So much to do..

Man, how do I decide what I am going to do.. and why don't I have more weekends to do them in!

Here is what I have in mind:

-This weekend, Star Trek convention.  No debate there.  That is where I will be.
-Next weekend, possible long weekend if I take Friday off of work.  4 days!  If I do that, do I
               -Go to Kelowna to spend time with my Grandma, cause I am well overdue for that
               -Chill in town and work on the Friday to save that time for a different weekend to take off
-Weekend of July 9-11.  Was going to go to San Fran, but won't now as I can't afford it.  Can go to Seattle for a car drifting event with work and stay in a hotel for free.  But have to find a way down there.... and maybe take *that* Friday off of work?
-Weekend of 16-18.... I know something is going on here but I can't remember what...
-Weekend of 23-25.  Since I joined that Danish Sisterhood.. they are having a members BBQ on the 24th which would be fun BUT I can also go to San Diego for the comicon.. I have places to stay and everything.. and I sure won't get to go to that when I'm in Denmark.. but I will have my share of Danes.. :)
-Weekend of 30-1 I should head over to the island to see my brother and his family, as it is my nephew's birthday the week after but I will be in Hawaii instead! 

Man, I do get around don't I....  Maybe that mystery plan for the 16-18 is just sitting at home and not talking to anybody.. that sounds pretty good... hmmmmmm........

Oh, and after Hawaii I don't have any travel plans really... except for maybe DK on March 10?

jan 28. b?

all my posts this year have been long.
and wordy.
so this is a bonus blog.
about nothing.

but it has a picture!

my nephew emmett!

2010

lets see how this goes.. with the new year and all...

2009 was a crap year for me. sure good things happened, but some bad shit happened too, and those things seem to crowd my memories, so out with it.

if i want to believe in karma, then maybe i brought it all on myself. what lesson did i need to learn this past year? and did i pay enough attention to learn it? here's hoping.

i lost friends, lost respect for other friends, was used and abused (not physically, thank goodness), lied to and cheated.

i also met new great people, had life turn around a few times, yes for the better, and learned alot. about life and myself and where my place in the world might be. even if it was only a hint.

all in all, however, im excited to see the new year in.

i spent it in a fashion i have never done, which was to go to a party with a few people i work with, whom i never spend any time with, and meet their friends and significant others. new friendships were formed and i couldnt be happier about it. i had thought about relocating later in the night, but when the time came, i was happy where i was, and that was enough for me.

so here's to a year of doing what makes you happy. whatever that may be.
i know im going to do my best this year to figure out what that is.
ive tried before to be more selfish and look out for myself, but i still go back to putting too much dependancy on others.
no one will look out for my best interests more than myself. i know this, now its time to put it into practice.

happy new years everyone. whatever that means to you.
i hope you make it a good one.

island time

Tgif
Seriously

I am on the ferry right now, waiting to depart for nanaimo, where my brother and fam will pick me up and whisk me off to courtenay.

(Disclaimer (for those that pay attenetiony) my blackberry automatically capitalizes at the start of sentences and its a pain to correct every time. So there ya go, otherwise it wouldn't happen. Just trying out this blackberry mobile oposting deal. Might strengthen my drive to get an iphone or blackberry for myself, as this is works. But I digress..)

Its been a long and stressful week at work. They all seem to be that way these days.. Two more weeks in my crap apartment.. Ugh! I need a vacation. So while it will be good to see the fam and fabulously adorable Emmett (ok he gets capitalization cause he is my fav), this will be stressful in its own way. Most times I want to strangle my sister-in-law. We'll see how it goes.

Now that I have survived the full bus ride to the ferry terminal, full of stupid hippies, I am now stowed away in a nice seat away from most people. I love corners. I can sit back and enjoy this ride with my music and cheezies, the official snack of ferry riding. (As per me, as its been that way all my life)

And now, to see if I can add a picture..

epic weekend #2!

wow, two in a row!
who would have thunk it?!

so friday i had to work late, cause we are starting our moves to the burnaby location.
the peeps from the 20th floor went last friday and i stayed to help out.
i get paid overtime at least.

afterwards, i headed home and got ready to go out.
met up with karina and tanis, and went to a house party that was mostly people from a different gaming studio.
a nice change from partying with my guys.
made some new friends and had fun!

darryl and tanis

new friend neil and old friend karina
(she isnt old but you know what i mean...)

saturday i woke up a bit hung over.
i walked to canadian tire and bought a wire brush and some kerosene.
also orange hand wash cause my hands get filthy with all this motor work.
i had posted on facebook when i got up that i wanted to go and do the grouse grind, and my friend Corey (same spelling and same birthday! but he's a year older) responded almost right away saying he was down.
so he came and picked me up and off we went!

the grouse grind is this steep man made trail up the side of grouse mountain.
its like, the thing to do here for some reason, and after living here for five years, ive never done it.
its about 3 km up the mountain. and its hard!
i thought i was going to pass out a few times, but i just stopped and drank loads of water.
and boy did i ever feel good when i got to the top!
i cant wait to do it again!!!

