Evangela's Blog

Exciting Summer of 2011

2011-09-28T22:09:00.000-07:00

This summer was intense! We received word that we were able to get our apartment renovated if we moved out for two months. We lived for a while with the in-laws, and then we moved over to my friends parents home who were away on vacation. We stayed at their house during the hottest part of our summer, and they had a pool and hot-tub. It was glorious! We had such a great time there, it was like we were on vacation. The renovation that happen to our place was a total gutting and replacement of everything. The walls were torn out, even the ceiling was as we got sound-proofing done. All our appliances were replaced, the entire bathroom, the floors, fixtures, everything! It took two months, and a whole crew of men worked on the place for weeks. All the while, I was happily tanning on my floaty! Now we have the task of unpacking boxes and organizing our things. It's going to take a long time before things get back to normal since we lead such busy lives, but every day we make a few steps forward. It's so much fun setting up home in this lovely brand new place. We are so grateful!

Fiesta Day Parade 2011

2011-06-21T22:37:00.001-07:00

Here are some pics from our annual Fiesta Day Parade Float! Yes, it's a little cheesy I do admit, and every year we have a big laugh at ourselves, but it's wonderful promotion for our business, a fun family event, and a way to connect with the community. This year, the weather was a little rainy, but it cleared right up as the parade began. Because this year we have added Zumba classes to our gym, we did our moves on the float, which required some skill as it a moving vehicle! We danced to salsa music and so did everyone on the sidelines - fun! Again, I give a big thanks to my mom and dad who help out so much every year. I love my parents so deeply, and their support means much to my heart and success for Curves West Point Grey.

Online Obit

2011-06-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know how to make a link here, but you can cut and paste this address and it will bring you to the funeral homes online obituary for my Grandmother, her name is Sophie Dueck.

http://wiebeandjeskefh.com

Good-bye Grandma

2011-06-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

At 99 years old, my Grandma has finally gone home to heaven! This is a real celebration because she was ready to go. On Monday we will have her funeral and remember her life together. Even though this is a wonderful day, I feel so left behind without her. During the past ten years, I had made a special effort to hang out with her as much as possible. When my parents when to Hawaii for the month, on two occasions, when she still had enough zip, as she would call it, she spent the whole month on the farm. During this month I would stay for weeks at a time with her, and we would be together. She would instruct me spiritually, and also put me to work. We would go outside and she would point on the ground as to which walnuts were to be picked up, she would teach me about cooking, and we would also just sit and talk literally for hours upon hours just like two friends. In all honesty, she never seemed old to me. It was like we were two girlfriends. She often seemed like a young girl to me. Every Sunday for years, I would visit her in the menno home. She was from a different era. I knew not to wear pants on Sunday because she would be sad to think I would have worn them to church. Our church is really casual, so sometimes I would change into a dress in the car before meeting her so I wouldn't upset her! What struck me about her was how popular she was. Her phone was always ringing, she knew everyones names and their problems - she wanted to know details so she could `know how to pray` for them. She had pictures of the missionaries she supported on her fridge, and always had a bowl of candies or rosebud chocolates for visitors. When I would see her, she would remember in detail what we had talked about the week before, when sometimes even I couldn't remember. She did this all the way until she was 99. I can't even remember where I put my keys this morning. When I was in my 20's, we would talk obsessively about boys. She knew all my boyfriends and our issues, and she had the most amazing, progressive advice. I took it all to heart. And then she would share with me about her own romance with her husband of 65 years. How they met, being in love, how he would pick her up in front of the kitchen window and hold her, and she would cry, `Put me down, what will the neighbors think?' (the neighbors were acres away). She was beautiful right to the end, with her hair done, and concern for her outer appearance, she even wanted to be dressed properly for the cleaning lady and nurses. She always spoke with intention, and wanted to know how YOU were doing. She was a simple woman, who put others before herself almost to her detriment. The best gift my grandma gave me was my Dad and I see so much of her in him every single day. The older I get, the more I understand so dearly, how not everyone has a family as dear and close as I have. Not everyone has a Grandma who said probably 150 thousand prayers for him or her during her lifetime, and not everyone has a Grandma who infused her son with devotion, kindness, faith, and mental health for him in turn to pass onto his children. I see around me often, a sea of lost people who were never given these gifts and I have to sit in awe of the deep blessings I have been given. No family is perfect, but mine is almost as close as it can get. My Grandma was given 99 years of life. She touched people with her prayers, her concern for others and her generous spirit. She wasn't a famous person, didn't change history, or even know how to drive, but her life was lived to the full and she is my inspiration. She will be missed so much, but I know that memories of her will live inside me as long as I live.

France

2011-06-08T22:12:00.001-07:00

Recently, Raph and I went to Antibes, France. We visited Cannes, Nice, and Monaco. We stayed in a a places called Resideal Antibes. We had an apartment and kitchen unit for quite cheap around $70 CA per night. The place also had two nice pools and was neat and clean. We enjoyed espresso in the mornings, and train rides to various locations.
Cannes was our favorite place as we rented chairs on a private beach and ate really wonderful food - so much food! The weather was very warm, a heat wave.
We rented a scooter and explored the south of France. Raph did so good - he was able to drive easily and speak French with hardly a problem. We went to museums, churches, many restaurants, beaches, pools, parks, coffee shops, and shops. In Monaco we went to the palace and several museums. We also just hung out in Antibes and enjoyed the quaint European streets and cafes. All in all, a perfect vacation with the most warm and vibrant air we have ever felt!

Trespassers March 26 - April 16, 2011

2011-03-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Next up for Raph is "Trespassers" by Morris Panych. He did this show recently in Victoria as well. We're gearing up for a busy next couple of weeks! This show is being done at the Vancouver Playhouse, so it's going to be a real highlight working at that theatre for the first time.

Rain Down Trailer - Work my husband does

2011-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!

2010-12-25T01:37:00.000-08:00

2010-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

You know, I've been doing so much olympic fun stuff, I gotta tell you, I'm ready for a break. Thank goodness it rained today and I didn't feel guilty for not going down-town. There is just this pressure to soak it all in, knowing that shortly, all we'll be left with is the memories and a huge bill. Vancouver typically has a small town feel. There is always someone I know on the bus and the downtown core is mainly boring. But now, there is just a huge flux of fun and tourists - one just wants to savor it. I have to say though, I think I'm going to have to call it a day on this one! I think I'm catching a cold and I'm so exhausted - - as Raph would say, 'It's not a party if it happens every day'. No, indeed, then it just feels like work! I'll be catching the rest of the Olympics on the tube, from my comfy couch!

Germany vs Belarus

2010-02-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law took me to an Olympic hockey game! What a treat. The tickets were through his work and I was lucky enough to tag along. The energy was amazing - the atmosphere so enigmatic - it was just perfect hockey. I loved it. And now, I'm obsessed. This morning, the first thing I thought of was "tonight is the can/us game - where am I going to watch it?" I've almost had a few panic attacks today already about how the game will go - I want Canada to win so bad! The city really is in the middle of sporting event madness and it's very contagious. Although, we've always been a hockey town here with the canucks, but this is really on a whole new level.

A little taste of the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics

2010-02-17T21:58:00.000-08:00

Beautiful, clear skies - +12 days - it's hard to imagine that these are our "winter olympics". But yet, here they are. It's a zoo downtown - thousands upon thousands of people crowd into every corner of the city and line-up for every venue, event, or exhibit. Raph and I braved the crowds and actually had quite a bit of fun. There were a few moments when we felt like we were uninvited guests to someone else's party - but we quickly turned our frown upside down and basically pushed our way to get to where we wanted to go. I really wanted to go ice-skating at Robson square - so we did! Sure I had to knock over a few kids along the way, but I got on the ice (just kidding, I didn't knock over any kids. Okay, I did). We also hung out at the library and enjoyed the view, rode the Canada Line (which is REALLY cool and something we get to keep!) and took lots of pictures of the clock, flame, ect. It really was truly wonderful and as long as one is prepared for just experiencing a place that is as crowded as an ant hill, one will have a ton of fun. Tomorrow I'm going back to experience it all over again.

First Valentines!

2010-02-16T23:14:00.000-08:00

This is what I woke up to on Valentines! I could hear that Raph had gotten up early and gone out, but I really didn't imagine that he would do anything special. We had dinner plans after all and I felt like that was more than enough - - but when I wandered out of bed, I saw this on the kitchen table! AWHHHH! That fuzzy thing in the back is the hat that Raph wore for his costume performing in the olympics and I totally LOVED it, and he gave it to me. AWHHHHH. It's soooo nice. And he even put sugar in a little bowl for the strawberries.

Vancouver Olympics

2010-02-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

Let's just pretend that the last post never happened. I have no idea where I got this "first of the month" blogging idea. Seems I've been gone long enough to receive some spam on my comments section. I'll just take them as loving fans! Moving on . . .
Welcome world to Vancouver! We've all been preparing for the Olympics for a long time here in the city - the upheaval of the Cambie street, the buses, the construction, the downtown madness - but really, nothing totally prepares you for having your city turn into an Olympic site - - and I love every minute of it!! The first thing that really got me excited was going to the rehearsal for the opening ceremonies this past Monday. Raph, of course, was performing in the show so he got 5 tickets! We weren't allowed to bring cameras, so I didn't take any pictures, but needless to say, it was a wonderful experience. My favorite part was when all the flags came out, and then at the end, the Canadian flag was brought out. Even though it was just a rehearsal, there was so much excitment in the stadium, that everyone stood on their feet and cheered and I felt really emotional and certainly very proud of my country. My other favorite part was of course, the part that my dear hubby was in - which was the "Rhythms of the Fall section". He was a lumberjack fiddler with a violin with a flaming bow!
Next up - the torch came right by my work place on 10th Ave. this past Thursday. Thousands of people gathered to see the flame come by, and I was hard pressed to get a good photo. Everyone in Point Grey was there and the energy that evening was nothing like I had seen. Point Grey is usually such a quiet neighborhood and that evening it was sizzling!
Finally, yesterday, I watched the opening ceremonies with my close friend Rebecca. It was neat watching it on the screen when I had seen the rehearsal earlier that week. There were so many things that looked better on camera and other things that looked way better in real life. Afterwards, I met Raph downtown and we partied away at a club full of cast members. It was so much fun, we stayed out really late and just savored the excitement. I don't think Vancouver has ever been this much fun before!

Welcome to the future

2010-01-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

I think this is the decade that we're supposed to find out whether there is life on other planets or not. Most likely it will be some sort of frozen algae. Excitement!
So far 2010 has been fantastically old-fashioned. My friend got married on New Years day and it was a lovely reunion of friends and a gorgeous wedding. Other than that, I've been working a ton at Curves because it's just that time of year. People are making resolutions to add more fitness into their lives because we can have all sorts of advancements in technology and science that allow us to live longer, but if we're not exercising and eating right, our quality of life diminishes. It feels really serious this year - people are working harder at the gym and coming in more often. Love it! Perhaps it has something to do with the Olympics right around the corner - people are excited about athletics. But what we are NOT excited about, is the traffic. Signs are up all over the city saying, 'Bike, Walk, Bus - road closures soon to be in effect'. We shouldn't even think about going downtown by car. You get a mental fine for even letting the thought pass through the brain. I wonder if all this hoopla is going to be worth it. After it's all said and done - after the carbon tax, the new HST and other tax hikes, it really seems like it's the small business owners that are paying for it. And I can't even afford a ticket! I wonder who can: at tickets ranging up to $24,000, I really hope it's worth the coin!

Year in Review-2009

2009-12-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

January
-Raph and I brought in the New Year at our friends apartment in downtown Vancouver.
-Karen Rae and I continued to live happily in our basement suite in South Vancouver, lovingly labeled the "Lanark Home".
-Karen Rae and I had many wonderful memories there together and had lots of fabulous fireplace nights and long chats.

February
-Karen moves out of the basement suite to move to Toronto to go to "Soul Pepper" - an academy of training and performance for theatre. A prestigious school, I am happy to have her leave to pursue her dreams, but sad to loose such a close friend and excellent roommate. I am left alone in the suite with three bedrooms and two bathrooms to myself - and of course, the entire amount of rent.
-I continue to work at Curves full-time.
-Keela moves in mid-month, a friend from Central Heights days.

March
-I GET ENGAGED!! Raph asks me to marry him in Gearhart OR on the beach. One of the best days of my life.
-I house-sit for my future in-laws as they bike around Florida. During this time, I took a month off work to wedding dress shop and do initial planning for the wedding. Kyla Read holds down the fort at Curves.

April:
-I purchase my gorgeous wedding dress and nail down the date, location and minister for our wedding.
-I continue full time work
-I spend time with Keela and enjoy the last few months of living sans husband!

May:
-Send out invitations for the wedding.
-Continue full time work
-get really sick - probably H1N1 (99% sure it was, but I never got tested. I had all the symptoms and had to actually go home to nursed by my mom - see May's blog post).
-My Grandmother turns 97

June:
-work full time at Curves, and more - begin to feel some concerning aspects of the recession. I compensate for this by working longer hours and start to wear a bit thin with all the work and wedding stress.
-I spend every weekend at the farm in Chilliwack planning with my mom. It's an amazing memory for me of spending time with family and being in the country.

July:
-Hot spell! The weather is amazing! I spend a lot of time tanning in the front yard and doing gardening, knowing that I will not have a garden or front yard to attend to for many years once I move into Raph's.
-Keela lets me know that a work friend is looking for a place to live. Her name is Sarah.
-Each weekend I go home to do more planning of the wedding, spending time with family.
-My tan is looking really, really hot.
- I spend a lot of time at the gym, working on my fitness and working on my business suffering form the recession.
-I cat sit for a week for a mentor from theater school- I love spending time in her old fashioned mansion. It feels like a vacation in the city!
-Keela lets Sarah and I know that she will pursue her masters come September out of country, thus giving her notice for Sept 2009.
-Raph's grandma comes out for the upcoming wedding from Poland. She will remain out here for 6 months.

