Just Vanilla

Spring time!

2011-04-16T20:39:00.001-07:00

I quite enjoy Spring...what I don't enjoy is the little "surprises" that comes along with spring time such as...

1. The knicks, scratches and dings on your vehicle once it finally gets washed
2. The constant need to refill your windshield wiper fluid
3. Your newly washed vehicle being sprayed by idiots who feel they have to drive really fast through massive puddles
4. "Pill" bugs that I have found in our garage (they are nasty looking creatures)
5. The inconsistent weather patterns in E-Town
6. Cracks in your windshield as a result of being sprayed by rocks/gravel that was used to sand the roads during winter

With that being said though...I also love spring because;

1. You can go outside without having to bundle up too much
2. The sun has returned and the days are longer!
3. The warmer, yet brisk fresh air
4. You can wear sandals (occasionally)
5. Shopping is more convenient (i.e. Farmer's Market, Whyte Ave, etc.)

This spring may prove to be an eventful one for my family and I as we have begun shopping for a new home...God willing, we will find a more suitable home as we are out of room at the moment!

I'm just mostly glad Spring is here as it has felt like a very long winter (and with no statutory holiday in March, it felt like a real long month)...plus with Spring comes Easter! I'm looking forward to seeing all my family again real soon!

My New Addictions

2011-04-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Haha, okay so the title of this post is a bit misleading...it's not nearly as bad as it sounds! Recently I've had some cravings, which is kinda unusual for me as I'm not usually the type that craves anything in particular (just as BEW...he finds it annoying that I don't usually decide on anything, which drives him nuts)!

So here's a list of things I've been addicted to as of recent;

1. Beef brisket (with white broad noodles)...sooooo good!
2. Banana Bread from Sobey's (I think they call it Grandma's Banana Bread)
3. Ice cream (this one is strange for me as I don't usually grave sweet things)
4. Garlic Peas (sold at Walmart, with the peas packed in individual packages...so tasty)
5. Sweetened soy milk (the Chinese kind, not the Soy Nice, etc. types)
6. Looking at flyers online (I usually like to look on Friday mornings as most sales start on Fridays)
7. Creeping on other people's blogs
8. Scoping out real estate on Comfree and MLS
9. Bejeweled on FB
10. My guilty pleasure TV shows (includes Grey's Anatomy, Extreme Couponing, Cake Boss, Kitchen Boss, and the list unfortunately goes on and on and on...)

I wish my "addictions" included spending more time in Scriptures and other readings. In our cell group, the ladies have decided to partner up to hold each other accountable and to support each other through prayer and sharing. My partner and I have decided to call each other on Thursdays of each week and to meet for coffee periodically to have a face to face conversation. I think this is a really good thing as it will humble me if I have nothing to report back to my partner, admitting my lack of finding time to spend in prayer or in reading my Bible or my pure laziness.

Speaking of which...I should go read a chapter in the new book I have just started (by "just started", I mean literally I am going to read Chapter 1)...it's entitled "Love & Respect", by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. *Sigh*...so many things I have to work on...

Where has the time gone?

2011-04-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

Wow...it's been a long while again since my last blog entry! I cannot believe how much time has flown by! So much has changed in this Vanilla life of mine...let me catch you up to date...

Since the last entry these are the major highlights...

1. I got married September 2008 (haha, yes, it's been THAT LONG since I've last posted)!
2. For my honeymoon BEW and I went to Bali and Hong Kong for 2 weeks
3. 6 months after the honeymoon we went back to Hong Kong but used HK as mostly a stopover to book further trips (first we went to South Korea with friends KEY and her hubby V), then we spent some time in HK and from there we booked a trip to Chiu Zhou (don't know the proper spelling), Shen Zhen (for some cheap spa treatments...BEW highly recommends Queen Spa!), and to Beijing!
4. We bought a new vehicle and got rid of BEW's unreliable POC ("piece of crap" that I liked to call it as it was supremely unreliable). We upgraded to a brand new Highlander Hybrid Limited...of course that was BEW's call as I would have settled for a lesser model...
5. I went to Vegas with some girlfriends of mine to shop and see a couple of shows! Saw Jersey Boys and Phantom of the Opera...it was a great time had by all!
6. We went on a family vacation with my side of the family...it was our first time cruising...unfortunately the destination was to Alaska...one that my parents chose and us kids weren't all that excited about, but it was still enjoyable. We'd definitely cruise again!
7. In 2010 we vacationed to Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic) for an all inclusive week. Too bad we encountered poor weather though (lots and lots of rain with only 2 days of sunshine)!
8. Most importantly though, we had our first child in 2010...he is the best gift I have received and been blessed with. He has enriched our lives and we are so thankful he is healthy and strong!

That's about it...all caught up to date...for now :) I've learned many life lessons since my last blog...will try to share some more in the future!

Would you eat this?

2008-07-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm not the "safest" person when it comes to food safety...I try my best, but apparently I have some of my Dad's bad habits when it comes to food preparation!

Anyways, tonight I marinated some chicken drumsticks for the BBQ. BEW cooked them and when he brought them back in, I told him they were not fully cooked yet but he insisted that they were. So this caused a bit of tension for us, but at the end, we came up with a good solution...he would eat his so called "cooked" chicken, and I would cook the ones I was eating for longer.

Take a look at this picture and tell me your thoughts...please note, this picture was taken AFTER BEW cooked it for an additional 5 minutes more once I said it wasn't cooked enough!

Things I've come to appreciate in life...

2008-06-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

Recently there have been some things in my life I've come to appreciate. Here is a quick list of some of those things...

1. A nice cut of steak. BEW and I went for a nice supper at the Moose Factory this past Friday for our "date" night and we each ended up ordering Bison strip loin. Not being a good judge of what a "good" meat is, I ordered the strip loin (I only for sure know that T-Bones and Prime Rib steaks are good, the rest, meh, not too sure). Anyways, my steak came out as I requested (medium rare), however it was tougher than rubber! Fortunately BEW's piece was less tough, so I'm glad he was able to enjoy his meal.

Tonight we served AAA Top Sirloin steaks to our friends (sorry for friends and family were not invited...no worries, soon enough we'll have you over too) and boy was I glad that the meat was quite tender and not at all chewy or tough to swallow.

Lesson: Don't be cheap and opt for the cheap meats. Always spend the money when it comes to meat.

2. My neighbourhood's garbage men. BEW and I recently finally got around to cleaning and sorting out my garage. I threw away a lot of crap and got rid of a lot of the carpeting that was in my garage from the previous owner (it was a scrap of carpet used for covering the cement floor in order for it to be more comfortable if you had to go out and get something from the garage in bare feet). Anyways, we had quite a bit of carpet we wanted the garbage men to take, but KEY didn't seem to think they would take a big rolled up piece away, but rather, would leave it for us to take to an Eco station or the dump. But on her advice, she said we could try to cut up the carpet into little squares (2'x3' or so) and see if they'd take the smaller pieces as it would likely be easier for them to lift. Sure enough, they took it ALL. In total, we had probably 4 boxes full of garbage as well as a garbage can full of regular garbage and about 4 rolls of carpeting for them to take. Kudos and many thanks to them as if they didn't haul it away, who knows how long this garbage would be sitting in my garage!

