Slice of Life - Day 167

Today we had a "party" at the dog park... So often while we are hanging out at the picnic tables people have jokingly said that one night someone needs to bring alcohol... of course that never happens. However about a week ago we decided to do it tonight... I wasn't sure it would actually happen but sure enough Dave (the cop!) and Sue showed up with a cooler full of all the mixin's for drinks. Vodka, Scotch, Tequila, Rum, limes and lemons, all the stuff to make Ceasar's including the stuff for the rim of the glass... ice... little plastic cups etc. It was so fun and silly and goofy! We did get a few weird looks from people... and strangely a lot of strangers came up and talked to us... probably hoping to be invited!

I took a few photos with my blackberry but only got a handful of people who were there...

The park police came to lock the doors around twenty after nine and as we were all driving away we noticed an undercover cop driving toward the park... we laughed thinking someone probably called the cops on us!

Oh how I enjoy our dog park buddies!

Slice of Life - Day 165

Okay so this post is going to have tons of photos... but I just couldnt narrow them down because the subject matter was so stinkin cute! This is my dad's new dog... meet Smoke! He is a 9 week old Anatolian Shepherd pup. Can you imagine how big he will be when he is already this huge at 9 weeks!! He is a total cuddle pup and snuggles right into you when you hold him... I adored him the second I met him :)

Even though I was having a super busy day I asked my dad to take me over to Future Shop to show him off to Brendan... and toured him around Deal's to meet Brea and all the staff... even the customers loved him!

Slice of Life - Day 157

Today a good/bad thing happened. We sold my Cavalier. Yes it is good because it was time and it was just sitting but it is bad because I am sad. It was only my second car and the only one that I bought brand new using all my own money and I really loved it. It had a lot of miles on it and had taken me a lot of places. It was a great little car that really gave me very few problems in the 10 years that I owned it. I am sad to see it go but glad at least that it is going to someone who appreciates it and is excited about it and who will take care of it. Good Luck on your next journey Betsy! Stay Safe!

Slice of Life - Day 152

I was lucky enough to spend some time with Samantha today... we had a good day of hanging out with Kalli, gettin crafty, being silly and photo taking. I love this kid!

Slice of Life - Day 143

Today after work we drove out to a park in Newton for a Future Shop bbq. I don't really enjoy going to these things anymore, been to too many and nothing ever changes. This one was a little worse than usual because no one I actually know showed up so it wasn't a lot of fun. We took Kalli with us which was probably not the best idea but Brendan wanted to show her off :) We found out that a lot of his coworkers are afraid of dogs... and Kalli really wanted to play with all the balls that people were throwing around. She also nicely knocked not one but two plates of food out of Brendan's hands...

We didn't stay long cause neither of us were feeling it and then headed to the dog park to throw the ball for Kalli a bit on the way home. While we were there we played a little part in rescuing a dog. Her owner came running out of the forest with the dog in her arms and asked us for help. The dog had been running with a stick and had tripped and gotten the stick lodged under its tongue. Obviously the dog was freaking out, shaking and crying so I held her while the woman managed to pry her mouth open, then Brendan reached in, found and got a hold of the stick and pulled it out. It was probably about a half inch thick and three inches long, which on a very small dog was pretty big! The dog seemed to be fine afterwards but they were looking for an emergency vet just in case. It was good to help!

Slice of Life - Day 138

Today is my sisters birthday. I got to spend a little bit of time with her at the dog park and a few more minutes later at Jake's baseball game. She was pissed that I got her a store bought card rather than a home made one... but I was short on time today and decided that I would go in to the card store and see what there was but if I didn't find one that "felt" right I would make the time to make one for her. However I found one that said everything I wanted to say...

This is what it said...

She’s the one
You’ve known forever
The one you go to
For honest advice
And genuine support.
The one who accepts
Your quirky little habits
And understands you
In a way few others can.

She’s the one
You can call at any hour –
To laugh or cry or complain...
The one whose voice has been there all along,
Sharing secrets and dreams
and singing your song
when you need to hear it most.

She’s the one
Who can read your mind,
Hear your heart,
And love you just the way you are.

She’s your lifelong friend....
But so much more.
She’s your sister.

My sister means the world to me, and maybe that sounds like a cliche but she is anything but that. She has always been there, and I'm sure that hasn't been easy. I'm needy, I admit it, plus she is so normal and I am so neurotic and I know that sometimes it must be hard for her to relate to me and my issues. But she tries, and she listens, and she loves me anyway.

We never had the normal sort of upbringing or family life, and there were a lot of times that she had to take care of me... and who knows, maybe she resented it, maybe she bitched. But I don't remember that, what I do remember is her being there, taking me to work with her before school when she worked at the Pantry... she would set me up in this little booth across from the windows to work on my homework and buy me breakfast... some sort of waffle thing I loved. Just taking care.