August 2009:
-Work a lot
-Go home each weekend for wedding planning
-tan A LOT. The weather is super hot!
-every spare second is spent doing wedding planning, from seating charts, to catering menus, to bridesmaids fittings, to wedding dress fittings to hair appointments, to programs, to out of town guest arrangements, to rehearsal dinner arrangements, to veil choices, to flower arrangements, to family feuds, to marriage counseling, to shopping, to returning items to sewing sashes, to renting decorations to musician bookings, to firework confirming to house-hold things like, replacing the toilets, to landscaping to the barn re-furbishing, to the photography picking to electrical choices, to fixing the cars and choice of chauffeur arrangements, ect ect ect.
-August 29th - I get married to Raph!!!!
-We honeymoon initially in Harrison Hot Springs
-Keela leaves Lanark home.

September:
-Raph leaves to shoot a movie right after we are married and is gone for two weeks. Yes, this is weird, but it was an opportunity he couldn't say no to. I decide to keep my basement suite for the month of September and continue to live with Sarah.
-I spend a lot of time at my parents house, as I take an extra week off work in Sept. During this time, I write the majority of my thank you cards.
-I begin to work a lot! I feel determined to get things rolling at work and September is one of our busiest months of the year there.
-Raph and I being renovations on his apartment and I move into his place on my birthday!

October:
-We continue with painting and renovations on the apartment and live in general caoes.
-We go out for dinner every single day because we do not want to do dishes and I don't have the time to cook.
-I work more than full time
-Raph's cat, Benson is discovered to having a bad case of fleas. We fight the fleas with cleaning, baths and sprays. It is non-effective. I get 60 bites and the bed is infested.
-We book our official honeymoon to Cuba.

November:
-We buy a dish-washer.
-We take Benson to the vet to take care of the flea problem and discover that he has a tumor and will need to be put down soon. We delay this procedure.
-We spend a lot of time cleaning to rid the apartment of the remaining fleas.
-Benson begins a terrible downward spiral, Raph is depressed
-My grandmother health begins to fail.
-I go to Vegas with 14 girl friends for a friends staggette. Friends include Tamara (a close friend and bridesmaid of mine, Lisa ( a friend and employee at Curves) and Gemma (bride to be).
-Raph makes the decision to put Benson down - sadness abounds as Benson was his best friend for many years and a member of his family.
-We leave for Cuba for our honeymoon and have the BEST TIME EVER.
-I work a bit less this month with all the traveling and have some excellent new hires!

December:
-Things slow down a bit at work (as is always the case in December and we reflect that with some limited Christmas hours).
-We begin Christmas madness with shopping and decorating at our home and our parents home.
-Christmas is especially wonderful this year because Raph's Grandma is still here and we are able to spoil her with love and presents.
-My grandmother takes a bad turn for the worst and is put into the menno hospital. We visit her often.
-I look forward to my friend Gemma's wedding taking place Jan 1, 2010.

GOALS FOR 2010:
-spend less time on the Internet
-continue to learn what it means to be a manager - and learn how to delegate (veeeeery hard for me!)
-learn how to cook better/healthier.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T18:29:00.000-08:00

And what a merry Christmas it is indeed. For our first Christmas, we have TWO trees! We have our fake tree, and then Raph got a real tree for me as well, just for fun. I've been decorating at Curves, at my in-laws, at my parents and at home. We will spend Christmas Eve with Raph's parents and Grandma, and we will spend Christmas day with my family. There is no need to negotiate because Raph's family always celebrates on Christmas Eve and my family always celebrates on Christmas Day. This year will be special for the Kepinski side because Raph's Grandma is there. Her name is Ewa - which is also my mother's name (except spelled Eva). She is here from Poland and has come out for our wedding and Christmas. She will be going home in January, so we have to enjoy our time with her as much as possible. My own grandmother, Sophie (which is my middle name), is not doing very well. She's been in the hospital and has recently come back home to her apartment. Her heart is giving way, and her breathing ragged. She still presses on, but at 97 years old, we know that she would rather be "home" than home. We are very much looking forward to time spent with family and a few days off from work!

Honeymoon!

2009-12-03T14:03:00.000-08:00

Our time in Veradero, Cuba was fabulous. The beaches were perfect, the weather was fantastic - we went shopping in town, spent lots of time at the pool and tanning, we went on a catamaran ride, saw a dolphin show, went snorkeling, went to different beaches - spent some time in the "disco". Resorts are kind of funny places - the people that you met are really interesting, cool and a bit strange as well. It's neat meeting people from all over the world. It's also so fascinating to people watch - I felt like we were undercover spy's or something the whole time - the people watching we did was amazing. From wild drunk people, to loud complainers, to unhappy couples, to the bizarrely sophisticated Russians, to the old men with young wives - it was a wealth of characters. True to form, the food was awful (note my grossed out face at my "breakfast" picture. Champagne helped.) - but thankfully, Raph and I are not food people. We found much more pleasure in the amazing sunshine and romantic company. The resort we were at was clean, classy, had really fun shows in the evening and the Cubans especially were simply wonderful, wonderful people. This generous honeymoon was donated by my in-laws are we are endlessly thankful for them splurging on us. It was so, so, so fun and we had the best time together. We can't wait to go on vacation again next year. Hopefully next year will be Costa Rica or Jamaica!

This last pic here is back in rainy Vancouver - our airport is so unbelievable. It's gorgeous. This is a huge piece of artwork/waterfall that we saw. We were pretty much in awe of our wealthy country when we came home, and in horror at the amount of rain there was. We missed the worst of it though, and since we've been home it's been sunny, clear and cold.

Benson, our cat - loved deeply and now has passed on.

2009-11-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is a tribute that Raph wrote about Benson, our cat. Although I have sometimes been quite mean to Benson, especially when it comes to comparison with Tilly, I really did love him. It was very hard driving him to the vets in his little special bed, and those last few moments with him were emotional to say the least. But he had a hard, large lump him his tummy area, and there was just no way that he was going to get better. We second guess ourselves often, wondering if we could have done something more. We still wait for him to walk around, and come into the room or eat some crunchies. They are still waiting for him in the kitchen.

Benson: 1996 - November 15, 2009

Originally Benson was supposed to be my Mom's cat. I got him for her when because of her job she had to live by herself in Nanaimo. I thought she was really lonely out there (No offense but Nanaimo is a horrible city) so a nice cat would cheer her up. When one of my coworker's cats had kittens I thought what could be better so I went to her place and had a look. In the centre of the room were a bunch of cats playing rolling around and being kittens. But none of them really spoke to me, they were busy being dumb cats, but in the corner away from the group was this funny looking, white fluffy ball with big ears and huge different coloured eyes who looked at me and sort of said "do you believe this, I'm a fluffy white cat". I knew that this was the cat, at such a young age already having a cynical disdain for his position in life this cat really spoke to me.

So for the first few years Benson lived with my Mom, traveling back and forth on the weekends between the Island and Vancouver. But he was always kind of my cat and when finally my Mom moved back to Vancouver Benson came to stay with me. At first I kind of didn't want him, I was young and image conscious and what was a "cool" guy like me going to do with a fluffy white cat. I even gave him away once but within the hour he was back because he terrorized his new owner and tore up their whole place. So I was stuck with him and he was stuck with me but over the years we reluctantly became good friends.

There was always a real wisdom in Benson's eyes. It gave lots of people the creeps because he refused to be a cat, If you dangled a string in front of him he would humour you for a bit and play with it but that kind of dumb sport was really beneath him. Benson was a thinker. He liked to sit and watch the birds and squirrels run around outside the window, he knew he didn't have to chase them, there was plenty of food. He liked to observe the humans in his house. Most notably Benson was the proprietor of Benson's Bar, a bar I set up at home for me and my friends. Benson over saw us all and looked on us with the same disdain that he looked on at those kittens stupidly rolling around.

As Benson's Bar was closed down Benson and I spent more time reading and hanging out. He didn't really like to go on my lap but he would curl up next to me and jab his back into my thigh. If I had a monologue or audition to practice he would look on out of his kitty bed, meowing if I sounded fake or forced, always showing his disdain for nonsense.

Benson was for the most part very docile, he never bit or scratched unless provoked, he liked to get rasty sometimes and play fight with me when he was younger but for the most part he liked sleeping in his kitty bed, going outside to take in the fresh air, munching on his crunchies, drinking out of the toilet, spreading white fur everywhere, and snuggling in my bed. He could be real fierce though when threatened. One time when in the middle of the night a stray Raccoon wandered into our house, Benson fought them off with a terrible racket. A saliva covered tuft of Benson's hair lying on the ground the only injury he suffered. I didn't see any raccoons near the place after that. He also fought off Skunks, suffering a good dousing, and when a friend brought a dog over once, the dog left needing serious psycho-therapy.

Just a couple months ago I was remarking with a friend who had noticed that Benson must be getting on in age, how well and healthy Benson was doing but in my heart I was getting worried. He'd slowed down a bit, spending more and more time sleeping in his bed. He took up the habit of now sitting on my lap which is something he never did before, and he didn't meow as often as he did in the past. Benson had different meows for whatever he wanted; dirty litter, water, food, going outside. I figured he was just slowing down.

Last month he started hiding under the bed, something he never ever did. After investigating it turned out he had a bad case of flees. So he got taken to the vet and while there it was discovered he had a tumor in his leg extending into his abdomen. So he came home, cured of the flees but not doing well. He started eating and drinking very little and retired to his kitty bed where he would spend all of his time. We tried to feed him directly and bring him water but he didn't want it. I hoped that the tumor was a slow one or benign and that he would get better, and there were days where he seemed to perk up, but finally today after so many weeks of getting thinner and thinner I knew and he knew it was time. He stopped purring and he gave a kind of feeble meow when petted that seemed to say "I hurt". So, with my mom, my dad, and my wife, the whole family took Benson wrapped in his favorite and only kitty bed down to the vet where in our presence they put him to sleep for the last time. He was very brave, he didn't meow or cry in the car or at the vet. He died quietly with his eyes open. He was one heck of a cat and an even better friend and he will be terribly missed around here. Rest in piece Bennio.

Vegas!

2009-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, 14 lovely ladies and I went to Vegas to celebrate a good friends upcoming wedding. We did a lot of shopping, dancing, and sight-seeing. Vegas at this time of year is approx. room temperature. I won about $80 on the slot machines, however, I spent that much gambling as well - so nothing gained. You can imagine that with 14 really hot chicks we got into just about anywhere with VIP treatment. It was pretty insane - We had Gemma, the bride, all dressed up and she got a lot of attention. It was a super fun girls trip. I think Vegas is probably the most fun with a group of girls, cause it's just that kind of a town.

A few more pics: Bride and Groom

2009-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

A few more pics: Bridesmaids and Groomsmen - Carolyn Marie Photography

2009-09-30T14:25:00.001-07:00

These are just a few of the gems that we got from our fabulous photographer. We are so pleased with the results!

Our Wedding

2009-09-08T23:47:00.001-07:00

I truly believe that my wedding day was the happiest day of my life. There were so many reason for us to have a quiet, small day - with just a few choice family in attendance, but we are so thankful that we made it a major event! There is so much joy in celebrating with all of your family and friends, and the blessings are worth all the stress that come along with planning a huge event like this. From the sewing of the dresses, to the landscaping, to the weather worries, to the hospital visits (my dad stepped on a hornets nest three days before the wedding), to the arguments, to the general chaos, let's be honest here - planning a wedding is a little like putting a Broadway show on it's feet. But unlike a play, there is no acting. It's real-life and there are so many emotions attached to the day, it's hard not to take everything personal. Things seemed to be slightly out of control the days before the wedding, but the morning of August 29th, the sky cleared, the sun came out and a hot breezy day emerged. Everything went off without a hitch. It was so amazing how everything came together so perfectly. Walking down the isle was momentous. Both my dad and I barely held it together. I rarely cry, but it look all my willpower to not burst out into a major wailing fit when the music played and people began to stand. I really felt like I was going to loose it. Somehow we managed to keep it together, but not without me breaking out into massive sweat. I mean, it was INTENSE. From there on in, though, I just relaxed and enjoyed the perfect day. It really, really was a dream day - "magical" as Raph calls it. I can't express how deep and meaningful it was to have so many people there, and so much love in one room. And the reception was just a fun, fun, event. It was so incredibly classy and casual at the same time - it was just the way I had envisioned it. I really do understand now, why people celebrate anniversaries - it's such a special day, it's meant to be remembered for a lifetime.

Curves Shower

2009-08-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

The wonderful woman at Curves threw me a massive shower on August the 5th. Hosted in the happy home of Jill Rae 30 guests showered me love, food, presents, and laughter! I was so incredibly blessed by this event. What a memory! And what a fabulous job that I have, working with such generous women.

Hot enough for ya?

2009-07-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

Wowzers! My dreams have come true, because we are in the middle of a massive heat wave! We had such a cold winter, I have been longing for this weather to come and now it is here in full force! Today I took the day off work and all I've done is lie in my front yard and literally hose myself down every 15 minutes. I think the neighbors should start paying a fee because I'm putting on quite a show. It is SO HOT OUT!! Today was the first day where I really felt lethargic and my cool basement suiete started to crawl up in temperature. I thought I was lucky living in such a cool place but it seems that even my chilly haven has turned on me. I'm not complaining though - I really come alive in this kind of weather - I think I was born in the wrong country because I'm such a sun bunny. I have so been enjoying my own sunny knowl and I know that Raph is just cooking in his apartment. That will be me next year! But, for now - I enjoy my yard, and my garden hose - and soaking shirts in the sink, ringing them out and wearing them until they dry. It really actually works - if your hot, try it out!

