Today is "Chirstm'us" Day, in SK!

I'm back to Saskatchewan after a crazy busy trip home for the Holidays. So many people to see, so little time.

I think I did a pretty good job at dividing my time and getting to hang out with everyone I wanted to. I spent some time with family and some with friends, even a it of both at times! Great memories!!

Js and I had decided to celebrate Christm'us today. We took it easy all day, went for tea and a bagel in a little coffee shop and did some light shopping. I made turkey breast and drumsticks for dinner, with mashed carrots and turnips, stuffing from a box (giggitty!) à la Maggie and cranberry sauce from a can. Delish!! Then we had Christm'us Rice Crispies for desert and watched a movie.

I'm so glad I got to go home for the Holidays but I'm already looking forward to spending it out here next year. I want to prepare a HUGE dinner, by myself, from scratch. We'll see how that goes... :)

Home for the Holidays

I'm leaving tomorrow (!!) to go home for the Holidays and I'll be back in a week. Oy, the planning that went into this visit better have been worth it!!

It's going to be nuts!! I am trying to see as many people as I can on a very limited time frame. I'd also like a bit of time to relax... but we'll see.

We decided it would be a good idea for me to visit the family and for Js to stay here this Holiday season. It was Js' idea and when we looked at the pros and cons, it just made more sense.
It'll be odd to be apart for the Holidays but we've been lucky enough to have spent all our Holidays together this far, it's not a HUGE deal.

We'll celebrate our own little Christmas on December 29th! Christm'us! :)

That being said, I'm not sure how much internet access or how much time I'll have so I'd like to wish you all a happy Holiday season! Enjoy the small things and be safe!

Word to the wise... Retail wise.

A small shout out to all my retail-working friends. As you brace yourselves for the last week before the Holidays, start to get the boxing day sale ready, try to keep it all together and still look fab, I wish you all the best and that it's over quickly and painlessly... like a band aid.

A very wise man once said to me :

It takes a special kind of people to work in retail. Think about it. At some point in your life someone looked at you and said "We are going to lock you up in a small windowless space, fill it with too much product, give you a couple people to lend you a hand and try to squeeze as many customers in there as legally possible. We'll expect you to run this thing from early morning to late at night, seven days a week, on salary. People will scream at you, try to steal from you, call you names and throw fits." And somehow, for some reason, you thought "Yeah, I'd like to do that!" ...and you come in every day with a smile on your face to tackle another challenge. That's what makes you so great at your job.

Thank you, Laurence Lewin!

I met Mr Lewin at a Holiday conference for The Body Shop in 2006 and he was a great inspiration to everyone who attended. He was a guest speaker and he was kind enough to mingle and chat with all of us for the greater part of the day.

10 different kinds of crazy...

I don't even know where to being describing how I feel towards this Holiday Season.

A) Retail severance - I'm crazy and well aware!
I miss retail. SO. Much. Yes, that's right. It's December 17 and I still have enough energy to blog and I don't like it one bit. I miss working this crazy time of year, store and stock room filled with goodies, long lines, free samples, incentives for team members galore!! I would give my right eye to have it all back (open for negotiations!) and I'm not quite sure why. It's exhausting, people scream at you, stock piles up to the ceiling because delivery came on the wrong day, staff quits and calls in sick due to eggnog abuse... yet, I still miss the whole thing. You'd think after all this time, I'd be happy about finally being able to enjoy the Holidays calm and relaxed. Nope. Give me long returns, disgruntled customers, boxing day sale madness, oh my!

Most of my friends who have found their ways out of the crazy retail world have told me "Don't worry, come the Holidays, you'll be glad you left retail!" Au contraire!!

(Special note to Nick : Judge me, go ahead - you know you'd miss it too!)

B) A whole year's worth of family and friend's time crammed into one week.
As I sit here and long for a rush, this Holiday season, I'm procrastinating. Yes, ladies and gents, I hate packing. I am going back to Ontario to spend the Holidays with my family and I have my itinerary (pending confirmation from mother-in-law) down to the hour. It's been 11 months since I've been there and seen most members of my family. It's going to be insane, not a relaxing vacation in any way shape or form. Aside from the evenings spent at home with Mom and Dad just slothing around the house in mah jammies, I'm not quite sure I'll get any rest. I want to see everyone and I have a very limited week to do so. Oy! I'm reasured because I know I'm making the most of my time which makes me feel a lot better about spending *that much* money for a mere week. Still... I'll need a week to recupe.

So yes, I complain because I'm not busy enough on one hand and on the other, I'm too busy and wish I could slow down.

Gah! I want the right quanity of good busy, is that too much to ask?!

The day has come...

However you try to prepare for this kind of thing, you're never quite ready. It's not until it's right there in your face and you can't deny it anymore without claiming insanity that you have to really let it sink in and accept the facts.

My Mother is on Facebook.

Saskatcha-cold

I normally enjoy walking to work in the morning. I'm not a morning person so it gives me that extra five minutes to breath between rushing to brush my teeth and finding matching socks. It helps me disconnect work from home which is always appreciated. Especially with all the challenges I'm facing at work right now.

Winter had to come along and ruin my moment of peace... Saskatchewan winter at that.

Now, I need to add an extra five minutes of prep time - meaning five minutes less of sleep time - to get ready. I have to put on tights, or leggings or some double layer of leg wear. I have to make sure my hair won't get totally ruined by a tuque (though some days I couldn't be bothered!) and there's no turning back once I step out the door. Forgot my cell phone? Too bad. Not sure if I brought a spoon with my lunch? Too bad, I'll have to eat my yogurt with my hands.

Then when I get to work, I have to leave my glasses to thaw for a good minute until I can see in focus again. That's right, thaw. They are normally covered in ice by the time I get there and not just the lenses, the frame and the little doo-dads that sit on your nose.

Did I mention I live about six minutes walk away from work?

Holiday Train

Check out this year's Holiday Train schedule!! I've never heard of this before but I think it may become a Holiday favorite!

15 Wing community project - Please vote!

Please click this link to find out more about the Connecting 2 Communities project and to vote!!



Everyone at 15 Wing will thank you!! :)

How RSS feeds save my life on a daily basis

To keep with tonight's theme, here's an AWESOME video that made me subscribe to Google Reader and consequently, saved my life.



That being said, I haven't tried any other readers than Google Reader and it's working really well. It automatically took on all the blogs that I "follow" with my Blogger account.

What RSS feeds to I have on my Google Reader?

Un p'tit gars dans une grande ville - A wonderful friend, 50% of my brain and a great source of information! Jf posts about random things, daily happenings and events or organizations he's involved with. Don't be shy to check it out even if the title is in french, Jf is a bilingual poster!

Reading Between the Lines - Danielle posts all there is to know about books! I'm a giant nerd and enjoy a good read and Danielle's knowledge, interesting reviews and star rating system is totally in tune with what I look for when trying to find a good book.

Visual Blog by Colin Dewar - Amazing photographer and overall great and fun guy! Colin took our photos at Wakamow park right here in Moose Jaw and we were thrilled with the results! Colin is now working out of Toronto, much to our chagrin.

Brainstorm : The Banfield Seguin Ltd Advertising Agency Blog - Great info and entertaining views on advertising, marketing, communications and my personal fave, branding.

Of course, I also have a TON of subscriptions on there of friend's blogs, Twitters, Flickrs and all that good stuff! Listing them all on here would take me all weekend and considering it's Thursday night... I'm not ready to take on that challenge. Keep an eye out for my "awesome links" posts and "check this out" links.

Blogging Bloggers on the Blogosphere

Finally catching up on all my blogged up blogging. Here's a great article that I found today that fits the theme of this evening's purge of saved-as-draft blogs finally getting published.

I worked with BSL in the past and they are simply the most amazing bunch of people! I learned SO much while I worked there and use that knowledge to this day.

Here's an entry from Brainstorm, the BSL blog I found quite interesting. Blogging at it's finest!
I think Mary captured the essentials and definitely communicates the message exceptionally well... à la Banfield Seguin Ltd.

My life right now = Not much excitement

I just didn't want to go a whole 20 days without a post... :)

Today I got a hair cut. So far, I'm liking it. I'm a chronic "goer-backer-the-next-dayer" and hair dressers HATE me... we'll see how this one goes.

That is all.

Friendships : Redefined

Of all the things I've learned with this lifestyle and this insane life, friendships will always amaze me!

