Can you say Mm, mm, mm?!

Last weekend Bruce and I went to a Joe McNally lighting workshop in Calgary. It was fantastic and we learned lots about different lighting scenarios and how to get a certain feel with lighting. But I have to say that dinner on Saturday almost trumped the workshop, almost. We went to this little funky restaurant called 'Taste' (1210 1st Street SW). It's a tappas style restaurant, everything is appetizer sized and meant to be shared. Some of the dishes I wouldn't share again, the mac and cheese to be specific! I could eat that all day long, all by myself!!! We went with a couple friends from the workshop and had a gastronomical feast! From duck fat popcorn to foie gras to bone marrow! We had tuna tartare, pork belly, mac and cheese, sausage and eggs, beef tacos, gnocchi and duck meat balls! Sounds like a ton of food but remember, everything is appetizer size and there were four of us. I'm not one to talk up a restaurant usually but this place was superb. The best part of it, they cook on two hot plates and have half an oven! Their kitchen is out in the open so you can watch the chefs work and they crank out the most incredible food you will ever taste in the space that's about the same size as an office cubicle! If you're ever in Calgary I would highly recommend a visit to 'Taste' but be prepared to wait, they don't take reservations, but it's totally worth it!

Work in Progress...

I'm still unsure of the journey I have begun but I have a sense that part of it's about self improvement. I had the day off today and did the usual chores around the house, tidied up, started packing for our trip to Calgary this weekend. I even baked today. I was feeling on top of everything and even prepped all the ingredients for dinner early. Bruce came home and I started dinner, chicken curry. I had the chicken, onions and peppers all ready to go and I opened the jar of curry (I know, cop out for someone who apparently loves to cook - but what can I say, it's easy!) and poured it on top of the mixture only to see that there was mold on the lid!!! Ewwww!!! I yelled to Bruce to grab me a bowl so I could throw the stuff that touched the sauce into it. I started to pick out all the stuff and got so angry about what a waste it was, two chicken breasts, one and a half peppers and half an onion. Damn, I was mad at myself for not checking the jar before I zealously added the sauce. I gave up. I threw the wooden spoon on the counter and said I was done. Bruce saved the dish, transferred all the stuff that didn't touch the sauce to another pan and opened a new jar of sauce (by the way don't get the GH yellow curry sauce - it's overly sweet and kinda gross). After dinner I made lattes and put out a plate of freshly baked cookies. Bruce said the cookies were some of my best yet. However, the milk I used for the lattes was sour. Damn, batting a thousand tonight. I told Bruce that I was going to get all 'Jesh de Rox' on him and asked him if it was hard to love me. He said it wasn't hard at all but there are challenges in doing so. As I'm on this journey I asked him what they were and he called me out. He said that I get frustrated very easily and I give up (eg. dinner episode). I stopped to ponder my actions. He was totally right...if things aren't perfect, I give up and admit failure. Failure. I would never call a two-week old a failure but I call myself that frequently. Dinner may have not been my best and the lattes may have been sour but hell, my cookies kicked ass!

And Then What?

Ok, I have experienced, well, ...an experience! No other way to say that. This is going to sound like a weird blog post because I don't really know what it is I'm trying to share with you. Monday night Bruce and I had the opportunity to attend an intimate concert to see Amy Seeley and Jesh de Rox in person. Or so we thought it was to see them in concert. The evening was so much more than that! Jesh is on a journey experimenting with music as an avenue to explore the invisible vital connections between us. He and Amy have been working together to bring this about - it was truly an interactive evening. We were part of the songs performed, we shared ourselves with everyone there...we stepped into the unknown. I think some stepped back but I think there were some of us that stayed for awhile and mightn't have even stepped back yet. I think I'm still on the other side. I haven't been particularly moved by anything before, well not blindsided by what seemed like a nonchalant event like a concert. Somehow the whole experience has inched under my skin and has touched me in a way I'm not familiar with, maybe not even so comfortable with but I'm intrigued by it and I want more. It was like the universe was reaching out to me and trying to send me a message. It was pulling all sorts of threads of my life, that seemed to be separate, and laying them into one piece of cloth before me. Jesh was talking about how we think it'd be sick if a person was to tell a two-week old baby that they wouldn't amount to anything, that they were stupid or ugly. We wouldn't do that. But it doesn't cross our mind to do that to someone who's not a baby - what's the difference? We all were two weeks old at one time, and we need to remember that baby that is in all of us. Of course that sent shivers up my spine as I haven't blogged in over a month and just last week I decided to blog about seeing the kid in each of us and how that changed my day. The coincidence doesn't stop there - he asked each of us to write down a time that was significant in our lives and phrase it as more of a statement than a recollection and to throw it into a bowl. He and Amy played another song and then he passed the bowl around and asked everyone to take a piece of paper - and to make sure it's not your own. I was the last person to pick, and I picked my own! He then asked us to turn to our neighbour and sincerely say "I'm not alone". What had I wrote on my little piece of paper? "I'm not alone". Tell me the universe isn't screaming in my ear! I was on the verge of tears the whole night...something was happening but I'm not sure what it was. And then the evening was over. But I'm still on that 'unknown' side. I feel like I've been left there...what am I supposed to do next?! I've just started some kind of journey. I've started, but now what?

Who said?