Side note: Kudos to the recycling guys as well. We had about 3 bags of recycled stuff to be hauled and those bags magically disappeared as well! Can you tell I'm thoroughly impressed? Would it be inappropriate to buy these hard working individuals a Christmas gift this year? What a thankless job they have...

3. Air conditioning in vehicles. BEW's very basic vehicle does not have A/C. I'm usually quite warm by nature, therefore with plus 20+degree weather, usually it makes me quite uncomfortable. To sit in his vehicle is torture, so unless it's cooler outside (late evening) or it's been raining, I usually prefer to use my vehicle for this reason alone!

4. Friends and family. This weekend alone, I've entertained (with BEW's help of course) twice. It's nice to sit back and relax and catch up with friends and family who are normally very busy as well. It's these down times that are precious to me and I really enjoy them. It was also nice for BEW on day 2 of entertaining as he had friends play the Wii with him (I don't typically enjoy playing the Wii too often).

What are some things you appreciate in your life?

Long time, well no blog!

2008-05-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hello to the few of you who still visit this blog! There has been little to no posts in over a year simply due to my lack of technological skill and memory (I couldn't remember my password)!

It's been well over a year and so much has changed in this Vanilla life of mine...just to recap...

1. I am engaged now and am set (well, with the exception of some of the finer details yet to be ironed out) to be married this September 6!

2. I have vacationed to Puerto Vallerta this past February...it was quite nice to get out of the cold weather here, although the ocean was still too cold to actually swim in, though BW still decided he was tough enough to brave the cooler waters!

3. I turned the big 3-0 and with the help of friends, my family decided to throw me a surprise birthday party (and indeed I was surprised and not at all suspicious, which means, especially for my family, they kept the secret well)!

4. I have been promoted from a regular Account Manager to a "Senior" Account Manager. What does this mean? Well, my portfolio remained the same (no additions or subtractions from it) but I did get a salary increase. Does this mean I have always been doing the job of a Senior but being paid as an Account Manager? Whatever...call me what you want as long as I get paid for what I'm doing!

Believe it or not, this quickie blog probably summarizes all that has happened in this Vanilla life of mine. Thanks for being part of it all :)

Vanilla...

PS. I honestly will TRY to keep up with this blog now. After reading some of your blogs today, you have given me a new desire to start up with it again!

Updates, updates, updates

2007-03-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay...thanks to all my dedicated blog readers that have suffered a long silence on this site until now! I guess you're all wondering why the blog now? Just wanted to update you all on what's been going on in my life...and NO, I'm NOT engaged!

1. My office has now successfully relocated to our new site...it was a tough and tedious move, but we did it! Come by and visit me sometime, though I have to say, the view from my window isn't the greatest (I face into the neighbour's dumpster), but I guess the positive part is that there are no homeless people seeking shelter in there!

2. After many years of sleeping in my little bed, I have decided I am now a big girl and so I upgraded myself to a queen sized bed! Actually, to be more accurate, I upgraded my existing non-matching, pieced together bedroom to a full bedroom set! It's made of birch and is in a deep espresso color, with silver (of course) accents! The set is fully loaded with 2 night tables, a 5 (or was it 6?) drawer dresser, a 6 drawer piece with a mirror attached to it and of course the bed frame itself! Oh yeah, to top it all off, I also purchased an awesome mattress/boxspring set to match the new furnishings (pocket coils, just like the "bowling ball" commercials as seen on TV! All will be delivered this Saturday (YAY)!!

3. Work is hectic, crazy busy, but I will power through it. Today is only Tuesday, but I'm booking appointments into next week already!

4. Ladies group continues to be going well...I'm soo thankful for all the ladies in that group. They've been a true blessing in my life!

Hmmm, that's about it...see, nothing changes with Vanilla!!! Oh yeah, amongst all this craziness I turned a year older...yay (not really).

Part 2 Postponed!

2006-09-28T22:20:00.001-07:00

Hey folks...though I promised to blog about my afternoon at Norwood, I don't have time this evening as I still have yet to pack for the retreat!

Hopefully I'll have time and energy on Sunday when we get back...

United Way Financial Day of Caring

2006-09-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

So I volunteered for the United Way Financial Day of Caring today. In total nine banks, totalling roughly 230 people volunteered at 29 agencies, working in various capacities from painting to sorting out clothes that are donated...I was lucky enough to be placed at Norwood Elementary to spend one on one time with some kids there.

The day started out with a nice breakfast buffet at the Telus World of Science. You would wonder why the United Way would spend their hard earned fundraised monies on such an occassion...seems like such a waste of funds right? Well, it turns out that this morning's breakie was paid for in collaboration between the banks...as a thank-you for the volunteers. Plus each financial institution had specialized shirts made (also donated by a branding/marketing company). So as I arrived, I was greeted with a welcome package along with a blue T-shirt (each shirt was colored to coordinate with your bank's colors)...so needless to say there was a sea of blue when I walked in (ATB Financial had a light blue shirt, RBC and BMO also had different shades of blue, whereas my shirt was more of a royal blue)...still, it was neat to see each FI identified by their bank's color.

After breakie, we had a group pic taken (in total, there was roughly 40 volunteers from CCS) which I'm sure each volunteer will get a copy of eventually...and then we were off to the races!

When I arrived at Norwood, there were also reps there from the other FI's. In total there were 9 of us at that school. How the program works is that the coordinator (Leigh) would round up children who normally wouldn't have a "mentor" and we would be working with them for the morning (we would be assigned a different child for the afternoon). The United Way funds Norwood quite extensively, as they were one of the first schools to start this mentorship program. I think roughly 50 schools in Edmonton now are part of this program.

We were told to encourage to read at least 1 book with the kid during our 1.5 hour session. My first gal, Cathy, was a bit older than the rest of the students Leigh brought in (Cathy is in Grade 5). Anyways, we filled in "Getting to Know You" worksheets and chit chatted a bit before deciding what we wanted to do (options included reading, playing games on the computer, playing board games, crafts, playing with Legos, etc.). In our "Getting to Know You" worksheet, one of the questions was "what is your worst subject in school?". I asked Cathy and apparently she doesn't get very excited over math...I told her art was always a dreaded subject for me...and you know what? I think to kinda "test" and "spite" me, guess what she chose to do as our activity?!? Yup...crafts.

The crafts that were set up included an option to fold a sailor's hat (which seemed sooo elementary to me, but then again, Norwood caters to kindergarten to grade 6) or to make a picture holder (the type with the mini clips where you stick pictures in). She opted to make the holder (thankfully, as I had skimmed the instructions and I don't think I would've been able to decipher them...many of the other volunteers failed at making the hat).

