My Life As You Know It

So as many of you have probably guessed I am having a lot of trouble keeping up with the blogging world. After much consideration I have decided to take an indefinite break from my blog. I'd like to say that I have the intention of returning to my blog, but at this point I just don't know. As I mentioned previously my life is undergoing a lot of changes and as a result I just cannot keep up with my blog. For me blogging has been all about give and take and I have not had the time recently to give all of you the time that you so deserve. You have all been such an amazing part of my life for the last few years and I will never be able to thank you enough. I will keep up with people through Facebook and hope to maintain contact with you that way. I also plan to stop by your blogs once in a while because "I just can't quit you." (ha ha ha... yeah I went there) Anyway thank you all again for your ongoing support, it has meant more to you than you will ever know....

Believe it or not I have about three full posts saved as "drafts" that I just can't seem to tweak enough to make them "post-worthy" so instead I am just going to give you a brief overview of my life since the middle of August. I will have to do this in a few parts, because this has been a busy few months! So here we go: Friday Aug 28th - I got married! We had a small ceremony on the beach. It was nice and relaxed, since we had such a small group (there were about 20 people including the photographers, Officiant and wedding coordinator) we got most of the people involved in the ceremony by having them read our "reading" which is was more like a poem-y thing. Basically we broke it down so that my husband's mom and dad, his groomsmen, my bridesmaids and my parents all had a part to read. (I gave them each a cue card with their "part"on it.) The Officiant (The INCREDIBLE Brent Sheppard ) was so impressed by the idea that he asked if he ...

Yes small things amuse me!

****Disclaimer this is one in a series of blogs that I am going to write about wedding planning and my wedding. This is by no means a permanent change, but instead a sharing of the lessons I learned. I will have pics from my own wedding in upcoming posts. So if you're not into the wedding planning thing, keep checking back cause I'll be switching gears soon. **** As many of you know I planned my own wedding. I ruled with an iron fist to assure that my husband and I got what we wanted out of our wedding. I still had a wedding coordinator to coordinate and recommend vendors since I was in Montreal and we were getting married in Vancouver and to suggest things that I may not have thought of. I am so glad that I did get a coordinator (even though she added some of her own stress) because I don't think that I would have liked wrangling vendors and handling the set up stuff that. Before you go to a wedding coordinator (or to vendors if you aren't using one) it is import...

So another cop-out post. Sorry. I have not had the motivation to blog lately, so I have decided that I need to make a few changes. Nothing drastic, but I am going to take things in a bit more of a "direction" instead of just random bitching and moaning. So as I am a newlywed (yes I WILL get to the wedding talk) I am going to document my new life. I have hobbies! I love to cook, bake and decorate. I am going to talk a little bit more about that with a recurring "What's for dinner" segment and talking about my latest inspirations. I am going to talk a little more about my on going job hunt (the never ending job hunt!) I will also talk a little bit about being a newlywed and the stuff that I wish someone had told ME! :) All and all I think that this will be a new and improved "My Life as You Know it" and I hope that you will stick around and enjoy the ride! xoxo

Okay so this is a complete cop-out post, but I have been so busy! We had our wedding, went to Alaska, then I spent the last 2 weeks getting ready for my friend's wedding (I was a bridesmaid.) I am just tired and unmotivated. I know that I'll get back into this whole blogging thing soon, but for now if you are looking for wedding info or pics check out this post by my real-life/ blogger friend Lusty. A Bientot!

