I call the stairs of death, the city's longest staircase, 398 steps of hell. This picture only shows a very small fraction of it, it kicks my butt every time I try it but a group of us on course have resolved to integrate it into our runs at least 4 times a week. Plus, when you arrive at the top you are greeted with such a spectacular view of the St. Lawrence, and of course you are standing on the Plains of Abraham so that isn't too bad either!

Tomorrow is the Défi des escaliers de Québec, a 15km run which hits every staircase in the old town, including my personal fav to the left.... my knee is a bit weird these days so I am not going to run it in the race but I've got the course map so I'll get going on it when I feel my knee can take the 2600 stairs!

Alright, I should get back to the accounting, à bientôt

Roomies

2009-06-21T21:53:00.005-04:00

I arrived in QC yesterday with a handful of course mates that I met in the Toronto airport. It was a quick flight over here followed by a huge logistical organization blitz trying to get as many van taxis as we could to transport our menagerie of luggage to the Naval Complex - Good thing that's all of our specialties! After we all got our room assignments - no one had the other as a roommate sadly, which of course meant my roomie from last years BOTC (Munroe) was in a room two down from me. I unpacked my huge suitcases and was pleased to see almost everything in the suit bag was quite wrinkle free - thank god for that!

Dinner was at a pub in the old towne, the atmosphere was fantastic, the food was great, and I remembered why I love Quebec so much. My room itself is awesome, great views of the marina on the St. Lawrence, a nice bed, alcove for my desk, free internet courtesy of someone across the street in the condo complex, and a HUGE armoir! The boy's rooms are pretty ghetto (we joke that they live in the projects) but all the girls have offered an open invitation to visit anytime so hopefully they won't have to spend too much time in their rooms.

This morning Miss Monroe and I found a grocery store and dollar store to kit up with laundry detergent, hangers and a few snacks for our night time munchies and had a leisurely walk around the lower old towne. Afterwards we headed to the gym for a run cause it was threatening to rain and then off to lunch it was. I've heard horror stories from this galley - stuff like: The vegetarian option (quiche) had bacon in it, sometimes the only meal choice is Poutine or Pogos (corndogs). However the salad bar is pretty big and has protein options that work when the hot food is awful. The only complaint though is the desert bar... the Navy has a horrendous reputation for being desert gluttons and I see why - it is huge and has the yummiest looking deserts I've ever seen on a military base. I managed to escape lunch without desert and even got an afternoon stair climbing session in which I interpreted to mean I could have a small rice krispy square at dinner, this in going to be a once a week occurrence I've decided.

My roomie showed up an hour before dinner and I was excited to see she was uber positive and so nice. She is three months pregnant and gets to wear the cute prego uniforms to class, plus she is french so I can practice my french to my heart's content. This is handy because I made a goal for 2009 to take the forces french exam and get exempt on all the sections so I can add some umph to my personnel file. Everyone that is on this course so far is just wonderful - I am so excited to learn my actual trade and hang out with them all summer!

After dinner a large group of us zipped out to the Body Expo - an exposition where cadavers are show in various stages - muscles exposed, bones, nerves, tendons etc... it was very interesting and slightly weird but the fetus section really hit most of us quite hard.

Now, I'm just getting all my kit ready for tomorrow, the my high heels are laid out and shinned up, the skirt is pressed, my shirt is hanging up complete with rank insignia and name tag, and the sweater has been delinted... I love being in the military!

Road Trip

2009-06-18T02:07:00.001-04:00

So I made it home in one piece from Victoria. Luckily, I managed to catch the first ferry off the island at 7 am and did my best to navigate through the mess that is Vancouver - what a huge city! Then it was onto the interior and through the mountains. I think I would have made pretty good time if it hadn't been for the minivans and tractor trailers meandering along at 70km/hr..... Nevertheless it was a nice drive, I had a great book on tape (or rather CD) to keep my mind busy and the weather was perfect - not too hot, not too cold, and no rain. The best part though was the fact that I only filled the car up in Victoria on the way to the ferry, and again in Salmon Arm, which translates to about 600km for 40L of gas. Apparently my car is pretty decent on gas and I couldn't be happier. The sad news is however that I am only in Calgary for 3 days...I leave again on Saturday. This time flying out so my car stays behind. Hopefully there is a drugstore near the residence in Quebec City otherwise this could be a taxi propelled summer.