While making our separate holders we managed to chit chat. Cathy told me she lived close to the school (about 5 blocks away) and that most of the time she had to take her brother to school with her (he's in grade 2). She also told me that she had a stepsister who was 21 (who was "old" like me...geez...thanks)!

She told me it was tough to make friends as she was always moving around from school to school. She has been at Norwood now for 2 years, so she said it was kinda tough to make new friends. Leigh, the coordinator of this project, told us that Norwood is highly transient, with 80% of the students turning over in a year. She said this was due to the lower income families having to move due to circumstances. How sad is that??

Anyways, as I'm not gifted in art, it took me pretty much an hour to make my photo holder...in the same time it took Cathy to make 2! After we were finished, we read a book together, alternating pages being read out loud.

When it was time to go, I reminded her to take her crafts...she was a bit shy, but she said she wanted to give me one of the holders that she made for me! That was sooo cute and unexpected for me, as we seemed to get along quite well. So in return, I gave her my holder, which she thought was "totally cool". So I will be displaying my holder proudly at work on my desk tomorrow :)

So that was my morning's experience...it was highly enjoyable for me...however the afternoon brought a completely different situation for me...

Stay tuned for Part 2...to be posted tomorrow (I promise)!

Thank-you, thank-you, THANK-YOU! :)

2006-08-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

Recently it appears I've been the lucky recipient of many acts of kindness, and for that I say a big THANK-YOU to you all! Whether it's been breakfast, supper, lip gloss, hand soap, bubble tea, going for a walk, enjoying a nice chat, or a ride here and there, all of it has been greatly appreciated (you all know who you are ;P ) I'm a very lucky girl blessed by fantastic friends and family...

Oh yeah...and thanks for reading my blog, though it doesn't get updated often (some of you have probably fallen off your seats, seeing another posting from me...I tell you, it's all about the SHOCK value)!

Have a great week everyone!

What the..?!?

2006-08-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

What else will the oil and gas industry come up with in order to make their consumers suffer even more? Aren't they already gauging us, paying $1.149/L at the pumps...

It was reported this evening on CTV News that Esso and Shell gas stations will be charging us consumers $0.50 to use the air, regardless of whether we're filling up our vehicles or are bikes! Okay, not like the whole whopping 50 cents is going to break the bank, but it's the principal of the matter!

What next? Paying for the use of the bathroom facilities at gas stations? Or better yet...you cannot use the washroom without a minimum $3 purchase of which, you will be charged an additional $0.25 transaction fee to use the debit unless your purchase exceeds $10...

Sheesh...

Craziness...

2006-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things in life are hard to explain...for example, why should I benefit from someone's tragedy?

Many of you know already I have the opportunity to potentially get promoted (okay, the likelihood is about 90%, but still...). Anyways, the lady that will be retiring will actually be leaving sooner than her initially anticipated date (end of September). She has bumped her retirement date to the end of August now, due to a series of unfortunate events...

Firstly, her husband fell ill, 11 shifts before he was to retire from the Edmonton Fire Department...she got a call at work and the call indicated her hubby had collapsed at the hall and that as soon as they knew which hospital the EMS would be taking him to, they would call her back so that she could meet him at the hospital. Physically he is doing okay (apparently his nerves are not quite settled yet as he shakes quite often), but more than anything my coworker thinks her husband suffered a mental breakdown. Soooo close to retirement and this happens...YIKES.

Then this past week, her father passed away in the nursing home that she just move him into the week prior. She had indicated to me that her father had given up living as he was not responsive to her nor was he eating well (he was so weak that he couldn't even suck through a straw). So this past weekend, all her siblings were able to gather together to have a memorial service for her father...nonetheless, she showed up to work on Tuesday and kept on plugging away at her files. It saddens me as I don't think her father was a Christian man...

In preparation for her retirement, she had listed her home for sale. Due to the passing of her father, she was not able to meet with her realtor to go through the offers...and seeing as how her appointment with the realtor was scheduled for last Tuesday (the day of the passing of her father), I don't know that those offers that were submitted are valid anymore...plus her and her husband were going to go to Kamloops this past weekend to check out the construction and progress of their new home, but needless to say, this didn't happen either.

Lastly, another close friend of hers lost her battle with cancer on Monday. This (if memory serves) is the 5th funeral she will be attending for the year 2006.

I guess I feel guilty that I will likely somehow figure into this equation and out of all this happening to her, I will benefit from her misfortune. It's too bad the company couldn't send her off happily into retirement rather than letting her go due to personal, tragic recent events in her life...

The aftertastes of...well...SOMETHING...

2006-07-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

So in my crazy schedule to find time to use my "cheap" Taste of Edmonton tix (purchased before July 19 to get an "awesome" discount of $2.25 for 30 tix, of which I only used 15 tix and sold teh other half to my coworker), I had to cram my Taste experience into a mere 1 hour over th noon hour rush (okay...for those of you who REALLY know me, I took an extended lunch, but only due to the fact that the 5 of us gals from work had to walk to the LRT, wait for the LRT, beat the crowds and the line-ups upon arrival to the festival and then having to LRT back to the branch...

Anyways, my experience, unlike that of Mrs. L's, was good as I left with a full stomach, however, I suffered greatly for it afterwards...(I'll leave out the gross details as it potentially involves digestion issues...due I think in large part to how some of the food was prepared in the sweltering heat (it was like 30 degrees when we were there)...

I tried the Patata (pretty much it was chunky hash browns smothered in garlic mayo) and that was quite delicious...though I should have thought twice before ordering it as I had to meet a member in the afternoon...oops...the cost was 4 tix...

I also tried the Chicken Ceasar wrap which I was told was a "good deal" as it was a tasty filler...and that it was! Huge chunks of chicken covered my roughly 6" pita...very tasty but extremely messy as the chicken kept squirting out the other end of my pita...again, worth 5 tix

Lastly I tried the Lobster Penne...it was very, very tasty, but my serving was kinda soupy compared to those of my coworkers...again, felt very satiated after ingesting, however, I think this was the dish that did me in for the evening!

Nonetheless, highly enjoyable experience, especially watching all the businessmen in their suits sweating bullets in the sun! Haha...that's soo mean, but hey, if you know you're gonna be in a highly populated area in the scorching sun for lunch, you'd think they would think twice before putting the suits on in the morning! One thing though...you might want to bring your own water/beverage as there were ample vending machines around, but at $2.50 a bottle, you might want to consider hauling a drink along with you when you go!

By the way...sorry, don't remember where all my tasty dishers were from (except the Lobster Penne--that was from Brewsters)...you know how it is...a memory the size of a pea...

Time to Update!

2006-07-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, guilty as charged...so here I am updating my blog again (finally)...

First off, some sights from my High School Reunion (kinda boring given most of my pics were with people you won't know...

Above is my girlfriend Amanda and I, whom I've known since Grade 7 and is now married to my other friend, Brody (with one very adorable son, Linden who is now 1 and a bit years old)...

