Amazing

This is the kind of outfit I would kill to wear! The feathers, the movement, the exposed back - it's truly gorgeous. Maybe one day, it could be mine :)

After doing a little research, I've now discovered that this masterpiece is by Rafael Lopez for Atelier Mayer. Sigh - it's just a little piece of Heaven!

And look - it's available here: http://www.atelier-mayer.com/product/rafael-lopez-lace-and-feather-dress-cape 

It's a steal at only £ 4200.00 - and includes a cape as well (although I can't imagine wearing the two pieces together, seems overkill to me).

Bella Boudoir!

About a year ago I did a photo shoot with Jen Steele of Bella Boudoir. This was one of the best afternoons ever! I got glammed up with hair & makeup, donned some retro garments and had a photo shoot of fabulous proportions.


The photo on my profile is from that session so you can see exactly what I'm talking about!

They are doing a contest right now where you can win a session. I'd LOVE to do it again, so I'm posting about it. Check it out and enter for yourself too!

http://www.bellaboudoir.com/blog/?p=24

a bummer...

I try to focus on the positive as often as I can, but sometimes the blues just get me down. Tonight turned into one of those nights. And after such a good day too - grumble grumble grumble... I won't go into details cause I don't want to give it anymore power than I already have. And I truly have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

But when a funk threatens to take me under, this is one of those things that makes me smile. It works 9 times of out 10... JCB by Nizlopi!



and repeat!

Summer isn't complete without one!

A music fest that is - ideally a country one too! This year, Staci & I headed up to North Cowichan for Sun Fest. It was the first year they did this festival as a total country one (and they were doing it right). The same production company that produced Merritt Mountain Music Fest for 15+ years took over Sun Fest this year, and it will now be going on the calendar as and annual event for me.

Headliners this year included Jessie Farrel, Johnny Reid, Ridley Bent and Crystal Shawanda - all great performers. It was def less wild than Merritt, and that's not a bad thing. Security was really lax this year - wonder how long that will last?

We met some wonderful people from Coombs & Calgary way... enjoyed cool margaritas under the awning of our neighbor's RV... snuck over to Cowichan Lake for a cool-down swim... danced to great music... wasted away hours of the night being entertained by our 21 year old neighbors... tried to wash our feet multiple times every day only to find them covered in dirt 5 minutes later... got to say "we're with the band"... laugh at mullets and admire six-packs.... and had a sun filled hot hot hot weekend!

Good friends are essential

It's a truth we all know, and it's one we (I) sometimes take for granted. I've been very blessed to always have 1, and for the most part, a dozen or more good, true, fabulous, close friends in my life. Not everyone can say that yet I can, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank the universe for this.

Each friend I have is special and they compliment me in different ways. Sometimes they even shower me with compliments! (lol - my friends appreciate my bad humour, or at the very least, put up with it). Some are those that fuel my crazy-side - we always come home from a night out with a story that could be on tv. Others are those who I talk out my life problems with while walking along the ocean. Others are ones that I disappear into the wilderness with for a week with no showers, deodorant or mirrors, and we come out better than every. Truth be told, most of my friends fit into all those categories.

Some people are only in our lives for certain periods like my best friend from preschool - grade 1, Danielle Tobie. She was my next door neighbor (we lived on either side of a duplex), our brothers shared the same name, we loved dolls and as such we were inseparable from the moment her family moved in, until they moved away to Gibson Landing. It might as well have been Africa as far as we were concerned. (This was the time before the internet and all) But she made an impact in my life, and I thank her for that. Danielle - you could see we were girls of style even way back then...

This is what happened when my mom let me do my own hair and pick out my own clothes - amazing! (Danielle on the left, me on the right)

So a big shout out to all the ladies in my life who help and support me being me - you make this life a wonderful experience!

Happy BC Day

A very happy belated best wishes to my home province - British Columbia! Aug 2nd was BC Day this year and I was lucky enough to celebrate it with Lexi, Kim & Donna downtown with some bevvies on the waterfront deck, enjoying the sweet sounds of the Victoria Symphony at Symphony Splash, the raucous sounds of Southern Urge at Darcy's (complete with front row seat for the fireworks), finished off with some dancing Upstairs...

dream cars!

Out at the 2010 Northwest Deuce Days and man - are there some gorgeous cars out there. Here are a few of the over 800 on display that really caught my eye... 

This ol' yellow chevy is a beaut!

1946 Ford pickup - love the tone n tone flames!

1950 Chevy pickup - so nicely finished and had very subtle purple flames on the front - didn't even notice them the first time I checked the truck out!

 1939  Ford convertable


 

 1949 Cadillac Sedanette - fabulous!

if only every day could be spent like this!

