so far i am keeping the majority of my resolutions! i have resisted temptation to spend money frivolously (when the girl i work with invited me to the mall, i said "no" just to make sure i wasn't tempted), not only have i been eating healthy but i have also tried a few new recipes (tonight, for example, i made a greek quinoa and chicken salad - delicious and nutritious!), i have been drinking less coffee and more water (partly because there was no milk in the fridge at work for the first couple days back and i refuse to drink work coffee without milk - it one step up from sludge) and although i have not yet chosen a gym i have been doing some serious research (goodlife is currently in the lead) and plan on picking one shortly.
on tuesday i finished the girl who played with fire, the second book in the millennium trilogy. i have decided that i owe everyone that i doubted in my previous entry an apology - these books really are amazing. once i got into the girl with the dragon tattoo i couldn't put it down (mind you, that didn't happen until about page 350). thankfully, the girl who played with fire was a lot easier to read - i sailed through it in a few days! i started reading these books because i was inspired by the movie trailer i saw for the american film adaptation staring daniel craig. well, while daniel craig was incredible, as always, i was unimpressed with the movie as a whole. while the acting was very good, i was just not pleased with the changes they made to the story line. i am going to start the third and final book, the girl who kicked the hornets nest, tonight and plan on watching the swedish films once i am done so i will keep you posted on that novel as well as those movies.
my new job is going really well. i am starting to understand the products and process and everything that i have been learning over the last few weeks is finally coming together and clicking for me. yesterday at work i participated in my first ever big girl meeting. i am completely aware that real people do not call them "big girl" meetings but, since i also refer to this as a "big girl job", it seems fitting. i sat in with the regional manager, the inspections manager and the small contracts manager to organize a lien. it was very interesting and i actually had to make a statement about how much they owe us etc. how official and important does that sound, right? obviously, i felt very professional. i think the fact that i was wearing my cobalt blue blazer and new black work shoes may have had a lot to do with that feeling...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Monday, January 2, 2012
hungry for it
ahhhh!!!
two of my favourite things have combined into one!
taylor swift + the hunger games!
my girl taylor collaborated with the band the civil wars to produce the theme song for the hunger games movie. while i have loved taylor for like, 10 years, i just recently discovered my love for the hunger games trilogy this summer! i read all three books in two days and absolutely loved them. just like i forced everyone to listen to taylor i practically forced everyone i knew into reading the series. so, i was obviously DELIGHTED when i learned that they were turning the book series into a movie! the only thing that could have made converting the novels onto the big screen any better is the fact that taylor is on the soundtrack!! yes, i am completely aware that from this blog post it may seem like i am a 14 year old girl but i am completely fine with that.
please, watch these videos and nerd out with me!
i am going to go as far as to say that for your new years resolution you should aim to read the hunger games in totality and listen to taylor swift more haha but if you are not going to read the books then at least see the movies!
two of my favourite things have combined into one!
taylor swift + the hunger games!
my girl taylor collaborated with the band the civil wars to produce the theme song for the hunger games movie. while i have loved taylor for like, 10 years, i just recently discovered my love for the hunger games trilogy this summer! i read all three books in two days and absolutely loved them. just like i forced everyone to listen to taylor i practically forced everyone i knew into reading the series. so, i was obviously DELIGHTED when i learned that they were turning the book series into a movie! the only thing that could have made converting the novels onto the big screen any better is the fact that taylor is on the soundtrack!! yes, i am completely aware that from this blog post it may seem like i am a 14 year old girl but i am completely fine with that.
please, watch these videos and nerd out with me!
i am going to go as far as to say that for your new years resolution you should aim to read the hunger games in totality and listen to taylor swift more haha but if you are not going to read the books then at least see the movies!
hello, 2012!
happy new year!
boy, have we been busy the last two weeks. i have decided i was far too ambitious by attempting to do a blog post every day for the entire month of december. personally, i do think i did fairly well for about two weeks... but, i still failed miserably at reaching my one month goal. i hope that i stick to my various new years resolutions a bit better. i know that traditionally you are only supposed to make one new years resolution but i am far from traditional and have about half a dozen. maybe multiple resolutions will lead to multiple successes? unfortunately, this is probably doubtful haha but it will definitely increase my chances of at least sticking to one of them!
1. i want to cook more meals at home. i am obsessed with the food network (iron chef, chopped, eat street etc) but have a very limited amount of dishes that i actually know how to cook. i would like this to change. both jesse and i really enjoy cooking and making new dishes together but it is just so much easier to grab something already made - we just haven't been making cooking at home a priority lately but this definitely has to change. this goal also helps with my next 2 - 3 resolutions...