...and this is Angele, the nicest gal I knew in high school who is currently taking her MA in ECONOMICS (crazy girl) at the U of A (who shockingly is still single, along with only a handful of us that evening)...

...and this is Linnea...who I've know since KINDERGARTEN and who was also my first best friend (I'm not too sure how we communicated back then as I only recall knowing how to say "Hi" and my name in English when I was 5) . Linnea is currently married and expecting her first child in October.

The attendance for the reunion was a bit disappointing, considering only aobut 120 people showed up, of which included spouses from a graduating class of roughly 400 (?). There were certainly people I hadn't see for the past 10 years and so we caught up, but there was a fair number of people I had hoped to see that didn't show. Oh well, maybe we'll catch up with each other during our 20 year reunion...

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This is the very unique, funky arrangement I received from a member recently at work. Although from afar it looks like a bunch of weeds, I've been told that this Pitted Protea (the orange petalless flower) is quite rare and very expensive. There was not much of a fragrant smell from the flowers, but it was interesting to look at for sure...

And besides, it's the thought that counts!

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So Superstar, Mrs. L and I tried to do a good deed...donate blood. Long story short, both Superstar and Mrs. L were ineligible to donate due to low iron and only I was able to donate. However, although I was eligible, it didn't necessarily mean I could donate.

Approximately 1 hour spent at the clinic, I left with a cookie and a cup of Coke in my stomach, an ice pack, a blue cheese cloth and a matching blue tensor bandage around my left arm. To spare most of you the disgusting details (sorry Loopers you had to live through the gory details), I was unable to clot for approximately 20 minutes. The super sucky part was though, I didn't even get to donate my pint...what happened?!? All I have to say is that the angle of the needle in my arm would not allow the blood to flow. Will this experience turn me away from donating again?!?...likely not, but I will definitely have to rethink about using my left arm again...

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That's about it for now...hope everyone has a great summer...anyone up for a Taste of Edmonton??? YUM...

Miscellaneous Thoughts

2006-06-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

So I unexpectedly received an email on Friday from an old high school mate that somehow managed to track me down through his older sister, who happened to have my email address (funny enough, through church I was hunted down).

Anyways, the content of the email is to round up the Grad Class of 1996 for our 10-Year High School Reunion! My goodness, the past 10 years have just flown by, as it hasn't felt like it's been 10 years since I've seen/been in contact with these people.

What are your thoughts about reunions such as these?!? To me, it's kind of a bragging rights reunion...people likely flaunting their wealth, career and family successes. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but in my mind, I can foresee this being a bragging contest. On the other hand, it would be nice to touch base with many that I haven't seen in the past 10 years!

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In chatting with Mrs. L about this reunion business, she actually advised that there is such a thing as an Alumni page for our high school! There is a page available where you can post your name, email address and a small blurb to update others from your Grad class what you're up to and where you are currently residing. Methinks Mrs. L and Superstar will both update their info...for myself, I don't really think I need to as I'm still in touch with those that I want to be in touch with...how sad...I was looking for the school emblem, but the webpage is sooo low budget, I couldn't find one anywhere! But then again, it could be because of my poor searching skills... :)

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I will be volunteering for Corporate Challenge next weekend. As an incentive to get volunteers (for the event I'm helping with, 16 volunteers are required as if the minimum requirements are not met, my company will not be invited to the next year's Corporate Challenge), other than the free T-Shirt (great, another night shirt), the company is providing one extra little incentive...a $50 gift certificate (not too sure where the GC will be for)! Of course this was unbeknownst to me when I signed up, but I guess this is a bonus!

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The kids in SS today were extremely energetic (more so than usual), so I finished my lesson early so that we could spend some time outdoors (for them to expend their energy before service) and to cool down (our classroom was sweltering...even before I arrived, the kids already had both windows fully opened)!

As this was an impromptu decision to go outside I really had no planned activities. So I suggested they play frozen tag, boys vs. girls. I'm not sure if this game was not fun for the kids, they weren't athletic, didn't have the appropriate footwear or a combination of any of the above, they pretty much just wanted to stand around and chat. They attempted to play a bit, but really only 3 gals were participating (out of 8 gals) and only 3 guys were chasing/being chased (out of a possible 6 guys). Oh well, at least they were able to enjoy the fresh air outdoors.

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Many were pleasantly shocked when I did not show up at church with a single speck of blue or black on me today (clothing wise I'm talking about)! I don't find that too impressive as I've been working hard at incorporating color into my wardrobe!

Haha, but it kinda backfired as Wacky and KEY were both wearing their versions of the skirt that I had bought (with credit given to them that they both bought the skirt when I was present and a couple weeks before I bought mine)! Of course we all had different color skirts on...I guess it just goes to show that GREAT minds think alike! Hahahaha!!!
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Hmmm, that's all for now...this post was created for all you dedicated Vanilla Con blog readers as apparently I've been told I don't update my blog often enough (keeping in mind, there are many others that don't blog regularly too)!

Thanks for your dedication in reading the blog of a Vanilla flavored gal!

Sites from Mazatlan

2006-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone! Long time no blog...cuz I've been on holidays! Well, here are some of the sights I got to enjoy while in Mazatlan... this first one is of our pool at the resort...the water got really warm by noon due to the sun! Hehehe...the pools were all only 4.5 feet deep!

This is the view from my hotel room balcony...the swim up bar is what you see in the picture. As you can see...we faced right into the Pacific Ocean...what a way to wake up every morning huh? :)

This is a picture of some of the landscaping around the resort we stayed at...Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. Apparently this is the second resort of the same name...the other is Pueblo Bonito Mazatlan, located actually in the city in what is known as the "Golden Zone", meaning the heart of all the resorts. Emerald Bay is the only 5 star resort in Mazatlan...so it was pretty posh looking compared to the Pueblo Bonito in Mazatlan!!!

Ahhhh, the lovely sunset again taken from the balcony of my suite. As you can see, this was so serene...so relaxing to just sit and watch the sun set...

Hehehe...and this is the result of 1 day in the sun...SPF 45 smothered all over me too! When we left Mazatlan, it was 40 degrees Celsius! Ahh, but no worries...the soreness has all left me and I now have a pretty good tan going on! I apologize to all those who are offended by this picture...

In total I took more than 140 pics...so when I have time and if you care to see more, I would love to share more about my trip with you! This holiday was FUN, but I'm also glad to be back at home, where my clothes don't feel damp all the time and I can actually understand and communicate normally with people (no hablo espanol...I don't speak Spanish)!

Disappointment

2006-04-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

So it seems recently my life has been all about disappointment. It just appears nothing has been going right! I'm trying hard to keep optimistic, but it's like the old saying goes, when it rains it pours.

You name it, relationships, work stresses, time management, health...none of it appears to be working in my favour, however, I know I have to hold to the fact that with the Lord's good timing, all will be sorted out...I just have to get through this rut I'm in...