I had the funniest thought this morning. I was listening to the Crash and Mars morning show on 102.9 this morning. They were talking with this caller and just the way he said something, it made me laugh as everyone around me morphed. I saw everyone around me as the little kid they used to be - little kids driving cars, little kids drinking coffee, little kids carrying briefcases on their way to work. The best way to start your day guaranteed! Who said we had to grow up?!

Energy

I find people fascinating. I find what people do fascinating. Totally makes sense why I took sociology in University. I love sitting back and watching. Anticipating. Predicting. Gives me a little jolt! Some people can change the energy of a group with their mood, just the mood they bring in on that day - fascinating! Some people are incredibly easy to read. Others you can only guess. Some days it's like a switch. A person will be happy and calm, something happens, click. Somebody flipped the switch and it's panic mode. Fascinating.

And It's Over...

Did you blink? I think I blinked. I sure didn't see it at all...let alone feel it! Tomorrow is the official start of fall. Fall people!!! Apparently summer started on June 21st, yup and tomorrow it's over. Have you looked outside today? Yeah, nice last day of summer. I don't know what we did collectively to deserve this summer this year but we clean up our act! Can you imagine what winter's gonna look like if that was summer?! I'm heading out to buy some boots and long underwear tonight!

I am proud of myself today. I stepped up last week to help somebody out, stepped out of my box, out of my comfort zone. Yes, I was nervous but I did it - I pushed myself and you know what? I succeeded! And it made me happy. It's so easy to make excuses (real or imaginary ones) to keep yourself behind the wall, rather than try something new - who knows you might fail. But you might not...you won't know if you'll succeed unless you try and stretching yourself builds character. I'm guilty of not pushing myself as often as I should. Sometimes it's a long period of time that flies by before I challenge myself and sometimes that makes me feel like I can't do something, I don't know how or I forgot how to push myself. This past weekend made me realize I should do it more often so I don't have those fears and trepidations.

But I'm gonna do it indoors, I'm not strong enough to deal with this kinda weather!

Things that make you go hmmmm...

So they're working on the Federal Building behind the building I work in (the Bowker Building) and there's nothing happening there right now - not a worker in site, no movement, nada, nothing, zip! Then there were sirens. An ambulance and a fire truck, but on the other side so I can't see anything! I'm dying to find out...I need to know. What the heck?!

It's me, Sarah!

Hmmmm...it's been so long I don't know if I remember how to blog! I know that's crazy but you know the saying, if you don't use it, you lose it!

"...sometimes it's best to hide out for a little while, take a vacation, learn to live life again instead of just getting through it". I believe I wrote that a few blogs ago. Guess I should read that again and figure out when I'm going to apply that in my own life if I'm going to give it out as advice, eh?!

I think I'm gonna plan a little get away for September. Bruce and I have both been pretty busy lately, him moreso than me - when the clock hits 10:30 I'm either off to bed or already turning out the lights! Sometimes I think that we're both missing out on life cuz we're always playing catch up. I think we need to regroup, step back and let life show us what it needs to. Jasper is always a great place to hunker down, let yourself get back to who you are and not what people want or need you to be. Sleep in, go for a hike, grab a coffee and scone at the Bear Paw Bakery...good God, when is September???

On my way to work in the morning there's a speed sign on 97th Street just before 137th Avenue that shows how fast you're travelling. It always makes me wonder - how do I know which car's speed it's showing? There's a ton of us passing it at the same time but only one number is flashing at any point in time. Perhaps I need to drive by in the middle of the night when nobody else is around and figure out where on the street triggers the sign. Pretty insignificant thing in my life but it makes me wonder every morning.

I thought you'd all enjoy a little happiness and you can't deny that my little Neko is smiling in this picture - seriously, look how happy he is!!! Doesn't that just make your day?! Now go out and try to top it!

Birthdays

I had a conversation with a friend this afternoon that made me think about how we feel about birthdays. You all have probably guessed by now that I love my birthday and birthdays in general! Maybe not, sometimes I can be a little understated. Anyway I told her that Bruce and I were headed over to my parents' place to celebrate my mom's birthday on Sunday. Her actual birthday isn't until Monday but that's a work night so it'd be kinda rushed. My friend said that she likes to keep her birthday quiet, she likes to celebrate it but not in a big way and if it's not on the exact day it's not such a big deal. She always takes her birthday off work and likes to have a "me" day. I don't have any issue with that because everybody deserves a "me" day but I want to celebrate my day and I want other people to celebrate my day with me! Don't get me wrong I would never force anyone into celebrating my day but it's a special day for me and I want to share it with everyone and that's how I feel about my friends and family's birthdays. I want to celebrate them. Birthdays are so special, without them, those closest to us would never have been and the world would have missed out on some absolutely fantabulous people! That's why I LOVE birthdays, not just mine, but all of yours. I need to take that one day, and let you know that I am so happy that you're here and let's eat some cake!

Shame on Me!

I have taken a one month hiatus from blogging, from reaching out to you, from centering myself at the end of the day. Sure, I've seen and done things that would have made great posts but something stopped me from sharing, from opening up and letting all of it spill onto this screen. But not tonight, no! I am here, I am focused and I want to reconnect with you. Four things are popping to mind about what to share, bunnies, friends, work and dreams! Probably the most interesting is my dream from last night so perhaps I'll save that till the end cuz it's ridiculous!