2. i want to spend money less frivolously. although jesse and i are fairly thrifty, we do tend to spend a bit too much money on eating out and on "wants" rather than simply what we need. i want to really concentrate on only buying what is on sale, using coupons and collecting more airmiles. obviously, if i cook more meals at home i will be spending less money on lunches, wing nights and date nights. two birds with one stone?
3. i want to eat healthier. i have never been one of those people who believe on eliminating foods that you love from your diet but lately we have been eating a bit too much of what we love: pizza, nachos, ice cream, mcdonalds, cheese and bread. i am not going to say that i am not going to any of those foods for an entire year but i do want to try and consume them less often this year than last.
4. i want to drink more water. i am a coffee junky (4-6 cups a day) and i do not compensate by drinking more water. i wake up dehydrated with leg cramps on a regular basis. i am going to bring a water bottle to work and try to drink one bottle in the morning, one bottle in the afternoon.
5. i want to exercise more often. although i am active daily (i take emi for an hour long walk everyday, religiously) i want to prioritize going to the gym again. last year i was working late, in the north, and was not getting home until 730-8 o'clock but this year i am off at 4 and could easily start working out after work 3 times a week. i just need to choose a gym...
6. i want write more. not just blog but also work on short stories and outlines for novels. i seem to go in spurts - sometimes i will work on one idea for months at a time and then abandon it completely. i want to be more confident in my writing abilities and actually follow through on some of my ideas and maybe even produce something tangible.
i guess that most of those resolutions are rather stereotypical but whatever, those are my new years resolutions!
jesse and i had such an amazing year in 2011. we bought a house, got married and bought a puppy! obviously, we had a lot to celebrate on new years eve! we went to 1410 beerhaus with about 40 of our friends to bring in the new year and boy, did we celebrate! this was definitely our most grown up new years to date - we had a sit down dinner and everything! i had the tomato bisque soup to start while jesse had the scallop mousse and both of us had the AAA beef tenderloin and the ginger cake for dessert. oh, and a bit too much champagne!
another milestone we accomplished in 2011 was hosting out first christmas dinner. thankfully, we had a ton of help from our parents; pretty sure that they made way more food than we did and it was all delicious! honestly, i think we only made a cheese plate and the turkey... kind of embarrassing! oh well, it was probably for the best, because the meal was absolutely mouthwatering, far more delicious than anything i could have produced alone!
boy, have we been busy the last two weeks. i have decided i was far too ambitious by attempting to do a blog post every day for the entire month of december. personally, i do think i did fairly well for about two weeks... but, i still failed miserably at reaching my one month goal. i hope that i stick to my various new years resolutions a bit better. i know that traditionally you are only supposed to make one new years resolution but i am far from traditional and have about half a dozen. maybe multiple resolutions will lead to multiple successes? unfortunately, this is probably doubtful haha but it will definitely increase my chances of at least sticking to one of them!
1. i want to cook more meals at home. i am obsessed with the food network (iron chef, chopped, eat street etc) but have a very limited amount of dishes that i actually know how to cook. i would like this to change. both jesse and i really enjoy cooking and making new dishes together but it is just so much easier to grab something already made - we just haven't been making cooking at home a priority lately but this definitely has to change. this goal also helps with my next 2 - 3 resolutions...
2. i want to spend money less frivolously. although jesse and i are fairly thrifty, we do tend to spend a bit too much money on eating out and on "wants" rather than simply what we need. i want to really concentrate on only buying what is on sale, using coupons and collecting more airmiles. obviously, if i cook more meals at home i will be spending less money on lunches, wing nights and date nights. two birds with one stone?
3. i want to eat healthier. i have never been one of those people who believe on eliminating foods that you love from your diet but lately we have been eating a bit too much of what we love: pizza, nachos, ice cream, mcdonalds, cheese and bread. i am not going to say that i am not going to any of those foods for an entire year but i do want to try and consume them less often this year than last.
4. i want to drink more water. i am a coffee junky (4-6 cups a day) and i do not compensate by drinking more water. i wake up dehydrated with leg cramps on a regular basis. i am going to bring a water bottle to work and try to drink one bottle in the morning, one bottle in the afternoon.
5. i want to exercise more often. although i am active daily (i take emi for an hour long walk everyday, religiously) i want to prioritize going to the gym again. last year i was working late, in the north, and was not getting home until 730-8 o'clock but this year i am off at 4 and could easily start working out after work 3 times a week. i just need to choose a gym...
6. i want write more. not just blog but also work on short stories and outlines for novels. i seem to go in spurts - sometimes i will work on one idea for months at a time and then abandon it completely. i want to be more confident in my writing abilities and actually follow through on some of my ideas and maybe even produce something tangible.
i guess that most of those resolutions are rather stereotypical but whatever, those are my new years resolutions!
jesse and i had such an amazing year in 2011. we bought a house, got married and bought a puppy! obviously, we had a lot to celebrate on new years eve! we went to 1410 beerhaus with about 40 of our friends to bring in the new year and boy, did we celebrate! this was definitely our most grown up new years to date - we had a sit down dinner and everything! i had the tomato bisque soup to start while jesse had the scallop mousse and both of us had the AAA beef tenderloin and the ginger cake for dessert. oh, and a bit too much champagne!