Celebration of Lights 2009

2009-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

A member of mine won two VIP passes to see the fireworks above the bathhouses right at English Bay in a closed off area. She couldn't use the tickets, so she gave them to Raph and I. We were all too pleased to not have to slog it out with the masses for a spot on the beach and by getting there a bit early, we reserved ourselves (seriously) the BEST seats in the house - right in front of the barge, in the front row, center. We were right by the speakers, so for the first time ever, the fireworks were timed exactly with the music, not being delayed by the space. And they were perfect. They seemed, to us, to be the best fireworks ever seen on the face of planet earth and I "ooohed" and "awwwwhed" the entire time. They seemed as though they were being done just for us. Probably one of the most satifying things about being on this enclosed deck of lucky people was the fact that we had our own toilet up there. Sitting above the bathrooms, we saw thousands of people waiting in line. I didn't have to go to the bathroom, but I went anyways, just because I could.
Thanks Zuzanna for giving us such a romantic date!

South Vancouver vs Kits vs Greendale vs Point Grey

2009-07-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Oh the many places I exist!
Every weekend between now and the wedding, I am going home to Chilliwack to do planning and to hang out at the family farm. I've done this for the past two weekends (Thursday night to Sunday night) and it's been enormously helpful in getting things set up for the big day. This past weekend I finalized my flowers, and made some pretty big steps towards picking my table decorations. I also met with my seamstress again and we're working towards making my dress and the bridesmaid dresses a perfect fit. There were of course, many other things that I did that weekend, including celebrate my niece's birthday party. 12 year old girls are full of energy! What an awkward time of life - but so beautiful too. This for me, as well, is a bit of an awkward time, as I pass between what seems like several worlds. For the past few years, I've gone from one end of Vancouver to the other end of the fraser valley on what seems like a weekly basis. It feels so interesting to be on the brink of a major change since for so, so, so many years - things have just been the same. I wonder what it will be like to relocate to Kits in a perminant basis. It's so loud and tiring there - with tourist and young people. It's such a luxurious place to live, yet I think I feel most at home when I'm simply at the farm. Country living vs. City living: It's on my mind several times every single day of my life. One thing I know for sure - it's such a pleasure to have this extended youth, staying at home with my parents on the weekends. I often feel so blessed to have been given all this gentle time with my family that so very few of my friends have recieved. People often ask me if I'm excited to get married - of course I'm excited, but I also believe in living in the moment, and savouring every season of life for what it's worth. So, I do embrace these last few days of singleness, and the last few moments of being a Dueck. It annoys me when people just think that getting married is a time of squeals and parties - it's also a time of change, reflection and some loss. I think people don't like to focus on those things, but I believe it's healthy to look at it with seriousness. It's a change, and change is always uncertain.

2009-07-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's only a month and a half until our wedding and now the rush is really on with our planning. I still don't feel that panic that brides are supposed to have and I don't think I've turned into bridezilla yet. The only moment of true frustration was with our florist. I simply don't like her style or personality. I particularly didn't like her saying "no" to my ideas. We've decided that instead of having her do all our flowers, we are going to attempt to do some of our own, with the help of my many crafty aunts, and also with a few well placed silk flowers. This of course, will turn out to be much more work than simply paying someone else to do it - but I feel like I will like the end result more and feel less anxious about it. And, I mean, how much work could it be - cutting a rose from someone else's garden, taking some greenery that happens to be lying by the side of the road and wrapping some ribbon around it. Just kidding. Not really. Yes I am. no. No wonder the florist was vetoing my ideas.
Raph and I haven't been able to spend a lot of time together these days, but we did manage to tandem bike around Stanley Park a few weeks ago. All went well, until he decided to dive bomb off a hilly cliff. If you've ever driven with Raph, you know that something like that is to always be expected.

Invitation

2009-06-08T17:08:00.001-07:00

Sort of hard to see, I know - but if you click on the photos, it's much better. The lettering is raised, and the paper is embossed with the flowers - lovely!

Bridesmaid dresses

2009-06-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Okay - - this is an exciting post!
This here is my sister and maid of honor wearing her dress! Now, yes, I understand that it looks sort of like a nurses uniform, but we got THREE for 40 bucks! Yes, one of them is white and the other two are size 14 but hey - - the menno in us couldn't resist the bargin! So, now we go about trying to get a seamstress to take these darn things in because all my bridesmaids are sooooo skinny. Even the one that just had a baby is TINY. Also, there remains the problem of the white dress. It looks JUST like a wedding dress. So, basically, there are going to be two brides at my wedding. To rectify this problem, we are going to have the candle-lighters wear white as well. Also, the bridesmaids are going to be given white sashes, and the flowers girls will be in both blue and white as well. I think it should turn out okay. And after all the mending and sashes, we'll have spent a small fortune trying to make these "cheap" dresses work. Really though, they are quite nice . . . I love the color and they match my dress. They even have a criniloin in them so they get kinda poofy at the bottom - and they even have their tags still on them. You can hear me justifying the work can't you . . . .
BY THE WAY - IF YOU WANT TO COME TO THE WEDDING:
ANYONE is invited to the ceremony. All my Curves members are invited, ANYONE CAN COME - it's an OPEN EVENT. It's a public ceremony and the church is large and can fit lots and lots and lots of people - so just come on by if you happen to be in the area on August 29th. I'll scan an invite onto my blog so you can have more details. You don't need to contact me if you want to come - you can just come.
IF YOU WANT TO COME TO THE RECEPTION: You will have to email me your address so I can add you to the guest list and inform the caterers. DONNA.
It's NOT a big deal to ask to be on the guest list - - I just don't know who to all invite - as I've just invited who I think would want to come. It's probably my own insecurity that assumes that people probably don't want to come whom I haven't been in close contact with in the last few years.

long sick rant

2009-05-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure it's swine flu. Stand back internets.
I am feeling much better now though, thanks to best rest and total care from my mother.
I have found that talking does accelerate my coughing though, and I have been on vocal rest for the past week now - which is an extremely difficult thing to do in my line of work. I've been communicating with my members through a wipe board, animated gestures and the computer. Many people think that I shouldn't even have been at work, but really I feel totally fine if I don't speak - I have lots of energy and today I can say that I feel almost normal again.
I think I got sick because in the last few weeks my nail and hang nail biting habit has returned, turning my hands in what Raph calls "Crack Whore Hands". They looked really awful and I can only imagine all the germs that got into my body as I constantly had my fingers in my mouth. GROSS! Why do I do that?? Last week, I could tell that I was starting to feel cranky, not quite as positive and low energy. I knew that I was coming down with something. Then a new friend, Claire, asked me to see the remount of "John and Beatrice". This was the play that my good friend, Karen Rae was in last year. She couldn't be in the remount because she moved to Toronto to be apart of the excellent theatre program "Soul Pepper". It's a two year contract and for an actor, that is basically like winning the lottery. She had to turn down a few roles, and John and Beatrice was just another casualty. I knew I shouldn't have gone to see the play, but I couldn't help it because I was so excited about making a new friend! It's such a fantastic show and the new actress playing Karen's part did so very well - however, I am biased to Karen's performance, and this actress was quite a bit older so it made her role quite desperate in her search for love. Perhaps an older actress was really the best way to go, because Karen is so young and beautiful the audience has a hard time believing that she would never find love again after John leaves. When he leaves Beatrice this time around, it really does feel tragic because she is left totally alone with her mental condition. Beatrice really is, let's face it, crazy.
Of course, Claire (my new friend) and I went out after the show and had the best time chatting about loves past and I'm so glad I went, but the next morning - waking up for work I knew I would be in for it! What is really amazing though - is that it was the long weekend coming up, so I was able to box an extended long weekend (5 days) and plan my trip home to Chilliwack to be nursed back to health by my mother. I was supposed to leave Thursday evening, but I just couldn't get myself to drive home, and on Friday morning, I woke up to my sister calling me telling me to get home right away because the traffic was going to be getting very bad. Indeed, it was so backed up, I wanted to stop my car and tell people driving into the city to turn around - it was backed up from Langley all the way across the bridge. There was no accident either, simply volume. I wondered why so many people wanted to get INTO the city on the long weekend. Whistler maybe? As I continued driving I realized that I was totally starving and at 30 years of ago I needed my mothers care desperately. Though starved, I threw up all over my car from hacking fits. SO AWKWARD. I longed to have mom serve me all my needs and fantasized the whole way home of the home made soup she would bring me, the hearty meals and spoon fed cough syrup, the little bed tray she brought up meals on, and my favorite, the little bell that I got to ring to have my mother rush to my side when items of need ran low.
When I arrived home, all my dreams were fulfilled and were even better than I had imagined. The little bell was replaced with an ornamental type of gong that was so loud, my mother could even hear it as she worked in the fields. When the gong went missing mysteriously for a few hours, I simply called her on my cell phone, "More water, please" I mumbled. "Who is this?" she replied forgetting for a moment that her grown invalid daughter was upstairs in the attic.
Sat and Sun were the worst. The days passed and turning into a coughing/ gagging nightmare. There were these huge fits that caused my lungs and ribs to heave and ache. Surly if my mother wasn't there to take care of me, I might have had to be taken to the hospital! One thing that I remember from those two days is that my mom had planned a dinner party previous to my arrival for Sat. night. One of the guests was my sister's husbands boss and his wife. I didn't want to disrupt the party, so I spent the evening coughing into my pillow and muttering angry groans to my childhood stuffies, jealous that my mother was not able to be on bell duty that evening. I vaguely remember calling my parents land line just to hear her voice and managed to whisper, "What are you eating down there?" When she came upstairs with a plate, I was like a little caged dog who hasn't seen their owner, waiting by the door. Like an angel, she had a fabulous meal prepared and put it on the tray by my bed, and when she left, I put the plate on the floor and ate it lying on my side because I was tired and bored of lying in bed. After those selfish guests left, I was able to have my mother all to myself again - the joy! I watched them drive down the long driveway into the night and swore one of them turned around in the car to look directly at the official attic ghost of the Dueck household.
Once gone, I victoriously rung the gong and was writhing in happiness when my mother came and spent the rest of the evening refreshing my items and putting wet cloths of my forehead. She even read me stories from my childhood, and I hung onto her every word, the old stories that had not been heard for twenty years, so familiar now that I could almost re-tell them myself not even knowing where the memory of them came from.
On Monday, the worst had passed. I had regained some use of my voice and the horrible blisters on my tonsils were gone. Cough remains.
Tuesday left me with the strength to pick and order invitations and flowers with the help of my sister (by pointing to the ones that I liked in a catalogue, violently waving my arms to the ones I disliked, and whispering, "NO Lillies and MINIMAL carnations". That really left me only time to get home to Vancouver very exhausted but so thankful for my tender, nursing mother - not to mention an entire Pontiac full of farm grown produce, canned homemade soup, and Tupperware filled with hearty healthy meals.
As an independent, aware adult, I must ask myself: does the childhood habit of biting my hangnails reflect my inner anxiety of officially leaving the household of my father and creating a new one with my husband? Perhaps, unconsciously, by sticking my fingers in my mouth, I allowed myself to get sick at the perfect time, over a long weekend, to experience the childhood happiness of being cared for by my mother one last time. Oh, I know that I will always be her youngest daughter, but you have to admit, there is something odd about a married woman running home to her mom each time she gets sick with a bad cold.
Still, as I drove away this past Tuesday, my dad was heading out to Whitehorse for a building project and she would be left alone for the week at the farm. "Who will take care of me if I get sick?" she asked - - I guess it will be me. I will be the one who answers her bell call. One day, she will no longer be able to take care of herself, and I am her re-payment for a life's work of love.

2009-04-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

For the past few days, I've been plant sitting at the Kepinski's. My soon to be mother and father in law go on frequent bike trips. A year or so ago they biked from Vancouver to San Diego, then a few months ago they biked around France, and now, they have been biking around Florida. They are super, super athletic! Joanna who also does a lot of Yoga goes to my Curves as well. Michael has run marathons and loves jogging. It's safe to say that being active and healthy are probably the most important things in their lives - that and their love for eachother and their family. They are also very supportive of both Raph and my careers and they love to hang out and have a good time with us. It feels really natural to marry into their family because they seem like family already! And, how cool is it that I get to hang out at their house when they're away like it's my own place? I'm so happy to have in-laws that not only do I respect, but love!

Fun Times!

2009-03-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of planning to do - I'm finding that I'm already late, late, late for planning if I would like to have a summer wedding. We were thinking at first November, to give ourselves a bit more time - but the idea of having a summer wedding seems so much more appealing. We are thinking that August the 29th sounds like a perfect date, but we're not 100% for sure yet. Either way, it will be this year.

In other news, my close friend (and bridesmaid!) Rebecca deBoer had her baby! Her baby's name is Lilia Noelle. She's so beautiful! I'm so excited for my friends as they enter this new and amazing stage of life.

Thank you SO much for all the well wishes!

