on my toes

February 6, 2011

I have known Janet literally since I was a baby. She lived down the road where I grew up. She held me in her arms when she was two years old. Today she turns 40. She is one of these remarkable people who just exudes kindness and is so welcoming to everyone. You want to introduce her to every friend you have because you're so proud to know her. Her husband Art packed a day full of birthday surprises for her. She started out the day having a facial and then met up with us for an afternoon kayak around False Creek. We departed from Granville island and paddled around English Bay to Stanley Park and back. Vancouver is such an amazing city to live. Seeing the city's skyline from the water's vantage point is truly beautiful. The weather was remarkably mild for February - we were able to paddle around in light sweatshirts. After kayaking, the ladies headed off to a local nail salon for manicures or pedicures. I do not frequent salons and it shows. The lady helping me pulled out a mini electric sander to start working on my feet. She laughed a lot. I gave her an extra tip for her efforts, which I'm sure, were groundbreaking. Next up was a delicious dinner at the Italian Kitchen. Delizioso! There's nothing better than round table dining when you've got a group of good friends. We met up with the rest of the party crew at the condo Art rented downtown for some cake, mingling and dancing. There were definitely tears when he surprised Janet with a beautiful ring containing five gems. The ring was made up of their birthstones, the birthstones of their sons Josh and Cody, and the birthstone of their son Kieran who passed away shortly after birth. Yep, I still tear up just thinking about it. Art really did make the day so special for Janet from start to finish. She kept telling me throughout the day how she felt so loved. She is.

February 5, 2011

you can leave your hat on

These are quick shots because we are heading out for a jam packed day that will go into the wee hours of the night. I just do self portraits to practice doing portrait photography with the quickest available person I can get. Believe me, I'd much rather have my friends close by so I can photograph them instead. I should have a lot more variety of photos tomorrow thanks to the busy agenda laid out today for my friend's 40th. Have a wonderful Saturday - I hope yours is packed with fun!

February 4, 2011

puttin on the Ritz

Sometimes with project365 I'm not thrilled with what I post. Some days are busy and photo taking slips down in the ranks of importance. This is one of those ho-hum-quick-snap-a -365-photo-kind-of-shots. This photo is from the view of the Ritz in Vancouver, where we're busy getting party headquarters set up for friend's 40th shindig tomorrow night. Vancouver's skyline looks endless here.
I cannot wait to celebrate! My friend has no idea all of the little surprises awaiting her tomorrow.
Happy Friday everyone!