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| all dressed up =) |
 |
| too much fun! |
 |
| what handsome fellows! |
another milestone we accomplished in 2011 was hosting out first christmas dinner. thankfully, we had a ton of help from our parents; pretty sure that they made way more food than we did and it was all delicious! honestly, i think we only made a cheese plate and the turkey... kind of embarrassing! oh well, it was probably for the best, because the meal was absolutely mouthwatering, far more delicious than anything i could have produced alone!
 |
| mmm mmm! |
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| carving the lamb! |
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| delicious, right!? |
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| very helpful parents! |
 |
| straight out of the 50's |
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| christmas puppy! |
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| getting into trouble, like always. |
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| she is getting sooooo big!! |
hopefully you had as amazing a holiday season as we did!
have a happy, happy new year everyone!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
dog shampoo
today, in my daily bath, i accidentally used emi's dog shampoo. not only did i use her shampoo but even after noticing that it smelt a little off i proceeded to use the conditioner as well. i know, i got suckered by the sales man with the dog conditioner... what can i say, i went a little crazy with puppy accessories when we first got her.
anyways, now my hair smells like 3 month old emi (yes, that was the last time we were able to overpower her into the bath tub - she hated baths): a mixture of coconut milk, oatmeal and petland.... kinda gross to be honest. on the upside, this puppy shampoo and conditioner contains "only natural ingredients meant to moisturize skin, eliminating dryness while producing a healthy, shiny coat".
aweeeesome.
anyways, now my hair smells like 3 month old emi (yes, that was the last time we were able to overpower her into the bath tub - she hated baths): a mixture of coconut milk, oatmeal and petland.... kinda gross to be honest. on the upside, this puppy shampoo and conditioner contains "only natural ingredients meant to moisturize skin, eliminating dryness while producing a healthy, shiny coat".
aweeeesome.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
new addiction
i have acquired a new addiction and it is a glorious one. if you are a frequent reader you are a well aware of my incredibly addictive personality (ex. words with friends, tassimo skinny lattes, various books and foods); i seem to become consumed / obsessed with things rather easily and find myself unable to get enough of them. well, the most recent subject of my addictive affection is the piping hot bubble bath.
i know for most people a daily bubble bath is essential - well, i have never been one of those people... until now! my dear friend maddy, a ritual bather, would be incredibly proud of my new routine. when i get home all i want to do is light my candles, fill the tub with steaming hot water and calming lavender chamomile bubble bath. so, that is exactly what i do: come home from work, take emi for a walk, prepare dinner, eat dinner with jesse and then sit in the bath for an hour or so.
it is fabulous.
i know for most people a daily bubble bath is essential - well, i have never been one of those people... until now! my dear friend maddy, a ritual bather, would be incredibly proud of my new routine. when i get home all i want to do is light my candles, fill the tub with steaming hot water and calming lavender chamomile bubble bath. so, that is exactly what i do: come home from work, take emi for a walk, prepare dinner, eat dinner with jesse and then sit in the bath for an hour or so.
it is fabulous.
Monday, December 12, 2011
first day
today was my first day at my new job. i was fifteen minutes late. you would think after all my amazing math skills in 43, 68, 20 i would be able to arrive on time. well, that was before it decided to snow a foot over the weekend and turn the roads into one giant ice rink. it took me fifteen minutes alone to get out of deerrun; the hill in front of the lights at bow bottom and canyon meadows was like glass - only two or three cars were getting through per light. needless to say, it was incredibly mortifying having to call my boss on my first day to let him know i was going to be late...
as it turns out, my coworker (who has worked there for five years, i might add) was also fifteen minutes late on her first day with the company. this made me feel a whole lot better. everyone seemed to find this incredibly funny since she is the only other girl at our office. i am not even kind of exaggerating - there are legitimately only two of us females in the entire alberta branch. i don't mind, we have our own incredibly clean bathroom which is quiet the luxury after sharing a bathroom with three stinky male doctors and hundreds of incredibly sick patients at my old job.
thankfully, she is also my age and incredibly out going. i actually had fun on my first day, something i thought would be virtually impossible considering i have 175 pages worth of safety regulations and protocol to go through, 35 pages of paper work from human resources to complete and about 3 hours of shadowing andrea (aka attempting to get a grasp on what the heck i am going to be doing). unfortunately, this will probably be the last time i write about my new job because today i had to sign a contract saying that i would not discuss anything to do with our company on any social media sites including a blog. so sorrrry folks!