Food for thought

2009-05-31T00:00:00.004-04:00

Why Are Humans Different From All Other Apes? It’s the Cooking, Stupid

By DWIGHT GARNER

Published: May 26, 2009

Human beings are not obviously equipped to be nature’s gladiators. We have no claws, no armor. That we eat meat seems surprising, because we are not made for chewing it uncooked in the wild. Our jaws are weak; our teeth are blunt; our mouths are small. That thing below our noses? It truly is a pie hole.

I found this article and thought it was interesting... (the title is the link)

Ode to Vic

2009-05-30T22:09:00.003-04:00

As of today I have pretty much 2 weeks left here in Vic. I'm not really working too much - with the exception of this very last night shift right now - basically my out-routine and packing, oh the packing... I recall slightly mentioning before that I wanted to be as minimalist as possible and clearly this has not panned out very well. Currently I have filled 3 large Rubbermaid tupperware type containers and still have some to pack in my suitcase for the car. Ugh, I'm trying to reason out what to keep from my wardrobe - am I going to have an office type job where a uniform isn't required? Not sure..... most likely not, but I do have to dress up to eat meals at the mess so keeping them is justified. I do think though that all my non clothing items should really be thinned out a bit, that will be tomorrow's chore.

As for missing things here, despite the fact that I live in the ghetto side of the city (and on base) it's been really great. I've been able to visit a lot of friends from BOTC, even the reservist guys from BOTC made it out before I left, and now I get to see the rest of them in Quebec City. Not too bad, plus Pete has been here since January and even though we share essentially a hotel room and work shift work with very random sleeping schedules, we haven't even begun to get on each other's nerves.

I will really miss being so close to a lot of my navy friends. They really made the year here and I am sad to say adios for the time being. I will also miss the yummy sushi here, I don't think I even made it to all the restuarants, and of course my car, I will miss having my car, although the gas prices here are getting pretty awful ($1.07!) I think one of the only things I will miss about my job here is the view. My office has a great view of the harbour and all the warships, very large and cool looking warships... and on a night like tonight where the sun is just setting and everything has a warm glow it is quite beautiful!

For the drive home we had originally decided to depart on the Saturday, overnight in Vancouver (all you can eat Sushi and Korean BBQ) and then again in Kelowna and then onto Calgary for a few days before we both head east. However, Pete has surgery scheduled for the 10th, and won't be out of hospital until the 14th or so, plus now the poor guy can't fly home from Calgary but has to train it from Edmonton..... Yep, almost 3 days on the train - yikes! Well this way his lung won't collapse again and he can have all sorts of crazy fun in Gagetown throwing grenades, and shelling stuff without worry.

Anyhoo, I should get back to the harbour and my paperwork. Night!

Tree hugger?

2009-05-24T18:32:00.003-04:00

Being that I am in the new "Green Navy" and living in BC for the past year I feel a bit more in tune with environmentally friendly practices. Not to say that I wasn't like this in Calgary, I recycled as much as I could, but it is nice to read something like this... bravo Alberta, Green looks good on you.

On a completely unrelated note, I ran my first 1/2 marathon today. A month ago I ran my first 10 km therefore this was quite the leap. Originally I made a 2 hours 45 minute goal for myself and I am happy to report I made it in 2 hours, 30 minutes., give or take a few mins. It was awful, the two hills in the last km almost killed me but I did it and now feel a lot more motivated to run the 15km staircase challenge in Quebec City in a month, and even more so for the half marathon in September. Pete also kicked butt... he ran 1 hour 49 min, and on a newly repaired collapsed lung which prevented him form actually training for this thing... he is amazing and I'm uber proud of him - Good Job Pete!

I'm pretty sure, inspired by dooce also ran a race this weekend, and Heather has a sprint triathalon next weekend... so well done / good luck to the them!

Survey fun on a sunday night

2009-05-17T21:15:00.003-04:00

4 goals I have in the next 5 years:
1. Make Lieutenant(Navy)
2. Own a house
3. Run a marathon
4. Become uber organized

4 places I will visit someday:
1. Scotland - to walk the Great Glen Way and research my roots
2. Russia - to see the history
3. India
4. Vietnam

2 interesting places I've been
1. Sahara Dessert
2. Turkey


4 of my favorite foods:
1. Indian anything
2. Afternoon Tea
3. Veggie Platters
4. Christmas Pudding (ala Nana)

4 jobs I've had:
1. Aupair - most spoiled and misbehaved children I've ever met
2. Optometric Assistant - it helped me get to Africa and paid
  for university
3. Teacher - grade 10 boys are awful
4. Anti-terrorism Officer of the Watch

2 places I've lived:
1. France
2. Montreal

2 places I'd like to live:
1. Ottawa
2. Anywhere else in Europe

4 things I'd do with my spare time, if I had any:
1. Learn another language - Arabic I think
2. Read more history books
3. Learn how to swim (or rather learn how to swim properly)
4. Perfect the art of conversation

Running

2009-05-12T21:07:00.002-04:00

So since I last posted I've been getting into my running, mostly because Pete has encouraged me to sign up for races. Also because, for the moment, I live in Victoria and can run outside most days of the year.