2009-03-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a ride! We've been totally overwhelmed with love this past week. From immediate family, to close friends, to old friends to aquaintancs, we've had full inboxes and voicebox's for days and it's been such a neat experience to share the joy with people. I know for sure a high-light for me (and perhaps a challenge in the months to come) is the great fun has been sharing the joy with my members at Curves who are oh, so happy for me. And with each new wave of business that comes in, I get to re-share the story to a room full of eager women who want to hear the details, see the ring, share their own stories and give fabulous advice. They literally stop working out to crowd around me and see the ring and give me hugs. Sometimes, when I feel like I can't smile anymore, with a new wave of clients I just have to take off the ring and say to myself, "I'm going to have to sit this one out." They'll all find out in good time - there's nothing more fun than sharing a romantic story with a group full of women!
A lot of people wonder when the date will be and we're thinking October/November. I'm not going to decide on an actual date until mid April (I'm good with deadlines). Right now, I just want to enjoy being engaged. I still have quite a few family members to see (including my parents!) and I simply want to bask in the fun for a few moments before I get down to the other fun part - which is the planning. There are SO many people that are engaged right now - I guess there must be love in the winter air. I'm sure I'll be able to glean some good information from them and from the many who are already well into their journey of wedded bliss!

How he asked!

2009-03-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's a very long, long story but I'll try and make it as short as possible. Over all, I knew that he was going to ask me because my parents had called me to ask why Raph wanted me meet with them a week ago Wednesday. I guess he drove out to Chillwack and apparently spent four hours with them! I don't think I'll ever know what they actually talked about but obviously they thought it was great. I kept waiting for Raph to ask me and finally I was like, "When are you going to ask?" and he said something like he wasn't going to ask for a while for this reason or that. On March the 7th he took me on a surprise trip and told me to bring my passport. I felt really cranky because I didn't know what was going on and it was the end of a long work week. I felt like I just wanted him to ask me on the side of the road! We drove for EIGHT hours, got stuck in Seattle rush hour traffic, got lost ect. Needless to say, I was like, "What is happening??!" When we finally arrived at our destination, I realized what was in store for me. He had rented a beautiful house/cabin in Gearhart, Oregon that had it's back sliding doors have a view of the Pacific Ocean just a few yards away. It was a huge two bedroom, two bathroom cottage style vacation home with a full kitchen and fireplace/living room. I was totally shocked and immediately sad that I didn't just enjoy the mystery in the ride up. Raph got some food that my mom had packed along and went to Safeway to get some more groceries. There was a bookmark in a book my mom had packed along that said, "Cheer up! Take courage, depend on the Lord". I resolved that for the rest of the weekend, I was just going to trust the journey and have fun. I simply went to sleep and I rested so well. In the morning, Raph made me breakfast and we went for a walk to the beach. On the short sandy path there, Raph noticed a garbage bag in some long grass. He went to go look inside it and I said, "Don't touch that, it's probably a dead body!" and he said, "You've been watching too much CSI" and he pulled out roses and champagne. I was totally surprised, but at the same time I knew exactly what was coming. He lead me to a park bench and he took my hand and said something like, "We've known eachother for five years now, we've been through good times and hard times, ups and downs, but I think we make a great team and I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Then he got down on one knee and pulled out the ring and I was like, "WOW!" and I said wow a few more times and he said, "You still have to say something" and I said, "yes, yes, of course!" and then he got up and sat next to me and we laughed and had a big hug and kiss. We walked back to the cabin and had a glass of champagne and then took the camera and tripod out and took a whole steam of photos which ended up looking SO fabulous and were very organic and real. I really felt like such a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt so happy and so very in love! For the rest of the weekend we just went to little shops and had coffees and watched movies and made food together. It was such a relaxing/exciting weekend. Raph really, really went all out on this one - there would be no way I could say no!! He is SUCH a romantic and such a amazing honest, faithful, artistic, providing, open, communicative, funny and truthful man. I'm looking forward, very much, to marrying him!

2009-03-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Flood 2009

2009-02-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures I found on ctv.com that were taken of my parents. My favorite is the one of my dad with our big red barn. They must have been really bored to have followed my parents around all day, because there really wasn't that much water!

2009-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

Recently, the snow melted in Chilliwack and there was a huge flood! Of course, my parents were on the news, and even got their picture in the globe and mail. They took their canoe out and paddled down the road with the news crew following them all afternoon. They are such attention seekers! And people wonder where I get it from . . . .
Here's a pic of my dad on the news. I also have a video of his interview on the news, but I don't know how to upload it onto a blog. He just mentions about how he's checking up on the neighbors, and getting some exercise. My mom is also in the canoe, and it's so romantic! Don't worry though - nothing happened to their house other than two inches of water in their basement (which is all cement anyways). Half of the bridge did wash away though, so I guess that will be a spring time project for my dad!

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2009! I brought in the new year with wonderful friends. I went to newlywed Andy and Una's lovely apartment in Yaletown and caught up with a bunch of people that I hadn't seen in a long time. After bringing in the new year, we headed over to Gastown to the Ion Magazine party. Ion Magazine is this hip new magazine that I've gotten into since one of my members son started it up. It's such a brave effort in a city that only appreciates mainsteam. In theatre, they're always telling us to make our own work. I'm realizing it's the truth for all artists in their many forms and I can only imagine the initiative it takes to start up ones own magazine. Not to mention the money involved, contacts and creativity. And writing.
One of the things that suck in Vancouver is that everything shuts down at 2am. Even if it's advertised as being open til 4, people at 2am neatly stiffen up and walk out the door as if a homing device is set as an alarm in their head. Now usually, I am in bed at that time, but on new years one wants to stay out late! My roommate Anya, said that she gave up trying to think that Vancouver was cool when she came back from New York. She says that Vancouver is a sleepy town that gets it's kicks from organic food, protesting drivers, drinking starbucks, shopping at MEC, and buying little gortex jackets for their dogs. We're all just west coast ocean hippies. Anyways, as soon as the snow really started coming down, the buses stopped working, people made mad dashes for taxi's, and Raph and I headed to the nearest hotel as that is where taxi's congregate and we made it home piggy-backing off the back end of some american tourists who were sorely annoyed at our weather. Since then, there have been layers of snow, sleet, ice and rain falling from the sky. I haven't driven my car since December 22 and it is hibernating in an avelanche of ice. I have to take the bus everywhere and they are packed full of people just like me. Now, it's warming up quite a bit, which is nice, but it's created a slushy mush on my hilly road. There have been tow trucks here all day long. And the tow trucks have to salt and shovel themselves out after they attempt to help us poor civilians out. The tow trucker are the solders of winter. That's about as militant as Vancouver gets. I'm looking forward to finally driving again, but unless it gets very, very warm it will be several more days. I'm enjoying lots of time at home, which is nice after a busy Christmas season. Perhaps I'll buy myself a starbucks, settle in with the lastest ION magazine, and wait out the de-frosting.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a very white Christmas over here in beautiful BC. We had more snow than I can remember and I must admit, it made the whole season very festive and romantic. I enjoyed a lot of family time this Christmas and got some really great presents too! On Christmas eve, I spent time with Raph's family and on Christmas day I was with mine. We had a huge meal and then we played in the snow, and later in the day opened presents. As usual, we went to my sister's house in the evening and watched a movie. This Christmas was so hectic and busy, I really have to admit that once again I'm looking forward to all this fun to be over. With the snow, I've had to rely on everyone else to drive me around since my car is buried under several feet of it. It has made the season unusually busy. Now, all I had to do is get through New Years and we're done and back to normal. Normal being even more busy since Curves will be jumpin' in the New Year - I've taken so much time off work in December that I'm actually looking forward to going back to work.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

This has been the most amazing holiday season. I don't think I have ever been busier, but I also don't think I have ever had more fun and seen so many people at one time. On the weekend of December 12th, my friend Rachel Lam had her 30th birthday in Calgary, and her husband, Tom flew me out to celebrate with her as a surprise. The weekend was full of such things as limo rides, and spa treatment, dinners, hotel nights, and just plain ol' girl fun. It was so neat to be able to see my friend, Rachel who is pregnant with her second baby. Calgary was very, very cold. At one point, it was -35. I also got to see an old friend, Kara-Reine from high-school. She drove me up to Canmore and we had a fun time there. It was soooo good to see old friends, and I also was able to see some relatives as well. When I came home, I was welcomed with freezing temperatures and SNOW. It has been sooooo cold out here with more snow than I have ever seen in my entire life. On December 20th, my brother, ALAN got married! My sister, Carole and I were bridesmaids and we also sang at the wedding. It was such a wild day. The wind was howling, the temperature was freezing, but there was so, so, so much love and it was an excellent day celebrated with around 150 family members and friends. It was such a special day and we welcome Ara into our family. It's great to see my brother so happy and marrying such a neat girl! Now, it brings me right to Christmas Eve. I'll be celebrating with family, but currently, I'm snowed in here in Vancouver. There is SO MUCH SNOW. I don't really know what to do because my car isn't even visable underneath the mounds of snow. I have to rely on Raph now to drive me about and he's doing an excellent job of taking care of me. We'll be spending the evening with his parents and hopefully driving to Chilliwack tomorrow early morning. Merry Christmas!

American Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

My capacity for thanksgiving comes and goes in waves. People comment on how positive I am - always seeing the silver lining on the cloud. But I often only see it for others lives not my own. I've been trying to use every opportunity to be grateful, as I really do think it is the key to true happiness. Often though, I end up being negative about something and living off that negativity for days, and then wondering why I feel so down. It's then when I realize AGAIN that I haven't been grateful. It's not our thanksgiving here in Canada, but I need all the reminders I can get to be thankful. This email came into my inbox from the writer of the book, "The Secret". A lot of people think it's a load of bunk, but it's also touched millions of lives as well. I really liked what she has to say about gratitude in this little essay and it brightened my day a lot. Happy thanksgiving to everyone!

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne
Creator of The Secret

The greatest thief of human happiness and abundance is ungratefulness. Any lack in our lives - whether in money, health, or relationships - is simply the evidence of a lack of gratitude. If you focus on lack you are not being grateful, and that will bring more lack into your life. Yet the simple state of radiating gratitude summons everything to you.

No matter who you are or where you are, you can change your life with gratitude, but you must feel it with your whole heart and radiate it from every cell. Gratitude is not a mental exercise, and in fact, if you simply use your mind for gratitude it will have little or no power. True gratitude comes from your heart! You must think gratitude through your heart, speak gratitude through your heart, and feel it intensely in your heart.

Then practice gratitude relentlessly. As you practice gratitude you will attract more thoughts and feelings of gratitude. In a short time your entire being will be saturated with it, and you will experience a happiness that is beyond what you can imagine. This is what is ahead for you when you choose gratitude as your way of life. And if you can really live in this highest state of gratitude, you will never have to ask for anything. Everything you want will be given to you before you even ask, because gratitude is the magnetic substance that opens every single door in the Universe.

This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States. To celebrate Thanksgiving, I want to share an excerpt with you from The Secret Daily Teachings, which is being released in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia on December 9th. This excerpt presents an easy way to start using gratitude and integrate it into your life by making every Thursday "Thank You Thursday." As you "Thank your way through every Thursday" you will open the most powerful receiving channel within you.

From The Secret Daily Teachings - Thank You Thursday

"Today is Thank You Thursday. Today and every Thursday is your day to say and feel "Thank you" in as many ways as you can.

Write a list of all the people and events you want to give thanks for.

Return thanks today to those who have done things for you.

As you walk say "Thank you" in your mind with each step you take.

As you drive, make each time you stop your cue to say "Thank you."

At various times in the day, think and feel "Thank you" inside you seven times in a row.

Look for every opportunity to say "Thank you" to other people, and say it with so much meaning that the person looks right at you.

Thank your way through every Thursday, and make "Thank you" your predominant thought, feeling, and words of the day.

"Thank you" - two words, inconceivable potential power, and all they need is you to put the power into them by expressing them.

Thank you!"

Camp Stillwood

2008-11-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, my favorite sister of mine and I went on the Central Heights ladies retreat at Camp Stillwood in Chilliwack. We had such a wonderful, refreshing time. We went hot-tubbing and hiking, had facials and made cards and ear-rings. The guest speaker was Grace Fox (pictured above) who spent a lot of time encouraging us to see ourselves as adequate and reminded us to not compare ourselves to others. She's a writer and does radio talk shows. It's amazing how much love there is when you fill a room with women of all ages. We really did have a lot of fun connecting with other women, and God - but I have to admit, that the best part was being able to spend some one on one time with my sister. She really is my hero and the best mom to her children. There was also an endless amount of really well cooked and prepared food. And that impressed me. I feel significantly relaxed after the weekend, which is surprising because we didn't really sleep all that well, seeing that we were in bunk beds with 8 other women (who snored and one woman had her baby with her). But, I really felt that there was something inside of me that was rejuvinated and I'm sure that had to do with all the heart-searching we did and simply a change of scenery from every day life.

Halloween at Curves

2008-11-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Halloween was not just a night-time affair for me - oh no, it was an all day event! We celebrated by dressing up at Curves and having silly good times. A member lent me her home made clown outfit and I proudly wore it all day proving that there is nothing that I won't do to make my members laugh. I think new customers had a hard time taking me seriously though. They didn't quite trust me.
Someone came by to take the graffiti off my brick wall by the way. Hopefully I won't have a big city fine coming to me in the mail . . hmmmm. . . .
Here are a few of my very precious members at my place of work. They were such good sports and we had a lot of fun (as we always do).

Happy Halloween

2008-11-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

Being raised a Mennonite Christian, I think that Halloween was always a troubling holiday for my parents. They didn't want me to celebrate a holiday that glorified evil, but they also wanted me to have FREE candy. And in our suburban neighborhood, you could get two pillow cases full of candy if you worked hard enough. And that could last months. I usually dressed up like John the Baptist, a bride, or a hippie. Now that I'm older, I can understand their dilemma - it's a day where people watch horrible movies about zombies, are irreverent about the dead, the afterlife or the underworld, a day where Satanists do "God knows what!" and where if you drive around at night, you could get fireworks thrown at your car. I certainly would never want my child out and about in that kind of atmosphere. But, thankfully, I don't have children yet and I'm old enough to take care of myself so for once in a LONG time, I went out and danced the night away, dressed like a school girl, and stayed up well past my bedtime. It felt great - even though it took me a while to actually let go of work and start enjoying myself. Since Halloween this year fell on a Friday there were house parties going on all over the city - huge parties that had hundreds of people at them, porta-potties outside, and police supervision. I gotta say - it was pretty fun! . . . Until the following Monday when I realized that my BRICK wall at work had gotten tagged (graffiti-spray-painted) by a hooligan. Well, I guess it's just a reminder that although Halloween is a lot of fun, there are a lot of people who use it as an opportunity to just be . . . . little demons!
Here are a few pictures of my friends and I out and about!