So busy can't blog! Sorry been delinquent. Full sentences not possible. Married tomorrow. Back soon! xoxoxo

I am IN LOVE with this bag This is Coach's Brooke bag in Eggplant. Isn't it beautiful? Don't you just want to reach out and touch the leather? Sigh. Yes that's right when I am stressed out I find something else to obsess over. So this is it. (Trust me this beautiful, but pricey bag is better than the alternative, last night I was looking at Petfinder.com!) So now my internal dialogue whispers "I want this bag. It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine." Instead of "AHHHHHHHHH FFFFUUUUUUU%%%%%%%%KKKKK!" Isn't that better? The only thing better would be actually GETTING the bag! :)

So here's the deal I am freaking stressed out. I have spent the last 8 months planning my wedding and now 9 days before things are starting to unravel. My wedding planner is letting me down BIG TIME (if you're getting married in Vancouver and are hiring a wedding planner, let me know and I can give you advice on who NOT to hire.) I am having fights with my Mom almost daily about the most trivial stuff (like fonts) and I feel like I am just cracking up like a psycho! Arg I am just trying to remember one thing. At the end of the day no matter what happens with the decor or transportation or food I will be married to the guy that I fall in love with over and over every day. I will keep trying to remind myself of that as I am trying not to cry or scream!

I stood outside last night at 2am watching the end of the meteor shower and I thought of you. Remember that year our families went camping and every night we'd go to the beach and look at the stars? We saw the meteor shower then too. Now every time I see a shooting star I can't help thinking about that summer. I also think of that summer when I think of stinging nettles ha ha ha. I also remember the year that we all went to Disneyland and you and I got those fedoras and matching mickey headbands. We had so much fun dancing to the music, riding the rides and just being kids. That week with you is one of my happiest childhood memories. I will always remember how happy your parents were and how crazy your little brother was. I remember looking after baby T for our Aunty L. Can you believe that T graduated high school this year? Time flies! I remember singing him songs like "The Greatest Love of All" and playing peek-a-boo and watching him jump. I remember the f...

Dear Asshat who broke into my Car today, Thanks so much for ruining a great evening with my fiance. Heaven forbid we try to enjoy the last day of his vacation by driving downtown to see a movie. I hope that you're proud of yourself. Was it worth breaking our window and rummaging around in our car? What did you find? NOTHING? Oh that's right because we don't leave valuables in our car you fucking moron. I hope that whatever fix you were hoping to get by stealing our stuff kills you and if by some chance it doesn't then pray that I never find out who you are. Dear Asshat Neighbor who called the cops on us for vacuuming the glass out of our car, Thanks so much for putting the cherry on top of an already fantastic situation. I am so sorry that we disturbed your sleep at 11pm by trying to protect our car from the elements overnight. I am really sorry that our misfortune has cost YOU. I can't wait for the opportunity to return the favor. Fuck you very much.

#1 - Hearing about MJ. Okay I get it it's a great loss to the musical community, he was an icon blah blah blah, but I just DON'T want to heat about it anymore! I mean seriously I don't care how he died, I don't care who gets custody of the kids, I don't care and I don't want to hear about it on the news, on the radio and in the paper. I mean seriously the last time he got this much media coverage he was accused of molesting children. #2 - Jon Gosslin. I get it the guy's a douche. He cheats on his wife, bitches and complains about not wanting to live in the media spotlight and then goes and dates a Star reporter and hangs out with Linsay Lohan's Dad. Riiiigggghhht. Douche. I am not going to say that I thought that their marriage would have stayed together and I am not saying that I believe that his soon-to-be-ex-wife was beyond blame. I am not even really talking about the divorce, which in itself is tragic for their kids, because I don't thi...

So I had hoped to make this a momentous occasion, but nothing momentous really popped up, so I am going to talk about something that has really irked me. I have spoken before about how much I love my family, they are the most important people in the world to me. When something is happening with one of them it really gets to me. ESPECIALLY when in indirectly involves me! Here's the deal; I have an Uncle who is an alcoholic. My Dad's side of the family all suffer from certain degrees of alcoholism (with the exception of my Dad who doesn't drink at all) but none as badly as this particular Uncle. He has a habit of getting trashed and ripping a strip off of people and breaking down crying while blaming EVERYONE for his problems, you know typical alcoholic behavior. Anyway with my pending nuptials my Dad called my Uncle to ask him not to drink at my wedding. My Uncle took offense to this request and decided not to attend my wedding. This didn't exactly thrill me, but ...

