Pre-wedding Bliss

Earlier this month, I was asked by one of my oldest friends (friends since grade 6 band class) to help with her wedding day. They were planning a short engagement with a small wedding on Pender Island at the end of the month. A few weeks ahead of the wedding, back near the beginning of July, they had a top secret photo shoot in downtown Victoria in their wedding day finery. I spent some time styling her hair, then joined as a giddy observer, snapping my own pics while the photographer did the real work.

Now that they are officially married, I can post these photos celebrating Alyx & Bryan:
































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Freaks & Geeks.... And Nerds too!

I proclaimed myself a freak back in High school, but that was when I was trying - I just wanted to be “different”. When I was just being myself, I felt more like a geek.

Having studied the chart below now, I see that I tend to swing to the nerd realm with my inability to small talk, flirt, speak proper English or wipe a smile from my face when hearing devastating news. This is a title I can proudly own!





There is such a nerd culture these days, but I don't consider myself a bandwagon jumper. I know I'll still be in this part of the Venn diagram when the dust settles.

Diagram Source

If you're curious about what this kinda stuff means, check out all things Nerdist, listen to Sex Nerd Sandra or browse the pages of Think Geek

I feel pretty confident that you'll find something you connect with out there...

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We're not young

I love this song in its original format, and I'm enjoying this just as much. Maybe it's that I can relate to this version a little more...

Salad in a jar?

I stumbled across this idea on Pinterest this morning - layered salads in a mason jar.

http://www.thedailymuse.com/health/the-best-new-way-to-bring-your-lunch/#

They sell it well, so I'll just give you a direct quote:

“Despite the obvious cuteness factor, these jars will keep your greens fresher than fresh, they won’t stain, they’re BPA free, microwave and dishwasher safe, perfectly sized for salads for one, won’t leak, travel well, and are reusable.”

You stack your salad with the dressing on the bottom. Then add the heavy bits that are ok to last in the dressing. Then other heavy bits, seeds, nuts and finally top it off with the greens & herbs.

Keep em in the fridge, and just before lunch flip it upside down to let the dressing seep down. Open it up over a plate/bowl and you're good to go.

I've made a few to have this week so fingers crossed they taste as good as they look!


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Oysters

Twice this week I was invited out to Buck a Shuck down at The Oyster Bar. It had been a while since I ventured out for raw oysters and I'd forgotten just how delicious they can be.

Wednesday I tried the special which was raw oysters topped with beef tartare. Melt in your mouth delicious!

Friday was all about the buck a shuck oysters - zen oysters. I made a point to try each of the oysters available this night and discovered just how much their flavours vary. One truly did have a kiwi fruit aftertaste - sweet and fruity. My favourite however was the satori oyster.




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Victory!!!

We had our first, indisputable, amazing win tonight! With only 10 (of our usual 16) team members present, everyone was on. Bats were cracking, plays were being made & the team kept the chatter going. topknot them from scoring in their open inning (top of the 7th) and had no reason to take our final at bat - we won 15-14!

For a team that had so many newbies at the start of the season (many of who were there tonight) we've come a long way.

We finished the night with a few pitchers and an extra round of what we called VICTORY NACHOS! It tastes so good :)

Overdue getaway

It's been a crazy long three weeks filled with issues at work over old & uncooperative servers, followed by new & uncooperative servers. I took Friday off and headed out past Sooke with 5 of my nearest & dearest for a weekend at French Beach.
We left town late, and arrived just past 6. Like most adventures, we had a few small bumps in the road: forgotten ice for the drink cooler, lots of neighboring children and a forgotten stove! Luckily, the nice thing about camping in a group means your friends have supplies you can borrow. The other group has a BBQ we are able use. With slight alterations, the rest of our meals go as planned. A managed to get a fire going, which I managed throughout the night. L brought gigantic marshmallows - I've never seen any so big! A lost his second, G burnt herself with hers, and K kept everyone going with Strongbow/gin bevvies.




I didn't crash until 12:30, hearing the waves crashing on shore and the quite murmurs from M&A's tent next door.

We all slept in til after 9 on Saturday, even with the sun shining and kids playing. With the weather cooperating, we headed down to the beach, played in the surf, enjoyed mimosas and gorged on vitamin D.








K was the bravest of the bunch stripping down to real beach wear and swam in the ocean. There were many funny looks from the people passing by, but mostly cheers of encouragement! When the clouds came in, we laid down to keep clear of the wind. It wasn't until the rain started that we returned to camp to put up the tarp.




J&S soon appeared and the evening was spent around the campfire with everyone cooking. M's shrimp jambalaya was amazing - best (only??) I've ever had.

We played games, discussed the environment and continued to relax.

Sunday wasn't as relaxing. A child's bike accident outside our site woke us up before 8 and had us up, prepping breaky & tearing down camp all to soon. I joined M&A for the trip home, which included a stop by Mom's Cafe in Sooke for disgustingly huge delicious slices of pie.




All in all, the weekend was just what I needed, even though I was struggling with my snooze button all morning. The real kicker at the office today was realizing around 10am that I'd actually booked the day off! *head shake* The fact that I'd missed that just shows how much the weekend away was needed!
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Location:French Beach

Reminiscing

Less than 2 months till I create the 2012 version! Squeeeee

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