Head out to Oldfield Road to pick strawberries, swim and sun at Matheson Lake and round off the night with bbq festivities with my softball peeps... ah - how sweet it is!

dehydrated delights!

I got home a few hours ago from our last (and honestly, first) official team planning session for our upcoming GCL DFBC LLT 2010 trip (Great Central Lake Della Falls Base Camp Love Lake Trail).

One thing I really like (obviously) is food. Almost everyday I crave yummy protien and fresh fruit and veggies. That makes it really hard for me to plan out a week-long menu for food that I have to pack around on my back. Luckily, I found some yummy treats at the Lifestyles Market today: Crunchies Freeze Dried Fruit and Roasted Veggies. There are a lot of backpackers meals out there based on freeze dried foods, but they are all instant meals and full of additives, salt and sulfurs.These are all natural - the only things you see listed in the ingredients list are the fruits and veggies themselves. I think these will be quite the treats on days 5 - 7 when I'm bored of fruit leather and rice. I already open the packs just to make sure they were something I'd like, and I'm happy to say that they are amazingly tasty and FULL of flavour!

Anyone have a favourite hiking recipe that doesn't revolve around beans? Or lunch suggestions for a non-cheese eater? I think my lunches will revolve around nuts, dried fruit, power bars and cups o' soup...

First major maid of honour duties

I was lucky enough to accompany Meag and Allan out on a wedding venue search today. Meag had done some internet sluething and found Starling Lane Winery. This is the home of some yummy bubbles I'd bought for new year's, so I was familiar, but had never visited before.

The location was spot on - all three of us were in awe and could find no fault. The location is great, the atmosphere elegant yet casual, the wine (and bubbles) delicious and it all came together as a feeling that was right. I can't wait til we start planning the details and go out to sample the new releases and choose the wines for the wine tasting all the wedding guests will enjoy!

Only the littlest of blisters...

Yesterday was the inaugural hike - the first time my new boots have seen dirt.

I headed out to Mount Work with Gill & Dave and it was the first time this year for all of us. We passed a few guys on the way up who had lost their gorgeous 6-month old Golden Retriever along the way (they found her near the Summit), a few crazy mountain runners tearing past us with their shirts off, and some tourists in jeans and white skate shoes.

Fawn Lily along the path - they were all over the place, along with Shooting Stars and Trilliums

It started to spit on us as we hit the summit, but that was kinda refreshing. At the top we snacked and had a mini photo shoot. We all placed bets on how long it'd take us to get back down. I said 30 minutes, Dave had 34 minutes and Gill was at 40 minutes. Turns out it was 50 - no one was the big winner.

My boots felt great on the way up, and pretty good on the way down. Heading downhill I could feel the bottoms of my big toes rubbing on the soles a little and there were a couple blisters waiting for me there when I got home.

We hit up the Red Barn for some treats on the way back, then Dave made up us some delicious turkey burgers - mmm! I opened the bottle of bubbles I'd been saving since pre-New Year's and we toasted to my new job. We watched the Canucks win game 1 of their series 5 - 1 and had a long distance skype session with Meag and Allan, fueled slightly by alcohol.

Basically, just another fabulous Saturday!!!

My bum is bruised!

Yes - I've been gone for a while. I took a break from blogging as I was trying to figure out things in life. I was laid off along with my colleagues mid-March, and I've had a busy seven weeks since... I've been angry, been sad, thought about new options, stressed about finding work, decided to let the universe lead me to where I should go, relaxed, spend time with friends, worked out... basically kept on living.

And as everyone in my life told me, it all worked out. I'm starting a new position at an exciting, growing company in a whole new industry. It will be a challenge, but I am ready for that. Only three more days of "just being" before I start living in the 9-5 world.

This morning I was at the gym for my usual butt-kicking with Claire, and she suggested I join her in a spin class. I thought she was teaching it, but there she was, pedaling away right beside me.It was tough - I'm not a big biker - but after the first 25 minutes, I really started to enjoy it. I've discovered that's my endorphin point for cardio I don't love - after 25 minutes I start feeling really good and energized. I was glued to my seat a number of times when everyone around me was standing up, but I never stopped pedaling. Probably one of the reasons my butt is now bruised from the bike seat - ha!

I thought I'd totally hate it, so I'm surprised that I ended up enjoying it. Anyone want to hit up a spin class with me one early morning?

My favourite holiday

If we focus on the colour that is being celebrated - then St Patrick's Day is at the top of my list. I love all things green. It's got a lot of other good things going for it: people gather in pubs, outrageous costumes are encouraged, and it's all about celebration. It's the adults version of Halloween - it lasts all day and focuses on drinking!  :)

I had a pretty low key St Paddy's this year. I went into the village and joined Alyx and her family/friends for a couple pints in the afternoon.