There's the Obligation Friendship, that's the one based on work acquaintances, ranks, units, trade - you know, the technical stuff that doesn't really matter. Those are the friends who will treat you with respect (somewhat) during official functions or at I-kinda-have-to-go-to-this-but-really-couldn't-care-less social gatherings. Normally, you don't really bother getting to know these people inside and out, just the basics will do. They are not those you turn to in a time of need or run to to offer support. They are more like a business relation. You probably won't keep contact with them once one of you is posted and neither will they but that's okay.

There's the Situational Friendship, this one has a pretty wide range of variety. She can be your husband's buddy's wife, he can be another spouse you run into at the MFRC all the time, they can be the only couple that's your age and doesn't have kids on the base. You get along due to a nice combination of demographics, interests and posting timings. You're posted on the same base, at the same time and probably for the same reasons, so why not hang out?! They are the people you think to yourself : I don't think I'd normally be friends with them, but they're here and us too and we get along. You may keep contact with them or you may just reconnect at another base in a posting or two, but that's okay.

Who doesn't like a good old fashioned Occasional Frienship?! Everyone has those! They are the people who you run into while walking the dog or dropping off the kids at the day care, exchange some polite how-do-you-do's and continue on your merry way. They are great people and fun to talk to but not really the person you'll call to hang out or go out of your way to visit. It's nice to have that kind of connection, especially in a small base. You run into the same people over and over again so it's always more pleasant to be polite and on good terms. Most of the time, you won't connect with these people outside of the little tid-bits of conversation because either they have kids and you don't or they live on base and you don't so your lives and schedules just don't jive. They'll be sad to watch you get posted away but it was expected and they really didn't know you all that much... and that's okay.

The Hopeful Friendship is a tricky one. This is the friendship where you think "I really like this girl - we should hang out more!" and then you do but eventually, life happens and you make other plans -like John said. He's the friend from highschool you run into at the store and say "Give me a call, we'll hang out!" knowing full well you never will and neither will he. You really hope you're going to stay friends but you know the odds are against you. That's the kind of friendship you'll develop with people who are from the area where you are posted or with friends who are releasing or retiring. Especially when you find yourself moving every couple of years and having to start over, it's hard to commit to a Forever Friendship (more on those later!) without feeling guilty but you learn to deal and it's okay.

The Now Friendship is a good alternative to the Hopeful Friendship. It's more common between military spouses and members. Every party is aware that the other may have to pick up and leave on a moment's notice. This friendship is usually the people who are in the same place in their life as you are but are up for a posting next year. You know they are leaving soon but you get along great now so why not bond. We had a grand old time hanging out with the Smiths back in BC, it just sucks that we met them like 3 months before getting posted to Nova Scotia! You may or may not keep contact with these people but it was kind of expected, so it's okay.

Then, there's the Forever Friendship, the friends you will keep close contact with regardless of where they are posted next, what trade or rank they are or even after they release or retire. It's not even questioned, you just know it. It's the friends you carefully pick out of a crowd and work really hard on that friendship to make it what it is. It's the friends with whom you've already figured out how and when you would visit each other when posted far far away. I think most friendships strive to become Forever Friendships but because of our lifestyle changes and decisions, the other kinds of friendships get in the way.

I don't mean to sound rude and I know this may sound a bit clinical -that's not the intention. It's just a matter of knowing where to spend your "friendship energy". If you invest too much on getting the Obligation Friends to like you, you may miss out on a great Hopeful friendship.

I think we all learn to deal with people moving away or leaving our friends behind after a while. We have to be real about it and not fool ourselves. As adults, we know life gets in the way of most of our projects and dreams and although we would love to stay friends with every person we meet, we know there are going to be new friends at the next posting, so you have to make room for them too.

I love my friends from back home, they have a special place in my heart. That place has changed over the months since I've been out here. It's more of a nostalgic place with lots of booze and laughter. It's a great place to be, don't get me wrong but if I keep ALL of them in front row, I know I'm going to be a very lonely and miserable Saskatchewanian (?) and I don't think they'd want that for me.

This lifestyle is teaching me many things and I don't think it will ever cease to amaze me. I've learned to deal with loosing contact with friends and I've learned to deal with making new friends expecting to lose contact with them again, someday.

I have met some amazing people in the short time I've been a military spouse. People you barely know from all over the country who care and who will stick by you when you're down and that's amazing.

November?! Really?! No!!

Holly Fall, batman!!

Yeah, yeah, I know... normal people clue in that Fall is here when Halloween hits. I'm not normal, we've been over this.

These past couple of weeks have been insane and I keep meaning to blog about a bazillion different things. I jot down some ideas, save a draft blog entry and move on to the next burning issue I have to settle. I think there are 3 drafts I need to finish writing before finally publishing them on here. Sheesh!

Some day, I'll catch up, I promise!

I've been working on some other projects and catching up with back-burner ones and I'm slowly getting back into the normal swing of things.

Until then, stay tuned... ;)

Happy Halloweenie! :)

We're all ready to hand out candy to little Halloweenies! :)

We're (and by "we" I mean "I") are(am) excited to FINALLY be able to have a Jack'o'Lantern on our front porch and welcome Trick-or-Treaters. :) Apartment life was good while it lasted... but that's over now (I hope!) !!

We had some friends over last night for some food and good times. I made a dee-li-cious pumpkin and chocolate cake (see bellow) and it was a huge success!

Random Update... if you can call it that!

It's been eons since my last post. Why, you ask? Well... because it's been eons since I've had something to talk about. Not that today's much different, but I feel I should take some time and blog a little.

I accepted an extension to my contract at work (bless my little soul!) so I guess I won't be out of a job just yet... It's kind of bitter sweet really. I was looking forward to taking on something new that wouldn't drain all my energy and the very last ounce of positivity in me. On the other hand, being unemployed is unknown to me. The unknown is always a bit terrifying.

I have a cold/flu. Not quite sure. Lots of fever yesterday, today, throat aches like a mofo and my energy is very low. I'm taking some vitamins, washing my hands and drinking fluids. Doing all I should be doing so I just have to wait until it passes.

I feel like I'm finally catching up on things and it sucks that I have more energy while I'm at home sickly than when I'm healthy at work.

Halloween is just around the corner and I should probably thy to come up with a costume. Oh hell! It's snowing too... joy joy! I'm just a warm ray of sunshine today, don't mind me.

Blah.

The dress has been ordered!

Yes. That's right. I said it. :)

I ordered my dress today! *squee*

I think the hardest part of picking it and ordering it was giving up the amazingness of trying on a bazillion different dresses over and over and over again! *sigh*

I couldn't be more happy with it! I love it, it's awesome!

Oh... and we're down to less than 10 months until the wedding, but let's just enjoy the fact that my dress is ordered and remain in total denial of the wedding day countdown... *dam-dam-da-dam*

Thanksgiving in all it's glory!

We went to visit Maggie and Marc in Winnipeg this Thanksgiving weekend. Smartest thing we've done in a while! :)

It was awesome to drive out there together and spend some quality-car-time. It allowed us to bring Nova along for the ride and see how well she does with traveling -pleasantly surprised!

We had a really great time with friends and we ate some dee-liii-ciiii-ous food! It was nice to spend time with friends we miss and to see their new home! :) We're so blessed to be posted so close to eachother, 6 hours drive is a fart in the wind!!

It was nice to do everyday things all together. That's what I miss the most, I think. It's fun to do touristy stuff when you visit somewhere new but it's important to keep it simple and enjoy the little moments that make friendships special.

Those are the things to be thankful for! To be able to spend some time with those we love. :)

Dealing

I was talking with a friend today who's hubby is leaving for deployment in a couple days and it made me think. She's not thrilled that he's leaving and she's been feeling very anxious and just wants him to go and come back and be done with. I have never had to survive a deployment and there are none planned in the near future for us, but I've seen many girls power through the good and the bad times of a deployment. To these women, all my admiration!

I have no idea how I would deal with a deployment, how I would attempt to prepare for it or how I would manage the whirlwind of emotions. All I know is I'd do my damn best to survive and see it through! Js and I have talked about possible deployments and we are aware of each other's views, expectations and feelings towards the situation. I think that's most important if you are going to make it through as a couple. It's not easy, nothing is! I'm not a fool and I'm aware it's much easier said than done, but I need to give myself the confidence I need to face the facts.

