Jack & Sky

Yesterday was one of those perfect warm autumn days. I got to spend the afternoon at Crescent Beach with my two favourite munchkins - my nephew Jack and niece Skylar.  I always feel exhilarated in their presence. The funniest part of the day was turning around, seeing Jack standing by someone's white picket fence with his pants around his ankles shouting "I have to pee!!" Trying to rush him to the nearest bush without him springing a leak is like holding a ticking bomb in your hands with the Mission Impossible theme blaring in the background. It's always an adventure. These two bring out every maternal instinct in me and always assure me that having a family is something I truly want.

BC's beautiful wine country

First stop...Quilchena

 We were heading to BC's beautiful wine country for the weekend and made a unique pitstop along the way at the Quilchena Hotel, just North of Merritt. The hotel, built in 1908, is full of character and characters. We arrived a few hours ahead of our friends, so we headed to the hotel saloon for a few brews and burgers. The bar is definitely unique - it even has bullet holes in it from when a cowboy was cut off by the bartender and fired his pistol in a fit of drunken rage. Ah the 1900s. The saloon door creaked open and a cat snuck in. Country music played continuously across the speakers. We weren't in Kansas anymore. Or were we? It was amazing to think this all existed a mere three hours from home. I looked around and realized that Smiley was the only man who wasn't sporting a cowboy hat. When our friends arrived, one of them walked in wearing a hipster fedora. One look at his hat and I thought, that's it, we're screwed. I scrawled out a will on my paper coaster.  The locals are going to mop the floor with us and our foolish city hats.  It ended up being a really fun evening, thanks to the cheap drinks, hefty pours and great company. No televisions, no cell phone signals. It was a great escape. 

the portrait project

I'm piecing together a list of 38 things I want to do when I turn 38 next month (aside from gasp). One of  my goals is to take portraits of our friends & family. I want these portraits to give a little glimpse into their unique personalities. I want to transform our den wall into a mini gallery with these photographs. I'm so excited by the thought of having a display of friendly faces that bring so much joy to our lives. I think it will also help to stretch my photography skills. That being said,  Annie Leibovitz definitely doesn't have to worry about any competition. I hold her portraits as the pinnacle of what I shoot for, one day (or several thousand days), in the future. Her inspiring and compelling images are so creative, thought provoking and inspired my little idea.
When I finish, I'll post a link to my Flickr album. What are some of your goals this year?

...and i want the world to know

the three way mirror...

Last weekend, while we were in Whistler, I happily picked out some yoga gear and stepped into the Lululemon changeroom. Cue scary music. Each changeroom has mirrors strategically placed so that you can see yourself from all angles. At first I did a double take to see if someone else was in the changeroom with me because there was a butt staring back to me that I clearly did not recognize. I was spinning around like a dog chasing its tale - who's butt is this??  Needless to say I walked out of the store empty handed but armed with a serious mission: to get my body back. So far in September we have stepped it into high gear - hitting the gym at least 5 times a week and kicking it up a notch on the weekends. I am so happy that I have a partner who is highly motivating & encouraging. He's trying to rebuild his knee & leg strength after being hit by a truck - we're definitely on a mission together to rebuild our bodies. This weekend he suggested we ride our bikes to Tsawwassen to shock our bodies. Mission accomplished. My butt was shocked so much that it felt like it was ready to fall off, and yet sadly, it didn't.  Even if the pounds aren't flying off yet, we're having fun coming up with little adventures. Yesterday we saw eagles, hawks, heron, rabbits, and hundreds of ducks. We saw a woman on horseback who dropped her sunglasses, hopped off her horse to retrieve them, and the horse took off at full speed down the beach. Sweet Freedom! After picking up her sunglasses, and looking at her horse way in the distance, she said, "well, this is interesting." You definitely don't get to see this kind of stuff at the gym. There is such great rewards from taking care of yourself through exercise- you feel more energized, less stressed, happier, more connected to yourself - I can't recommend it enough. Are you making time for yourself?

Wheee!!

I have to say, sometimes the most amazing little things can happen that just put a huge smile on your face, or in my case, make me happily clap and shout "wheee!!!!!" before I can stop myself from actually making the ridiculous sound wheee.....

One of my favourite inspiring women: Susannah Conway (teacher/photographer/writer/) - just sent out her September newsletter to update readers on her current book progress and her upcoming classes.....and for this month's newsletter - she featured my writing as a testimonial to take her class. I am overcome with bliss to see my name on the same page as hers. It's not everyday you find someone who truly inspires you. Susannah turned to photography after the sudden death of her boyfriend, and in doing so, took her life in a positive new direction. Through photographs, Susannah found her footing again and rediscovered a new path for herself beyond all the grief. Now she has successful online photography/writing classes and has landed a book deal about polaroid photography. I find so much joy in her images and her words. It was her blog that inspired me to create my new blog, and her Unravelling class helped me find my voice. 

To see my own words reflected back on this amazing woman's newsletter felt like a full circle moment for me. 

Wheee!!!

This is what was featured in her newsletter:

recent testimonial

'I just wanted to thank you so much for the best treat I've ever given myself.  I have never felt such a creative awakening as I have taking this class. It's such a great environment that you've created - this amazing tribe of women sharing their stories, their beautiful photos and felt safe in the space to tell their most personal stories. We all bonded so quickly because of it. I literally stayed up until midnight most nights pouring through all the photos and writing - and that's late for me, I have to get up at 5:30 for work, but I didn't care. I just felt a natural buzz that kept me going all these weeks. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of my own confidence, but you have set me on the most beautiful path towards it.' ~ Kelly

Labour free long weekend

We wanted a quick getaway for the long weekend and booked a last minute overnighter to Whistler.  On our drive up the stunning sea-to-sky highway, we hiked up The Chief in Squamish.  The payoff at the top definitely makes up for all of the swearing sweating on the climb up. A word to the wise - please wear the right gear. I saw too many tourists attempting to climb the Chief in flip flops or Converse. Trust me,  if you're standing more than 2000 feet above the town below, you're going to want traction. I don't care how cool you are. One slip on the rock face and you're no longer cool guy in flip flops, you're suddenly pancake guy with unfortunate attire selection skills. Nobody wants to be THAT guy. Any weekend where I get to have an outdoor adventure with my love and bookend it with visits with great friends is bliss. And when you add an extra day to sleep in? Well, how can it get any better than that?
How did you design your long weekend?

Hotel: Hilton Whistler
Restaurant: Umberto's Whistler