Bunnies. Yup, seen a lot of them lately. The most bizarre place I ran across one was on the first floor of the parkade at work. No, I didn't literally run across one - close but didn't. I was twirling my way down to exit at the bottom of the parkade when I had to slam on my brakes cuz there was a little bunny right in the middle of the road licking something off the ground! Seriously, had to slam on the brakes! I didn't want to honk at him cuz it'd be really loud and echo-y so I put my car in park, ran over to him (he didn't budge) and clapped my hands and yelled, "Shoo Shoo!". It worked and as I drove away I looked in my rear view mirror to see that he moved on but no, there he was, in the middle of the road licking something off the pavement. I hope he made it out of there and moved on to something better, something greener!

Work. In the last few months it's been a trial going to work. I have been in a manager's position for the past year in my branch doing the work of two people without a whole lot of support from above. Anyway, the last few months have really tested me, pulled me to a place where I didn't quite like myself or believed in myself. My position was recently posted as I was only temporarily reclassified to it to help out during the hiring freeze. Anyway, I made the decision not to apply for it and return to my previous position and I already feel more like me and I'm starting to feel happy again. Sometimes the higher, more 'prestigious' positions don't pay off and cost you more in the long run. I'd much rather smile and feel good about myself.

Friends. I have the best friends that anyone could ever ask for in life! I don't think I would be where I am in life or half the person I've turned out to be without them. I'm not an overly mushy person, I have my moments yes, but not overly mushy. But I feel that I need to share how special my 'peeps' are to me! Like I said earlier, the past few months have been tough but I was able to keep my head up and rise above cuz I have such beautiful people on my side!

Ok, now for the entertainment piece that you've all been waiting for! I think the green curry we had for dinner last night contributed to my fantabulous dream! Warning, this is strange so if you aren't a fan of the weird and wonderful you may want to end on the friends paragraph! It started off with me and three friends being shot out of orbit on a space shuttle and we landed on the moon, or so I thought. We exited the shuttle and the terrain was dry, arid, brown and hilly. Then I started to notice little black pygmy men with hairy backs blowing dart guns...not quite pygmies, a little bigger than pygmies and they were wearing loin cloths! They greeted us by offering coconuts to drink from. So there's life on the moon...and a convenience store! That's right a convenience store that sold ham sandwiches that weren't any thicker than my pointer finger...but there was a clue in this convenience store - the sandwiches were labeled, 'Jambon'. Not only is there life on the moon but they speak French on the moon! As I walked around I noticed a pen full of little Yorkshire Terriers. They raise Yorkies on the moon?! Yeah no, those dogs belonged to all the tourists because they're small enough for people to bring along on their vacations but they pen them up cuz they don't want them around all the time! Makes sense. And then I ran into Bruce. You got it he wasn't on the space shuttle with me, which leads me to question why was he on the moon?! I start talking about how cool it is that we're on the moon and he looked at me like I was nuts and said, "The moon?! Are you crazy, we're in Africa!" Who knew you could get to Africa by space shuttle?! Ha ha ha! I've never remembered a dream in so much detail - it was wild! I can't wait to go to sleep to see where I end up tonight!

Indulgence

On my way back from a meeting this morning I decided to skip the LRT ride and enjoy a gingerly walk on a brisk morning. The wind was blowing, people were bustling and I spotted a Second Cup! What the hell, a little indulgence is a good way of celebrating your life and it eats up time that you'd waste at work! Win-win situation.

In the last couple of days, I've had some revelations. I recognize that just because someone has pissed me off doesn't mean that anyone else deserves to experience the mood that person put me in, they deserve my best smile and a friendly attitude. Save the 'pissy-ness' for that first person.

I also discovered it feels good to smile, even when stuff is weighing on my mind, if I smile somehow my mood magically lightens even just a little bit.

It makes me smile when I sing in my car...doesn't matter if I can't sing cuz Kevin can't either! Ha ha ha! But seriously, I sing for me...if I thought I could sing I would've auditioned for Canadian Idol by now...thank you God for letting me recognize the fact that I could probably break glass and will never end up on one of those singing shows thinking I'm awesome when I completely suck!

But what makes me happiest is knowing that I treat people with respect. Funny how someone treating you with the utmost disrespect makes you even more respectful of others...you think they'd steal that from you. That would just be sad...they really are sad.

Caught Myself!

Tonight I opened up my calendar to see what I have on the go this week. Looks like I have a lot of meetings, a course on Wednesday, an employee retreat that I have to finish planning for and well a ton more projects to finish. I felt a little overwhelmed and a little disappointed in myself that I hadn't done a little prep work this weekend to lessen the load. I was about to log on to my Citrix account...and then I caught myself. It was just the other night that I wrote, "don't let all those stressful situations eat you up - sometimes it's best to hide out for a little while, take a vacation, learn to live life again instead of just getting through it". I didn't think it would be an effort to not work on the weekend - but it's a challenge for me knowing the stressful deadlines I'll be facing this week. But I don't get paid to work my weekends.


This is my time, time to recharge, time to live life. I really have to start listening to my own advice - I think it's pretty good!

Where'd May Go?

Ok, so I missed an entire month...good God, I missed an ENTIRE month! I wish it was because I was off in some wonderful foreign land, oh wait...I was! At least for half of it. As you know from my previous post, Bruce and I were in Italy for three weeks. The scary thing is we've been back for three weeks already! Holy cow! Italy was absolutely fantastic! We got home late on a Sunday, and no word of a lie I was online Monday morning looking for real estate in Italy. Such a magical place... something new and wonderful around every corner. Even the language woos you! My dreams are still filled with our trip and I pray that it lasts forever!