I guess it's the whole "rippin' off a bandaid" thing... you have a choice to make it long and painfull and be miserable or you can deal with it and rip it off... sure it still hurts the same, but you're protecting yourself from more pain and sadness. Life's what you make of it, right?

It's hard enough as it is to deal with the military lifestyle when you're not the one who signed up for it, you have to pick your battles. This isn't just about deployments, it's about the little things and the big things and everything in between. A sucky posting, delays for promotions, neverending training, technicalities and dates that always change... They become a reality of your daily life. You can accept them (without necessarily embrace them!) and learn to live with them or you can clam up and be miserable.

Js told me today that spouses are what's holding the CF together. I firmly believe him.

Working frustrations...

I am not allowed to blog about my job as per my work contract. I just read it again to refresh my memory and nothing in there says I am not allowed to blog about my previous jobs. :)

I miss spitting chickens.
I miss cleaning gallons of macaroni salad off the floor.
I miss slicing deli meats.
I miss walking around in a pig barn all day.
I miss cleaning used hair removal wax from the floor.


Enough said.

Floppy?

Js just made a great observation.

Why do word or imaging programs still use the 3 1/2 floppy disc as the "Save" icon?
What's up with that?!

Parade of Shame

Just a normal Saturday morning at home... I sit in my living room and quietly sip my coffee as I watch the Parade of Shame pass by.

The Parade of Shame is normally a lot bigger the morning after a mess dinner or a grad celebration, out here. Because we live on a street corner at the end of the street, it passes right by our house... even those who try to avoid it and walk through the field, Nova outs them barking because they are walking too close to her fence for her liking.

Guys walk down the street still wearing their mess dinner uniform around 9am, head down and avoiding eye contact with early dog walkers. Their shoes don't shine nearly as much as the night before and their tunics are creased in places creases should never be.

We don't get to see the Shacks' Walk of Shame form here. It's a much sadder sight. Girls, walking out in their high heals and party clothes from the night before, waiting for a cab or just walking back to town.

Here I sit, sipping my coffee and I'm reminded of how old I am.

Small-Town-ness is driving me bonkers!

I'm having a hard time dealing with the Small-Town-Syndrome on Base! It's so odd. I grew up in a small town and then moved to Ottawa when I was 18 to go to school. I remember how refreshing it was to live in the city and not have your neighbor all up in your business all the time. Last place I lived, I was there for about a year an a half before I actually talked to my neighbor. Her door was about 6 inches away from mine. Oh, the city life!

Now, it's like I'm back in our little hometown and even worst, in high school! Ugh! As much as you try to stay out of the gossipy crap that goes on, not matter what you do, it always comes back and bites you in the pits! (That's right, pits!)

Sure, we're loud, we say what's on our minds, we're French! What I don't get is why people who don't like us (or me for that matter!) tend to gravitate back and attempt to make our lives miserable! Why?

Logic (and basic survival instinct) says that when you don't like someone, don't get along or just don't agree with who they are as a person, you should stay the eff away and leave them be! It's a simple principle I live by and I don't get why it's so hard to understand. Why do people claim to dislike someone openly and then are all up in their face every chance they get? Seriously!

It's just about common sense. If you're walking down the street and walking up towards you, you see someone you don't like ; do you run up to them to say hello for pure entertainment or do you avoid talking to them and just nod politely? I think that's the difference between high school and real life. Why waste your time interacting with someone you can't stand the presence of? Because you enjoy the drama and self importance if gives you to hate someone? Get a life, peeps!

All this to say, I don't enjoy drama and would much rather live a drama-free life by not surrounding myself with negative haters! Should be simple, non!?

//End rant.

Oh, the humanity!

Yes, the unimaginable has happened!

Js left a full bottle of water right by the computer and went to the gym. Jack being the brilliant and curious cat that he is, knocked it over and *poof* there went my laptop! :(

I appears to be running right now but I want to make sure I have sufficient CDs to store every last little thing I need from there before fiddling too much with it! Ugh!

Most of my stuff/work is web based so it's safely floating somewhere in cyberspace. The part that's not is what worries me the most. Oh well!

So that's why I've been MIA a bit lately. I'm using Js' computer for now until everything is back up and running on good old lappy!

Great link of the week - Petfriendly.ca

"It's a pet crazy universe out there... So why not explore it with Petswelcome.com--the internet's largest pet/travel resource? Click on our Lodging Listings for over 25,000 hotels, B&Bs, ski resorts, campgrounds, and beaches that are pet-friendly. Check out our Travel Tips section to learn how to take your pet anywhere."

Thanks to Surelock for modeling for this blog post! :)

This website is awesome if you're relocating across the country or simply choose to bring your family pet along on a family vacation! I especially like this website because it breaks everything down my category, province, area, city, hotel chain! *squee* If this thing were color-coded, I would marry it.

It is also a great resource for information, travel tips and pet travel articles. A lot of the content is submitted by users so it's updated quite frequently. Nothing worst than driving out of your way to get to a pet friendly hotel only to get there and find out it's been closed for two years!

I give this website 3/4! The design could use a bit of an update and some of the navigation links are a bit confusing but overall, it's a great tool to travel with your pets!

Great link of the week - Lindsey Dawn Photography

Lindsey's photography is fresh and modern with a casual and candid feel. She's got great talent at capturing moments and making interesting photographs with normal everyday things like food or objects.

Lindsey work in the Calgary area and you can contact her on the Facebook Page linked here! Until then... here's a couple samples!


Oh! By the way, when you see some fantastic photography on these pages or any other page I can get my hand on... It's usually Lindsey's!

World, meet Nova!

We brought Nova home from the Regina Humane Society on Thursday and we are thrilled to give her a loving home! :)

She an approximately 7 month old German Shep and Collie mix. At first I thought she must have some Lab in her but I think those two breeds are the most dominating ones. She was brought in as a stray about a week and a half before we adopted her. She is very nervous and very very energetic. She has to be all over the place all the time! She is very fearful though. We observed that she is scared when we stomp or try to grab her collar. She does not like it when we walk behind her and is always nipping at our hands when we touch her bum. We think she didn't have a very good home before she was brought in to the RHS. She does not like her crate at all, it was probably a punishment for her in the past. It's going to take a while for her to learn to trust us and for us to learn her language.

It's hard for us because we don't know anything about her past. We didn't even know if she was house trained or not... so far we think she is! We just have to learn to identify her "Gotta pee!" signals a bit better but we're working on it.

It's a huge deal, adapting to the new lifestyle. It's like trying to get to know a new friend but you don't speak the same language... well... actually that's exactly what it is!

Js is just smitten with her and she's going to be a spoiled little Daddy's girl, I can tell! (Can you?!)

She seems to be adapting to her new home and loves the backyard and being outside. She just wants constant petting and attention, that's all she asks!

We were really impressed with the level of service and support we got from the RHS and definitely recommend them to anyone who wants to give a loving pet their Forever Home!

Great link of the week - Copykat.com

Created by Stephanie Manley, Copykat.com features recipes to "copy" irresistible restaurant favorites! From Outback Steakhouse's Caesar Salad dressing to Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Ice cream... it never ends! (Well... the chocolate ice cream never lasts really long around here! ..but you get what I'm saying!)

The site is really well built and very user friendly. There is a "search" box and all recipes are also tagged and categorized. It even features and handy dandy RRS feed to which I subscribed immediately!

One of the "cons" about this website is that a lot of the CopyKat recipes are from restaurants found most commonly in the US. I looked everywhere to find our faves from The Keg but they didn't have anything! :(

On the "pro" side though, it gives you a chance to try some recipes from restaurants you've never been to! Sometimes we'll see a commercial or hear about a restaurant we'd like to try and when we rush to find the nearest one, it's a bazillion miles away! So disappointing! Now, I will FINALLY be able to try Bubba Gump's Spicy Shrimps in the comfort of my own home.

I give the website a good 4/5! It's got everything it needs to be easy to navigate and it's a great original idea!

We got a PUPPY!

We've been looking for a pup for a while now and we finally decided to take the leap and adopt a stray from the Regina Humane Society (RHS).