Oh yeah, finally filed my taxes for this year. Rather than getting my usual 4- figure return back (as I have been for the past 4 or so years), it appears I'll be receiving a very, very small refund this year. Strange...one would think that as income goes up, so would RSP contributions (which I made sure the same percentage of income was being contributed), and the return would stay the same...nope...no such luck. I think perhaps it's time to step up the donations and contributions even more...*sigh*...it's still better than paying the government! Besides, this refund is more than what I have now, so I guess it's still a bonus nonetheless, but still, somewhat disappointing...

A Long week FINALLY over!

2006-04-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

I'm glad today is Saturday...it's been a long, tough week for me.

It all started with some relationship type of problem...long story short, we decided to take a week long 'break' to seek some clarity and God's Will. Monday...I was sicker than a dog...had to come home from work after only a half day at work as my head felt like lead and I couldn't focus properly. I thought it was a touch of the flu, as I was sore and extremely tired.

Tuesday, the flu-like symptoms turned into more of a head cold, runny nose, watery eyes, ears plugged...it really was quite a nice picture! But on the bright side of things, Emma left Tuesday morning before I went to work, so I didn't have to worry about entertaining her despite feeling ill.

Wednesday and Thursday came and went, not much exciting. People at work continue to dump more work on me, despite my working on a different team. Not a big deal, it gives me more experience and it's not like I'm swamped. But this did create some ill feelings between my Team Leader and the one who kept referring more work to me (oh well, can't blame the middle man)!

And on Friday, I can officially now say that I've been sprayed by a vehicle driving by! My coworkers and I were standing on the SE corner off Jasper Ave and 112 Street waiting to cross the road when this ignorant sedan made a right turn and sprayed ALL OF US! He didn't even stop to see if we were okay. I literally had water dripping from my jacket and spots on my jeans (and I could even feel that my face was wet)! I looked to see what type of puddle there was, but lo and behold, there was only a giant pothole that was filled with murky, brown water. Great...at least I know my jacket is water resistant! The funny part is (okay, not so funny if this happened to you), but when we were walking back to the branch, we saw 2 other groups of ladies getting sprayed at the exact same corner!!! The lesson to be learnt here...stand far, far away from the curb as the splash zone is quite large!

This upcoming week should be a lot better...already I feel less stuffed up and am not coughing nearly as much and on a side note...I bought 1 dress, a 2-piece LIME GREEN jacket and dress outfit (no you're not seeing things...lime green) and a skirt. And to make things better, all 3 items were a size smaller than what I usually take! Maybe there are some perks to being sick afterall!

The Joys of Emma Sitting

2006-03-30T08:41:00.000-08:00

So as most of you know, Hurene and Dr. Matt are in Vegas...and therefore I am looking after their little one, our four-legged friend Emma! Boy oh boy, it sure is different having a little one wandering around here!

Hurene and Dr. Matt dropped her off this past Tuesday, later on in the evening...thankfully my small ladies group was here, so there were more legs around to distract Emma. H and Dr. M snuck out of here so quietly I even barely noticed...but poor Emma...as soon as they left, the poor little dog was so confused...she kept looking down the stairs and was doing laps around my main floor, looking for her owners! She didn't really bark at all, but one could tell she was scared.

Slowly, as the small group left, I was left all alone with Emma. I had already told H that I wasn't going to allow Emma to sleep with me (I've never slept with an animal before and secondly, I am paranoid that I would roll over and squish poor Emma)! So I proceed to head upstairs.

I could hear her barking from the bottom of the stairs, and I figured she would stop barking once that routine got old (I was assuming 5 minutes or so)...but nope...it was on again off again barking for like half an hour, so finally, she won...I came downstairs and slept on the couch. Again, Emma tried to jump up to sleep with me but I wouldn't allow it. So after a night of not too much rest (every time Emma heard me move she would bark at me), I reluctantly woke up to get ready for work.

But little did I know...Emma had a surprise waiting for me...sitting in a little heap in the middle of the kitchen were 3 small chunks of poo! Ahhh, this must have been revenge for me not allowing her to sleep with me...but I guess I really can't complain as she has been using the facilities sent up for her in the bathroom to do her deeds and being in a new environment, she likely was nervous as well (although I must say she did miss hitting the paper a couple of times, but at least she went in the right location)!

Then when I got home yesterday afternoon (I only was at work a half day yesterday and I'm off today and tomorrow..yay!), poor Emma...I don't know if she was excited to see me or nervous or a combination of both. I know the garage door scares her (it's pretty loud), but she was very jumpy when she saw me. But things are all good now...

She only tried twice to jump up on my couch (yes, I slept on the couch again) last night, but she did settle in nicely on her pillow. And she didn't bark at me at all throughout the night...so I think she's adjusting nicely.

All in all, so far so good...but I'm sure she misses Dr. M and Hurene a lot, but I think she's been relatively happy being here with me...she seems content now...as she's cuddled up next to me napping :)

Rude Drivers!!!

2006-03-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

So it dumped so much snow here this weekend...fine. The stupid condo association hasn't gotten anyone to shovel all this snow. Fine. I do my own driveway despite paying condo fees. Fine. I'm coming home from fellowship and I'm getting ready to take a left hand turn into my little crescent and there's an Explorer waiting there at the entrace/exit to make a right hand turn. Seeing as how there is so much snow I make every effort to give him as much room as poosible while trying to navigate the left turn.

I try driving in over the slight incline and I get stuck. My wheels are spinning like crazy and I can smell rubber burning, so I try to reverse a bit and try again. Again, same results. This goes on for about 3 minutes before I finally give up and gun it, finally making it over the incline.

Meanwhile this stupid Explorer makes his turn and gives me a bad look, not even considering jumping out of his piece of crap vehicle to offer help. To make matters worse, there's this mini van that pulled over beside the bus stop just outside of my crescent, sitting there THE WHOLE TIME watching me burn the rubber off my tires. Seriously, how RUDE is that, seeing that I'm struggling and again not even offering help?!?

And to think I helped a coworker out of the work parking lot yesterday seeing that she was struggling to her vehicle out of lot. In dress shoes, I got out and pushed, resulting in my newly washed pants getting sprayed. You'd think what goes around comes around, but apparently that always isn't the case.

ARGH...

Incompetence

2006-03-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

I went shopping with a co-worker after work yesterday. We went to the big mall and surprisingly it was busy (for a weeknight)! My girlfriend had to purchase a gift for a guy friend of hers so we went into stores I would NEVER go into out of my own free will. We were in the likes of Urban Men and Urban Woman (is it 'man' or 'men' and 'woman' or 'women'?...anyways), Abercrombie and Fitch, Forever 21 and so on and so forth. Of course I got to go to my usual stores too (Old Navy, Fairweather, Gap and even Laura--since I've been teased sooo badly as of recent). But much to my dismay I didn't find anything, but my girlfriend did.