So today was the day of MJ's memorial. I am sorry to say that I am NOT a fan of all the hype his death is getting. I understand his place in music history and how great an influence he was, but for the love of goodness do they have to air it on every freaking channel! I do not want to watch it and I am mad that it is preempting the shows I did want to watch! Frack! The worst part is that this is not done! It will be on the news for weeks! In other news I just got back from a great five day vacation to Toronto and my future in-law's cottage. It was just nice to get out of the daily routine. We managed to see a lot of people too. In Toronto we saw my cousin, two of my friends from Vancouver, the nanny who took over for me in Paris and most of le fiance's friends. We also managed to get bridesmaid gifts, our wedding bands (ordered anyway) and Thank You cards. So all in all it was a very productive trip! At the cottage we had such a nice time hanging out with my fut...

I am actually surprised that it is only 98 posts! But I am slowly moving towards the 100 post mark, which won't take place until sometime next week, because it's Canada day tomorrow and we are heading to Toronto to visit some friends and family. I am very lucky because one of my best friends is getting married a few weeks after me, so I am able to talk to her about all my wedding anxieties. This is good because all my friends who got married a while ago or have never been married can't understand why I am scared of my wedding. My friend's wedding has been largely spurred on by her future mother in law who has shopped for her initiations, flowers and centerpieces. It sounds cute until you are there (picture the mother from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.) Fortunately my friend is very zen about the whole thing and was very clear about what she was looking for in terms of style etc. so things have been going very well for her! Having each other to talk to has been a life ...

In 60 days I am going to become someone's wife. I will stand with him in front of our immediate families and wedding party and vow to share our lives together. It is supposed to be the most special day of my life and I am dreading it. I want to be married, but I don't really want this wedding. I do not like the idea of being put on display like a show dog. I am not looking forward to having to dance in front of a bunch of people twice, having to be the centre of attention. I am really not looking forward to this. Do I want see my family and my friends and eat some good food, but this whole "wedding" idea scares the crap out of me. So in 61 days I will be happily married an on my way to Alaska. So I am looking forward to that day 61 days from now.

So I didn't get the job. They E-MAILED me to tell me! I mean seriously after all the shit they put me through THAT's what I get! Arg. You know what though? It really is their loss, because I can guarantee you that NO ONE wanted that job as much as me and NO ONE would have worked as hard for them as me. So there company I am not going to name. I wouldn't be surprised if they call me again in three months because the person that they hired didn't work out. So I spent last night crying nee BAWLING like an imbecile. I felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest. I just needed that win. I have had so many little defeats over the last few months that I REALLY needed that win. I felt deflated and useless and guilty, amongst other emotions. I really wanted to crawl into a hole and die because I just didn't feel worth the air I breathe. I know that it all sounds very dramatic, but I seriously just really needed the win. So after all that I woke up today and I a...

Living in Quebec is a character builder. Living in Quebec is a character builder. Living in Quebec is a character builder. I am repeating that to myself over and over, because eventually I will believe that instead of "Living in Quebec Sucks ASS." The job interview came and went and it didn't go as well as I would have liked. I did my best, but I probably sounded like a moron as I stumbled over my words a few times! I think that I answered the questions well, but I am sure that the other candidates answered them just as well. The main interviewer had to go on a "conference call" about 15-20 mins into the interview and then I saw her in the lobby about 10 mins later with the next candidate. Not a positive sign. While I was sitting in the waiting area I saw the previous candidate leave and mention that she'd e-mail her references. The remaining interviewer didn't even ask for my references, I had to offer them. They also said that they would be mak...