She's a 7 month old mutt. She's a good mix of black Lab, Border Collie and German Shep. She's about the size of a lab, she's got a lab's coat too, maybe a bit longer like the German and she's got some coloring like a Collie on her chest and paws. She's got the face of a German with the cute ears and all and she's got the butt of a German too. She's got the energy of all 3 it seems so we're in for quite a ride! She is just adorable and a bit shy. We barked maybe twice while we were there and she was SO cuddly. She just sat on J's lap and snuggled her face in his neck and stayed there. She is just adorable! (Prepare for long posts about how great our dog is, cooing and tons of photos!)

We bought some supplies on Saturday and we are just way to excited to bring her home on Thursday. RHS agreed to keep her until Thursday and bring her to the Vet for us so she can get the routine check, spayed/neutered (I always forget which is which!) and all her shots because she's still young and we have no history on her so we didn't want to take any chances!

We are going to get her on Thursday after work and then starts the long process of introducing her to Jack and training her! The RHS told us she was good for #2ing outside... but she did have some #1 accidents in her kennel! I'm sure the stress and the UBER-BARKING-MONSTER that is in the kennel right next to her doesn't help!

I'll post pictures as soon as I have them! :) Now, off I go... puppy-proofing the house! *squee*

If it's brown, flush it down...

I've been struggling lately with feeling a part of something... anything! I feel like an outsider wherever I go. I guess it's the normal repercussion of this move except it comes a bit late. I've always felt part of the gang and I felt like we had a good little thing going on here at home. We'd been waiting for this move for so long, we dove right in when we were finally able to live together again.

I guess we have to re-learn to live together. I feel like we keep hitting the same wall and we keep having the same issues. I work my damn best to help resolve them but it's hard to communicate them. I try to find new ways of getting my point across because I feel it didn't work last time and that's why same issues keep popping up!

I'm running out of ideas and I don't know how else to approach this.

We both have really different pasts and we have the same ideas for the future. Now, our paths are merging and it's like they don't speak the same language. We both want the same things but go about them in totally different ways.

I also feel very on my own in my professional life. I can't blog about it too much but it sucks overall.

I've missed out on a couple friends outings lately too. My allergies are snotting up a storm and I just feel like overall poo. It gives me headaches and messes with my sinuses. I don't feel like hanging out with a bunch of people and I'm not sure if it's really because of my sinuses or if there's a bit of lack of confidence into play.

Gah! I hate this. I hate being in this "place", like the spinning water in the toilet. Yep, that's exactly how I feel... flushing away!

Thanks for the reality check, Nick Ross!

I had to blame it on someone or something!

Last Thursday, I saw on Facebook an update from Nick saying he'd enjoyed the pre-screening of Julie & Julia, the movie. Later that evening, I was watching TV with the Babe and they showed the trailer for the movie and announced "In theaters August 7"... that's when my mind took it and ran a mile a minute!

"Huh! That's kind of awesome! He got to see the movie like a whole week in advance.
Oh! Right, August 7th is Stephane's birthday so his birthday's in about a week, nice!
Next year, he said he would try to come to Ontario for his birthday and hopefully stay for the wedding which is a week later. ... ...
In two weeks, it'll be a year until our wedding.
In half a month...
In a year...
We're getting married in a year and two weeks..."

We need to keep brown paper bags handy in each room of the house and blame it all on Nick.

100th Post!

I'm really proud of myself for keeping up with this blog madness!

Thanks for sticking around! :)

Parental Visit

The parental visit starts today and I'm kind of excited! :) It's 5:30am out here and I can't sleep anymore. Their flight left Ottawa just about half an hour ago and they land in TO around 6am (here-time), then their flight to Regina leaves about 50minutes later and they should land out here around 10:15am. With the time difference, it doesn't seem so bad!

I'm so glad they got to travel during the day so they can see all the colorful fields out here when they land. I never got to see them because we flew at night and well... it was still Winter out here then. Right now, it's gorgeous so I'm really happy for them!

I haven't seen them since February and I miss them a lot. It's a different kind of miss, we've been over this, but a miss nonetheless. The fact that they are both flying out here today to see us makes me miss them even more!

I have to admit that I have a great relationship with my parents. We respect each other and even if we drive one another absolutely insane, we do so out of pure love.

I'm glad they are easy to entertain because there isn't that much to do out here for a whole week. We'll do some touristy stuff like visiting the Tunnels and Temple Gardens Spa out here in MJ and we'll also check out Regina, maybe we'll go to the RCMP Museum or something like that. I know my parents would be equally content just hanging out here with us and being a part of our little routine. I have to admit, our little routine is quite the bore!

Summer cleaning --oy!

We spent the ENTIRE weekend cleaning, organizing, moving furniture around and all that jazz! Now, it's 9pm on Sunday night and I am just about ready to crash! This weekend felt like a week but for all sorts of good reasons.

The house wasn't filthy or anything and we didn't do any tooth-brush scrubbing either. We did a ton of Spring Cleaning stuff like washing the curtains, getting some carpet stains out and moving furniture around in the living room. It just felt awesome to take the time and do that kind of thing together. Usually, I'll do all that stuff while he's away to keep myself entertained, so it was nice to have him around to help.

We have family and friends coming for the next 2 weeks so we figured it was now or never! Of course, we picked the warmest, sunniest, most humid weekend of the summer thus far.

We also finally bought a ton of crap we needed for the house. Decorative and functional things we've been putting off to later for some reason or another. I am happy to report I finally have a functional clothes line so I can stop using the dryer for every little thing. If it weren't for kitty hair, I wouldn't mind leaving stuff to dry on a clothes rack somewhere in the house, but Jack doesn't approve.

Jack also got a new collar Js picked out for him. Lucky kitty! Js in in a baby-phase... I'll save that for another post.

I'm really happy about how our home turned out here! I really like it! Sure, it's not that huge and it's an MQ, but it's our little chunk of world and we enjoy it!

Sucky weather sucks.

November weather sucks when it's July. Seriously! Ugh! It's been two long and cold days of rain, wind and funnel cloud warnings. Welcome to Saskatcha-rain!

Aside from shitty weather, things are just ducky out here! My parents are coming next week (eek!) and we're trying to find ways to entertain them. We need to come up with a "Plan B" in case it starts to piss buckets on our lovely province.

In the last week or so, I'd say we've had 2-3 weather warnings ranging form severe thunder storms to funnel clouds and tornadoes. I was under the impression I moved to Saskatchewan, not Kansas! Hold on to your skirt, Dorothy, the golf-ball hail comes next! I promise to take and post some photos if we get some of that.

If I have to wear a jacket again tomorrow, I'm going to scream.

Canada Day goodies!

I guess I forgot to blog about those a bit ago! I baked some delicious goodies for Canada Day!

C-Day Cherry Cuppy Cakes

I tried really hard to make some red icing but I didn't have the proper food coloring so Js had to bring some pink-decorated pastries at work. They are cherry-cake-in-a-box with some maple flavored french vanilla icing.


Peanut Butter Maple Leaf Cookies - Simple and delicious!

Canada Day in Hill-free SK

No Parliament Hill this year for me! :( ... in fact, no hills at all! It was quite convenient to watch the fire works though.

We spent a relaxing day at home. Friends were supposed to come over but plans got changed and most of them ended up going to Regina for the day. I didn't want to go to Regina. I didn't want to be reminded of how much I love Canada Day and how far away I was from the core of the action, Ottawa.

I remember, a couple years ago, we would start drinking around noon at Laframbo's place and stumble our way to the Hill for the evening concert and fire works. Then we'd rush back in the mob of people, trying not to loose any friends to the crowd. Oh, the hangover!

On days like that, I miss Ottawa. I miss having everything right there, a couple blocks away. I miss knowing where everything is and the places to avoid. I miss ordering pizza and not having a $8-$12 delivery fee because we live outside the "city". I miss going to concerts whenever I feel like it and I miss having to choose which bar I want to go to.

I really like it in Saskatchewan, it's got it's perks. (Mind you, I haven't had to survive a winter out here yet! Ask me again in January!) I love the warm weather, this community and the small town charm.

I think, next year, I am going to sit on the small hill behind our house to watch the fireworks so I'll be able to say I watched them from the Hill... even if it's the only one in Saskatchewan.

Sans Surgical Steel

After 6 years of forgetting I even have it... I have finally decided to remove my navel ring. Yes, I had a navel ring and now I'm left with nothing but empty space.

I got it done along with a friend as one of those foolish things you do when you're young for shits and giggles. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would and it was an experience I suppose.