I seriously question why we choose to live in Edmonton. One day...but until then here's another photo:


There's always stress in our lives and there always will be but I bet I would deal with it better if I lived in Italy! Ha! At the very least, this trip reminded me that you need to take care of yourself, don't let all those stressful situations eat you up - sometimes it's best to hide out for a little while, take a vacation, learn to live life again instead of just getting through it. Italy came just at the right time. Ciao!

When the Moon Hits Your Eye...

Started today with seeing the Pope at the Vatican...two hours in the sun! Talk about a sunburn! We made our way across the Tiber River in search of the Pantheon...found some gelato first! Mmmmmm....bacio (chocolate hazelnut for me and tiramisu for Bruce). We stumbled across the Piazza Navona, an artist's paradise and were woo'ed into a pizzeria for lunch...I had margherita pizza and Bruce had pizza al funghi. We totally could have shared one - lesson for next time! With full tummies and my head bubbling with beer we made our way to the Pantheon - so many people!!! Learned how to shoot on manual as it was dark and light inside, very impressive! Here's a photo of the Colosseum from yesterday.

We decided to just walk after that and we stumbled across an Italian Communist Party rally...we stayed to take a few shots and then decided it'd probably be wise to move on! From there we just walked and walked some more and lo an behold, came across the Spanish steps on a sunny day! Could not believe how many people were there on a sunny day!!! We wound our way through the Roman streets and found the Hotel Madison, which we're staying at at the end of our trip, right across from the train station! Just got back to the room and took off my necklace and realized I got a sunburn around it too! I'm so smart, brilliant in fact! Off to dinner shortly and then tomorrow it's Florence!

We Weren't Struck Down By Lightning!

Day two of Rome, fantastic! We found a little taverna for nutella filled croissants and cappucinos - soooo good! It's a good thing we do a lot of walking on vacation! Then we caught the train to SanPietro station to visit Vatican City. Once inside the walls we saw the swarm of people, the lineups were massive - a little worrisome until a lady approached us about joining a guided tour. I was a little skeptical but we took a chance and were pleasantly surprised. She brought us across the piazza to a guy who was chatting with two other tourists. His name was Lewis and he was Scottish, no heavy brogue though so it was great. I swear this guy must just read about the Vatican, the Roman artists, history, culture - he was truly a walking encyclopedia! We toured for about 3.5 hours and finished the day with a little jaunt up to see the dome of the Vatican - 700-ish steps. Bruce said his ass was gonna look amazing after that feat! Yup, said it out loud for everyone to hear...gotta love him! I'm proud to say even though he stepped foot inside the Vatican, nothing happened, nothing. Whew!
After the Vatican, we made our way to the Spanish steps where we experienced a Roman downpour! During sunny days, there are vendors trying to sell tripods and during the rainy days they all switch to umbrellas! We had bought one at the little grocery store by our hotel...shoulda grabbed one from a guy cuz they were cheaper! Sigh. After the steps we found the Trevi Fountain and luckily the rain stopped for that! We stopped at a little restaurant for some pasta and wine and made our way back home. Trying to get to bed a little earlier because we got tickets to see the Pope tomorrow! Should be awesome!

Italia!

Our first full day in Italy! So tired. We left the hotel at 8:30 this morning and it's just after 10 pm and we just got in! Not a whole lot of sitting except for the first little while this morning when we took the 'Hop On Hop Off' bus! We were checking in yesterday and a lady came up to me to let me know that they were leaving this morning and she gave me their bus tour tickets because they were good for 24 hours...so we used them up! Sally, you were so right - we totally got our bearings and got some great shots to boot! I still have to download some photos but I'm sure Bruce will stay up late uploading his so keep an eye out for Facebook! I think it's time for a glass of wine before I head off to bed. We bought a bottle yesterday for about $5!!! Ciao!

Yawn...

Have I been sleeping?! I noticed it's almost been a month since my last blog post. Has nothing happened in my life in the past month?! On the contrary...I've been run off my feet in the past month! Good God! I don't know what's going on but I have been swamped at work and at night, what do I do? More work usually! I'm trying to keep up but it's starting to pile up and Bruce and I have nine more sleeps before we leave for Italy for three weeks!

There's been lots of cool things that have happened throughout my days in the past month, but having a mind like a sieve isn't going to help me share them with you. The feelings that those cool things left me with still linger but I can't recall any details, sorry.

You know how sometimes you seek the universe for answers to what seems an impossible problem to solve? You spend hours, days, weeks even months trying to figure out what the best move to make is, what the right choice is, just trying to get clarity on a situation. Then one day life just throws what you need to know right in your face! Just like that. It's almost like God has given you a deadline to figure something out and if you haven't done it in that time, He's just gonna tell you what you need to do. You have to love how life takes care of you...my lesson in all of this is you need to relax and trust that everything is the way it should be until it changes. I know, it's a very deep thought but I dare you to think about it for a few minutes!

Acknowledge past events, but endeavor to manage the present with a view to creating a brighter future.

An Evening with David Adjey

Ok, this is kinda old news now but I haven't had a chance to sit down and type for a little while. Here goes...this past Tuesday, Bruce and I had the opportunity to attend a dinner with Chef David Adjey, you probably know him from Restaurant Makeover on the Food Network.


He's the Chef in residence at NAIT this week and they held a dinner with local food bloggers to tie in with the social networking trend surrounding food. When we arrived there was an empty seat right beside David that I took advantage of. The NAIT students prepared a tasting menu all prepared from recipes in David's cookbook, 'Deconstructing the Dish', which he autographed for me!