Tomorrow it's D-day. The day that will decide if I will in fact get my dream job or not. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE at 13:30 (1:30pm) EST (10:30am Pacific, 11:30am mountain, 12:30pm central) send me some good vibes. Some "Hire Me" vibes or some "Knock that interview out of the park" vibes or hey even some "make coherent sentences" vibes will do! Thanks in advance. Back to interview prep! :P

So after two e-mails, one phone call and two weeks, I FINALLY heard from the "dream job" people. First they e-mail me to ask when I am available for a final interview on Tuesday then after I told them that I was available anytime, but mornings are ideal they scheduled me for an interview on WEDNESDAY at 1pm. I am shaking my head a little bit as I feel that they are a little bit disorganized, but I still want the job. The best part is that they also have locations in Vancouver, so I could eventually transfer to Vancouver if my fiance were able to get a job there. So here's hoping that Wednesday goes well and that next week at this time I start a new job!

I LOVE this song. (Sorry, but the embedding has been disabled so you have to follow the link.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVFbNH6yAgk It's stupid and annoying, but it's funny and let's face it we all need some funnies every now and then! :)

Once in a while when I have something to say, but I am not too sure if I should say it I save things to draft and forget about them. I actually did that just today and while searching my list of posts I found this little guy from August 5th 2008, so because I put one away into draft, I felt the need to take another one out, so here ya go! Dear Paris, It is hard to believe that it's been nearly a year since we met. It seems like just yesterday that I came to you wide eyed and excited to begin a new adventure. I fell in love with you immediately. Your beauty left me breathless and I spent hours just getting to know you walking your streets discovering everything I could. Then as our relationship matured I began to see you not only as the amazing place you were, but also as my home. I became comfortable and secure. In this time I experienced things I never dreamed of, I visited places I had only imagined and discovered that I was capable of so much more than I had ever thought ...

Yes last post I was a total Debbie-downer. I had a lot going on and I just had a bit of a meltdown. Rest assured things are fine now. My fiance and I have been doing a great job of listening to each other and are actually quite happy! :) We had a great weekend working on the yard and swimming in our pool (for the first time!) So here are a few pics of my Kitty and random flowers in the Garden. Hey I just thought that we could have some happy pics today and don't forget about Hallie 's fundraiser. After just a few days she has raised over $1000! Let's help her reach her goal in record time! :)

So first off I would like to thank you all for all your good energy. I really appreciate all the support. I wish I had better news, but I don't. After a week, two e-mails and one voicemail I have heard nothing. Although I am very upset about not getting the job, I am also insulted that they didn't even have the decency to get back to me. I mean really all it would have taken was a generic "Thank you for your interest, but you have not made it to the next round of the recruiting process" e-mail and I wouldn't have had to worry about the uncertainty. Instead they didn't send me anything. That is just unprofessional. Candidates jump through hoops for recruiters and they do so knowing that they may not be selected. The least the recruiters can do for the candidates is answer their questions when they ask. Anyway I am a little upset about the way that turned out. I had another potential job possibility come my way last week, but that isn't going to hap...

Okay so knowing that there are so many people with REAL problems out there I feel a little selfish asking you this, but I am going to anyway. Tuesday I had an interview for a really great job. It's perfect. Exactly what I want to do. It's an Employee Relations position for an American technology recruiting company. The position is an in house position here at a game testing lab. Everything about this job is perfect. It's even right across the street from my train stop. The girl who interviewed me seemed really positive. She said that she was really excited to come across my resume because I am the only candidate with Human Resources training/education and she also said that she really liked me and wanted me to succeed in the interview process. However she also said that she'd get back to me by yesterday to set up another more formal interview with the head person from the US who is flying in next week. It's now 4:45 on Thursday and I have heard nothing. I...

Okie dokie smokies, so I am back and ready to blog. I have been sans internet for a while now so unable to blog and I felt it necessary to catch up on all my regular blogs before I posted, so I am ready to go! Here are some random moving thoughts: Moving sucks and I am still living in a jungle of boxes, but that's okay it will be over soon (or so I keep telling myself!) I will post pictures (or a lovely before / after video that I am in the process of making, we'll see) as soon as the house does not look like the site of a nuclear explosion. Birds keep flying into out sliding glass door, it's quite disturbing cause one actually left some feathers (and what I can only imagine are bird brains) on the window. I got carpal tunnel syndrome from painting. I shit you not, I was in so much pain last week that I could barley hold a fork or a pen! My fiance is making the move unecessarily difficult by insisting that we don't plug anything in or put things on the shelves until...