Anyways, why my title you ask?!? With Alberta being in such an economic boom, Tim Hortons and the like are paying decent money for someone to pour coffee...well, the same is true for some of these stores.

We went into a specialized car store as my girlfriend wanted to purchase some air freshener refill for her Rav 4. She's been stalking this store since Christmas and everytime she's gone to the big mall, they've been out of stock. Apparently this type of refill is in very high demand. So she asked the guy at the counter when they were expecting some more of these refills and he indicated that they order once every 2 or 3 months and so her best way of guaranteeing a refill is if she were to order it in (at no extra cost to her, why wouldn't she?)! She just had to ensure she pay for the refills up front, which are quite costly ($12 each!). So she was ready to pay for 2 refills when (who I believe to be one of the owners of the store) offered to open one of the packages and sell her the refill from that pack and he would replace the refill once their order came in! Now HOW NICE IS THAT?!? But of course, my girlfriend, pushing her luck as she always does, asked for 2 refills! Much to my shock, they guy opened another pack and sold her the refill from there! Talk about service or what?!?

Unfortunately this positive experience was quickly negated by her next experience...

After much walking around the mall, she decided to get her friend a sports hoodie...the zip up type. She went to pay for the hoodie and she specifically told the young, 15 year old, greasy, overweight boy (and I'm not even saying that to be mean...it's all true) that she wanted a gift receipt for the hoodie just in case it didn't fit or he preferred something else. This kid kept saying, "yup, yup, for sure..."...well, apparently that means, "I have no freaking clue how to properly process your request but I'm gonna pretend I know how anyways and proceed without asking anybody for help." He rang the item through and she paid via credit card. He handed her the receipt. She asked which one was the gift receipt and he says, "oh shoot...I'm gonna have to call my manager to help me." So off went this kid and he returned with the so-called manager of the store. She explained the situation and the manager says, "We can't give you a gift receipt after the transaction is completed."

So my girlfriend, still being nice asked to return the purchase and have them re-ring it into the till and then to provide her with a gift receipt. The manger then proceeded to tell her with his accented English that all of a sudden, these so-called "new tills" don't print gift receipts. For anyone who has ever bought a present for someone, you would know that this guy is full of crap! More like he was too lazy to read up on how to print a receipt!!!

My girlfriend, being more composed than I would've been, simply told him "that's stupid" and said she wanted a full refund on her purchase. The guy proceeded to refund her the funds onto her credit card and didn't even apologize. Meanwhile the original sales kid was standing around useless and watching this whole situation with his mouth open.

The point of this story is...you have good sales people who will bend over backwards to accomodate a customer and then you have these idiots at FOOTLOCKER who have no idea what customer service actually means. Maybe the stupid employees of FOOTLOCKER should reconsider their stellar choice of career...maybe instead of dealing with the public, they should be food court maids, gathering trays and emptying garbage and stuff, where you don't have to communicate with the general public . I think I saw an ad in the Journal for a food court maid...but wait a sec...I think these idiots are not qualified for those positions...

Incompetent people REALLY annoy me...can you tell??

Spoiled!

2006-03-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm so lucky to have such great friends!

Yesterday at work, as I was training another lady on how to work through a file, one of the tellers from the front found me in the very back of the building and was holding another arrangement of flowers for ME!

Much to my surprise (as my birthday was last week) I received flowers from friends in Calgary! They sent them as a "belated" birthday gift! That's so sweet as I didn't do anything for the husband of this couple (he shares my same birthday...do you all know who I got flowers from yet)?

And then all week I've been treated to hearty meals courtesy of friends. My lady coworkers took me out for lunch on Monday (we only went to Ricky's All Day Grill), but nonetheless, it was a good meal (can you believe 8 ladies came out to lunch just to celebrate my birthday)? Then for supper, my siblings and Justice and Monsieur and I all celebrated my birthday along with Mrs. L's bday at Red Lobster...again...good food and lots of it!

On Tuesday, I was greeted with a homemade cake from one of the gals from my small group...we'll call her Dr. D...which again, was sooo nice and sweet of her to even spend the time to make a cake just for me! Then on Wednesday, KEY and her hubby (sorry, I can't figure out a nickname for KEY's hubby yet...) and had a delicious supper at the Olive Garden! There was so much food I had a rather large lunch pre-made already for me today! :) One final meal awaits me this upcoming Monday as my aunt has offered to take me and Superstar to Ric's Grill for supper! Non-stop eats...

And of course in between all this eating there's been a lot of emails/phone calls/birthday cards received full of well wishes as well. I've been so blessed to have such great friends and family all celebrating with me as I turned the big 2-8!

My Parents Are Sooo Sweet!

2006-02-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

To my surprise today, I received flowers delivered to my office...lo and behold...they're from my parents! Actually, when I saw the flowers, I kinda already knew who they were from as this wasn't the first time my parents have sent flowers to me for my birthday. They had sent me flowers when I was in Hinton as at that point in time, Mom had indicated to me that she missed me and wished she and Dad could celebrate my birthday with me.

How sweet is that?

Traditional Ukrainian Perogy Supper

2006-02-12T17:36:00.000-08:00

I felt so special when one of my member's called me up specifically to attend their first perogy supper of the year. They wanted me to go see the new edition to the church (which I assisted by approving financing) as well as to join them for supper. This was on Friday.

Seeing as how I have absolutely NO Ukrainian blood in me, I wasn't sure what the protocol was. I checked around my office and they said generally it's very informal...you show up, and then you leave. That's it. I figured it was low key enough I could handle it (and one of my coworkers said she'd go with me). This made it a little less intimidating for me.

I arrive at the church shortly after 4:30pm and there are already several people chowing down. Now you have to understand, this church has a pretty old c0ngregation...but that I mean if you're 52 (which one of my coworkers is and he so happens to attend this church), you're considered YOUNG! Haha...anyways...I show up there and look for familiar faces.

I finally find one of the guys that was in charge of the construction of the new addition to the church. He asks if I want to eat first or take the tour first...but without letting me even answer, he takes me on the tour first...okay then...

You should've seen the pride in the faces of the leaders of the church that were showing me around! It was sooo awesome as these guys that were showing me around, they actually helped start the church in the 1950's. It was great to see someone so proud of their premises, to the point where they even showed me their new furnace room!

Anyways, long story short, the visit went well and I had my first HOME MADE perogy supper as a church function! They were soooo good...seriously, thank goodness I wasn't born Ukrainian otherwise I'd be one fat Ukrainian lady! I felt honored that they'd even think about inviting me, the banker...yes they must like me! Haha, but being liked isn't always a good thing...they've already told me when they do their grand opening/unveiling in June I will be invited along with some other "dignitaries" such as the Mayor as well as people from the Alberta government. Great...at least I'll be able to drag my coworker with me to keep me company (they told her to come with me)!