on the trail

we made it!

view from the top

saturday night i went to a friends birthday/5 year wedding anniversary party
it was 30s/depression era themed
super fun and always nice to see them!
and always fun to get dressed up!!!

happy anniversary kate and andrew!

there was even gruel for us to eat
and yes, i look drunk, even though im not
yet

two kids later and she's still in her wedding dress!
josh and jen

sunday i got up and sat in the sun and cleaned my motorcycle chain.
deandra came to join me, and when i was done, we wandered over to a dog park nearby.
soon after, my brother, sister-in-law and cutest nephew ever got into town.
they could only stop for 45 min but its always nice to see them and cutie little emmett!!

emmett!!

my brother tyler and the dog maizie

best smile ever!!

after they took off, d and i sat in the sun for a couple more hours.
she then headed home and went to eat dinner, shower and attempt to go to bed early.
i was soo tired but it was too damn hot in my apartment so i didnt sleep well.
but yay fun weekend!!!

vegas trip!

ok. vegas. wow.
first off, 6 days is way too long to be there.

i flew to albequerque, nm on the saturday.
brutally hungover i might add.
landed, saw jamies shop, evolution, and then begged to go to his house to pass out.
which i did.
we then went for some dinner (pizza), a drink (so needed) and were off to flagstaff, az for the night.
the next morning we drove through the hoover dam and saw that, then continued on to vegas!!!

dont really know what to say about that.
it was amazing.
i dont think i have felt that happy in the last two years, as when i was there with all my friends.
and my friends that are in the modification lifestyle sort of thing.
it just felt so good, i cant describe it.

the pool was amazing.
the hot tubs were open all night long. trouble.
make outs were had and enjoyed. (!)
i went to see the cirque de soliel show, love, which is all done to beatles music.
best. show. ever.
i loved it. cant wait to see it again.

friends were reconnected with
new friends were made
adventures had
one roller coaster rode
fun fun fun and love in my heart
too many hugs to count

i miss it already

starting out from flagstaff, az

yes. no explanation necessary

get your kicks on route 66

jamie and i at the hoover dam!

view as we drove over

almost there!

i heart lysa so bad. i miss her lots too

the ladies! christine, lysa, tasha, steph, julia and her sister

my favs! jamie and leo!

gregg! i may see him again in long beach!

my friend adam that i havent seen for 5 years!

grandmas house

more catchup. *sigh*
just some shots from my grandmas house.

they have had this carved cabinet for ages,
and this 'princess' has always bothered me...

some handsome devils,
my dad and uncle in years gone by..

then it was on to african violets

and a seagull statue!

ktown

well, its been a while. i know i know. bad corey.
so lets get some blogging done!

im in kelowna right now, staying with my grandma.
i dont know what it is about being here, but i get so lazy.
literally, all we do is eat and sleep.
here is our day today:

grandma got up at 630 and went for coffee
i got up at 730
ate breakfast at the table
read our books until around 1030
went down to the in house library that my grandma looks after
put some books away
came back up to read some more until 1130
lunch
back upstairs to read and nap (i napped anyways)
went for a walk for 45 min around 330
watch tv until 530
go down and eat dinner
watch tv until
go to bed

repeat

party time right?
its super relaxing for sure, but i almost feel lethargic here.
ah well, i love visiting!

ill take some pics tomorrow

in the meantime, enjoy some backlog-blogging.

4 new blogs below!

oahu

Landed last Tuesday and caught the shuttle to our hotel on the beach. Couldn’t be the view, thats for sure. All ocean. And it wasn’t loud at all, which was what i totally expected. We wandered to the international market for a bit and then back to the room.

Wednesday we got up and headed to the ala moana shopping center. Shopped a short while and then went back to Waikiki. Hit the beach (finally!) for a bit and then went to the market again as it was clouding over. It then rained so hard it was insane. And we were caught out. So we got soaked. Yay. From there we had a late lunch/early dinner, and hit a grocery store to save on some eating costs.

Thursday i got up and walked back to the mall, as i could see that my book would end very soon and i needed the next one in the series (i was reading the golden compass, and boy, the movie sure ends differently!). so i walked, and got rained on and soaked again, and walked back. My mom had been at the beach the entire time, so i joined her down there for a bit. Oh, and we had ice cream. We didn’t do much that night cause there was a two hour show on that we wanted to watch. Nerds, i know. But it was good.

Yesterday? Friday... we got up and headed down to the beach. Laid there for a couple hours and then got up to do the final wander of Waikiki. We got my mom a pair of sunglasses from macy’s only to have them break later, so now i have to find one in maui and try to exchange or return them. Had some lunch, bought some bags to travel with and came back to the beach again.