I decided to take it off because I didn't really care for it anymore. I guess I grew out of it. I kept forgetting it was there and since I ripped half of it out a couple years back, it has always been more sensitive. It kind of stuck out a bit more than it should so I was always a bit paranoid. I decided I should remove it and be left with a normal navel ring mark than an ugly ripped piercing scar.

Adieu, navel ring! It was great while it lasted!

I *heart* Baking

I've discovered a new love for baking! I never really had the time/space/equipment to do much of it before and now I've sort of developed a routine of baking some deserts on Sunday so we have them for the week. Js approves.

Here is my latest...

Vampire Cupcakes
(inspired by the almighty Pre!)

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate chips, whole raspberries and almond shavings. A definite fave around here!




This week, I'm making some brownies with Skore pieces and chocolate icing. Om-num-num! I'm hoping to make some Maple Leaf cookies for Canada Day next week... stay tuned!

All the best, friends!

Another milestone survived!

Last night, we said our good byes to some friends before they left for their new posting. It was a lot harder than I thought and I was really bummed out about it.

He was a great friend of Js and a great co-worker and his wife and I got along really really well. We admired their relationship a lot and she always had wise words for me when we first got here. We all agreed that it would have been awesome to get to know each other more and it would have been a great friendship, I'm sure.

It was a first time we had to say good bye to friends because they were leaving and we were staying behind. So far, we've always been the ones leaving. It was strange to see Js deal with the situation. Usually, we're saying good bye to each other, not to someone else. Seeing him hug his buddy good bye broke my heart in teeny little pieces. We left the boys to bond and shake hands like real men while us girls pretended not to want to cry.

I didn't think it would affect me that much because I've only known them a short period of time. I guess their departure came along with the realization that there would be many many more short friendships and long good byes for us. We really hope to keep in touch with them and meet again on a different posting... but as she would say "It's our life, right!?"

Weekends

This are finally back to a normal pace out here and it's nice to take a breather and blog a little... :)

There was a "Fondue" night at the Mess this weekend. I don't know when "Fondue" became "Fried steaks" but we sure as hell didn't get the memo. It was tasty (and free!) so we enjoyed it. They had huge inflatable games so the boys enjoyed batting each other around with some huge gladiator things for a bit. Good times.

It was nice to do something else than go to the bar. That place got really old, really fast. We went last weekend. We had a great time over here, drinking and talking with friends. Then we decided to go out and it was just "meh". We stayed for about half an hour and then came home. It was a giant bore.

There's a fine line between being boring and being over the whole let's-get-trashed-as-often-as-we-can thing. It's hard to keep a good balance. We're at a place right now were we want to hang out with friends and socialize but we don't want to feel like we have to drink to have a good time. I mean, sure, this town isn't that exciting but it's got it's charm and we make the best of what we have.

I'd much rather kick back at home on a sunny Saturday afternoon and read a book in my back yard (which is what I did today) than get pissed on Friday night and ruin what's left of the weekend.

Charlie-Brown-Cloud Day

This weekend has been all over the place to say the least. It's been an emotional havoc and I'm glad it's over and everyone's limbs are still attached.

"He's okay but someone shot at your cousin." were the words that woke me Saturday morning. I bolted up from my comfy bed and had a short but efficient mental break down. The 2 seconds where my head went "Is he hurt!? No wait, Js just said he's okay!" were enough to send me into panic mode. Someone tried to kill him and that just doesn't compute in my head. It's part of his reality and he was fortunate enough not to get hurt but I guess it just hit home for me. Clearly, the man on the other side of the gun wasn't well and he's being charged. I was on edge for the rest of the day... giganta-headache included.

Then, I went to try on some wedding gowns here, in town. By myself. It sucked. I kept looking at the empty chair and wished Maggie was there to make faces and say "Ew!" when I needed her to. It made me miss her incredibly and if it weren't for the fact that I know she's within driving distance now, I would have broken down and unleashed a tidal wave of salty tears in the bridal shop.

Then, last night after a long match of arguing, Js convinced me to go back to bed. I was tired and emotionally drained so it didn't help. We resolved what needed to be resolved so we woudn't fall asleep angry. I just wanted the day to be over.

Important thing is, I woke up this morning to a new day! Everyone is still alive, I'm one more day closer to when I get to see my best friend again and I spent a great day with my love.

Move aside, Charlie-Brown-Cloud, I've had my share of rain for the weekend!

Disconnected...

It scares me how hard it is to stay connected with the people we love in a world that is so focused on communications. I've been feeling really disconnected lately. I check my Facebook account every day, Twitter, email, other social networks, forums, RSS feeds, text messages, voice mail, I hang out with friends or talk to them on the phone... someone stop me!

I don't know if it's simply because I'm sick and tired of having a relationship that's limited to phone calls or online conversations and because he's coming home in a few days, I don't see the point in messaging or calling anymore. I'd rather wait until he's home to actually talk face to face. I feel like just cocooning into a wee ball in the corner until Friday -that would be pure bliss...

How are you supposed to know the best way to get a hold of someone with all this choice?! ei : When I need to tell Jf something, I need to think first if he's at work, consider the time zones, wonder if it's something that would be best dicussed on the phone or if an email would be better to keep track of ideas... then I can either message him on MSN, text him, call him, email him or message him on Facebook. Chances are he'd get the text alot quicker if he's not at work but if he is, an email would do the trick. If he's at home, I can message him on MSN to see if he's there, then if not, I'll message him on Facebook to make sure he gets it later. I know where/when to message him what/where because I know him and know his habits (somewhat)... This means that he needs to check ALL of these things to make sure he gets ALL the messages from everyone.

Salvation : RSS Feeds. I'm all for online networking (It would be kind of stupid of me not to be!) and I think it's awesome to have that freedom of expression. RSS feeds saved my life when it comes down to it! With the amount of work and energy I pour into these kinds of web-based communities, I don't have time to read everything that comes up or spend hours catching up on every last little detail. I enjoy what I do and I don't want to grow sick of it because I'm bitting off more than I can chew. I found a balance and the RSS feeds showed me the way.

We are robbing eachother of so much time. Why do we do it? To save time. We're creating "easier" ways to communicate and share but we're also creating more time consuming tasks. One step forward, two steps back, if you ask me!

Confused Pedestrian Crossing

Does anyone remember the little educational videos they make you watch when your a kid so you won't get run over crossing the street?

"Look over on the left, then right, then left again, then if you can't see any cars, you can start walking. If you can see a car, wait."

If you ever move to Saskatchewan, scratch that! You can see the cars coming for MILES and it gets damn confusing!

It's a straight street, I can see the car but I know it won't be here for another 2 minutes. I have plenty of time to cross the street, do the chicken dance and walk back and forth a couple times but that little voice in my brain still says I should wait because I can SEE the car and it's coming towards me. So I stand there, not too sure if I should cross or not and I can picture the driver going "Are ya' gonna cross the street or are ya gonna stand there for days?!" and I don't like it.

I'm curious to see an educational video to teach Saskatchewan kids to cross the street... and I will secretly take notes.

Even a simple walk to the "dépaneur" out here is a culture shock!

Sunny Saturday

Finally, a decent day in Moose Jaw! The weather was normal, for once. No wind, sun and decent temperature. Hurray! It was so motivating to be able to wear shorts for the FIRST TIME this year. Not a moment too soon...

I had an overall productive day. I did some random stuff around the house I've been putting off until the very last moment and just relaxed and "caught up" on some sleep. Of course, Js is coming home in less than a week *clappy hands* so my sleeping patterns are in the shitter.

I squealed with excitement and had to hold back some tears of happiness when I realized today, that I would probably be seeing Maggie sometime soon. Maybe not right away, but at least it's closer than "sometime next year"... She's on her way to her new home right now and it's within reasonable driving distance for weekend visits for us! It's so relieving to know she'll be so close again and I won't feel so lost in the prairies. She's waited so long for this and I'm so excited for her, can't wait to visit each other!

The week went by REALLY fast and next week will probably be crazy too! I've got a million plans AND work AND Js' return on Friday.

Then, onwards with another crazy busy week as I get used to having Js home again and he settles in at home again... Never a dull moment really...

Long weekend goodness.

AH! Long weekend! I can't recall the last time I was able to enjoy/notice a long weekend! I didn't have to worry if my store was open or closed, or run around trying to catch up on life. I'm all caught up and I can kick back and relax. Somewhat.