New Roommate

2008-10-30T23:13:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited. I have a dear new friend moving into my humble home. I've posted lots about Karen Rae, and now I'm posting that she will be my new roommate! Anya and I are very happy to have her in the home now and we're going to have lots of good times. Unfortunately, she will only be with us until February 09' as she will be moving to Toronto to take part in 'Soul Pepper': a two year acting gig that is very similar to Stratford's Conservatory program. I'm so very proud of her and am happy that I get to be a big part of her last few months in Vancouver. I doubt she will be coming back (except to visit) as she's sure to make a big impression on the arts scene out there, as she already has in Vancouver. But for now - the house is in a big mess as we try and make our home cozy!

Alan's Engagement

2008-10-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Blog much? Summers for me are traditionally very, very busy with many adventures, road trips, and days at the beach. This summer was no exception and now that fall has officially settled in, I'm feeling like a happy house wife (without the house, or being a wife) spending most of my evenings at home or early evenings with friends. Tonight I've been baking muffins and purchasing and putting together shelving units for my many towels and bathroom items. Soon I'll be getting out the firewood and having log cabin evenings while the cold winter blows outside. But for now, the fall is gorgeous. The leaves are fire red and outrageous orange. The mornings are dark and gloomy, but when the sun comes up (at 8am!) it almost feels like spring. Now a days, I work 6 days a week at Curves, each and every morning. Many people wonder if I'm working too hard but I assure them that I only work about 7 hours each day so there is plenty of time just for me. I do not feel over worked at all anymore. I very much like my hours at Curves and feel like it is just perfect for me, and it makes a BIG difference in the finance department having me there each and every day. I can't believe I was such a fool to think that I could work from home. Live and learn.
BIG NEWS: My brother is engaged! He is marrying a wonderful, Christian lady named, Ara. She's a beautiful woman from Mexico and we are all so very excited for our brother. The wedding is in a shocking 2 months - December 20th, 2008. My sister and I are going to be bridesmaids. I will be posting quite often about wedding updates as there are sure to be many ups and downs along the way!

Cultas Lake 2008

2008-08-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Every year, for the past three years, our family goes camping to Cultas Lake for a whole week. We had a bit of rough weather through out the week, but for the most part, it was amazing. The kids got a chance to learn how to ski (at at least try) and we went to Cultas Lake Waterpark on a cold day. I spent a lot of time, more than any other year, skiing. I usually spent the most time skiing in the evening, when the water was the least choppy. This was the first year that I really felt like I made head way in terms of being a better skiier. I think that water skiing is one of my most favourite things to do in the summer. I had my own campsite this year - that I shared a bit with my brother. At first I thought I'd be lonely, but then I realized how many extra people we had along on this trip. There were TONS of kids - and I really appreciated having my own site so I could sleep in. Next year maybe you can join us . . .

Fiesta Day Parade 2008

2008-07-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, Curves Point Grey participated in the Fiesta Day Parade on 10th Ave. This year our float was bigger and better and had the added feature of children. These two girls are members daughters and they were so excited to be in the parade. They were really hyper before we got going, and then once they saw the thousands of people, they sat very still and waved just perfectly. I think they were pretty overwhelmed. But the parade is really for the children, so it made sense to have them involved. My Dad once again made the float and spent so much time and hard work making it. It looked amazing and I was so proud. It's such a cheesy parade, but there's something about being involved in this community that makes me feel like we really belong there. We had several members help out with it too, so that made it extra fun.

Summer=NOW

2008-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a smattering of pics of the last few weeks. The annual Jessie award ceremony took place on June 30th and it was once again a fun evening. I've spent time enjoying Whiterock and all kinds of lovely places in Vancouver, BBQ's, Fiesta Days in Point Grey, parties with friends and time just tanning in my gorgeous rose garden yard. The city is so amazing in the summer. It's like everyone comes out of their nooks and crannies and suddenly it's LA. People are roller-blading and wearing bikini tops in the streets, carrying boogie boards and wearing surfer shorts and flip flops. Everyone who has a convertable has their tops down and blasts the tunes. It's just so cool and it makes me feel like the endless rain in the winter is worth it. I don't think it is though. This summer, I'm determined to spend as much time as possible at my friend Karen's pool (pictured below). Her parents have a sweet place in Dunbar and it just needs to be used, and used often. We've already lounged there twice and every time we feel like rock stars. I'm working a lot these days at Curves - just about every day that we are open as that saves the most money during the lean summer months and I don't have very many auditions these days anyways. Recently, though - I was in another show called "Peaches" shown at the Walking Fish Festivle on Granville Island. It was a really funny, short piece that I really enjoyed doing. It was directed by none other than the very talented and handsome Raphael Kepinski.

For Julene . . .

2008-05-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

These past few months, my close friend Julene has been out in Abbotsford on furlow from her life in Indonesia. Recently, we had a surprise birthday party for her. It was such a fun time to gather and celebrate the life of someone who means so much to so many of us. Julene: I wanted to give you this picture - it's of me on a porch in the heat of a texan summer - just like our play we did in high-school. I was thinking about you when I took this picture and I had several minutes of silence afterwards smiling about how many wonderful memories I've had with you. I wish you all the best as you travel back to the heat of the equator and I cherish the many moments we have had together during your short stay here. I look forward to next time!

Dominican Pics

2008-05-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

Punta Cana

2008-04-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hola! We`re back from perfect Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic from our all inclusive vacation. The flight there was really long 6.5 hours plus all the time in the airport but it was 100% worth it. Our resort seemed like a city off of a star trek episode. We got a TON of attention eg: we were the only ones to get golf cart rides to our rooms, upgraded rooms, extra meals, ect,ect,ect - We`re sure it`s because we looked like two girls traveling alone and the locals just loved it. We spent our days lying on the beach, sleeping, eating, snorkeling, lying by the pool, eating, eating, eating, dancing, dancing, dancing, and seeing all the different amazing shows that they had there for us to watch. There were so many activities going on that it stressed me out. It took me 5 days just to get used to relaxing and then we had to go. So, next year - it`s going to have to be two weeks for sure. Also, one thing that we did that meant a lot to me, is that we went for a walk outside the resort and saw what regular Dominican life was like. The people were so happy, although really, really poor. They all lived so wonderfully but I`m sure that in most third world countries there`s a really dark underbelly that I just don`t know about or can`t understand unless I spent some more time there. So, I wish that I found out I could leave the resort earlier so I could make some friends . . . oh, and I`m going to learn Spanish.
Anyway, it was a ton of fun and sooooo needed. I love travel so much and I need to find a way to get more travel into my life. For now, it`s back to Curves and doing auditions!

A few pics from Man For All Seasons as promised . . . .

2008-04-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pics of the fun times had by all during "Man For All Seasons". Now that the show is far behind me, I'm looking forward to my next project which I will soon announce. When I find out what it may be. This past March I spent every weekend out in Abbotsford and Chilliwack as my parents were in Hawaii. I lounged at the farm and spent a lot of time with my precious Grandmother who is quickly becoming one of my closest friends and confidants. She's turning 96 this May but I often forget our age difference during our many visits. Her head is clear about her and she's remarkably modern all the while classically sporting a 20's era mind frame. Hey, the 20's WERE modern! I've also been rekindling my friendship with my dear childhood sweetheart, Julene. She's here on furlow from missionary work in Indonesia with her husband. She leaves again in May for another three years. Boooo.
March also saw me catch up on all my work at Curves that I negated during the play. Finally, now in April, I have caught up and seem to be in a rather smooth groove. So, I'm now off to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with my good friend, Tamara Hamilton. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Salute!!

Almost Done . . . .

2008-02-22T12:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a thrilling run! The attendance for this show has been stellar. We've had tons of sold out shows and each house has been mainly full. It's such a treat to do a play that has been well received by the public. The script is well written so that each show we do, new small discoveries are made: that makes this run particularly eventful for me. I'm so glad that I waited to do a project that I WANTED to be a part of instead of taking any offer, just so I could act. I've realized over my time away from the theatre that my artistry grows just as well off stage taking classes, doing auditions, and seeing others work. Teaching theatre, watching theatre, and talking theatre has made my passion for the art form grow - whereas being in one project after another drains me. I'm not just saying that because full time theatre work is impossible for me - I really mean it.
Thanks to all of you who have supported me and come out to see this show! It was so great to have you there, Julene! Thanks to my family and friends - to my supportive Curves members, to the theatre folk, and the PT gang - you number in the hundreds and I'm grateful.
This next month of March, I'm really looking forward to spending all my time at Curves - we have a big special going on that is going to require 100% of my dedication. It's going to be a busy month, but very fun.
As soon as I get my pictures developed I'll post some pics from the show!

Selections from Reviews for Man For All Seasons

2008-02-06T11:33:00.001-08:00

"Pacific Theatre, continuing with a successful season, seems to have scored another winner with A Man for All Seasons. Director Jeremy Tow has put together a marvelously talented cast with barely a weak link, and the play itself -- despite complex dialogue – moves along at an even pace.

Ron Reed is solid as history’s most famous fence-sitter. Reed makes his character thoroughly believable, revealing a powerful intellect and a sardonic wit. William Sample is utterly engaging as the Common Man, providing a vinculum between the audience and production narrative, the function divided between the roles of More’s man servant, jailer, jurist, and executioner.

The two female actors, Trish Pattenden as the superbly drawn Lady Alice More and Evangela Dueck as Margaret, More’s doting daughter, have somewhat less responsibility than the rest of the cast, but both make their time on stage count in the emotional prison scene in the second act.

In the Director’s Notes, Ron Reed draws attention to the irony of a play about the Reformation taking place in the basement of an Anglican church, for today the Church recognizes Thomas More as a martyr. He might have been bemused, even embarrassed at his eventual canonization, albeit 400 years after his death, but nonetheless, would be elated with the number colleges and schools that now bear his name."

Jerry's picks
Three plays to go see this week
Jerry Wasserman, The ProvincePublished: Thursday, January 31, 2008

3. A Man for All Seasons (Pacific Theatre, 1440 W. 12th Ave., to Feb. 23): Pacific Theatre's season of classic film-plays continues with Robert Bolt's historical drama about Sir Thomas More and Henry VIII. Made famous by the 1966 movie with Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw and Orson Welles. Pacific's all-star cast includes Ron Reed, William Samples and Chris Humphries.

"This is a splendid role for Ron Reed, a thoughtful man himself, who brings dignity leavened with wry wit to his portrayal of More. Underneath More's somewhat charming façade, Reed uncovers an iron will that finds its match in both Cromwell and Henry VIII, both played with sinister charisma by Chris Humphreys. William Samples is Bolt's "Common Man" (various serving men, a boatman, etcetera) as well as Cardinal Wolsey. Others in this excellent cast include Adam Bergquist, Damon Calderwood, Julius Chapple, Evangela Dueck and Trish Pattenden."Jo Ledingham, Vancouver CourierPublished: Friday, February 08, 2008

"William Samples is wonderfully mischievous as the shape-shifting Common Man, our confidante, who slyly comments on the play’s setting in “an age less fastidious than our own. Imprisonment without trial and even investigation under torture were common.” Evangela Dueck and Adam Bergquist are warm and intelligent as More’s daughter and son-in-law." February 14, 2008, by Kathleen Oliver

A Man For All Seasons

2008-01-15T23:21:00.000-08:00

I'm in a play! It's a lovely show, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it - so come and see it! The show is about the martyrdom of St. Thomas More and I play his daughter - it's a smaller part, but it's very significant and I'm so grateful to be in this powerful play with such heavy hitting Vancouver theatre folk. Many people ask me, "How do you run Curves AND be in a play? Where do you find the time?" and to that I respond: I bought Curves so I COULD be in plays! This show is a gentle reminder that God is indeed in control and it's not impossible to have your cake and eat it too. It is, of course, incredibly busy and I have no room for actives other than work and my play. I'm drinking monavie juice (health drink),working out regularly, drinking Curves protein shakes and multi-vitamins, lots of vit C. and getting to bed at a decent hour. I'm also trying to eat an apple every single day and making my own healthy sandwiches. It's making a big difference in harnessing the energy that I need. I do give out a big thank you to my staff at Curves who make this possible for me . . . next time one of you are in a play - I got your back (us girls gotta stick together . . . ). For more information about the show, click on the photo. There is a "pay what you can" night for opening on Jan. 24th, or you can reserve tickets that night for only $10.00, which is what I recommend so you don't have to stand in line.

post christmas season blues

2008-01-03T23:42:00.000-08:00

it's late on january 3rd . . . and i'm feelin' the post christmas season blues. my room is a definite disaster; dirty coffee mugs, old pictures, unopened mail, wires, clothes, wrapping, oranges going bad, hair rollers, case less cd's, advil, coupons, hangers, curves products, scripts, latin exercises, written "how to survive 2008" lists, and boxes and boxes of chocolates. And that's just my desk. Granted, it's been busy for all of us, so I'm not complaining . . . i just need to stop listening to radio head and get cleaning up.
It's hard to know where to begin since I feel like I've been incomprehensibly whisked from holiday mode to "RUN" mode, but here's my Christmas update.
CHRISTMAS: It was substantial.
NEW YEARS: It was great.
Once again, I was spoiled at Christmas with love, gifts, fun, food and events. There were so many friends and family that had fabulous Christmas parties and it was so magnificent basking in the luxury of their generosity and company. Although I find Christmas to be the most stressful time of year, there is always the after math - the "we've got it so good" anxiety. Now, I sit here, one day has passed to the next, and my desk is still swamped and I have a play to do and a business to run (at the busiest time of year mind you), and I'm trying to take that bit of heaven with me into the new year.