Shrimp
spoon bread stuffing
kick-ass tartar sauce
wilted chicory

Artic Char
Fennel braise
Yukon gold dumplings

Pork Chop
rubbed with 'stir-fry' paste
baby bok choy
kumquat-garlic sauce

Halibut
crab hash
saffron aioli
"angry" fritter garnish

Beef Tenderloin
red wine jus
lobster butter
buttermilk onion ring

I have to note here that the dinner was filmed and will be on the NAIT website and YouTube if I'm not mistaken. Remember I sat right next to him...probably gonna be on camera once or twice. What was I thinking??? Especially when I noticed the first selection on the menu, shrimp. Shrimp and I don't get along, I hate shrimp. But what was I gonna do? I'm sitting next to Chef Adjey, I'm most likely on camera...do I not eat it? Do I attempt to eat it and gag cuz I have a huge gag reflex with foods I don't like...you should see me with fresh tomatoes! Yikes! Anyway, I decided to follow his lead. He pulled the tail off a shrimp. I pulled a tail off a shrimp. He popped one in his mouth...I tried to bite mine in half - a little rubbery so I shoved it all in and chewed...and chewed...and chewed...remember I think I may be on camera so I tried not to show any displeasure but now I'm starting to worry that I've been chewing too long. Seriously, did I have to sit right next to him?! My favourite was the beef tenderloin followed by the halibut and artic char. I noticed that David hardly ate anything - I don't know if he didn't care for it or if he'd been eating all day or if he was too full from all the champagne! So I didn't feel bad for leaving something I didn't care for after at least trying it. I was proud of myself, especially for being a picky eater! But to my disappointment, there was no dessert! Sigh...

Also to note here, Bruce convinced me the night before that I should bake some cupcakes to give to Chef Adjey. So there we were, getting coffees from Second Cup and ingredients from Sobey's at 9:15pm the night before! Seriously...9:15! I was up baking and frosting until 12:15 cuz the cupcakes have to cool! Anyway, I gave a dozen to him. He didn't try one in front of me but Diane who had invited us to the dinner received a message from him regarding my cupcakes:

If you can't make it out, Diane emailed him and asked him what he thought of my cupcakes and his response was, and I quote, "I ate 5! The bellman ate the rest. They were delish!" Try and wipe the smile off my face, David Adjey thinks my cupcakes are delicious! What a great night!

Cha-ching!

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I'd spend a chunk of change today...I had no intention of spending over $50. I wanted to get Neko a new puppy bed (didn't get one), a toilet brush (chucked out the old one but haven't picked up a new one yet), and a pair of walking shoes (Luckily I was able to find a pair of those). We ended up booking rail passes for Italy, grabbed a delicious brunch at the Urban Diner (initially I was upset that they wouldn't be serving lunch until 2 but was ecstatic with our order), bought a t-shirt and water bottle at MEC, then proceeded to Mexx where the swiping of the credit card hurt a little bit! Bruce laughed at me cuz I had troubles spending some money on clothes but last week I was talking about buying a Smart Car! Yeah ok...sometimes I don't completely make sense, but that's one of my quirks that makes me so loveable! I'm trying to practice for Italy and embrace the cha-ching!!!

Hell's Kitchen!

Saturday was fantastic! I pulled off all my surprises for Bruce's birthday! He woke up excited about finding out what I had planned for the day...I wouldn't tell him so he started guessing. He asked if I was taking him to look at bulldog puppies, which I had never thought of, so of course I went with that lie cuz it sounded soooo good! You shouldn't lie...he was disappointed. Sorry Bruce!

So we went snowshoeing! Needed something new for us to try and it totally fit the bill! We first tried Rundle Park and well, Saturday was pretty warm (+11C) so finding snow was a bit of an issue. We decided to trek out towards Elk Island Park and whadda ya know..SNOW! It was awesome...I'd totally do it again!


I told Bruce that I invited his parents over for dinner that night for barbequed steaks and baked potatoes. Yes, I even had the ingredients as not to raise suspicions! What I had actually planned and thank God I was able to pull it together in time, was a Hell's Kitchen kind of party. The object was that each couple were to bring four random ingredients and we had to create dinner out of whatever was on the counter. I topped it off with personalized aprons and chefs hats! I have to admit, I was a little worried but dinner was fabulous - no lies! Our ingredients included: fresh tomatoes, orzo, broccolini, garlic, shrimp, fire roasted salsa, buns, oatmeal cookies, refried black beans, steak, crab meat, fresh basil, bamboo shoots, coconut milk, herb & garlic cream cheese and balsamic vinegar. Pretty good haul of stuff! So we ended up making bruschetta for appetizers, steak neptune, broccolini with a cream cheese/salsa sauce, thai coconut shrimp over orzo, refried black beans on toasted buns with fresh basil and of course there was birthday cake for dessert! We finished the evening off by awarding the golden spoon to the most creative cook who also turned out to show the most initiative in the kitchen...Krista! So it was only a wooden spoon painted gold and wrapped with gold pipecleaners but an award nonetheless! And nobody can leave a party without a lootbag...it wasn't a $91,000 swag bag like at the Oscar's but it did have a water shooting sea horse, a chocolate bar, a chip clip and some kind of plastic animal!

