31AUG2011 - Patience is a Virtue

Wow, I just typed out this heartfelt post... a multi-paragraph post with feelings and everything. However, being an impatient person, I tried uploading the picture at the same time and guess what happened... I lost my entire bloody post [insert expletives here]. Apparently you cannot do both at the same time and have lost my entire post. I am in absolutely no mood to rewrite it... the "Cole's Notes" version: I had an okay day, went bad on the way home (not bad traffic, just feeling overwhelmed and frustrated), I went to the pool (it helped a bit), I don't like to rely on people (as I get older I become more independent, even less interested in relinquishing my freedom), I really want to get my move over with, I need my own space, I didn't take this picture (took it Sunday at the Chinatown Night Market). That sums it up. Lesson learned, be more patient (you get what you give out, in this case negative vibes).

30AUG2011 - Zebra Stripes

Today was my first early Tuesday... up at 5am, so I can make it to work at 6am (it's an hour commute). So, I am a little numb from getting up so early. I do have to admit, getting off work at 3:30pm was the bee's knees though! I went for a nice long walk, considered a nap but remembered I have pictures to take and then dancing tonight. No dance class tonight, so just the "dance party"... got to practice my moves! My legs are still sore from dancing on Saturday at Ashlynn's wedding... who knew that spontaneous Russian Dancing (dammit Abba, you do it to me every time) would be so painful!
So, my tired self was too lazy to go out into the world with my camera today. This is a picture of a painting I did (it was a collaboration with my Mum) a few years ago. I haven't painted in years; there just hasn't been room, but I'm looking forward to starting up again!

29AUG2011 - Fan Weather

It's a little cooler today, which I must admit was a nice break. It's been tough trying to sleep in this heat! I am having a very lazy night, so I stayed in and took a photo of the fan in my room. I have to be at work at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning... 7am! Translation: Work at 7am, means getting up at 5am! So, I'm going to have a little snack, read my new book by Deepak Chopra (I'm on a big enlightenment kick, and it's awesome! Life is much too short for all this worrying that people do)... and go to bed early! I need to make sure I have enough energy for dancing tomorrow night, can't miss dancing! First order of business though, Oscar is requesting a walk... so walk first and then relaxing evening here I come!

28AUG2011 - Chinatown

A change of plans for today... was supposed to go to a friend's birthday BBQ, but things changed and we aren't going to get into that! I did end up going to the Chinatown Night Market with Mum & Meg, it is definitely smaller than the Richmond Night Market... very disappointing. I did take lots of good shots, so it worked out in the end!
Before I sign off for the night, I just wanted to say "Thank you" to all the people that have been keeping up with my blog. It's been a challenge to stick with it, but hearing all of your comments and support are making it worthwhile!

27AUG2011 - Wedding in the Sand

Wow, I am still a day behind schedule with my postings! I promise I will catch up today! Last night was Ashylnn & Tawd's wedding... absolutely fabulous! It was a nice small beach ceremony with a lovely, casual reception afterwards. It was great to catch up with those I haven't seen in awhile, talk with friends and meet new people... some great dancing and conversations! Noel was full of great advise, Robin had some funny design stories and the "Bridesmaid" routine was hilarious (Lisa, you are too much!)!
This picture has absolutely nothing to do with the wedding as I forgot my camera! Nice move, I know! So, I dug into my photo achieves for a picture... I realize I'm cheating (again) by not actually taking a photo! This is from Genny's farm (a friend of my Mum's), one of her goats!
Anyways, last night was an amazing evening and now I am going to go take a nap... I just can't party and dance all night like I used to!

26AUG2011 - Dacning in the Park

Once again (twice in one week) I didn't have time to post on the day-of! I had my Samba class and then there was Dancing in the Park near my house, it was put on by my dance studio! It so much fun, and I was even a little nervous to dance in public! My Mum along with Meg & Mike stopped by to check out my moves!
So I am now posting my picture from yesterday, a photo of paintings lining my Mother's hallway while she waits for my brother to finish painting the walls! Now I must get ready for Ashlynn's wedding, it's ridiculously hot outside so the outfit I picked out 6 months ago isn't going to work so now I have to either alter a dress last minute or go buy a dress. Not a happy camper right now... wish me luck.

25AUG2011 - Butterflies in The Dark

I almost forgot about my daily photo today! It's a mad dash at 9pm to find an interesting subject matter, so out to the garden I went. This is a picture of a "solar" butterfly that lights up blue at night! I was just experimenting with the camera, while at the same time trying to get a picture without getting my tripod out! Mission accomplished!