I promised I would help some friends move later this afternoon, but right now, I'm just enjoying a nice cup of coffee and looking at the mess that is my kitchen. Oy! Jello shots are a messy messy thing! Last night was good though, lots of laughs AND I didn't try to claw at some guys face at the bar. Go me! I'm growing. I never used to flip out this much back home but I guess I had some comfort and I was more confidant so I dealt with the lack of respect much differently. Here, I just snap at random, rude, disrespectful, stinky, misogynistic bastards on the dance floor. No tolerance. I'll get over it, someday. I also met a load of new people last night which was good, except for Rude McTudeFace who didn't even say Hi or Bye... He won't be hanging out here again. What evs.

I really wish Js was here this weekend but I'm thrilled he'll get to visit his buddies in Montreal. For some reason, I'm convinced there's a whoreload more happening in Montreal than in Moose Jaw for May 2-4. Seriously.

Today, I'm helping out some friends move into a new Q. I'm really happy for them, it's definitely an upgrade and it's much closer to our house! Teehee! Sure, we won't be able to spy on them anymore because there's other Qs in the way... but it's a good trade!

Tomorrow and Monday, I've got my work load cut out for me! There's a ton of stuff I've been wanting to do since Js left and of course I've been putting it off until the last minute.

Before Js left for C-Wall, I asked him if he could clear out the table we put in the basement and bring it upstairs for me so I could set up a mini office. How logical is it to have an extra table downstairs while he's gone and won't use it while I'm here sitting in a wicker chair with my lappy on my knees. Of course, the table is still downstairs and I get pins and needles in my legs about two minutes after sitting down. *suck* I was feeling moody and sad one night and I gave him HELL about not helping me out with this before he left. I told him that I would just do it myself and I didn't need his help. Well... now I've bitched myself into a corner because I still haven't done it (his stuff is ALL over it -total pain!) and he's back in two weeks and I know I'll never ever hear the end of it because I gave him such a hard time about it.

I also thought I would clean his car for him and be a good girlfriend. He did drive 14hrs straight to go get Jack in Winterpeg so it's the least I can do! :) I thought about getting the car detailed, but I've only been working for a week and there's so many more things we could use the mulah for (like a computer desk for moi), why wouldn't I do it myself! :) There is still some cat food back there... so it desperately needs to get done, one way or another. The weather is nice, why not! I'm an awesome girlfriend! :)

I have a To-Do list that goes on for days... but I like it. It's all stuff I enjoy doing and look forward to. I've been slaving away working at my brain child for the last two weeks. Since I started working, it's harder and harder to stay on top of things but I'm getting there. This weekend is WAY too nice to work on that though, unless I figure a way to bring the lappy outside. We really need to buy a hub.

I better get crackin' soon, laundry is just about done my coffee ain't gonna drink itself!
Happy May 2-4, world!

Lost ramblings... *possible spoilers*

I figured I would post my ramblings on here as I will otherwise bore the entire world with them for the next month. Might as well get it off my chest now and hope I can contain my excitement (rage!) until January! (How unfair is it that we have to wait this long!?)

For the longest time (Seasons 1 and 2) I figured the whole point of the show was "we" were being monitored by the Darma Initiative. Observing our reaction to something we were presented with but had no explanation for. Now, I wonder if the writers thought "Wanna know how many viewers will catch on if we convince them they can't predict what's going on but really, we already showed them the ending!?" and are now rolling in giant giant piles of money. I love them for it.

So this is my version of what the hell is going on on that damn island. It may be totally wrong but who cares. Here's what I've got as of Season 5 Finale.

What's the dealio with Faraday's book?
His Mom gave him the book she got from him when she shot him, 30 years prior to giving him the book. (Does that make sense?!) I think everything that Faraday knows already when he's fresh off the freighter, he already wrote, 30 years in the past. That's how he knows everything that happens and that's how he knows all the coordinates. I'm sure Eloise wrote some stuff on there as well aside from her note to him. Clearly, she wrote the note knowing she would eventually shoot him so I'm sure she's done more time traveling than she cares to admit.

The book also proves my theory on the rocks Jack takes from "Adam and Eve" in the caves in Season 1. He never makes mention of them again and no one knows he's got them. That's too shady even for this show to not come back and bite us in the ass. My guess is, if it hasn't come back this far into the series... it has something to do with the conclusion. They are sort of on the same cycle as the book. They don't originate from anywhere, they are just circling in time. Jack takes them from a corpse in 200-something and then goes ahead and dies with them years before knowing he would find them and they would help him in some way. The book is given to Present-Faraday by Present-Eloise but Past-Eloise got it from Past-Faraday... and so on. I'm tellin' ya... those stones are coming back. They are also black and white, which seems to be gaining even more importance in the grand scheme of things. Dark vs. Light? Good vs. Evil? Right vs. Wrong? Faith vs. Science? Past vs. Future? I think I'm on to something...

Why does Richard (Eye-Liner-Dude) look like he doesn't know what's going on half the time?
I think he doesn't have a perception of time. I think it's all like one great-big long day to him. He said he "went to visit John" a couple of times. We remember the "testing" for the school when he asks John which of these items is "his" and when John fails to pick out the compass which he gave Richard in the future, Richard dismisses him because he's not "ready" yet. Ready for what? To become their leader?! Clearly, he's a 7year old kid, didn't you notice that, Richard? Or do you not have a damn clue what time or age is?! This would also explain why he doesn't age and can be in 2 spots at the same time. He was in the past as well as in the present. He's got no time line. Locke has to show him proof of his time travels by asking him to pass along a message to his time-shifting-injured self.

Which brings me to Jacob-Enemy-Dude... Let's call him Killer.
So... we can all agree that the "Locke" that was alive again on the Island isn't really "Locke"... We all know his body was found in the plane's cargo and someone else was in his coffin, right? Agreed? Good. Is it safe to assume then that something happened on the plane ride (or prior to) that switched Locke with Killer? Right. Still following? Good. Killer-Lock takes Richard on a little excursion in the woods and makes Richard go tell Time-Shifting-Injured-Locke he'll need to die in order to bring them all back. By doing so, he "kills" Locke and is able to take his place and gain Richard's trust. Richard is so confused and has never seen anyone come back from the dead, but he trusts Locke and brings him to Jacob. This proves to me that Killer's sneeky and tricked Richard into getting Locke killed knowing it would take him to Jacob. Killer's plan all along. (The loop hole is a loop in time, get it?) So I think we can say that Killer killed Lock, not Ben. Does this have anything to do with Ben being able to kill Jacob? No clue.
Clarification of overall ramblings : Richard lead Killer to Jacob. Killer lead Richard to Locke. Locke lead Killer to Jacob.
(Makes you wonder why these people need a leader if they can't even pick one!)

What the hell is Kate's problem?
She thinks the show should be named after her. It's not.

What the hell is Jack's problem?
Jack's in a pickle. I think Jack's outcome is what made sense of it all for me. Here's how :
*flashback to the early days* Jack was the man of Science going against Locke, man of Faith. He's technical, logical and reasonable. All was well (somewhat) on Island Land. Monsters and Others excluded. Every obstacle Jack has to face on and off the Island tests his beliefs. He operates on Ben and saves him. He's programed to saves lives, no matter what. He thinks Locke is nuts for talking about destiny.
When he goes back to the real world, he totally flips around. He becomes a man of faith and doesn't even need a logical reason to go back to the island, he just "knows". Basically, he was only to come back to the Island as a man of Faith. Faith-Jack wouldn't operate on Ben to save his life but Science Jack would have.
Play out the scenario in your head of what would have happened if Jack had still been a man of Science and had gone back to the island and accepted to save Young-Ben? Kate wouldn't have brought Young-Ben to the Others and this show wouldn't make any sense. (!)

Which brings me to my final point!
Jack had to change his future in order to get the past done right... So what's that supposed to mean!? Jack's time line didn't change when he went to the past, it stayed it's course and he had all the knowledge he had before. He needed to have learned lessons from his future in order to be able to change the past. For his future to be what it was, he needed to be convinced about that bomb. If he'd been his logical self, the incident wouldn't have happened.

I think they don't "travel" to the past but the past "travels" to them. They don't move, but suddenly, around them, it becomes 30-years-before.
So suddenly, the whole thing is flipped around. Everything is the opposite of what it seems. Dark vs. Light. Good vs. Evil. Right vs. Wrong. Faith vs. Science. Past vs. Future.

You can't change the past because the future already happened.