This housekeeper I have...she's no good! :)

2006-02-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know...I have a housekeeper...her name is Vanilla. She doesn't really do a good job in tending to 'home related things' such as cooking, cleaning, ironing, laundry or anything that's chore related.

I just found out today that I know more than 1 person/family that has a maid or 'hired help' to come tidy around their homes on a semi-regular basis. I have thought about it a bit in the past...hiring someone to come once every 2 weeks or so would be soooo good, but then I really start thinking...

Let's assume $15/hour is the going rate and assuming each time the hired help needs 3.5 hours to tidy up (my place is not the neatest of places, but then again I don't live in sty either), this would equate to $52.50 for services rendered. And having this hired help come every other week, it would cost $105 on a monthly basis.

This seems to be a pretty good alternative to have your place cleaned on a regular basis, but with $105 I could be spending this money in other worthwhile ways...for example, I sponsor a Hope Child through World Canada. This means all children through this sponsorship program have in one way or another been effected by AIDS (whether it be their friends, family, etc.). At $40/month, this provides the child with a better quality of life (food, education, health vaccinations, etc.). With this $105/month, I could sponser an additional 2 children.

Or I could donate this sum to an inner city elementary school on a monthly basis so that some kids that don't have lunches could enjoy a warm lunch on a more frequent basis.

I guess there's a ton of different organizations that would benefit from this donation so...no matter how many times I want to try to justify hiring help, I can't bring myself to do it. So with that being said...I gotta go dry my laundry now :(

~DISCLAIMER~ I am in no way judging or critizing those that do have the privilege of hiring help. I'm more than anything--envious--of your decision! This post was not written to offend!

What a week!

2006-01-28T09:04:00.000-08:00

This week just whizzed right by me, leaving me standing there in the dust! It was so incredibly busy, I don't even know how to begin describing what happened this week, but here goes...

I work within a small team comprised of a Team Leader (TL), two Senior Account Managers (SAM)--of which one is part time and the other full time and myself. The PT SAM has been on a leave of absence as her husband was initially diagnosed with menengitis and then he suffered a stroke (all our prayers are with her and her family). She has been off work since the early part of November and as such we've all had to carry a bit more of her workload, not a problem.

Then the other SAM went on holidays this week (thankfully only for a week) but was much deserved. She too has been having some problems with her family (her husband has been struggling with being bi-polar and her uncontrollable daughter one day called her at work to tell her she'd HAD a baby (the crazy part is that the daughter lived at home and nobody even noticed she was pregnant...she hid it well)! So between all these things, this SAM has been extremely stressed out, having to deal with this bi-polar situation since Christmas 2004 and then having to support her daughter and new granddaughter since the latter half of 2005.

Anyways, this week would've been just fine except for the fact that my TL was away sick for 3.5 of the 5 working days this week! So that led me to handle their portfolios along with my own (totaling roughly 500 members)! Now to some of you doctors out there, 500 is probably a really small number, however, in the banking world it's huge (especially since you're having to deal with issues of overdrafts and the like). Plus on top of all this, I had to ensure any referrals from our Contact Centre were also tended to.

Then this week we had our 4th(?) annual member appreciation reception at the Royal Glenora. That was nice but really time consuming (after a day at work, we had to attend this thing that lasted until 830 pm or so). That was nice, until I ran into my "stalker" from many moons ago, but that's another story ;)

I then tried to donate blood on Thursday, but was denied because my iron levels were too low (although the nurse assured me that it was 'normal'?). Shoot, now I have to wait another full cycle (56 days) before I am eligible to try again.

Then last night I went with KEY and our very own "Martha Stewart" to shop for our hot pot evening tonight. It was absolute insanity in T&T...one would've thought everything was free or something as the line ups were absolutely crazy! In total we spent a little over 2 hours there...nutty...!

So that's been my week in a nutshell. As much as I whine and complain about being too busy and stuff, I really am thankful that I am busy (haha, am gainfully employed) and that I have great friends, healthy family and friends and am getting my walk back on track spiritually with God, what more can I ask for as the year of the Dog approaches?

Gong hay fat choy to you all!

Could it get any worse???

2006-01-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, they (the superstitious) say bad things happen in three's. Is there truth to it?

First, my performance appraisal was due at the beginning of December. Due to holidays and the like, I didn't submit it until the new year. So I was already 1 month late with it, but that's not so bad given there have been others that were due from before that only was submitted recently. Fine...so just today my immediate supervisor tells me that he submitted my report to the big boss man to sign off on and to determine my raise percentage. My supervisor pulls me aside and asks if the big boss man had yet spoken to me yet...that kinda got me concerned. I said he hadn't and then he goes on to tell me that the big boss man is reluctant to give me another raise as I only received one 6 months ago! Thank goodness my supervisor had the guts to stick up for me and and to remind my big boss that it was requested byHR that I submit my annual performance review and that the previous review conducted in June was for my probationary period that led to my promotion. So the big boss man reluctantly agreed to review my PA. Sheesh...if I were a slacker that would be one thing, but seeing as how my immediate supervisor actually gave me an even better PA report than the one that was submitted for my previous promotion, I don't understand why my big boss was so grouchy about having to review my PA! And besides, my raise doesn't affect his pocket book, so what's the deal???

Secondly, coming home after a long day at work (it's been quite busy all week), I get stuck waiting for the stupid train to cross. That was more of an irritant than bad luck.

Lastly, as I sat there waiting for the train to cross, I hear this thud and it kinda came from no where...sounded like someone had thrown something on my windshield. I quickly checked and at first didn't see anything, but it was only after I started moving again did I see this HUGE crack across the bottom of my windshield!!! It's not like a couple inches long--the crack extends pretty much from one end of the windshield to the other. I know this is a result of a chip I inherited from a previous commute drive to work from a while ago. I think the combination of the cold air and the chip contributed to the crack. I might as well let it keep cracking until it obstructs my view before I get it replaced. Thankfully I think I'll be able to make it through until at least spring. Funny, the 2 cracks I have in my windshield are a result of commuting to work. I had no such 'bad luck' in the previous 3 years that I traveled the highways...

There you have it...does bad luck come in three's??? You decide.

Time to shape up, spiritually!

2006-01-17T22:09:00.000-08:00

Remember how I said I was going to go for walks everyday during my noon hour??? So far it's lasted 1 week, and that's about it!!! I have found myself missing my daily walk due to prolonged meetings in the morning and as well in the early afternoons. With so much time spent in these meetings, my days have been completely shot as a result of these scheduled interruptions. I find myself lost in phone calls and with emails piling up in my inbox.

But after meeting with my small (*AWESOME*) ladies group this evening and reflecting on my spiritual walk, I find myself reflecting on the fact that I have not been prioritizing my efforts properly. We did this excercise (which Dr. D led) whereby we had to chart our spiritual journey thus far. I found my chart to be freakishly similar to that of Wacky's (which was of course completed independently of each other) in that my walk peaked during specific periods and dropped off during other times. We each took turns sharing personal and private thoughts with regards to our respective spiritual walks and it turns out even though we're each on a different paths, we all share one common thing, and that is to improve our walks and to keep each other accountable.