I could go on and on... but I just wanted to recognize her a little today... on her birthday, for being such a great person, an awesome mom to my niece and nephew and the best sister that I could have asked for.

If you are reading this please know that I am always thankful for you, and love you. Happy Birthday!

Slice of Life - Day 134

Today was my surgery day... we went to Burnaby Hospital (got lost on the way and called Becca to google the correct address for us, thanks Becca!) and got checked in. Had my urine test to check for pregnancy so that they wouldn't kill the baby if there was one but there wasn't as I already knew. This time the nurse got my IV in one try which I was quite excited about. We sat there, and sat there, and sat there some more as my surgery time came and went. Brendan had just stood up to go get some lunch when the desk clerk came to me and asked who my nurse was. I pointed her out and watched as the clerk went to my nurse and said a few sentences and then they both looked at me and I overheard my nurse say "so the doctor is coming to talk to her then, okay good" and they parted ways. Brendan sat back down, I think we both knew what was coming but then nothing happened. I heard the phone ring at the nurses station and another nurse answered and listened and then said "I thought the doctor was coming to talk to her" and then looked at me, saw us watching her and lowered her voice and had a 5 minute conversation then got up and talked to my nurse and then left. Then finally I lost interest again and looked up to see her walking towards me with a concerned look on her face. So as soon as she got to me and opened her mouth to speak I said "I'm getting bumped aren't I?" and she nodded yes and proceeded to apologize all over the place. I told her it was okay, I mean it is hardly her fault. Then we waited to get my IV out, I got changed back into my clothes and we left.

It was now around 1pm and we were starved so we decided to go to Granville Island, but had to make a detour to Sysko's Supper on Commercial for pet food first. Did that and then got to the Island and had lunch at the Mexican place in the food court (it was decent) and then stopped at Terra breads for foccacia and cookies. Next it was time to go back home as it was already 3:30 and rush hour was already starting. We got home and took Kalli to Dogwood Park for some playtime and then got some Indian food for dinner... and that's about that.

These are randon photos from the day, all but the Granville Island sign taken with my cell phone so please excuse the quality.

Slice of Life - Day 133

Today I spent the day at work trying not to think about tomorrow... and the night getting ready for tomorrow while trying and failing not to worry about it. Brendan went out to an Intel thing in Richmond so I was home alone and not completely happy about it. Sometimes I wish he would at least try to understand that this stuff freaks me out and not just laugh it off...

The season finale of Grey's Anatomy was on tonight though so that saved the night!

I had to take my nail polish off for tomorrow so goodbye manicure! Oh well, its just an excuse to get another :)

Then I spent some time in the bathroom goofing off...

Slice of Life - Day 123

We slept in today, then hung around the house trying to find the best/cheapest place to get parts for my Blackberry. We went to Nando's for lunch and then to Canadian Tire to purchase the screwdriver that B needs to fix the Blackberry. Then we took Kalli to Dogwood for a walk and then came home and napped/watched tv... cuddled with Kalli and the cats on the couch until it was time to make dinner. We also caught up on some of the downloaded tv shows we have been missing while we waited for 24. I made some cookies for dessert and we just lounged around for the rest of the night.

Slice of Life - Day 121

So this post is unfortunately two posts in one... it was after midnight by the time I remembered to post for Friday's post so I was only able to make one post.

Slice of Life - Day 121 (Saturday)

Today was the Buckcherry show at the Thunderbird Arena up at UBC in Vancouver. Show days are usually busy, getting ready, running around, then heading to the venue to see the guys hopefully before the show. This show was a little different though as the band had been on a break and this was their first show back so they flew in, meeting the buses/trucks/crew here and their plane landed only a couple hours before the show. Keith went straight to the radio station from the airport for an interview and the rest of the guys got ready so we didn't see anyone until after.

We spent the morning lounging before I took R&R down to Look Watts Cooking for breakfast and white chocolate mocha's while B went and got his haircut. After eating R&R went and did the tourist thing on the pier and at the White Rock before going home. After that we lounged then got ready for the drive into Vancouver... last minute we decided to take Kalli and drop her off at Grandma's house for a fun filled sleepover so she would have some attention while we were busy playing groupies. We left there and then were going to drive through Vancouver for a little photo taking action but realized how late it was and drove right up to UBC... once there we drove around and around looking for something quick to eat and finally had to call Paul for some emergency 911 directions to McDonald's :)

Got to the venue to find that a huge line had formed since the last time we had walked by it so got in line and shuffled slowly forward as a guy yelled out hockey highlights from the Canucks game... Rob and Ronda looked around in amazement as the entire crowd pumped arms in the air and cheered as he called out that it was 2-0 for the Canucks. They had no idea how much of a hockey town Vancouver is and didn't really get the concept as Seattle has no NHL team. I think they thought it was kind of cute lol. Anyways once we got into the venue Rob and I both went and bought the new Buckcherry hoodie. After all these years of my Buckcherry obsession I don't own even one BC hoodie... I purchased one for a friend at one of the last shows but never have I seen one that I just had to have... finally on this night I did and although I shouldn't have spent the $$$ on it I just needed it :) We made our way down to the floor (second row) and I texted Carleigh to see where her and Matt were sitting... she saw me and waved and later texted me again saying she could see my tattoo from way up there after I took off my hoodie... sweet!