To see some photos from the evening, visit Bruce's blog at - http://momentsindigital.com/blog/2010/03/birthday-moment-39-holding/

Gotta start planning for next year...it's the big 4-0!!!!

Lent

So it's Lent. What did I give up you ask? I gave up popcorn, Diet Dr. Pepper and ice cream. Now is that a sign of an overachiever or what?! You only have to give one thing up, but no...I want to challenge myself. There's three quarters of a bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper in the pantry, a new container of popcorn on the shelf and a big box of 100 calorie ice cream treats in the freezer with one ice cream sandwich out of it. Temptations are all around me. And what do I decide to do today? Add one more thing to the list. I didn't give up something for Lent today, I gave up someone. I'm not going to let this person get the best of me like they usually do, ok I'll try not to let them get the best of me. I think this will be the most challenging! It's kinda like one of those zits that sits just below the surface and never really comes to a head. Yup, I like that analogy for how I am with this individual - spot on! There should be some kind of award at the end of Lent, not only popcorn, Diet Dr. Pepper and ice cream but I think I'll deserve a set of wings if I get through Lent with this last one!

My name is Sarah...

Hi There! Let me introduce myself, Sarah, Sarah Clarke. That was me being funny...you know, since I haven't blogged in a frog's life! Ha ha ha! I just made that one up, like it?! I have to tell you, writing that stupid sentence made me feel like me and I haven't felt like me for a long time. I have been so busy with work these past few weeks that I haven't really stopped to be Sarah very often. I like being Sarah.

You know what else I like being? Canadian! I have to be honest that the Olympics have never really been my thing, probably cuz I'm not athletic or that into sports. But in the last few weeks I have been totally addicted to them! I didn't expect to be at all but I think since it was so close to home that you couldn't help but get sucked in. I was so proud of our country, of our athletes...so proud!

Neko is making blogging very hard tonight. He keeps jumping up and nudging my elbows for me to play with him. Very need tonight. And he stinks like a**! Guess I gotta bathe the little stinker! Sorry this isn't the most interesting blog but I thought I should ease myself back into it! Felt good!

Lesson Learned

So I learned an important lesson yesterday, to keep yourself and your belongings in order and in check. We helped Mom and Dad clean out their basement and garage yesterday and while they are no where near those that are on the show, "Hoarders", there was a lesson learned for keeping an ever watchful eye on what you accumulate and how much. One lesson was not to hide things away, out of sight, out of mind. Never has that rung so true as when we started on the garage, emptying cabinets here and there. I think we unearthed about 12 or 14 bottles of window washer fluid! Dad didn't see it but Kathy and I kept running them out to our cars to clean them outta there. Besides, their car was smooshed in a hit and run accident so I don't think he's gonna need all that right away! In any event, Bruce and I came home and I started on the basement. We have the Cerebral Palsy Society coming next week to pick up donations and I have gathered about 10 garbage bags of old clothes and shoes. And I started going through old household items that we were storing in the basement...like I said earlier, out of sight, out of mind. Gotta keep on top of all this stuff or it's gonna take over one day. Even though I finished school some time ago now, I'm always learning.

Round Head

On my way to pick up coffees yesterday I noticed a bunny running down the street. There was lots of traffic passing him by. He stopped to assess where he was at and I noticed he had round head. Round head - it's not just for dogs anymore. But he wasn't getting in trouble for anything so I'm not quite sure why that bunny would have round head. I got to thinking - I bet little kids look like they have round head when they get in trouble too. Not that they can put their ears down but they kinda bow their head and have huge saucer eyes, which I'm sure is an attempt to make themselves look irrestibly adorable in hopes that you'll forget you're made at them. Then I started wondering, "What about cats?"

Black Balloon

I was waiting for the light to turn green just outside of the parkade at work. There were no cars going either way under the tunnel but there was something travelling through, taking it's own sweet time. It was a black balloon. That's it. Just a black balloon on a string meandering through the tunnel. It was heading west. It'd get really high, to the point that I thought it would lodge itself between the beams but just before it did, it'd make it's way down again. Slowly but surely it would get lower and lower, so low in fact had there been a car around (which is highly unusual after work for there not to be any) that it would have popped it as it run it over. If you get stuck at the red light just as it turns red, you have about 3.5 minutes to wait for a green light. It was almost a full 3 minutes before any cars appeared...just that black balloon. Wonder what it meant...

What Blogging has Done for Me

1. I find myself emptying my brain of random stuff that I experience.
Instead of holding on to all my thoughts and/or observations and stuffing them somewhere in my head, where, let's face it, I may never ever find them again, I now blog about stuff and get it out. It creates more space for new things/ideas.

2. It changed the way I view the world.

I started paying closer attention to the world around me. I notice details more now, I try to live in the present moment and relish in life's lessons. I'm more fully engaged in everything that happens; I pay attention to my inner voice and thoughts.

3. Accountability.

If you blog that you are going to lose 50 pounds or donate $100 to a charity, you are far more likely to do it than if you just think about doing these things. You don’t want to have to report that you failed, or gave up, or just got lazy. It helps when your friends/readers ask how some project is going, it keeps the interest and enthusiasm alive.

Blogging has been good for me...it's been like keeping a diary when I was little. But I don't have to rip the pages out and ruin the book. I can just press 'delete'.

Ready...Set...Steam!!!