After that we had to get my mom ready to head out. Sad sad. When we were showered and she was packed, we headed down the beach to a patio and got a couple fruity tropical drinks with umbrellas. Then it was back to the hotel to chill a bit before getting her down to the shuttle.

I was sad to see her go. I love my mom to bits and i do miss her. She makes me totally insane and brings out the bitchiness in me for sure cause we are so different. I was much better this time than i have been in past trips, but i know i was still short with her at times. Regardless, i know how much she loves Hawaii and i know she didn’t want to leave. 10 days is still a good amount to be here though.

So she left, i went back to the market, got a ring i wanted, and went back to the hotel. Watched tv, slept a bit, and that brings me to here. The airport. Its now 5 am. Almost. One more hour. Guess ill read.

Maui for 3 weeks! Here i come!!!

aloha!

lots to update on and read up on.
but not right now.

everywhere here charges $10 a day for nets, so my mom and i got this going today.
ill write more tonight probably.

for now. i am alive and happy and finally got to the beach.
here's some shots for now... keep ya entertained in my slow moving blog.
my slog?
whatever..

me driving the red mustang convertible we had for two days














my mom and i at dinner on our first night there together. our hotel is in the background.














open door helicoptor tour!















this is one of the vents of the very active volcano, name escapes me right now.
sulpher fumes galore!

calgary excitement?

well, the last couple days have pretty much whizzed by.
monday i hung out with my mom most of the day, and then went to have dinner with heather and mark, and holly. afterwards holly and i hit the mall and it was actually super empty! a nice surprise.
i think ive spent most of the money that i saved for the states here in calgary. but for family so its all good. i will just have to take more from my savings. dun dun dunnnnn.
tuesday i went to the doctors, was told i didnt need to fast, had blood taken, was then told i had needed to fast.. and then went to my aunt and uncles. only got to see my one cousin, jennifer, but i did get to see all the pics from their trip to denmark last june.
today i got more blood taken! i was able to make an appt downtown at a clinic so i fasted and did the last test. bah.
then i had breakfast with dan and his girlfriend, and walked to my moms work.
while there, her friend jackie came in with a coffee and some baileys, and then the two of us (jackie and i) went to safeway for some food.
i came home and tried my hand at candied peppered almonds.
the first batch burnt a bit but they taste ok.
the second batch is better but alot of the candying part stuck together and not to the almonds.
not sure why.
now im going to eat something (not candied almonds), wrap a few presents, go to the bank to get american dollars and head to my aunts for a bit. hopefully grab the car so we can move the tv over there tonight. more on that later.

that was a big ugly bunch of sentences, and no pics. sorry.

cold!

in calgary now.
i think i forgot my usb cord so i cant get pictures off my cameras just yet.
dont worry, ill get one..
so far i think i only have pictures of frankie, kristins cat.

its been anywhere from -25 to -36 so far.
my aunts car froze last night so i couldnt drive it today.
delightful!

my flight here was only delayed about 30 min due to de-icing.
i hope my flight to boston will go well.

people are so stupid this time of year. i overheard one guy getting all upset when security told him he had to dump his coffee before going through. like, where have you been for the last two years?? you cant take liquids through security anywhere! honestly...

anywho. just got home from seeing the nutcracker ballet with my mom, and from my aunts where my aunt carol and uncle roger are visiting from ear falls, ontario. never heard of it? thats cause its a small as it sounds like it might be. my mom grew up there.

i dont have anything constructive to tell about right now, but i wanted to update.
so there.
i hope to shop a bit tomorrow, though ive already spent more money here than i came close to planning, so this trip through the states is going to cost me so much. yipes.

snow + lights

makes for a strange look on my balcony.
but i like it!














and my tree again.



















in two days ill be in calgary so i wont be able to see mine anymore.
just my grandmas (mormor).

ive been trying to pack some christmas things for my mom too.
since im not dragging it all to denmark, it seems a shame to throw it all away.
and i know how my mom loves to wrap presents all fancy like.
yes, i will be flying with rolls of wrapping paper.
its going to be fun.

here are my two suitcases that are coming to calgary.
(also my messy living room at present)
the awesome little yellow one will remain there, probably to be given away.
i love it and its so cute, but it has no wheels and your hand hurts when its heavy and you have to carry it around.
trust me, ive done it many times.
c'est la vie.

kelowna pt 2?

so turns out having two cameras with you means two sets of pictures from the same place.
but different pictures.

so this is from my little canon SD300
the other was my canon G5

at the summit of the coquihalla highway
loads of snow!






































some shots from my grandmas window at night
for some reason im always up in the middle of the night. awesome.



















found this in the medicine cabinet.
crazy.
i cant even find this on the internet anywhere.
back in the good ol days when a pill could cure everything i guess..



















three years later and she still hasnt touched my grandpas drawer in the bathroom.
its very sad but at the same time, its oddly comforting to see his neat and tidy ways still around.



















and the trip back.














see me in the mirror?
no?
well you can see the camera anyways..