Where am I going with all this you might ask??? I really have no excuse for not spending more time doing devotions and the like as I have been blessed many times over with my carreer being well on track, I have a house in which I can call my own and a great group of friends and of course my family that are a great support system for me...but this evening I'm reminded that there must be certain priorities that must take precedence over other things. Why am I so concerned about returning calls and making sure the little envelope icon does not appear on my desktop and going for my noon hour walk, but it's not a big deal if I don't get around to doing regular devotions and spending time in prayer?

Someone slap me silly as obviously I have everything backwards!!! 2006 is my time to get into shape, both physically as well as spiritually! I would hope that others around me will continue to encourage and keep me accountable...I will reciprocate in return!

Mexico, here I come (well, soon anyways)!

2006-01-14T20:09:00.000-08:00

After throwing the idea around of traveling again this year, I actually booked a trip this evening. A girlfriend of mine and I will be heading to Mazatlan in the early part of May! I'm sooooo looking forward to this trip.

We've only booked our flight and accomodations to date and will wait until we arrive in Mazatlan before we book any tours and the like. We're staying at a four star hotel (keeping in mind this is Mexico after all), which is quite nice. But the only part I'm not looking forward to already is the layovers...not just one, but two of them! That's probably why our trip is relatively affordable :)

We fly from Edmonton into Seattle, and from Seattle to LA and from LA into Mazatlan. Talk about losing precious time from just traveling! However, our plan is to check our bags into the Seattle airport and then take the evening to sightsee around Seattle. On our way back, we'll be doing the same in LA.

I'm sooooooo looking forward to this trip, but now the real planning begins...things to do before I get to Mazatlan;

1. Find at least another bathing suit (this whole process does not appeal to me at all!)
2. Lose some weight
3. Research what there is to do in Mazatlan (thank goodness for AMA!)
4. Figure out how to spend out time wisely during our layovers in order to maximize on our trip (I guess this involves a bit of research into Seattle and LA)
5. Remember to pack only the important stuff (in case I go crazy and load up on souveniers)!
6. Get my Hep A and B shots (must book appointment soon)

Hmmm...have I forgotten anything?

Hmmm, already mid January and this is my first entry...

2006-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

WOW. Where has all the time gone?!? I seem to remember celebrating new year's only a few days ago...have I already been back to work for 2 weeks??? Well I gotta get over it, and catch you up on what's been happening since 2006 started...

Firstly, I joined a small group in which I will be studying Kay Arthur's "Speak To My Heart, God" with a few other lovely ladies. We met for the first time this past Tuesday and I'm definitely looking forward to attending this newly formed group. One of my goals this year is to improve my spiritual walk despite having a much fuller schedule. By meeting with this group, it will force me to make time for myself and to study God's word :)

Secondly, I have started taking lunch hour walks with a fellow co-worker of mine. Some might think I'm copying Superstar's idea, but contrary to that belief, my co-worker approached me to keep her company. How can I pass up that offer, given I have no excuse (I keep a pair of runners at work)! We went Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this past week and we do plan on going regularly Monday through Thursday (Friday is our "treat" day...we go out for lunch)! The tricky part is (and yes, I feel like a big meanie doing this), there is this other co-worker who tends to invite herself to EVERYTHING, and the first lady that I walk with absolutely cannot stand her!!! So this week we've been very bad and we've gotten creative as to when we go for our walks so as to avoid her inviting herself (is it really that selfish to not want to spend time with specific people over our LUNCH hour)? Don't we have a right to choose who we would like to spend time with? If so...please, I'm open to suggestions as to how to uninvite someone who invites herself to everything (including our Friday lunch outings...which we've had to share with her on a few ocassions)! Don't get me wrong, she's a nice enough lady, but boy oh boy, she doesn't know when she's overstayed her welcome! Plus she's one of those types that always has a better story to tell about her or her family after an initial conversation between a group of people that she eavesdrops on! Can you sense I get annoyed with her quite easily??? *SIGH* Patience is a virtue in which I must learn :)

Hmmm...what else??? I guess that's it for now...told you all! I lead a boring life, but I must finish with a comedic story!

Before the new year, my siblings and I were at Southgate taking in some post-Christmas sales. We were in Hallmark browsing around when Mrs. L and The Boy decided to wait outside. Superstar remained with me...and thank goodness for that! We were getting ready to leave the store when I accidently kicked something. I thought maybe I had dropped something on the ground. Much to my utter DISGUST, I looked down to find a retainer on the ground! I immediately thought of The Boy! Why you ask??? It's because this is not the first time I have located The Boy's retainer in weirdo places! So I made a triangle with me feet around this retainer so as to avoid others stepping on it and potentially wrecking this expensive piece of plastic and I sent Superstar out to get The Boy to identify this object. Sure enough, it belonged to him. It fell out of his jacket pocket as he had removed it earler for lunch! Superstar claims it was a "March of the Penguins" moment when she saw me hovering over the retainer. I dunno, haven't watched the movie yet!

Vanilla hits Hollywood...well...not quite...

2005-12-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

The hockey game tonight was AWESOME! Of course my home team won...yippee! But what makes it better is that someone in my section won the draw to get their seats upgraded to one of the club seats. You ask how this benefits me?!? Well...do I have a story to tell...

As the winners of the upgraded seats was approximately 4 rows up and 8 seats over from where I was, the big screen panned onto the winners. Of course then they zoom out and do a crowd shot...that's where I see my Superstar sister just slightly on the big screen...that's when I nudge her and she starts waving her new team blanket on the big screen.

Well, the camera zooms in and Superstar decides she's gonna chicken out and ducks behind the blanket, leaving, yes, Vanilla all by herself sitting there like a grinning idiot. Meanwhile Superstar can't stiffle her giggles.

So that was me, Vanilla's big 5 seconds of fame. To make matters worse, Superstar's friends were also at this game and they actually text messaged Superstar to tell her they recognized us at the game. Hmmm...wonder if TSN televised that moment?

Just another Vanilla day...

2005-12-29T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I've decided to join the world of blogging as it seems sometimes there's something *different* that happens in my life that I want to share with everyone, but sending an email seems so...well...odd. It's not like it's that important, but at the same time, I want to get the news out there!

Why "Just Vanilla" you ask? For those of you who know my Superstar sister, she was the one who coined that nickname for me...and in thinking about it, it really does suit me! I've never claimed to be nor have ever been anything outside of the ordinary. I don't like to take risks, I'm highly predictable and consider myself just like any other white collar professional here in the city. So in reflecting on the nickname, it really, really is me...plain and simple, but at the same time adaptable in most situations.

Anyways, Vanilla is me and I've had a vanilla type of day...didn't do much of anything yet it was a day well spent...catching up on some zzz's, messing around on the computer and a day of Food Network TV and now hockey...what more can one ask for on a day off?