24AUG2011 - Home Sweet Home

I'm back, it's nice to be home and all organized. Well, relatively organized... I move in just over a month, so I am kind of in limbo until then. So close...
Anyway, this picture was taken in a park near my Mum's house. I can't remember the name of the park, but I walk Oscar there all the time; it has some really nice wild flowers and foliage. To be honest, I don't have much to say... I just want to settle in for the night with a good book and relax! So, that is what I shall do!

23AUG2011 - Better Late Than Never

I didn't post yesterday... I had been house-sitting for 6 weeks and I was finally done yesterday. This means that I had to run home from work pack everything up, eat dinner (which didn't happen because they kittens thought an ideal goodbye would be to jump in my pasta) and run to dance class. After dance class, I came home after 10pm and had to organize myself... this resulted in my going to bed after midnight and not finding time for posting, never mind picture taking! *Phew*
This is a picture I took while at Harrison this past Saturday (yes, I took a lot of pictures), its the front of a train parked at the Agassiz Museum. I will sign off for now, I still have to take today's picture!

22AUG2011 - A Sad Day

This is not a picture I took today (I took it on Saturday, in Harrison), I wanted to put up something that was sunny and warm... I wanted it to remind my of Jack Layton's sunny demeanor, his amazing perseverance and his great attitude. I am deeply saddened by his passing, and in all honesty, surprised by how affected I am. Yes, Dad... I voted NDP, get over it. I was drawn to his inspiring vision and looked forward to a county with him as leader. He was a truly dedicated, optimistic and driven person; I'm proud that he was Canadian and saddened that he won't be able to see his dreams fully realized. He made history with the NDP... we will always remember Jack.

21AUG2011 - Sweet Rewards

I tried out the new-ish pedestrian overpass on 200th Street in Langley tonight with Meg, very snazzy. I am still worn out from Harrison yesterday, so we didn't go to the Chinatown Night Market (we still have a couple weeks before it closes for the fall); but we went for a lovely walk. We tried out the overpass, stopped by her youngest brothers place for ice cream and candy (I know, completely defeating any positive effects the walk might have had on our nutritional well-being) and made our way back to her place. Now I am back for my second last night at house-sitting; I am really looking forward to my own bed, this has been a long six weeks!

20AUG2011 - Happy Birthday Mum

I didn't post last night as I got in late and was absolutely beat. My brother and I took my Mum to Harrison Hot Springs for her birthday and then had a small dinner/drinks soiree at her house afterwards with Nick's girlfriend, Noelle. So, I am playing catchup... this picture was taken as we walked around Harrison, it is so pretty there that it's a little unreal. The mountains almost look like a backdrop to a movie set! We soaked in the springs, toured some farms, had some great food, at the best pie at the Chilliwack Airport and finished the night off with sushi, cheese and margaritas at Mums.

Happy Birthday Mum, I love you!

19AUG2011 - Whiskers on Kittens

Just back from learning the Samba... dancing is always such a great workout! I am keeping this short, many things to do and I have an early day tomorrow. Nothing like getting up at 6:00am on a Saturday! This is one of the kittens I have been house-sitting (after six weeks I still really can't tell them apart), she decided to help me get ready... that is my comb she is playing with. I had to take a picture, it was too cute!

18AUG2011 - Shiraz vs. Syrah

This is going to be really short, as I just got home from a wine tasting in Vancouver! It is past my bedtime... but it was a blast. I now know where the men with lovely hair go and I look foward to living closer so I don't have to actually behave myself! This was taken while waiting for Kim (shouldn't have left me alone so long in your apartment, Kim!)... there is math on her wall! No, just a shot in her kitchen... the math is renovation-related; the renovations are in-process, but on hiatus!

17AUG2011 - All That Glitters

So I wrote my post, pressed the wrong button and lost it all.... Dammit. So, who got new dance shoes?! C'est moi! Not a day goes by in which I don't think about giving in and wearing sequins to work... maybe I should! If the sidewalks were covered in the glitter the world would be that much closer to world peace... okay, not even close but people would definitely smile more!

16AUG2011 - Worse For Wear

I will not lie, I took this picture on Sunday... it definitely reflected how I was feeling that day (and yes, I am aware that once again... I have taken yet another picture of flowers, but these are different!). I feel great today, but alas... am far too tired to wander out into the world with my camera now. After a night of dancing, I am usually ready to crash! So, with that being said... I will get some much needed sleep! (These posts are getting shorter and shorted... and I'm not even two months in!)

15AUG2011 - Down on The Upside

It was one of those days, it's up and then it's down... and get your mind out of the gutter people! A bit of an emotional roller coaster, it's tough to so much happen in one day! I was supposed to meet up with Alice, with whom I have been friends with since grade 3 but it didn't work out! Definitely disappointed, but I'll see her in September so I can't wait to catch up then. On the upside I have secured an apartment in Vancouver! Whoohooo, I am really excited for my move-in date of October 1st... as the kids say "it's going to be epic". Then I finished the day off with a walk with Meg as the sunset over Langley... and I took some pictures of this burned out house that is slated to be torn down. Kind of an odd end, but Meg is always there when I want to do something crazy or crafty! A toast to good friends... I am blessed to have so many!