It finally arrived! Our Shark Steamer!!! It came today while I was out but Bruce's dad brought it in for us while he came to play with Neko. I unpacked it, made sure all the parts were there, filled it with water and now I'm waiting for Bruce to come home because I promised I wouldn't try it until he got home! We got up one Saturday morning and plunked ourselves down in front of the TV and lo and behold an infomercial was on. We sat through it and with the both of us being neat freaks, there was no chance of us walking away from that infomercial! Too bad I just cleaned the house... Bruce isn't home yet, there's still time to throw some crud on the floor...maybe some syrup...something sticky...chocolate sauce? teriyaki sauce? maybe some melted cheese on the stove top...oh the possibilities...gotta go!!!

If You Want It Done Right...

Sometimes we can't do everything for ourselves...there's protocol, there's division of work, there's red tape. Whatever it is, it's really frustrating when those you rely on to get the job done, don't! Today I found out that I haven't had Blue Cross coverage since August 10th of 2009! Thankfully I didn't have to find out when I was trying to be admitted to a hospital or something, just filling a prescription but hey, what happened to people doing their job??? Now get back to work!

Did You Doubt Me?

I know, you were skeptical...2,000 pieces in a week?! Ridiculous...no, not so. I have proof!



I used to puzzle all the time when I was little. I don't know when life got so busy that it fell off my radar but I'm glad I re-discovered it! I have my fellow puzzlers at work to thank for that! Bruce and I had relaxing evenings enjoying a latte and searching for that one piece! I had to make sure that Bruce took a picture - one, for you to believe me that we actually finished it and two, so we can keep a record of what puzzles we've done cuz you know there are gonna be a lot more in our future.

I lost a few days, almost a week to blogging, my apologies. Things pick up and you get home late one evening and you fall asleep when you just meant to take a 5 minute nap and you forget to blog and it's almost like you've formed a habit overnight cuz the next night you don't think about blogging cuz the last time you did it, it was two days ago. Yikes! Anyway, last Wednesday Bruce and I went down to Sir Winston Churchill Square to watch the 2010 Olympic Torch make it's way downtown. It was so exciting! The crowd was massive and full of energy, it made you smile and tears well up cuz there was so much pride in that Square. I brought my camera but when I saw the crowd and factored in my small stature I didn't bother taking it out of my bag! But Bruce was able to get some pretty nice shots...you should check them out his blog on his website - Moments In Digital!

EDO

Earned Day Off. And that it is. Work an extra 20 minutes a day to get an extra day off in the month. You're supposed to use this day to run your errands and go to appointments but c'mon...making appointments?! You're at the mercy of whoever you want to see, you run on their schedule. So I use my EDO as a time to catch up on things, change the bedding, rotate the mattress, laundry. I had aspirations of going to Whyte Ave to check out the stores but sometimes that's more fun with somebody with you, you know?! So I slept in til eight then I made myself a latte and some toast. I caught up on some chores, like I said earlier, changing the sheets and turning the mattress. I didn't leave the house, not once! I didn't feel guilty but perhaps I should've taken advantage of the freedom from work. At least it's casual week...I'll take whatever little break from the routine that I can!

Family's Awesome!

I was able to get my sorry butt off to church today...I noticed my halo was starting to slant a little so I took care of it! As per our Sunday tradition, Dad went home and put the coffee on while Mom and I stopped off at Cobb's Bakery for a little indulgence! We enjoyed a lovely breakfast together and afterward I taught them how to use their latte machine again. They hadn't used it in years and forgotten how cuz you know how those pesky owner manuals seem to grow legs and walk! Anyway we enjoyed some hazelnut lattes and played Boggle together! Not the competitive way though. We put away the timer and we didn't keep score. After all, my dad was playing!!! He hates games! He hates puzzles! He hates anything competitive! I was shocked he even agreed to it. But I was ecstatic...he was using his brain! He even said after that it would help him out...made me smile!

I got a wonderful phone call this evening from my Godmother! I had written her a letter over the Christmas holidays and she called to check in with me and find out some more details on events. It's funny how we don't seem to get phone calls that much anymore or letters for that matter at least none that are personal. There's always someone calling for donations or bills coming in the mail but how often do we get those phone calls or letters that are personal and show that someone has taken time out of their lives to focus on you?! I just love her...made my day!

Turning 90!

Last night Bruce and I went to his aunt's 90th birthday party at the Manor Casual Bistro downtown (it's used to be called the Manor Cafe). We were supposed to have been seated on the main floor as Auntie Eileen has bad knees and has troubles with stairs. When we got there they had us upstairs in the private party room (that's what was originally booked until we found out there was no elevator). They said they'd change us to the main room but I guess they forgot. Anyway, with a little help from family, Eileen was able to get upstairs. Our waiter was a little pretentious, he knew everything about everything and told you it all! Did you know that Doritos are made with corn syrup and MSG?! And did you know that Molson's owns all the hops crops or something like that and they won't sell you any if you're a micro-brewery?! Oh and did you know the Earl of Grey...blah, blah, blah. No kidding, at the beginning of the evening he hardly talked and by the end of the evening you couldn't shut him up! Anyway, the meal was delicious and Eileen is such a sweet lady! Her memory is so sharp and she loves to tell her stories. I hope if I make it to 90 I turn out just as wonderful as she has!!!

Surprises are the Best!!!