as it turns out, my coworker (who has worked there for five years, i might add) was also fifteen minutes late on her first day with the company. this made me feel a whole lot better. everyone seemed to find this incredibly funny since she is the only other girl at our office. i am not even kind of exaggerating - there are legitimately only two of us females in the entire alberta branch. i don't mind, we have our own incredibly clean bathroom which is quiet the luxury after sharing a bathroom with three stinky male doctors and hundreds of incredibly sick patients at my old job.
thankfully, she is also my age and incredibly out going. i actually had fun on my first day, something i thought would be virtually impossible considering i have 175 pages worth of safety regulations and protocol to go through, 35 pages of paper work from human resources to complete and about 3 hours of shadowing andrea (aka attempting to get a grasp on what the heck i am going to be doing). unfortunately, this will probably be the last time i write about my new job because today i had to sign a contract saying that i would not discuss anything to do with our company on any social media sites including a blog. so sorrrry folks!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
dragon tattoo
i am attempting to read the girl with the dragon tattoo. i say "attempting" because i have only read maybe, 75 pages in two weeks. this is "attempting" because i can easily read a 250 page book in one day if i am into it. i just don't know what it is about this darn book but i just cannot seem to get into it. i honestly feel like i am back in 402 english struggling to get through novels that were written by foreign authors in every language imaginable other than english. yes, i am aware that this novel was originally written in swedish so this feeling is obviously justified but struggling through the foreign names of people (there is not a single character with a simple name like "smith" or "jones") and places (unfortunately, i know nothing about swedish geography) is nearly painful. i think the awkward names of people and places are what is making it incredibly difficult for me to connect with the characters - i cannot seem to picture or place them at all. reading this book is not pleasurable and everything but leisurely - the two things i want from a good book. it is an international best seller which means everyone else around the world seemed to be able to get into it - i think i just need to pull up my big girl panties and get over it.
so, you might ask why i am still "attempting" to read this book? well to start off it is the first of a trilogy. lately, i have been trying to avoid reading single novels; it is a rare occurrence that after finishing one novel i feel satisfied. the majority of the time i find myself annoyed that it was over so soon so i have decided that i am only going to read novels that are at minimum a piece of a trilogy.
secondly, they have decided to make a movie out of the novels. yes, i am completely aware that they have already made a movie version of all three novels in swedish; to be honest, i had zero desire to watch the subtitled versions but i recently saw the trailer for the american version and it definitely looked intriguing. so, before i watch the movie, i have to read the book because any time that i ever watch a movie then read a book i find myself falling back to the images of the characters as they were in the movie rather than really picturing the characters and places as the author intended for them to be portrayed. i feel like this is cheating and unfair to the poor chap (or chapette) who spent so much time and effort creating and describing these characters and places just so. plus, i personally love seeing films that were originally novels that i have read. for some reason i get a sick amount of pleasure from critiquing/ comparing the novel to the film. oh, and, did i mention that daniel craig stars in the new american film adaptation?
lastly, everyone who has read the book raves about how amazing it is - i would hate to miss out on an amazing novel. yes, the majority of them say that you need to give it about 150 pages before it gets "amazing" (so, at this rate, i guess i wont start enjoying it for another two weeks...) so i have decided that i will "attempt" to read it a little bit longer...
so, you might ask why i am still "attempting" to read this book? well to start off it is the first of a trilogy. lately, i have been trying to avoid reading single novels; it is a rare occurrence that after finishing one novel i feel satisfied. the majority of the time i find myself annoyed that it was over so soon so i have decided that i am only going to read novels that are at minimum a piece of a trilogy.
secondly, they have decided to make a movie out of the novels. yes, i am completely aware that they have already made a movie version of all three novels in swedish; to be honest, i had zero desire to watch the subtitled versions but i recently saw the trailer for the american version and it definitely looked intriguing. so, before i watch the movie, i have to read the book because any time that i ever watch a movie then read a book i find myself falling back to the images of the characters as they were in the movie rather than really picturing the characters and places as the author intended for them to be portrayed. i feel like this is cheating and unfair to the poor chap (or chapette) who spent so much time and effort creating and describing these characters and places just so. plus, i personally love seeing films that were originally novels that i have read. for some reason i get a sick amount of pleasure from critiquing/ comparing the novel to the film. oh, and, did i mention that daniel craig stars in the new american film adaptation?
lastly, everyone who has read the book raves about how amazing it is - i would hate to miss out on an amazing novel. yes, the majority of them say that you need to give it about 150 pages before it gets "amazing" (so, at this rate, i guess i wont start enjoying it for another two weeks...) so i have decided that i will "attempt" to read it a little bit longer...
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