14AUG2011 - Killer Grasshoppers

I drove around Richmond and New Westminster with my Mum today and constantly forgot to take pictures everywhere we went. I bought fancy new dance shoes in Richmond, ate Samosas in Surrey and browsed at apartments in New Westminster (No, I will not pay $1000 per month to live in New Westminster...). So, I had to improvise once we got back... my Mum has a lot of knickknack type things in her garden, so this is my rendition of "Attack of The Killer Grasshopper".

On a more serious note... my friend Shannon lost his father a few days ago and I wanted to offer my condolences to him, his wife (my lovely friend, Erin) and his family. I cannot imagine what you must be going through, I am thinking of you...

13AUG2011 - Saturday Stripping

I made use of my open day and have finally finished stripping, sanding and staining two out of three old tables!! They are all old tables of my Mum's, they didn't look terrible but they could have looked better so at the beginning of the summer I decided it was time to refinish them. The first table was fairly easy and I had that done in July, but the second table proved very difficult! I'd already stripped it once, but I had to finish that today along with sanding and staining! I'm glad it's done, and the third table has a lot less detail so I'm hoping it'll be an easy one! I'm planning on at least removing the old varnish tomorrow, and if it proves easy then it requires some repairs before I can re-stain it! Watch out Bob Vila! In between stages, I took Oscar to the dog park... to enjoy the sunshine and clear my head. The picture is of these huge power lines running through the park in Langley... which is why there is a dog park there and not houses I suppose! Anyway, Oscar dearly loves going and I was missing him this week so we spent some quality time together! After the dog park, a lovely steak dinner cooked by ma mere and now a solo night at home.

12AUG2011 - Fries & Beer

Not interested in writing this, I'm listening to Jeff Buckley and getting ready for bed. Had dinner with my Mum and brother tonight... may I recommend the chili cheese fries at Fat Burger? I'm sure they're very low in calories... When life gives you lemons, indulge in fries and beer.

A bit of a disappointing day, c'est la vie right? You can't have it all, I'm just trying to remember that the only one that holds the key to your happiness is you, don't rely on anyone or anything else... a tough lesson to learn (and I even have a tattoo to remind myself of that)! Tomorrow will be better.

11AUG2011 - Spares & Strikes

I love bowling! This is an action shot (don't kill me Deb) from my bowling outing with some people from work! Tons of fun, and I bowled over 100 for both games! I look forward to going bowling again... this time without the bumpers! Okay, we only had the bumpers up for one game (and that's because the other team started it)! I hope everyone else had as much fun as me! Maybe I can convince them to have a "dancing" outing... somehow I think more convincing will be needed for a night of salsa dancing!

10AUG2011 - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

I am feeling tired and lazy... according to the "Power of Now", being lazy is okay as long as you embrace and be lazy 'whole-heartedly' (I'm fairly certain I just made that word up). So here I am, I haven't been sleeping very well the last while (I miss my own bed)... and the lack of sleep is catching up with me. I jammed out of Ladies Golf with my work buddies (thanks for understanding ladies), and I will have a small dinner, watch a little tv and go to bed EARLY! I'm excited for 8 hours of sleep! This picture reflects my laziness in that I did not leave the house to find a subject... just used the guitar sitting in the corner of my room. In spite of my lack of effort, I like the result!

09AUG2011 - Dancing Mushrooms

Just getting a chance to upload my daily picture now... I wish there were more hours in a day! It was a good day at work, a better night at dance class and now it is time to relax with a book and a couple of kittens! I have no idea what kind of flower this is, but it is flowering on a tree/shrub where I am house-sitting... there are about six blooms! The top of the middle part reminds me of the little mushrooms from Fantasia! I am aware that I am once again posting a flower picture; I promise, I'll try to take pictures of a wider subject variety... got to keep it interesting!

08AUG2011 - Just Keep Swimming

I am exhausted... I just got back from the pool, and I swam my heart out. And I think I may be getting sick, so it's off to bed with me! It was a good day, as good as Monday can be I suppose! When I got home from work, I had the bright idea of watering the garden in my work clothes, how bad could it get? Bad, I absolutely soaked myself... even my hair got wet. I'm really not sure how I do it! So, I figured my hair is already wet... no backing out of the pool now! So off I went, and it was fabulous! It was great listening to teenagers try to "out-dumb" each other (who's car insurance is higher, "Dude, mine's like $400"... Good for you buddy, a tip to remember: think of car insurance like golf the LOWER the score, the better. Why compete over stupid things, what ever happened to trying to just out running each other? It really doesn't take long for that generation gap to kick in! I'm just glad to be home where it's quiet!