I have the best husband! Bruce came home Thursday night and surprised me with a 2,000 piece puzzle!!! You heard right - 2,000 pieces!!! We worked on it that night and finished the border and got a pretty good start on a couple of sections in the middle. I have never seen so many puzzle pieces in my life...dining room table??? Who needs a dining room table?! I think the best part of the evening was that we spent some time together...it was really nice that he didn't have to work on show notes or editing photos, we just spent time together. Can't imagine what it's like for couples who have kids! We're making waves putting the sections together today! Love it!!!

Cozy Moment

I used to get exasperated when Neko wouldn't leave me alone and always wanted attention. Last night he wanted me to pick him up and when I did it was like he melted. He didn't squirm, he didn't try to lick my face, he just wanted me to hold him. I stopped what I was doing and didn't worry about it cuz Neko needed me at that moment. It was a cozy moment knowing that he completely trusts me and turns to me when he needs some comfort. All his crappy barking or peeing on the carpet disappears when he needs to be held. What a suck!

New Project

As you know, I love puzzles...I love riddles, I love challenging myself. As such, I'm excited about starting a new project tonight. Bruce's dad left us a copy of the Clarke Family Tree...I started filling in our family tree a couple of years ago. I have this great program called, what else but 'Family Tree Maker'! Tonight's project isn't so much of a challenge because everything is figured out for me and I just have to input all the information but it's still fun to see how big our 'little' family can grow!

I'm trying to be more positive this year...no, no, don't misunderstand, I didn't say I made a resolution to be more positive because remember that would just be setting myself up for failure. I wore a rubber band around my wrist and would give it a snap when I was being less than positive. Ok, I wore it for a day...it was starting to leave a mark! Perhaps work isn't the place to try to attain such a lofty goal.

Need a Rest

I wake up and I'm tired. You know how when you wake up you have no power in your limbs? Yeah, that's how I feel when I get into work. What's with that?! And to top it off...my dog won't leave me alone...I'm afraid I'm sick or something. My eyelids are heavy, my head feels like it weighs a million pounds and my energy level is so low these days. Perhaps it's winter getting to me, perhaps it's my immune system giving in to all the germs that co-workers are graciously sharing with the office, or perhaps it's my spirit getting tired with the humdrum routine. Dunno which it is or if it's a combination of them all but I'm yearning for a break, a rest, something to re-energize me.

How Puzzling...

I love puzzles. I used to do them all the time when I was little and then somehow I stopped doing them and never really got back into it! Well over the Christmas holiday I rediscovered how much I love puzzles! Work was super slow and hardly anyone was in cuz they were smart and took time off. The Beatles puzzle was screaming my name in the lunch room and so I sat down and started to piece it together...it's totally addicting! Anyway, with the help of some friends we totally finished it and I was left empty. Until the next day when I came into work and lo and behold! a new puzzle on my desk! We cracked into that bad boy right away and spent the majority of the day 'puzzling'. We got all the edge pieces put together and a chunk of pieces in the middle and then, sadly, we had to leave it as it was the New Years break. What a welcome site at lunch time today, to be able to sit back and look for that certain, special piece! I love puzzles!

Dang It!

I set the alarm last night so I could get up in time to go to church today. I set the wrong alarm! I changed Bruce's alarm to the time I should wake up but I put my alarm on, which is set to 5:45 am for getting up for work! Dang it! When it went off, I realized it was way too early still so I thought I switched it over to the right alarm but apparently I just hit snooze so 10 minutes later the darn alarm goes off again! At that point I hit the damn radio and turned off all alarms as I woke up at 8:37, less than half an hour before church starts and it takes me almost 40 minutes to get there from my house, not gonna make it so I may as well roll over and catch a little more shut eye!

Watched The Green Mile today. Love that movie!!! It's been awhile since I last saw it so I had forgotten much of it. I bawled like a little baby! You know it's a good movie if I bawl. Ok, ok, I've been known to tear up at Folgers' commercials too but if you haven't seen it already or it's been awhile since you have, watch The Green Mile.

So the creative menu tonight? Hamburgers. But not just regular winter hamburgers...Bruce said he's gonna bar-b-que 'em!!! Wooohooo!

Routine

We slept in this morning...kind of what we do on the weekends. Showered and headed out to Costco. Super busy there today - I guess everyone re-stocking their homes after the holidays. We have lots of stuff in now and I'm faced with the same dilemma that I'm faced with everyday. What to make for dinner! I'm sure you face the same thing day in and day out. Kinda gets boring - you have a repertoire of 15 or so dishes that you make. Sometimes you just don't want to eat cuz it's not all that exciting. Maybe I should look to change things up a bit. Hmmm, I do like a challenge.

Happy New Year!!!

It's 2010! Where are all the flying cars like in The Jetson's?!! I thought by now we'd be consuming pills flavoured like turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots for dinner...what happened to that?! And what about pressing a button and you'd be clean?! It's 2010 people!!! Ok, so maybe all that future talk is still future talk. I'm good with that.

Happy New Year everyone...all four of you! Ha ha ha! This year has started off beautifully! I woke up next to Bruce, Neko was in his little bed beside me, we got up and made French toast and lattes...just like last New Year's Day...hey is this gonna be Ground Hog Day?!! You know the movie...kinda loses it's funniness if I have to explain it, never mind.

Anyway, as last year, I'm not making any New Year's resolutions. That would just be setting myself up for failure as we all know that rules are meant to be broken. That is if you're a rebel like me! Ok, ok, get yourself up off the floor and pick up your chair - so I'm not that much of a rebel. In any event, I'm wishing you a wonderful 2010! I hope you find your peace and make the best of everything that 2010 hands you!