The opening band started (Rev Theory) and I wasn't really a fan... it was so loud that everyone but me decided they had to go back to the middle of the floor because we could all feel the bass drum thumping inside our chests... like a trooper I stayed up front! Not giving up my spot for anything at this point! Becca, Mike, Mandeep and Christine showed up at this point and Brendan came back... R&R moved down the rail to the end one Keef's side front row because they didn't want to deal with the crowd in front of Keef. Next came The Trews which I guess are pretty good at what they do but what a weird band to have on a BC bill... total pop... my goodness they even had a keyboard. It seemed almost like the promoter/label wanted another band on the bill and they just checked out who was available and picked the first band. Finally Papa Roach came on and got the crowd roaring as usual. My love for this band just grows and grows with each show I see... Jacoby is an amazing frontman...simply awesome... in my opinion one of the best out there right now. He just knows how to get the crowd going and has a great voice and awesome presence. At one point in their set a fan got past all the security on stage left and ran up on stage, right to Jacoby and started singing along. We all waited for him to taken down by security but watched in amazement as Jacoby wrapped and arm around him - telling security to back off - and finished singing the song with the dude as the the guy took one handed photos of him with Jacoby, the crowd, the stage, himself on stage etc. It was so cool! Josh would never let that happen, never lol. After the song Jacoby explained that the guy had snuck into a video taping at Riverview the day before and Jacoby had dared him to sneak onstage at the show... and the guy managed to do it... mad props to him!

Finally Buckcherry was next! They busted out on stage with Tired of You... then played an hour and 20 minute set that included 14 songs including Cream as an encore. I took some photos but none of them had "wow" factor... there is one I like of Josh that has Keef in the background giving me the finger. The girl beside me looked at me kind of shocked as I yelled "fuck you!" back at him while returning the favor... I think she was kind of confused not knowing that I know him. So it probably looked weird to her as I fingered him while yelling "Fuck You! Don't give me the finger you jerk" or something similar :) It's a bit of an ongoing joke. They completely rocked it out there and finally seemed to be on their arena/stadium game. The crowd went nuts for Crazy Bitch as usual... oh and they played tow songs from Timebomb, one that I haven't heard in a while... Porno Star! I was quite surprised at the cheering that went on when they started playing it... there must have been a lot of older fans there too.

After the show B, R&R and i went back to the car to keep warm while waiting for Keef to text me... it was taking forever so we went to get something to drink and as we drove by the gates I saw Jacoby from Papa Roach talking to a couple fans by the gate so I asked B to turn around and ran up to him and just stared at him with a big smile on my face like an idiot. He asked "whats going on?" and I just stared some more before mumbling "nothing" and stared at him some more, practically vibrating in excitement! Finally after what seemed like minutes I blurted out "I'm just so excited to meet you" LOL! He kinda smiled and then I said how much I love them and what he had done for that fan and so on and he said "well way to represent" because of course I was wearing Buckcherry gear not PR gear so then I told him all about how many times Ive seen them now and how I just love them more and more... finally I asked for a photo and looked around wildly for Robbie who I had thought was right behind me to take it. Next I took a photo of him with R&R and he left right as B was getting there after parking the car again. Hopefully next time B can get in a photo too cause he likes them a lot as well. After that Jimmy came and chatted with us for a while and then finally I called Keef and he came and found us. I had taken them a chocolate chip banana loaf from Watts Cooking and a can of Timmies for the tour bus so he was quite excited... they love their "timmie hoes" as he calls it. He wasnt feeling well so we kept our visit short but he expressed disappointment that we didn't get any real "visit time" in and asked if I was going to the rest of the shows... I said I wasn't and he said we should at least go to Prince George and he would hook us up with passes... I told him I would let him know and we said our goodbyes after posing for one photo.

We drove home... leading a couple girls back to the highway that we had met who had come all the way from Salem, Oregon for the shows. They drove the whole way up that day and then all the way back that night but had gotten lost trying to find UBC and were nervous about how to get back to the border.

As always I loved every minute and am already craving my next show... we decided there was really no way for me to go to Prince George since the Passat has a broken exhaust so it would be bad for it to drive all that way there and back.

Slice of Life - Day 120 (Friday)

Today is the start of my Buckcherry Weekend! Rob and Ronda came up from Tacoma, Washington and we had a BBQ with a bunch of our friends and Paul and Christina. I think everyone had a good time... we had a fire and roasted marshmallows. It was good!

I had written this on the chalkboard before everyone got here... :)