Update : Skin situation

So it seems my skin's rebellion is caused by an environmental allergic reaction. Or so I assume.

Friday, my entire face felt like a mask. It was swollen and itchy like all hell... and it was starting to spread to my neck. A friend was nice enough to bring me some Benadryl at work and that stopped the process and now I'm left with bumpy, rough, sensitive skin. It's a healing process though and I've been moisturizing like a mad woman.

I have no clue what could have caused it. I haven't used anything different on my skin. I opened another tube of Glow Enhancer but that's it. I refuse to admit that it might be from the Glow Enhancer. Most of the ingredients are also in most other products I use so it doesn't compute. I also tried a bit on the inside of my arm and it hasn't reacted thus far.

I think it may be something environmental from work. It's the only new thing this week and it started to itch and burn on Thursday. I really have NO idea what it could be. It's not a moldy building or anything...

Well, my skin is doing better, aside from the fact that I've NEVER had sensitive skin before... so this is all new to me! I'll have to slow down on the Vitamin C Micro Refiner for a bit until it gets back to normal. *sob*

Verdict : Dehydration or Allergies.
Investigation : Ongoing.

My skin does not *heart* the prairies.

Itchy. Itchy. Itchy. It. Chy.

My skin wants out, I think. My legs are so dry it hurts to shave. My hands and arms are always itchy and it's like I can feel my skin, crisping like tissue paper when I move. I moisturize everyday with Body Butter (Cocoa!) and nothing seems to cut it. I am working on staying hydrated and not using a small mountain of shower gel on my sponge, still, I don't see any difference. I'm running out of option and I suspect my skin is going to start falling off. Ew.

The worst is my face. Holly jeez, it burns! I got a bit of sunburn on my cheeks and nose from the airshow on Saturday. I Vitamine E'd it up and Aloe'd it all this week. It soothed the redness and the burning. We're down to flaking at this point. Charming, really!

Today, it's hives and irritation. The hole right side of my forehead and from the outside corner of my eye to my hair line is red, swollen a little, itchy as fuck and all bumpy and gross. Ew. I tried exfoliating but then I sat down in a little corner and cried for a bit. Owwwy! I've got a couple of hives on the left side of my neck (don't know where/what those are from!) and those itch like little shits too! I put some Aloe toner on it and sat next to a glass of water and some Benadryl for a bit but now it's gone. I need someone here to slap my hand away everytime I reach for my face. It just keeps getting worst.

Js had warned me that I would have a hard time with my skin out here... but I didn't think it would be this bad. Good thing I stocked up on The Body Shop products before leaving Ottawa but at this rate, my stash won't last me as long as I planned. Ugh!

Airshow 15 Wing

It was a busy day on the grounds of CFB Moose Jaw, today! The base was open to the public for this year's Armed Forces Day airshow. It lasted pretty much all afternoon and it was well worth the last week of very loud (and constant) plane noises. I guess, in some way, it helped make this place feel more real to me. I don't normally go to see Js at work and I'd only been in his "office" once before today. With this posting being so far away and me taking so long to be able to come out here, his workplace has always seemed so distant and felt so unknown to me. Now, to be here and to be able to just walk around, talk to people and enjoy the show, it was great.

It made it feel more like home.

We were able to go up on the tower's "cat walk" or whatever it's called for the show and it was pretty awesome. We had the best view and it was awesome for picture taking. It made me seriously consider getting a better quality camera. We're going to move around a lot so I guess there will always be something new to photograph. I can't usually post the pictures I take around the base when they are practicing for shows or whenever there is something special going on because of security reasons. I usually get a call from the BatPhone to inform me so I stand outside like a moron, camera in hand. This time, I'm allowed because it was open to public so I'm going to take full advantage of it. I understand why we're not allowed, but I'm sure there are people in town, taking pictures and posting them so it kind of annoys me... oh well!

I got some sunburn action going on. It wasn't all that sunny, but I guess the wind didn't help. It's not like there were much shady trees around. My face feels like it's going to fall off even after I loaded it it with a Vitamin E mask and TONS of Aloe Toner and Moisturizer. I hope my nose doesn't get all peely and gross for Monday.

I'm really happy with my day's turnout even if it did make me miss Js a trazillion times more. He's home in 27 days and not a second too soon. He's got a final exam on Monday and then a bunch of official stuff all week before starting on the second second training he was sent out there for. There will be more of his buddies on that course and probably a slightly bigger class too which will help with moral and make the time just fly by.

Bran Misrepresentation

I can't take bran-promoting commercials anymore! I just can't. I refuse to watch them. Period.

This past year, companies have been trying really hard to promote bran products. Is it because it's cheap to produce? I don't know and I don't care for the research... but it got me wondering why it got so important to be regular all of a sudden.

Years ago, you had the occasional Metamucil commercial every once in a while during soap operas and day time television. They were mostly well targeted, bland and very technical campaigns. Then All-Bran decided to explode (pun intended!) everywhere and make bran the latest trend in dieting. It makes me want to hurl. I'm sure they were hoping for the opposite effect, too bad!

(You can't imagine the efforts I'm putting in censoring all the bad jokes. Gratuitous poo-humor amuses me to no end!)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying bran isn't good for you or necessary to a well balanced diet and personally, I really like the taste of All-Bran cereal because I'm weird like that... but I'm also aware that marketing bran as a way to loose weight is just wrong! Some commercials are presenting their product as a preventive, healthy dietary option. Some are presenting it as a way to fit into your jeans. I searched everywhere on YouTube to find a clip of that commercial but I got nothing... Basically the one I'm referring to goes something like this :

*Woman1 tries to button up size 6 pants*
*Creepywoman2 is quietly sitting on a couch behind her, watching the struggle. (Creepy!) Then chimes in and says "I can't let that happen to my friend, so I recommend this brand of cereal" which irks me... see Rant #1*
*Cue the typical white screen and shots of fluffy giant flakes in a bowl and pouring milk*
*Woman1 can finally button up her pants, everyone is happy, I set myself on fire, the end.*

Rant #1 : When my friend is having a bloated day, I'm A) Certainly not watching her dress quietly from the couch in her living room and B) Certainly not going to tell her "You need to lose weight, here, purge yourself by eating some bran and you'll fit in your pants within the next 30 seconds!" I mean, come ON! I'd slap her if I could! As a good friend you are supposed to say "Here, try these looser fitting pants. The bloating will go away in a couple of days, wanna go for coffee?!" No? What about the "Can't let that happen to my friend..." part... I'm pretty sure, my friends are well aware of their body and if I start telling them what to eat and when, I don't think that would go over very well. At least not with me! It's just a common situation, totally blown out of proportion by bad marketing and it just makes me want to scream.

Rant #2 : When the crap *snicker* did it become okay to tell your friends they need to poo more?!

Rant #3 : Eating disorders are not a thing to be fooled around with. This commercial is pretty much saying "Poo more and you'll loose enough weight to fit in your pants!" It doesn't say anything about healthy eating or any other benefit of adding an appropriate portion of bran to your diet. According to SomethingFishy.org, it is not uncommon for a man or woman suffering with Bulimia to take diet pills in an attempt to keep from binging, or to use diuretics to try to lose weight. Sound familiar?! Thought so.

Sure, I may be overreacting, but having studied advertising and having been submersed in branding and consumer behavior, I know how this kind of advertising can affect vulnerable people's habits and alter their perception of reality. Someone suffering from Bulimia who's been trying to dig themselves out of the hole can easily see this as a guilt free way of purging. It's wrong and for a company that wants to promote healthy eating habits, I don't think they are being very considerate.

We always accuse the news and the information media of bending the truth to their advantage, I think we should start digging a bit deeper...

Weekly bore

There's a lot going on this week so why am I so bored? The week is slowly crawling by and I get easily amused so maybe there isn't as much going on as I thought.

I got a job (and that's as much as I can say - company policies and all) and I'm anxious to start on Monday. It will make the next month just fly by! :)

Yes, that's right! Month! Js is back in a month! Well, 29 days as of today, to be exact! *squeal* We're almost half way through this training and I'm really proud of us.

It has been a very difficult course for him. He calls me at the end of his day and he's exhausted and just wants to get some rest because he knows the next day will be the same. They've lost a couple students and they are down to a handful now. I'm sure that isn't the greatest for the moral of the group. He's starting to miss home a lot and of course, Jack and I are somewhere on the list too. He's disappointed he'll miss my first day of work and a bunch of things that are going on at the base in May.