She was even kind enough to share her Guiness hat with me. I asked if I could have it for keeps, but it came at a high selling price. I'd have to promise that I'd wear it every day - somehow I didn't think I could manage that.

Her parents were there and in the Irish mood. Those glasses are so styling! Ya Mom & Pop Gilgunn. ;)

Kate was out with her man Jay. he played the part of the leprechaun to a T with the suspenders and hat.

Brett evenually showed up - he biked in teh hail and rain. We were pretty sure that a rainbow and pot of gold would show up after that, but we were outta luck.

Alyx shared these bits of glamour with me! Left over from Christmas, they are super hot green, white and orange (I'm going out on a limb saying that) press on nails. Meow!

May the luck o' the Irish be with you all through the rest of the year!

countdown!

This weekend with G&D we spent a lot of time planning an outdoor trip for June - July. It will involve us + Kim, some 70km of canoeing, 40km of hiking and (fingers crossed) great weather in which to bask.

We'll be starting our journey just north of Port Alberni and canoeing the Great Central Lake, hiking to the base of Della Falls, and then turning around and coming home. Estimated time (we're gonna enjoy a semi-leisurely pace) will be 6 nights in the wilds.

This will be my first true-backpacking trip - living off what I can carry on my back and (as a treat) what our canoe can carry! I've got most of what I need, yet the list of things to buy (gaitors, camelbak, pack cover, etc) seems really long.

I went to MEC today to get a couple of luxury items. Nice to get those now, so that I can justify the price - as opposed to the weeks leading up to the trek where $ will be tighter.

I know I'll be taking a lot of pictures of the journey, and so I'll need my camera in the canoe with me, accessible, yet protected. So I picked up the Pelican 1010 micro case - "submersible, dustproof and crush-resistant".

I also grabbed a pair of paddling gloves. These are the fingerless version - ideal for warm-weather paddling - that will provide palm protection.

Going shopping for stuff like this makes it seem really real, and really close. I've still got over three months to prep - many nights will be spend sitting on my bosu paddling an imaginary lake :)

Weekend jaunt

It snowed earlier this week, so the sun shining on Saturday was a welcomed treat. Gill, Dave & I decided to take advantage of it and head out to Thetis Lake. Dave brought his fishing gear so he spend his time trolling for bites and enjoying beer, while Gill and I did a lap around upper Thetis. Unfortunatly, the sun only lasted for about half an hour, but we were smart enough to have brought layers.

Afterwards, we did some shopping out at Glenwood meats (buffalo chicken wings in the oven as I type), played a very educational Canadian history boardgame, and went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. This was my first 3D move experience in the theaters (other than an IMAX show many years ago) and it was amazing! Tim Burton is a twisted genius and created such a weird, wonderful and amazingly believable wonderland environment. Surprisingly, the only performance in the show that I didn't love was Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. I usually really enjoy her, but not this time around. It seemed like she was trying too hard to play a caricature - whereas Johnny and Helena do it so naturally. I def recommend watching this one in the theater!

A new Stat? Yes please!

This came to me through Facebook - oh how I love Facebook.

There is a petition out that is requesting a statutory holiday in BC in honour of the success of the 2010 Olympics. The petition reads as follows:

TO THE HONOURABLE GORDON CAMPBELL, PREMIER OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

We the undersigned wish to honour the great success of our 2010 Olympic Games, the swell of National Pride originating here, our two winning hockey teams and our many Olympic Heroes by naming the third Monday of February in each year "Glowing Hearts Day" and creating a Statutory Holiday on that day.

I think this is a great idea and proudly put my name to it. If you're interested in doing the same, you can do so here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/glowing-hearts-day-in-bc/sign.html#se

Let's make this happen people!

And on this note, please enjoy the following Canadian Women's hockey team celebration photos that I've borrowed from the Time Colonist online website

Porkurry

Words can't do it justice... but here's the synopsis:

Pork curry + yellow dal + naan + stuffed dates + DQ ice cream cake + Monopoly + mockery + mayhem = Porkurry Monopoly Night

Chrissie knows how to throw a dinner party, and we have to thank Gray for getting one year older.

Alas, the pictures will also not do it justice, but camera phone pics are better than nothing. I will aim to never again forget my camera in the office on such a momentous weekend!

 

The amazing super-sized naan that Erin made but had Noah bring... lol

  

Team Tiger + Snake - ready to play the game sneakily!

  

The Wildebeest & Captain America (birthday boy). Also known and team bear & rabbit - there was a certain joke involved...

  

Team Girraptor - we went on to near world domination!

 

 Master Chef Chrissie and her sous chef, the ass...

  

They only lucked out in their win - I think that rolling the die as a raptor helps in that...

  

Cake time!

  

Monopoly brings out the worst in people... the very worst ;)

 

Late arrivals who knew better than to play the devil's game! :)