07AUG2011 - Sunflower Splendor

More sunshine... I am really happy that summer is here and has stuck around for over a week... Hopefully this will last well into September! All the flowers are in bloom, it's great! I went back to "U-Pick Country Flowers" in Langley to take pictures of the Sunflowers. This one was really different with red-ish petals... I'm sure it's not overly rare, I'm just used to the "usual" sunflowers! It's been a nice, lazy weekend... which will help me keep up in the coming weeks as this looks like my last lazy day for a while! No complaints though, I do it to myself and as busy as I am I'm still having fun!

06AUG2011 - Brought to You by The Letter A

Another good day... had a dance class this morning, went to the Antique Mall in Fort Langley (DANGEROUS), lunch with my Anita and cooking/dinner with Mum. It was awesome to catch up with Anita!!! I haven't seen her in ages, we used to work together at my last job... she is the only reason I made it out alive. I miss you Anita, you keep me sane! I wish we could see each other more... our short lunch dates are just that... TOO short!
This is kind of a neat "action" shot, I made my Mum wait in the car for about 20 minutes and the crows just watched us from a nearby roof. As soon as we grew tired of waiting and started to pull out, the crows swooped down to the parking lot! So, all the pictures I got were a bit "frantic". Now, to catch up on all the sleep I've been missing all week... Good night!

05AUG2011 - Whistler or Bust

I got back from Holly's a little while ago, and have finally settled down for a quick post! I was over their to help "prepare" for Ashlynn's stagette; I will say nothing more to avoid any surprise-spoiling (although the picture clearly depicts it). Holly had a minor meltdown, a stressful day for her... and I was kind of snarky about marriage and babies and stagettes. I tend to say mean things when I'm jealous... and I'm a smidge jealous/upset/frustrated that I don't get to go Ashlynn's stagette. It's just the way things worked out with house/cat-siting... Nothing can be done, so I'll get over it. Holly was great to let me rant my heart out at worst, call me a "Debbie Downer"... Thanks. So, I hope they have a fabulous time... and all make it home in one piece!

04AUG2011 - Dog Days of Summer

Another picture of Oscar? No, I'm not running out of ideas... and yes, I know this picture is a little blurry. But I was missing my guy, so it was Oscar/Mum night and Oscar was all smiles. I took Mum (well, actually she took me) to her favourite sushi place in Langley (Miraku) and I spent some quality time with Oscar. He normally looks very pensive in pictures, so I had to post one of him playing with his stuffed monkey (which is at least twice his size, but it's his favourite).
A good evening to top off a good day... I found out the new Leisure Guides are out, nerd alert! That means new classes... and you all know how much I like my classes! I think I'll add yoga, pottery and Ukrainian egg painting to my repertoire this fall! Add in French classes and ballroom dancing... one busy bee! Love it!

03AUG2011 - Tee Time

Je suis tres fatigue! There is too much fun to have and not enough time! I went to a "Ladies Golf Clinic" with Candice tonight, lots of fun in spite of forgetting everything I know about golf and having to relearn it all! It was bloody hot, but I am not complaining... I am absolutely thrilled about this sun-shiny weather! Candice has quite the swing!

I listen to audio CD's on my way to work to pass the time and I started listening to "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle... very profound. Time is only right now, the past is a memory and the future is the projection of the past... you can only experience time as it is right NOW. Hmmm... like he says, it being such a simple concept almost makes it harder to grasp. But it's so true... the time is now!

02AUG2011 - In Bloom

Holy organized Batman! Between getting off work early and traffic being fabulous, I find myself with some highly unusual free time! So, before I run off to make dinner before I head out to dance class I thought perhaps I would utilize this time wisely!
There are some very pretty flowers in "my" garden right now... aka where I am house-sitting has some very pretty flowers right now! Both the roses and lilies are in full bloom! They must be enjoying this beautiful sunshine as much as I am... it's only August and I finally have a tan to show for summer! Better late than never!

01AUG2011 - One Month Down, ELEVEN To Go

I've made it through Month No.1! I'm a little overwhelmed about the coming 11 months, they seem a little daunting considering how much work this has been thus far! Like I've said previously, this has become much more work... and much more commitment than anticipated. It's been great, and I'm sure the coming months will be a healthy dose of frustrating combined with triumph!
Today, was "Mum-Day"... meaning I hang out with Mum and do "Mum Things". We cooked, worked in the garden, stripped the varnish off an old table and took the dogs to the dog park. Productivity at it's best! This was a little friend I found while working in the garden, he'd made quite the home for himself!