I managed to get through the Times Colonist 10km run - after a night shift no less - which did make me feel pretty happy. Although running with 11,000 other people was awful, and all those people who started before me and walked from the beginning were frustrating to navigate around, I did feel like the run went well.
Fast forward a month and I am running my first 1/2 marathon. Not sure if this was the smartest move, having only a month of extra training in between the two but I have come up with a plan. I originally was going to run it as a 10km and then walk run the rest until I was finished, however now I think I'll do a 2km run then 1 km walk and see how that goes. Pete is also running this one, not beside me, but he will be on the route roughly around the same time. He is running on a newly repaired collapsed lung but I have no doubt he will be just fine, he lives for this stuff.

I have another race in the fall to train for which I assume I will be more prepared for. Plus I am spending the summer in Quebec City and one of my classmates has decided that we are going to be running this exciting race..... so who knows I might just do well.

How Many

2009-03-21T13:45:00.001-04:00

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 books from this list. Copy the list into your own note. Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.Delete 'x' from any you have not read.

[ ] 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
[] 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
[ ] 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
[X] 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
[x] 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
[] 6 The Bible
[ ] 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
[X] 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
[ ] 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
[ X] 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
[] 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
[ ]12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
[ ] 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
[ ] 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
[ ] 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
[] 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
[ ] 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
[ X] 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinge
[ X] 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
[ ] 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
[ ] 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
[x] 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
[ ] 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
[ ] 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
[] 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
[ ] 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
[ ] 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
[X ] 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
[X] 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
[x] 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
[ ] 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
[ ] 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
[x] 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
[ ] 34 Emma - Jane Austen
[ ] 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
[x] 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
[ ] 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
[ ] 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
[] 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
[X] 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
[x] 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
[x] 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
[ ] 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
[ ] 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
[ ] 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
[X ] 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
[ ] 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
[ ] 48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
[X] 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
[ ] 50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
[ ] 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
[ ] 52 Dune - Frank Herbert
[ ] 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
[ ] 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
[ ] 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
[ ] 56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
[]57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
[ ] 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
[] 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
[ ] 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
[ X] 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
[ ] 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
[ ] 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
[ ] 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
[x] 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
[ ] 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
[ ] 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
[X] 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
[ ] 69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
[ ] 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
[ ] 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
[ ] 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
[X ] 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
[x] 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
[ ] 75 Ulysses - James Joyce
[ ] 76 The Inferno - Dante
[ ] 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
[ ] 78 Germinal - Emile Zola
[ ] 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
[ ] 80 Possession - AS Byatt
[x] 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
[ ] 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
[ ] 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
[ ] 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
[ ] 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
[ X] 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
[X] 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
[ ] 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
[] 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
[ ] 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
[X] 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
[ X] 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery - In three languages!
[ ] 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
[ ] 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
[ ] 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
[] 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
[x] 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
[X] 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
[X] 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
[ ] 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Uh oh, I only got 30 - better get reading!

500

2009-02-18T17:58:00.006-05:00

Wow, so I completely failed to notice that my last post was actually my 500th. Quite the milestone, and I'm amazed that I didn't know it. Anyways, onto something else... I found these stats on the net, they are a few years old but I am certain that things haven't changed that drastically since their publication. I've always had a weird preoccupation with population rates and these rates come as a bit of a surprise to me, and I'm not sure why.