Christmas in Vancouver

2007-12-14T18:00:00.001-08:00

Here are some shots of a festive looking city. Things at Curves are reeeeally slow in December - but the club looks gorgeous. We have Karen Rae's mom, Jill, displaying her world class quilts - they make the club look fantastic. I will post some pictures if I'm allowed to - it might not sit well with Jill to have her work on the internet. So, if you're in the area, you should just drop by the art gallery aka Curves - Today Mike deBoer, one of my best friends husbands dropped by Curves and it was all a-okay - we like men, so if you're a man you can come too. I guess that's how bored we are over there - we even welcome men now! That will all change in January, one of most busy times of year for any gym. I'm really looking forward to rehearsals starting for my upcoming show "A Man For All Seasons". Please come!! I have an awesome role as Margaret More, St. Thomas More's daughter. It's been a while since I've been in a show, so I would love as many people as possible to come. That and well . . . we get a cut from the show so if it does well - you know, lunch is on me.

Christmas is right around the corner. . . .

2007-11-29T21:46:00.001-08:00

HO HO HO!! Yes - it`s that time of year. Shopping on Robson, which is usually packed, is now - especially due to the nice weather - almost impossible to weave through. But, due to the good Canadian dollar, it`s c-h-e-a-p! Like, American cheap. I`m so excited about the prices of clothes being SO much lower . . . I can hardly contain myself. That being said, I hate shopping. I hate it so much, I`ve done most of my shopping without leaving my work place. The ladies at my club are so creative, artistic, business minded and entrepreneurial, that I`ve bought most of my Christmas items, just by supporting them. It feels good knowing that the money I`m spending is going directly to a person I know, and not just Bebe. Okay, well, most of my money is going to Bebe.
I also wanted to point out that Raph and I have been to TONS of shows recently. We`ve been to Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, The Harlem Globe-Trotters, Maroon 5, the symphony and opera (i can`t remember what we saw and heard!! i suck . . . ), and about a hundred plays. It has been such an education going to all these events, and not just the theatre.
Don`t get caught up in all the Christmas Madness!!

Texas Pics -

2007-11-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Every time I go on vacation, or away - anywhere really - I either loose my camera, loose my film, or the pictures don't turn out. I took SO many pictures on this trip, and only a handful of them were in focus. No matter how I set up the shot, the person handling the amazing camera Raph had borrowed me couldn't keep it in focus. I would have been better to just have gotten a point and shoot - or taken every picture myself.

Here are a few that I managed get. This first one here is of Gary Haven, the founder of Curves - he was a really typical texan; kind of pompous chewing on a granola bar and chatting on his cell phone all the while telling us stories of his wild success. He's probably the best salesman I've ever listened to - he would have made an amazing preacher. The ladies in that crowd went nuts over him - I asked some of the women what his appeal was and they said he had "aged well." That aside, he shared some very personal stories about bankruptcy and how God had brought him to the success he has now - which was pretty cool.

These pictures here - one is of a banana spider that lived by the training room - he was there all week - his body was bright yellow, and he was actually about the size of my fist. Ewwww! There's another pictures of some weird dancing that they made us do. It was nuts. Totally nuts. I'm not knocking it - but as a Canadian it just didn't make sense to me.

These are some pictures of the bed and breakfast that I stayed at for a few days. It was so, so, so wonderful. I wish the other pictures had turned out. There would have been a wonderful one of me swinging on the porch swing in my new dress - - -

Some typical texan landscape - - wide open spaces, lots of green and lots of brown. Big roads, big homes, "everything is bigger in texas." This is one example of some old abandoned building - lots of these were around. And even the occupied ones looked like this - a long strip mall that looks like it's from the early 1900's - really wild, wild, west lookin' - like it's out of some movie.

Beautiful rolling hills - lots of ranches - so much space.

Grandma

2007-10-29T00:30:00.001-07:00

It's close to a year since I spent that special month with Grandma while my parents were away in Hawaii. Although I've seen her off and on since then, I guess I'm just missing her a lot these days so I thought I'd post some special pictures of her from that time. She recently was honoured with a plauque from Greendale MB church for being a member there for 70 years! Grandma hasn't been attending Greendale MB in person for quite a while, seeing that getting out and about is hard for her at 95 years of age. She did, however, make the trek out for this special event. When I talked to her on the phone today, she seemed so happy to have been there reconnecting with friends. Her spirits were so high and she just sounded like the picture of health. I think it'll soon be time to have tea with Grandma again.

New Website

2007-10-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

I have *yet another* website. It's
www.curveslocal.com/882

This is the Curves West Point Grey official fan website. Ha! Okay, it's not a fan website, but almost. Anyways, if you're interested in more about what Curves is about and what I do there, you can check out this site that I've been working my arse off over.

Oh, and did I mention that I was going to be in a play in January?? I will be. It'll be showing January 24 - February 23, 2008 at Pacific Theatre, and it's called "Man For All Seasons". Go to
www.pacifictheatre.org for more details. See? I'm still an actor. So there.

Curves Grand Re-Opening

2007-10-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

About this time last month, when I didn't do any posts - We had our Curves West Point Grey Grand Re-Opening. My mom and dad came out for a day and helped with handing out flyers, and we had some veggies and fruit and juice to hand out . . . we hung up Curves flags and put balloons on our signs - and a total of 23 new members signed up! It was really, really exciting for me. It kicked off my ownership to the club in a strong way and we've been working on trying to keep that momentum. Needless to say, it's been really busy over there for me - yet the club still has a quiet, homey, relaxing feel to it, which I totally love and want to maintain. This is my favourite pic of one of the days. It's just an amazing photo that I'll probably cherish for a long time. It has my devoted mom looking up at me - roses from Raph, my pink track suit, me in motion, double-tasking talking on the phone indicating how many people were interested in the club, and of course, as usual, my father looking on in the background. What a day!
Oh, and I wanted to say: thanks for reading my blog! It's nice to know that there are people who still do read blogs after all this facebook stuff! And, I also wanted to say . . . don't worry, I'm not depressed about not having, you know, the beaver cleaver perfect happy home . . . it's just a fantasy, like being famous or something - I'm sure that one day, I'll be married and have kids and all that jazz. I just may be 38 when I do it.

Random Facts

2007-10-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I was 'tagged' by Bonnie to list 8 random facts about myself on my blog. According to the tag rules I have to post these steps so you'll know what to do if I 'tag' you. So here are the tag rules:

1. Players list eight random facts/habits about themselves on their blog and post these rules.
2. At the end of your blog, you need to tag eight people and list their names (don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they are tagged, and to read your blog).

8 random facts about me:

1.) My stomach growls really loud. It can be so loud at times, it ends up being a party trick. I might have a serious problem . . .

2.) Although my eye colour is beautiful, my vision is awful. My eye-doctor said that he wouldn't be surprised if I were blind by 50.

3.) I use to play clarinet. I was the section leader of my high-school band.

4.) I sleep really bad.

5.) I use to have acne. But then I went on accutaine . . . and now I have new pores on my face and almost perfect skin.

6.) I don't gain weight. People tell me this will change. I believe them.

7.) I often feel like I'm not enough because I don't have a house, a husband and children.

8.) I'm so funny, that I make myself laugh. A little too often. At inappropriate times.

I don't think that 8 people even read my blog. But, just in case, I will tag some friends, and they can leave random facts about themselves on my message board. The people I tag are:
Raph, Carole, Dianne, Julene, Kathy Klassen, Doretha, Mandy, and Kathleen! I don't think I'll email them to remind them . . . that might be too much pressure!

Birthday 2007 and Early Thanksgiving

2007-10-02T21:49:00.001-07:00

If I wait to get my Texas pictures developed, I'll never have another blog posting . . . so, I'm just going to have to move on, and wait until I have some free time.
So, moving on to my birthday! I turned 25 AGAIN. . . amazing! This year I opted for a small family birthday party combined with an early thanksgiving dinner, since I won't be able to make it out to Chilliwack for the long weekend. We went to my home church, Central Heights MB - a church I grew up in, and still have tons of friends at (and lots of amazing childhood memories) in the morning - and then we headed over to my parents place and had dinner - - (although, my friend Karen, who was with me, couldn't resist the soup and bun dinner in the church gym, thus eating a meal before the turkey dinner - note the picture of her looking stuffed). My grandma came out (which is no small gesture at her age), my brother and his girlfriend, Lisa (who got me a totally stylin' sweater), my sister and Kristin (and her other kids and husband a little later), my girlfriends Tamara and Karen, and Raph and of course, my mom and dad. Before we had a huge traditional turkey dinner, my Grandma gave us such a wonderful speech about how trusting God and believing in him was the main component to having a long and happy life. She is such an amazing woman. I didn't want to keep everyone all day so after we ate I opened presents and chatted for a while, but that was it! Just a simple day - it was really nice. I guess I can tell that I'm getting old when having a huge birthday party and dancing all night sounds a bit tiring (although, I'm not THAT old yet . . . I'll still party!)

2007-09-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Texas and had a fabulous time! The Curves training camp was really informative and fun, but I probably enjoyed the bed and breakfast that I stayed at on the weekend most of all. It was in McGregger Texas, which was just outside of Crawford, Texas, which is Dubya Bush's hometown - and wouldn't cha'all know it, that boy was sure in town . . . or at least it seemed like it. There were helicopters, and secret service all over the place. That little town felt like it was in the center of the universe. I took a tour of the town, and got to see where he lived and ate, and got to even take pictures of real life protesters! Wow! I've been so busy with the September rush of Curves that I haven't had time to develop my film. If Police got suspicious of me taking pictures, I would just say, "Really 'preciate what y'all are doing here, God bless ya!" Then they would treat me like one of their own and let me snap away at all the action. Truly though, I do think that perhaps I may have been born into the wrong country because I really did feel very much at home out there. Everything was very dramatic. I may not agree with their war, but I really have to admire their cowboy mentality . . . . without sounding cruel, it seems romantic. The dedication they have to their country, their families and their God is impressive and really made me take a second look at my own convictions. I also loved the muggy heat - - my favorite part of it all.
Pictures of the trip will be my next post.

2007-08-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

What fun out here in Texas! It's quite Wacky out here in Waco - - and HOT. I love it - perfect weather. I went to Walmart and it was HUGE. They had the best sales on ever and I just loved shopping for as long as possible. At the checkout, the lady was like, "You's a buying all these here clothes for you's?" and I was like, "Uhhh - yes" and she held up my clothes and said, "You's sure is skinny!!" and laughed really loud - like so loud and pointed at me, and people in the line up all glared at me and I was like - - WHERE AM I????
Anyway - the Curves training is fun and necessary. I feel a little out of place, being a bit younger than most of the people there, but still, there are some younger ones for me to hang out with. I am seriously getting a great accent though. Not the romantic southern one I dreamed of, but a deep hick thick twang. I love it. It's 10:23pm and 83 degrees. My kind of temperature. Every chance I get, I sit right in the sun and look right up at it.
I look forward to this all being over and having a night or two for myself . . . I really hope I don't get lost in the middle of the country driving to my bed and breakfast. These roads don't have names.

Cultas 2007

2007-07-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect camping trip. The weather was amazing. It was so, so wonderful to spend time with family. We did tons of skiing and toobing and swimming. We played mini-golf and went to funland and went hiking. We had a campfire every night and had hot chocolate and smores. Raph came out for a bit. This was the first year that we had an RV and it made a huge difference with the meals. Instead of hot dogs the whole time we had chicken and mashed potatoes, spagetti, taco salad, chilli ect. It was great to spend quality and quantity time with my sisters kids who are growing up so fast. It was simply perfect! Check out last years camping blog entry to see the difference that some good weather can make. . .
Here are a few pics of the fun time I had in the fresh outdoors.

2007-07-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

check out http://pacific3000.blogspot.com to read about Raph's parents who are going on a bike trip from here (vancouver) to SanDiego. It's VERY interesting to read about their adventures!

Playland

2007-07-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

It rained so hard that my hands got all wrinkly. We were soaked right through all our clothes. The rain pelted my face as I went on one spinny ride after another. The log ride was a joke. We didn't have to wait in line for the coaster. In fact, we simply stayed on the best rides again and again because there were no line-ups. Vancouver, in my opinion, has terribly cold and dismal summers, and this one has been one of the worst. Still, we made the best of our Playland day and had an awesome time. That's the neat thing about being with kids - they make the best out of these sort of situations and I was determined to have a blast. But, have you ever been on the mouse trap?? That thing is the scariest ride I've ever been on! It's SO dangerous. It's really fun because you actually feel that you may literally die. Like, you may really fall off the tracks because that ride is so old and rickity it's only a matter of time. Here are some pics of our rainy time.