I'm starting to feel like I normally do when I know he'll be home soon. Yes, a month qualifies as soon. I get moody when I'm on the phone with him, my sleeping habits are totally shot (again!) and I have very little patience and very low tolerance for stupidities.

I still have the puppies to take care of but the weather's been so ugly that we haven't walked in a couple of days and they are getting needy. It's a bit better today so maybe we'll go for a short walk. I have a gazillion things left to do to get ready for the weekend and then for work. Laundry galore!

It's like I've got a trazillion things to do but I don't know where to start. Boredom or laziness?

Let's pretend I can still say "early twenties"...

So this is it, my big birthday weekend is over and I have to say it wasn't nearly as horrible as I'd made it up to be in my mind. I had a great time and everything turned out great.

This is, not only my first birthday away from home, but my first special event that I don't get to spend with my family and close friends. I've been lucky enough and Js has been able to come home for all my birthdays so far (Even if it meant him not sleeping for over 48 hours and involving a 6 hour bus ride.) but this one was just totally out of the question for us. With him in Cornwall on course and me out here, trying to find work and getting settled, there was no way either of us could travel the distance for a short weekend.

Needless to say, knowing this far enough in advance, I'd envisioned my birthday to be a painful day-long torture of tears and sadness. *drama* I knew I was going to miss my family the most that day and I knew it would be hard for my parents to since I wasn't at home to celebrate with them. Overall, it was good. I spent the entire weekend with friends and not by my sad, sad lonesome as I envisioned.

I got a gazillion packages and cards on Friday but couldn't wait until Saturday to open them so I did. It put me in a great mood and then I went over to a friends house for dinner and some partying. The food was good and they even got me a cake! I felt so spoiled! We went out and got totally trashed (Classy, I know!) but the night was great. I went to bed that night feeling (although immensely intoxicated) happy and very satisfied with the evening.

When I woke up the next morning, it was a completely different story. It's like my body did a 180 and said "Eff you, Youth!" I could barely drag my sorry arse to the washroom and splash some cold water on my face. The day was excruciating. It took me a good 2 hours to be able to find/retrieve my phone and then another hour to muster enough energy to return my 4 missed calls from family wanting to wish me a happy birthday. I crawled around the house all day, drank a lot of fluids and avoiding any sudden movements.

I went to bed thinking "I'm still young! I can still party! Oh yeah!" and woke up thinking "Why do I feel like I drank an entire bucket of hot sauce?"

Then, I figured it out. This is what if feels like to go from "early twenties" to "late twenties". Good to know!

Onions in my mailbox

I had a slight melt down this afternoon. The worst yet since moving out here.

I have to pat myself on the back because I think I've been holding it together quite nicely for the last month and a bit. Now, with Js being gone away on training, I've been feeling more lonely but I put so much effort into keeping busy, it's actually working.

I got a package from my aunt this afternoon and it just did me in. She sent me some little gifts and a picture album with some family photos. She wrote me a nice letter and I couldn't even read it more than once over so I put it back into the photo album and it'll be my lifeboat when I miss her.

I also got a card from my grand-parents. *sob* My grand-pa is sick and being away from him is much harder than I thought. He is doing okay right now but that can change from one day to the next and knowing that I won't be able to run to him if ever something happens is eating me up inside.

Back home, I'd miss Js so much and have regular mental breakdowns like this one. I'd go for coffee with Maggie and it would usually settle the situation and help me make it through another week without him.

Missing him is nothing like missing my family. I don't miss them in the same way, it's a totally different kind of "miss".

Welcome Spring! Welcome cake!

Behold! My cake decorating skills! :)



It was actually a lot easier than it looks an so much fun! I was certain I would be in a sugar coma by the time I got home from snacking on the icing. We also learned the technique to make those cartoon ones in cake pans... so I will probably be making a Spider Man for Js at some point!

There are more photos of the progress on my Flickr account!

I'm having friends over tonight to help me eat it all! Watch out sugar rush!

Time goes by fast when you're having fun!

I can't believe how fast Sunday night came! With the weekend plans and all the things that kept coming up last week, I didn't see it coming at all.

I've been spending a lot of time working on some personal projects and getting my ducks in a row in regards to things I want to do in the somewhat-near future. Like planning our wedding and getting some new employment opportunities. It's exciting and kind of terrifying too. I'm working on all these things that seem so attainable, I'm worried I'll just crash and burn when it comes down to in in a couple of months/years! For now, it keeps me entertained, sane and occupied which is what matters, right? It seems like I spent all day either doing research or coming up with a plan. I didn't accomplish much but I didn't waste any time.

I find, when you want to start up something, like a small business or an organization, it's always wiser to give it a lot of thought before taking it anywhere. Duh! I know that sounds like an understatement, but when I say a lot of thought, I mean... TONS! Thinking it over for an entire afternoon just doesn't cut it. You need to think it over enough times to work out all the kinks and save yourself many headaches.

Tomorrow I have a busy day and a ton of things to do, I haven't planned out a daily schedule in a while and it's so strange.

I decided to attend some of the classes that were offered at the MFRC and I think it's going to work out well for me. I like crafty things and I'm always interested in learning something new, so we'll see where that goes. I'm going to a cake decorating class tomorrow so I have to rush home after my volunteering and prepare the cake I need to bring over to decorate later. Now, before I get attacked by a certain someone because I said I'd never be the muffin-baking-house-wife... Shush! I'm going because it's something artsy that I've never tried and because Js is away and it'll give me something to do for one evening out of the week. I could be making icing roses (*gag*) on top of a rock, it'd be the same to me. (And probably will taste the same as my cake!) For those who are supportive, I will post some photos if it's worth it at all.

I've also been writing a bit more lately. I neglected my creative writing lately but only because I can't seem to find any inspiration for it. All I can come up with is informative stuff. It could be because I'm not working, I feel the need to use up all my productive energy somehow... I started three different posts over the weekend that I haven't posted yet because I'm not done the research to complete them.

This is probably the longest I haven't worked in my entire life and it's not like I'm sitting here, being unproductive and lazy... I've got my mind working overtime on some great things for the next little while...

I feel like my mind is all over the place. I just hope it stays this way for the next 40 days or so...

Girls night out

Friendship is a weird thing.

I got home this morning after a night of partying it up in Regina with some girlfriends for their birthdays and it was awesome!

We had a great time, rented a room, went to a comedy show thingy and danced the night away at a club. You know how long it's been since my last crazy night out on the town with the girls? January! We had some people over for drinks a couple of times and we went out a bunch of friends out here but never really just girls.

We spent a large chunk of our evening hanging out in the hotel room, getting ready, drinking and sharing stories about each of our crazy drunken adventures. It took me back to a couple of years ago (or that girl's night in January!) and it was great to laugh at myself and the stoooopid things I've done. Oh my!

Side Note :I'm kind of glad I didn't start blogging back then. This way, there's no record of anything and hopefully my brain lets me forget the most part before I have kids. Now, I can pick and choose the stories I want to blog about and immortalize on the pages of Blogger. Ha!

I miss my girlfriends from back home. I really like the girlfriends I've made out here, they're friggen awesome!

The thing about friendships when you're involved with the military lifestyle is you can't really say "Remember, when we were kids, we did this and that and the other thing!?" to just anyone because chances are, you just met them a couple of years or months ago. You'll come across some people you knew before or make friends that just stick around for longer... but the words "Me and her, we go way back!" don't really resonate with the same sense.

You have some friends who will stick around and travel to visit you no matter how boring your new town is. Those are the ones you hold closest to your heart and you nurture that relationship like your life depends on it. Those are the true friends and you know they'll be there through thick and thin. If they've been there this long, they support your relationship, your life style and most importantly, your choices. Not everyone can have that kind of connection though. Some friends will come and go and it's all in good fun. Eventually, you learn that loosing touch with a friend isn't a bad thing. It doesn't mean that you don't love them anymore or that you don't care, life is just like that!

Everyone around me comes from somewhere different. Some have known each other for a bit longer, some just got here but everyone is used to it. I'm making friends now and that's all that matters, as for how long we'll/they'll be here, no one really knows and that's the beauty of it.

Most of the time, you find yourself sharing stories about your past experiences and it's okay because that's what everybody does! As long as you're making new stories, you'll be fine!