The latest data from the Population Reference Bureau shows that
there are twenty countries in the world with negative or zero
natural population growth.  This is unprecedented in history!
This negative or zero natural population growth means that these
countries have more deaths than births or an even number of
deaths and births; this figure does not include the impacts of
immigration or emigration. Even including immigration over
emigration, only one of the twenty countries (Austria) is expected
to grow between 2006 and 2050.  The country with the highest
decrease in the natural birth rate is Ukraine, with a natural
decrease of 0.8% each year. Ukraine is expected to lose 28% of
their population between now and 2050 (from 46.8 million now to
33.4 million in 2050). Russia and Belarus follow close behind at
a 0.6% natural decrease and Russia will lose 22% of their
population by 2050 - that is a loss of more than 30 million people
(from 142.3 million today to 110.3 million in 2050).  Japan is the
only non-European country in the list and it has a 0% natural birth
increase and is expected to lose 21% of its population by 2050
(shrinking from 127.8 million to a mere 100.6 million in 2050).
The streets of Tokyo won't be as crowded in a few decades as they
are today! Here's the list of the countries with negative natural
increase or zero negative increase in population... Ukraine: 0.8%
natural decrease annually; 28% total population decrease by 2050

Russia: -0.6%; -22%
Belarus -0.6%; -12%
Bulgaria -0.5%; -34%
Latvia -0.5%; -23%
Lithuania -0.4%; -15%
Hungary -0.3%; -11%
Romania -0.2%; -29%
Estonia -0.2%; -23%
Moldova -0.2%; -21%
Croatia -0.2%; -14%
Germany -0.2%; -9%
Czech Republic -0.1%; -8%
Japan 0%; -21%
Poland 0%; -17%
Slovakia 0%; -12%
Austria 0%; 8% increase
Italy 0%; -5%
Slovenia 0%; -5%
Greece 0%; -4%

It's been a while....

2008-12-22T17:47:00.003-05:00

Yikes, so I guess I haven't been as diligent in my blogging as I would have liked to think but I am here now so lets get on with it shall we?

Happenings in the last few months have been sparse I work, I go to the gym, I eat meals, I visit with people... it's a nice way to live. But seriously, I'm not sure that I am really explaining how much I do enjoy it. When I do go to work (and I say that because military life affords quite a bit of vacation time, and paid vacation at that!) I get to deal with all sorts of problems and people and really get into the thick of it. My training has been so useful, and I do know that if I ever do leave the military, or put it to the side temporarily I can always use the experiences in civie street as they say.

In other ways it can be a bit tough living away, but they do try to help out with perks like extra money to help offset the cost of a plane ticket home - sadly as Calgary is so close my offset money is only $270 so it doesn't quite cover a ticket home at Christmas. This year my Christmas will actually be in Jan, and only for a week, but at least its something.

Last week the course catalogue came out for the reserves and it looks as though my LOG course will be in Quebec City 8 Jun - 31 July. This is great news as I can probably extend my contract here in Victoria to the end of April, or May, whatever I feel is necessary and then look for something in Sept or Aug... I love that the reserves lets me pick and choose what I do next. I might have the opportunity to come back to Victoria to help out with the Olympics in Feb 2010, or find a contract in Ottawa, or really wherever Pete and I end up. Just now its a toss up between the RCMP and the Ottawa Police... I might be persuaded to pick Ottawa Police but in reality the RCMP has phenomenal potential to be a great career and I can find military work almost anywhere in the country, plus I have a few more courses to go on and some French training and University courses to complete before promotions so anything will do really.

Pete was able to come out and visit for a week after his course in Quebec City. He left Thursday morning bound for Toronto and luckily the snow wasn't too bad at that point. It did get much worse though as the weekend came. Funny thing is that the island did get a lot of snow.. almost 3 feet in a week and for crazy islanders it was far too much. I was even having trouble driving as I did not bring my snow tires with me and my car is very little so i slid around a bit and had to dig it out a few times. Pete is due back next Monday, just in time for New Years and hopefully the snow will have melted a tad. We are due for some above zero temps for the next week so I am sure that the island will return to it's green state.

Well, I suppose I shall leave it at that for the time being. I will do my best to report back in a few days with any new happenings. In the meantime, stay warm and play nice in the snow!

Little Belgian Lad Salutes Canadian Troops

2008-11-19T22:08:00.001-05:00

This is precious

Lest we Forget

2008-11-11T09:28:00.003-05:00

Kids Zoned Out on Remembrance

2008-11-09T11:31:00.005-05:00

I found this on the Military Network, originally published by the Calgary Sun - it's a story about how kids these days know nothing of the sacrifice that our War Vets and current Soldiers have made, it's rather disgusting actually....

Kids 'zoned out' on remembrance

Among hundreds of high school students invading the northeast food
court, only a handful of red poppies could be seen.

"It's because people don't like paying for them," said one Grade 10
teen.