2007-07-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

I'm finally enjoying a real day off. I've have the busiest last two weeks, or at least the most stressful two weeks of my life. I've been thinking recently, how happy I am that I went to theatre school because there was so much stress and busy-ness there for three and a half years that I feel now I can slip into long hours and working really, really hard quite easily. People tell me that going into business in Vancouver is so risky, but I feel that being an actor is way more risky. I think business is 50/50, where as being an actor is 5/95. I am so happy to commit myself to this right now, but if I don't get that jet dry commercial I have a call back for on Monday, I think I'm going to pull a Lucy in LA and start video-blogging!
This past week I have been: shopping for a new bank, signing up with a new bank (thank God!), negotiating a new lease, incorporating myself (HARD!), getting the A/C fixed (EXPENSIVE!), learning payroll, ordering products, making reports, having meetings with people from Curves, planning a business trip to Texas, taking the machines apart and fixing them, working shifts, transferring funds, spending time at City Hall, doing my own marketing, planning a grand re-opening party, hiring summer help, finishing up the six-week solution (REALLY AWESOME! Tons of weight loss and friendships made. One member mentioned that it was "life-changing" wow!), and mostly - spending time on the phone on hold waiting to speak to that next important person. It has been really wild, and I've been trying to have fun with it all, but there have been a few moments especially when the A/C crashed Friday evening that I've had mini-breakdowns. I do feel however, that this past week was the toughest and that although things will remain really crazy until at least end of January 2008, that I've been through the hardest part which is just learning new things and accessing a different part of my brain. I'm happy that the weather has turned a bit cloudy today, because I won't feel guilty for just staying in and watching TV. The next entry I'll have is after my CAMPING TRIP! Ahhhh! I can't wait! I'm going to Cultas for a whole week with the family starting this next coming weekend. I am so thrilled! I have the whole week off and everything is taken care of and ready for me to be gone. . . I hope it doesn't rain. I'm really looking forward to this vacation because I NEED it, and I'm excited about spending some quality time with my nieces and nephew and of course, my favourite sister in the whole world.

Canada Day

2007-07-01T17:27:00.001-07:00

Here are some wild and wacky pics from an adventure to Granville Island for Canada Day. There were so many people there - and the cars kept rolling in even though there was obviously no place to park. The jazz fest was also going on so live music was playing everywhere. As per a previous post, the seagulls were out in droves and I panicked every time one came near, but thankfully I didn't loose my food this time due to one of those hideous creatures. It was a super fun afternoon, and I saw a few people I knew solidifying to me that Vancouver really does feel like home. Happy Canada Day, everyone!

Fiesta Day Parade featuring Curves

2007-06-25T22:08:00.001-07:00

This past Sat. we had the fiesta day parade in West Point Grey, Vancouver. We thought it was going to rain, but the sun ended coming out just for us. Being in this parade was such a high-light for me as a new owner of my franchise because I felt really involved in the community - and it was a shameless form of free advertising that really got people's attention. I couldn't believe how many people were there and how much help and support I had from members and my parents. My dad made the float and drove it- my mom helped me out at the club all day and handed out passes and juice, Raph took pictures, and the list goes on. I can't stop laughing at how funny I am - to put myself on a float and parade myself down 10th Ave - but, it was so much fun, and I can't let these opportunities pass me by to let people know I'm serious about my job! It was also so neat to see the members involved and to have our float mobbed by mountains of children trying to fight over out 50% less calorie candies. I also have to send another shout out to my dad who spent the entire afternoon doing repairs at my club and cleaning windows and banners while tettering on ladders. Thanks dad!

Raph's 30th Birthday Part I

2007-06-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Recently, Raph turned 30. Here are some pictures of the celebration we had with his family.

We had lots of food at his parents place, and then we also went out for dinner at Milestones with Raph's friends Jason and Dianna.

2007-05-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

I've just been so distracted with facebook, I've neglected by blog! Facebook is so addicting, but I believe that it's just a phase. Like Myspace, soon there will be some other kind of internet storm that will take the stage. I think the key is to get off the internet, and actually start talking TO people. But really, stalking people on facebook is funner than talking to people sometimes.
Here's a cool blog to check out:
http://www.felixculparevenge.blogspot.com
It's Raph's blog about the current show he is in "Revenge" showing at the firehall. I went to see it tonight and it's deliciously dark and full of . . . yes, Revenge. It's only showing until May 12th, and you can get tickets by calling 604.689.0926
I'm really digging this great weather we are having and I'm hoping it will stay. For those of you who are wondering how my Curves purchase is going. . . I am still waiting on some paperwork before I can be considered a full owner, but for all intensive purposes, it's mine! I suppose something still could go terribly wrong, so I don't want to get too excited. Well, I don't think I could really get TOO excited - owning a business is a lot of hard work, I'm finding! I think the initial thrill has worn off and the tall order of actually running things and the reality of sales is hitting me in the face. Lucky for me, I'm tall.

Tilly vs Benson Part III

2007-04-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time again. For those of you who have not followed along on my blog, my battle with Benson is endless. I can't express to you how lovely my sweet little kitty Tilly is and how nauseating Benson is. These pictures say it all - and the previous ones have as well. Tilly is so clean and kind. She thinks about others before herself and even when I dress her up, she just enjoys the attention. There is a neighbour cat named Cambusa who reminds me a lot of Tilly, and sometimes I let her in the house to sniff around and pee in Benson's litter box. Benson has NO sense of humour though. I'm trying to get Cambusa to teach Benson a lesson in sharing, but Benson will have none of it. The matting in his fur is so bad I just hack it off with scissors now.I've already mentioned this before but, the last time I tried to get Benson shaved the people at Petcetera had to wear full body gear, had to give him several "time outs" and called me over the intercom to come and pick him up early saying they refused to shave him. The most they did was spray tea tree oil on his face and clip his poo filled bum hairs. Then they couldn't even get him back into his travel bag. It took all three of us to do it and he peed all over all of us. AHHHH!!! Tilly doesn't need to get shaved because she cleans herself over and over again every day like a regular cat. Like Cambusa does.

In other news, I'm on facebook now too. It's taking over my life. Oh, and my reading went really well, thankyou faithful reader Bonnie. I'm also really thankful for the sunshine! It makes me happier!

Aardvark

2007-04-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a reading at Performance Works on Granville Island on April 15th. It's an evening where new plays are read. It's not a "show" but it still is a really fun evening hearing new works and seeing new work being brought to life. It's really helpful to the playwrights to hear what they've written and it gives them a chance to change what doesn't work before it's published or produced. Come on out and see me perform "Aardvark" by Laura Nessler.

Science World

2007-03-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

What a fun trip I had with the kids and my sister to science world! This is the second year we've gone all together, and it's been such a neat memory both years. The kids get so excited about all the things and exhibits to see and it's fun watching them learn. Although, I really didn't like Jennea playing the "help the sperm find the egg" video game in the sex ed section for 40 minutes. Why do they even have that stuff in science world? That's not science - it's a video game!

Lighthouse Park

2007-03-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know - - I also have a myspace page. It's

http://myspace.com/evangelasophie

Yes, I am slowly taking over the internet.

Moving on . . .

Here are some pics of a recent trip Raph and I took to Lighthouse park. There was a small break in the Vancouver rain and it seemed like everyone in the city just came out of nooks and crannies. It was wonderful!

2007-02-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

It's hard to be old. I've learned so much this weekend, taking care of my Grandmother - I almost feel like a new person. She is a museum. She's from a different century. She doesn't know how to use blinds and has problems with the telephone. The idea of an answering machine totally baffles her. She is crippled from arthritis. She has countless aches and pains. But, somehow, she still has joy. She is such a pleasure to be around. She says things like, "God is never in a rush" and it has such weight to it. She has been alive SO long! Almost 95 years! She can't even believe how old she is. It blows her away. She says, "I can't die from arthritis!" She has such a strong presence, and yet I can feel her life force fading away. She is so close to God, it makes me quiet and pause.
All this, and not to mention those darn chickens!! I've been taking care of them, and they have really taught me lessons. People think that chickens are dumb and my sister said, "Put animals in cages and take away their mothers and they aren't thinking straight anymore, it's just mass survival/fear." These chickens are free to roam and be, and they are SMART. They've outsmarted me several times and they are so interesting. That rooster is such a cocky frat boy! He totally makes me laugh. He struts around and is such a nuisance with all his crowing and has a serious attitude problem. They love it when I sing opera to them. They come right up to me and cluck and it's almost like I can understand what they're saying. Things like, "thanks for the corn" and "it's so nice to dig in this dirt."
Oh, and I locked myself in the cow barn (the big red barn). That really sucked for a while. Reeeeeaaaaaally sucked.

My new car

2007-02-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at my new car. As you can tell, I'm happy to not have to drive with a gas mask anymore. With this car, I don't have the open the door, place both hands on the window and pull downwards in order to open the window. In this car I don't have to put all my weight on the breaks or pull the emergency break to make it stop. In this car, I don't have to crank the heat full blast in order to ensure the engine does not overheat. In this car, I don't have to watch my feet - lest they start on fire. Yes, it's true, in my last car, my shoes caught on fire. That was not a fun drive. In this car, I don't have to scrape the frost off the INSIDE of the windshield. This car is a step up. A slight step up, but still - I can fool people into thinking I'm okay off, whereas with the other car I looked like I just got my welfare check. No. I'm not on welfare. Don't worry.
Other than that - February is GRANDMA month. I'm going to be taking a long weekend every weekend and spend it with my Grandma. I'm very excited. She's staying at my parents house and we're going to have sleepovers and I'm going to videotape us doing all sorts of girly stuff. I can't wait! She may very well be the inspiration for my next play! Next play? What am I talking about - I mean my ONLY play.

Staged Readings of New Plays at Pacific Theatre

2007-01-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

Join us at Pacific Theatre for staged readings of new plays (which I will be participating in!). They will be taking place on Feb 1st and 2nd, with new plays being read morning and evening. Come on out and hear what's new! I will be involved in reading "Shanghai Blues" by Laara Org and "Glory Man" by Dennis Hassells. Call the box office at 607.731.5518 for more info. It's free.

Tilly vs Benson Part 2

2007-01-20T00:14:00.000-08:00

I know only Heidi and Bonnie still read this blog (probably because I only write about weather and cats). So, this entry is dedicated to them.

As you can clearly see, the cat situation has gotten worse. Benson is out of control. This picture was taken of Benson after I, in a moment of weakness, reached out to touch him. This is what I got. He reminds me of a grumpy man, a sickly old man who wretches and coughs. Benson meows constantly and is never satisfied. If he's inside, he wants to be outside and visa versa. I fear for my nylons every time I'm around him because he attacks without warning. And he poos all over the floor. And pukes. All the time. AHHHH!!!! TEAM TILLY!!! I look at this picture of Tilly so gracefully sitting on my lap, quietly purring, easily pleased - she is the Angelina Jolie of cats. She actually reminds me of Posh from the Spice Girls. I just love her. I don't see how Raph can keep that terrible cat of his. It has a face only a mother could love.
For all you out there who are still reading - why don't you drop me a line and tell me how sorry you feel for me.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

All of it is done. Pre-Christmas, Christmas, New Years - over. And thank goodness. . . I'm beat. I really love the holidays, but they are overwhelming. The traffic in the city has nearly driven me nuts - thankfully though, I have a new car! It's a pontiac sunfire. It's not the honda Fit I was craving, but, it will do. It's a 2002, and it's pretty sporty too. . . so, I'm pretty happy. Here's a picture of my old car for old times sake. Here it is - being taken to the slauter. I'm not sure what is worse - seeing my car being taken away, or my outfit and hair.

Anyway - New Years was awesome! I had a party at my house, which makes things a lot easier and more complicated at the same time. Lisa brought sushi, Raph burned the CD's, there was a lot of alcohol (don't worry fam and friends, it's New Years, it's okay), and best of all there were really cool people there. Still, after the countdown, enough people had left, that we gathered the designated drivers together and headed off to another house party in kits, where my friend Josh was, and stayed there into the wee hours of the morning. New Years is one of my most favourite nights - my friend Kara-Reine and I use to go from party to party back in Abbotsford when we were in high-school. Our record was 7 parties in one night, and one of the parties we went to (I can't stop laughing) was an accident. I guess it was a wrong address or something, and we were in this person's house we didn't know, hiding in the freezer room using the telephone. We were surprised when middle-aged people discovered us, and still invited us to hang out with them for the evening. We were just laughing about this on the phone last night. Ah, New Years. Happy 2007 y'all!

New Years Party!

2006-12-27T01:18:00.000-08:00

Lisa, Anya and I are having a party are having a New Years Eve party at our place. Depending on the turn out we'll see if we end up staying at the house or all go out somewhere else. Email me for directions. Bring your own drinks. There will be a fire in the fireplace and a dance floor open for grooving. Rock on.

Merry Christmas!!

2006-12-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a wonderful Christmas!! I've spent the whole day with family - opening presents, going to Christmas productions, eating, watching movies - it's been so lovely. I still have another family gathering to go to, so it's not quite done yet. Merry Christmas to all my loved ones and friends! (and to everyone else too)
Here's a picture of my sister and her family, who I've been spending time with over the holidays.

I also got to spend some time with the Kepinski family! Here's some pictures of the fun time we had. The food was amazing!! And the gift opening was totally overwhelming. . . thank you!