If Remembrance Day's future isn't completely bleak, it's certainly
confused and disconnected.  Sure, it was only a small snapshot of
Remembrance Day's relevance to youth, but it turned out to be an
amazingly consistent glimpse of what they believe and don't know.
These students, who just happened to attend Lester B. Pearson high
school, all understood the gist of the occasion, that we enjoy our
freedoms through the sacrifice of soldiers.  And they say it shouldn't
be forgotten. But press them further and they don't know much about
what they've forgotten.

"Which war? Two, right?" said 15-year-old Tyson.

The words Vimy Ridge, Ortona, Dieppe, Kapyong, Medac Pocket,
 even Passchendaele whose name is now celluloid currency draws a
total blank, a universal F.

"Vimy's in Ottawa, it's a place where people go and remember -- it's
a guy, I think," says Gina, 17.

Uttering Stalingrad provoked mention of a Russian czar, a revolution
and other zany detours.

"Bloody Sunday -- wasn't that involved?" says Nathan, mistaking
Northern Ireland's 1970s troubles with a Second World War turning point.

Says Sequora, 17: "I remember learning about Vimy but I can't remember
 -- they do teach us but it just doesn't have as much of an impact."

In other words, they're just not that interested and increasingly distant
history doesn't resonate.

"We still do one minute of silence but I don't think it has as much of an
effect on us as it did on people before ... like the deceased," adds
Sequora.

Maybe 50% of her classmates "actually think about it, the rest are zoned
out,"  says Romeena, 16, who insists she's never "learned about Hitler
at all."

Some say they're aware of the Holocaust and 16-year-old Rhea recalled
what she'd been taught about the trenches, presumably those of the
First World War.

Jolene says she has military veterans in her family, but hasn't a clue what
they did or where.

Youths of south Asian or African backgrounds at the ethnically diverse
school are virtually identical to their European classmates in their responses
and attitudes.

The Afghan deployment of Canadian soldiers not much older than them
adds no contemporary relevance to Remembrance Day for these teens.

If anything, at least among the youths with an inkling of the Second World
War and nation-gobbling Nazi aggression, the West's occupation of Afghanistan
is completely
disconnected from Nov. 11.

They seem startled to hear the two sharing the same breath. It's easy to
see why.

"They're not saying they're going to come invade our country," says Melat,
16, of Canada's Afghan foes.

Not a single one interviewed in the food court supports the mission, though
a couple of them think Canadian troops are also helping to pacify Iraq.

"I don't think it's our deal to be in Afghanistan, it's not our problem,"
says Nathan.

Others say they believe Canadian troops in Afghanistan are being exploited
by the Americans -- hardly a Flanders Fields moment.

There's some awareness of Canada's peacekeeping heritage, which stands out
starkly in young minds from the more recent warmaking.

"I don't think our soldiers are making any peace -- they're dying," says Gina.

Regardless of the bravery of today's Canadian soldiers, we've come far from
one conventional army expelling another occupying one.

And the kids know it, even if they're hazy on the more distant history.

¡Que Linda!

Diamond Jubilee

Progression

12 years ago

2011...

One and Only?

Christmas Elf

Thursday's Photo

Remembrance

Langemarck at Ypres

William Wilfred Campbell

T-1 week

The Grand Entrance

A theory

Still nothing

Chaos

Sister #2

Sister 1

A Month of Birthdays

Jack's last letter

Another Happy Day

2 for 1

What I've been up to this summer....

A Wednesday Morning Funny

Recipe Success

Floor Tiles Stress

Giveaway Friday

Spa....

Best of my life

Four things Friday

Royal Quiz

Things I've noticed lately...

Epidemic

Giveaway - Sony W series Walkman

Weekend Update - a day late...

Six Things Saturday

Life as an Ottawan - Month 1

Resolution Run

A Holiday Quiz

Life as an Ottawan - week 1

Adult Truths

THE Question

A connection at last!

We Shall Remember Them

Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

Cooking Chronicles cont.

All things Pumpkin

Jalapeños

Hibernation

Sad News

Monty Python in Iraq

Everybody loves Betty White....

Demotivational

Quebec- Part Deux

Gettin' Antsy

Jamie's Food Revolution

What a week...

Expres Friday

Passions

Days when I wish I had an iPhone instead of a Crackberry

16

The return

Happenings

New Security Threats

Stuck

Today's Motivation

Favourite Olympic Commercial

New Toy

New Motivation

Happy Robbie Burns Day

She's earned it

Amazing

Book Club

Blue Sky Thinking

Delays and more delays

Christmas at the In-laws

Gadgets!

Chairs are dangerous?!?!

Finances

Remembrance Day

Why Are Humans Different From All Other Apes? It’s the Cooking, Stupid