A loooooooong November

2006-11-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a really nutty couple of weeks. The water was toxic (or so "they" said), we had record amounts of rain, I got strep throat AND broncitis, my car that I have driven for 11 years got taken away by the auto wreckers, I quit coffee, and I was snowed in my house for three days. And I have an eye infection.
There's been some good and some bad. The good is that I've been terribly addicted to caffine for about seven years. It's been a major hassle because if I didn't have a cup every morning I'd have a terrible migrane. With Starbucks being closed it wasn't readily available to me, and with being sick, I didn't have the energy to even get out of bed. So. . . I just pushed through the headaches, and now I'm on the better side of it all. So, that's a really good thing, even though it was hard. A bad thing (a still good), was loosing my car. My dad has spent literally months working on that car . . . it's been a bit of a bonding tool for us. My car would break down, my father would save me. It's been that way for years - and to tell you the truth, I've loved it. As a daughter, my heart cry is often for the love and approval of my father - and his rescuing of me is such tangible proof of his devotion to me. This time, after my dad spent my Mexico trip working on it, the timing belt broke. I called him and he came to me, like a knight once again, driving out from Chilliwack the very hour I called on him, to save me. I bused to work, as he rolled my car down Knight Street with all of it's busy traffic and proceeded to push my car UPHILL to my house. He confessed to me that his heart had been hurting, he thought he "over did it" and had to lie down for "a few hours" to regain his strength. It was at that time I knew the car was in all certain terms, "a death trap" as Raph has often called it. I was so grieved that my dad, who's heart is weak pushed my car like that. What if something would have happened to him?? I would never, never have forgiven myself. So, he stayed for night - we had chinese food at midnight, and in the morning, he took off the cars tires, stipped it of all its goods, we cleaned it bare. . . and the auto wreckers came. Both my dad and I admitted to having real feelings of sympathy for the car -we saw it as naked, bare, alone, cold, betrayed. It was as if a pet was being taken to the slaughter. It was mine for 11 years and there are too many memories to even remember with it. I know this sounds silly, but my dad validified my feelings by saying the same thing. He had worked on that care tirelessly for 15 years. He knew it inside out and basically rebuilt the whole thing. It's such a piece of shit car - but there was more than just a car there . . . it was a bond that my dad and I had created for eachother. But we're all too old now, the car, my dad and I to keep that bond going. I know I'll find new ways for my dad to proove his love to me. But, as I write this, I keep sighing. . . like it's a milestone of my adulthood and something from my childhood has been lost. It's all trivial and so significant all at the same time. I suppose these are the things that give me an artists' spirit: The inner sight and significant perspective into which I view ordinary events and grant them being. As Ron Reed would say. . . "oblation".

Tonight I'm seeing another Trinity show "Fixing Christmas". The semester is almost done around here and Trinity is having a marvelouos festivle here called "The Spirit of Christmas". It's seriously going to rock, and it's FREE. Click here for more info: www.twu.ca/sites/Christmas.
It's things like this that make Christmas so much more fun - so come on out!

Mexico Pics

2006-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

It's been POURING these days in Vancouver - my car is hydroplaining all over the road . . . my windows fog up so bad that I have to drive with my head out the window, and there seems to be some kind of hole in the passenger side floor - I'd buy a new car if I didn't spend all my money in MEXICO!! Ah, the wonderful days of heat, sunshine and relaxation . . . I've got the memories to last me through our rainy westcoast winter. These are just a few pics - the first one is of a zip line that we went on - basically, after we signed waivers (NOT!) we were fitted into harnesses and C-clamped onto wires tied to trees and thrown off a jungle mountain. A little dangerous, I know - but our trusty tour guides ensured us that only a few people had ever been killed. At least, that's what I'll assume they were saying. The next photo is of Tara-Jean on the beach, where we spent most of our time, and one of me in the back of a truck racing at a mind blowing speed, holding onto my glasses. The last one is of the house we stayed in, which was better than the best hotel. I'm sure there will be more pics posted in the future - especially if it starts snowing out here.

Here's also one of my faculty card . . . how cool is that??!!!! I was really joyful when I got it made, and realized that teaching in a university setting has been a fulfillment of one of my dreams. Sometimes it takes me a while to catch on that I'm actually on the right path.

Hola!!

2006-10-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

I'm BACK!! I had SUCH an amazing time. As soon as I stepped off the plane, my clothes were sticking to me from the muggy heat and I knew I was in heaven. For 11 days, I had no stress, no tension in my jaw, I slept well and was never cold - not even late at night with no jacket on. It was HOT HOT HOT!! I was sweating the whole entire time and loved it. My skin looks amazing. We spent hours floating in the ocean, body surfing, tanning, sitting on the beach drinking margaritas, shopping, reading, sleeping, we did a zip line through the jungle, took a tour of the sleepy city of Sayulita and hung out with the locals. Oh, and we ate really fantastic food. This really was an amazing trip - I dare say the best one I've ever been on - and once I get pictures developed I will share them with you.
But, for now - go see "The Importance of Being Earnest". It's selling really well, and it's neat to see Trinity students jump into something so fun and famous. I'm really proud of them! Tickets can be bought at www.twu.ca/theatre or at the door.

VACATION!

2006-10-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, y'all, I'm off to Mexico. I've been communicating with my friend Tara-Jean quite a bit while she's been out there, and she says it's HOT HOT HOT!!! I can't wait! When I come back I'll have lots and lots of pictures to make you very jealous. That is, of course, if I don't get eaten by a shark. Ha. Ha. . . . . . . ha. Hmmmmmm. . . .
Anyway - in the mean time, go see SPANK. It's Raph's show and it's a show that even a non-theatre go-er could love. It's about 40 minutes too long but do not be afraid! It's got wires, video, lot's and lot's and lot's of tech, and great sound bites. Not to mention my boyfriend looks like a borg from star trek. Those costumes rock! It's quite funny too. I would say it's rated mature, so don't bring the kids.
I'll think of you all from me-hi-co!

My Grandma is the New Black

2006-10-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

I just have to say - - I'm totally IN LOVE with my Grandma! She's 94 and totally hip and with it! She's so positive about life it puts most young people to shame. She doesn't like to go out that much anymore, but she made the effort to come to my families birthday party for me on Sat. night, AND took me out to Wendy's on Sunday. She even let me video tape her, and she was SO entertaining. What a lady!!
My birthday party on Friday night was really fun too! Thanks to all my friends who came out - I was totally overwhelmed by all the gifts and love . . . and thanks to Raph for hosting the party - you're such a wonderful boyfriend!!!

Reader Request: Tilly vs. Benson

2006-09-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

My parents and I have a cat, Tilly, that we've had for around ten years. She lives on my parents farm and I love coming to see her. She catches a mouse every day and eats the whole thing which makes her fur really silky. She loves to cuddle and she drools a LOT! As soon as you pet her, she starts drooling so you have to have a little blanket with you. She always want to be petted and jumps right onto your lap and is never in a bad mood. She doesn't meow unless she's in pain, and she loves music. When my mom plays piano, she comes into the room and jumps on the piano and starts playing herself. She has her own place at the table and she can meow, "Pass the milk, please!" She even can go to the bathroom in the toilet AND flush it as well!
Okay, that last part wasn't true . . . but, the point it, she's an amazing cat and I LOVE HER!! Benson, on the other hand, is Raph's cat. He's the strangest, meanest, most unfriendly cat ever. His fur is all matted and he pukes on the floor. Whenever I come over, he gets really agitated and mews constantly. His white fur gets all over everything and has given me several sinus colds. He'll come over to me, and rub up against me, and then he'll swipe me with his claws, ripping my pants and even making me bleed. He wacks his tail against the floor that makes a sound like someone is at the door. He drinks out of the toilet and gets his paws in the toilet water and walks all over the house - gross! He drags his bum on the floor and heaven forbid you leave your jacket on the couch because he'll sit in it, and get his hair ALL over it!! All this is true!! Oh, and he HATES being touched or petted and will bite you if you do - only Raph can touch him. I went to go and get him shaved once because of his matted fur, and the people at Petcetera wouldn't even work with him - Benson was screaming so loud and scratching they had to put on FULL BODY GEAR!! In the end, they only ended up trimming his yucky bum hairs because that's all they could get too! AHHHH!!!!!!! I told Raph that his cat was sick, and needed medication and was depressed - but he won't believe me. He thinks that all those little piles of puke are normal for a cat! He says he hates his cat and hopes that it gets hit by a truck, but, when no one is looking, he holds that cat - coddles it, like a new born baby. He loves Benson SO much! Even more than he loves me! It's true!! Only Raph could love that cat because I don't see the redeeming qualities.
TEAM TILLY!!! Which side are YOU on?

Come see Lilia!

2006-09-21T23:50:00.000-07:00

Have nothing to do? Well, even if you have TONS to do, you should still come and see Lilia. It's the show at Pacific Theatre right now, and I'm working Front of House there this weekend. It's a really well done one woman show, so come on out! You can click on the picture to get more information.

I'm glad to see that you've been leaving comments! I'm taking requests for blog entry suggestions: The first one has been from Denita - she'd like to see an entry about my cat. So, that will be my next one.

AND, for all of you who like to have a good time, I'm having a birthday/fall party on the 29th of September at Raph's house. Everyone is invited - and if you need directions let me know and I'll get a hold of you somehow.
I'm getting so OLD!!!

Chilliwack is the WACK

2006-09-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love going home to Chilliwack for the weekend! That place rules. I don't know if I could live there for an extended period of time, but it's an awesome place to visit, and my entire family lives out there. Speaking of family, here is a hottie picture of my brother and family as promised. Aren't they cute?? I'm going through my parents old family albums and scanning in pictures that are starting to wreck. I love looking at all that cool 60's fashion. This past weekend was so lovely. I helped Alan work on his house - he's redoing the whole thing, knocking down walls and putting in windows and all that sort of stuff. I helped him do some cleaning, and he gave me a TV! I could tell that he was getting older when he looked at me, and in all sincerity said, "Isn't cleaning fun?" We also had a cool little birthday party for him at my parents house. I hung out with my friend Tamara Schroeder for a bit and played with my nieces and nephews, who look just like my sister and brother did when they were little.
Now, people - I know y'all are reading - so leave a message! You can fill in the blank: The sixties were super cool because _______.

Happy Birthday, Alan!

2006-09-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, after scouring through my photo albums, on a Friday night, for a picture of my brother, I came up with this. Don't worry, masses: I will be going home to Chilliwack this weekend to celebrate another year of Alan, and to find a hottie picture for all your ladies to ogle over. For the past couple of years I've been bringing him lunch at his workplace for his birthday - and I'm not sure if my schedule will allow it to happen this time around. He makes transformers, which are those machines that go from robots into things like planes and cars. There was a cartoon about it in the eighties - yeah, and he makes those things! Cool, ey?? Anyway, I go to his work to bring him lunch at his job site, and it's all men that work there, and apparently, it's the highlight of everyone's year. I hate to disappoint - so maybe he'll have to take a rain check until thanksgiving break.
In other news, Tamara Hamilton is the newest employee at Curves!! Congrats Tam Tams!! Employee number 28 please stand up!! Now you can join me in part-time franchise bliss.

Fall is Falling

2006-09-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week! I started my new job at Trinity, I had five auditions, one being a callback - I worked at Curves and Pacific Theatre and my house has been in upset as my roommates are moving out, and new ones are moving in! Not to mention I've had another job offer. This fall is turning out to be exactly as I wanted it to be. Busy, fun, challenging, and a bit of relaxation thrown into the mix (mexican style!). I've spent the summer saying "no!" because I felt overwhelmed from a busy last year, but now that I've been bored and sunned out, I feel like being a "yes" girl! So, I'm trying all these new things out with a really positive attitude and a light heart.
Note: Click on Lisa's blog - the link to the right to read about my CRAZY and very fun weekend with Lisa at my friend Dean's cabin at Loon Lake. It's a seriously funny read - but, may be a little too "out there" for my general blog reader. Click to go on a adventure! It sure was one for us.

Mexico!

2006-09-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

That's right! I'm going to Mexico! My friend, Tara-Jean's parents own a house in Peurto Vallarta and she's staying there for a month in October. So, I'll be joining her for about 9 days of bliss! These are actual pics of her place . . . I'm SO excited - because I've never been on a real vacation before. Hopefully we won't hit a hurricane or something bizzare like that.

10 years!

2006-08-30T16:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was my 10 year grad reunion. It was very, very interesting . . . Most of the people who came out were married with children - which is typical of a private Christian school, I'm sure (eg: picture was taken 10 years ago by my church grad class . . . and we were serious about it too). All the same - odd, odd, odd!! I pat myself on the back for insisting on going to the "family picnic" they had on Sunday afternoon where I was one of three single people! I just seriously wanted to see everyone's children. The Saturday night was a little more low key, as it was grad's only, and Ravi - the vice president of our student council spent $600 on us all, just for fun (what???!) . Basically, it was Ravi's party. Everyone that showed up honestly looked so amazing and seemed to be doing so well, I was very proud to be a part of such a successful grad class (missed you Julene and Kara-Reine! Everyone asked about you, and I was your official spokesperson).

Trinity - I'm B-A-C-K!!!

2006-08-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is to all of you who still think I'm at TWU. I am. You were right all along. I'm still there. And you can take my classes there, yo! That's right - starting real soon, I'm going to be teaching first year acting classes at Trinity. This will just be for one semester though . . . but that's what I said last time and I stayed for 4.5 years. To kick off my new job, they put me on the flyer of their new BFA program . . . which doesn't exist yet. That's what I'm asking poor Becca in the photo, "When . . . when will the BFA program begin!? Just tell me blind girl!!!!"

Cultas Lake Camping Adventure!

2006-08-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of my camping trip that I went on last week with my family. We went down to Cultas Lake with our little boat and did some tubing, water-skiing, exploring, swimming, and lots more! I stayed in a really hip camper van - I felt like a hippy from the 70's. It was awesome! I did get a gas poisoning from the leaky stove, and there was a rat nibbling away at the insides of the van. My sister did get accosted by raccoons, and I got a terrible cold, because it did rain most of the time we were there. My niece hit her head while falling on a rock, and my brother also scrapped himself up pretty good trying to ski on land. My parents and I had a big fight over food and my car didn't pass air care - but HEY!!! It was a GREAT time! Lot's of popcorn and hot chocolate and camp fires, and stories from the past. Actually, it was an adventure and I'd do it all over again in a heart beat!