Tomorrow we go to sign the millions of papers to get possession of our new house. It is a very exciting, but also stressful time for us. I sadly did not get the Camp Counselor job that I was hoping for because I did not know about High School Musical. Yesterday I was so upset I wanted to cry (or worse!) which I know is stupid, but I have tried sooo hard to look for work and I finally thought that I had broken the curse and I really wanted to start working again, but I was once again turned away. How was I rejected based on my lack of knowledge of HSM? Well this camp had a theater component and the guy interviewing me asked me to assume that I was in charge of a group of 6 year old girls and then asked me what play they'd want to do. I said that they may want to make up their own or do a princess play, because that's what all the kids I looked after in France wanted to do. WELL apparently I am out of touch because he was very disappointed that I didn't know that they wo...

Okay so I really don't have a lot to say right now as I am still feeling like my head is spinning. I am packing up a storm getting ready to take possession of our new house in a week. I had a great time in Vancouver, but it was WAYYY too short. I tried to be organized and arrange to see people before I left, but alas that didn't work. So then I got there and tried my best and saw a lot of people, but just didn't get to see everyone I wanted to. So my rule for next time is that I am going to a) Rent a car and b) Try to ORGANIZE things. I didn't have a car while I was there so getting around was incredibly difficult and taking the bus costs like $5 a trip and they don't take bills, so that was a HUGE pain in the ass. Rental car = good. Plus I was getting totally screwed up on days vs dates, so I need to make myself a little calendar next time and actually write when and where I am to meet people. I was productive however here's a snapshot: Tuesday : Get up ...

Have you ever been in one of those moments in your life when you are just so content that you know the universe is going to throw some horrible curve ball at you just to get things back into balance? I am at that point right now and I know it won't last. Things are by no means perfect. I still have no job and I am struggling with my weight, but I am going home tomorrow to see my friends and family, my fiance and I are getting along great and things are finally settling down. Now I am afraid of what's coming my way. I know this makes me sound pessimistic, but really I'm not. I am so thankful for everything that I have that the crap just doesn't seem as important. However, every time I have felt this way in the past something bad has happened. It's like the Universe is trying to bring me down a peg or two. There are scary things on the horizon. My fiance's company has just announced massive layoffs (no he does not work in the automotive industry) and we...

I'm going home in two weeks!!! Not forever or anything just for a week to visit. What's better is that I am going alone so I don't have to feel guilty about wanting to go and hang out with my friends! I am tres excited. (stupid no accents!) I also feel like le fiance and I will benefit from some time apart. For me I know that it will give me a chance to reconnect with myself and thus make me less dependent on him for emotional support. I will also get a chance to remember who I am as an individual, which I really need to do. I started a group on Facebook to announce my comings and goings from Vancouver (cause I'm a big geek! lol) and people who I didn't even think would care have started requesting to be a part of it. I am so happy! It's such a silly little trivial thing, but to know that people are happy that I am coming to town remindes me that I am much more than an unemployed 27 year old loser. I am an unemployed 27 year old loser with friends! hah...

I am not going to pretend to be one of those people who does enough to protect the environment. I recycle, I use cloth bags at the grocery store, I buy products without excessive packaging (when I can) and I do not even turn the lights on in my house unless I absolutely have to. (I sit and watch TV in the dark, or I'll use our lamp with the high efficiency light bulb instead of turning on the light.) These are the little decisions that I make every day. Today is not like every day. Tonight at 8:30pm is earth hour a time when people are asked to turn their lights off for one hour to show solidarity towards the global environment. I'm going to participate. I think it's going to be fun actually. My fiance and I plan on turning our lights out and then walking up Mont Royal to see if anyone else follows suit. It's all about the little things. To me what earth hour symbolizes is hope. I mean if so many people can come together to support something that affects people...

Okay so I'm almost done. I just finished my Access exam (and passed I hope... gulp) I have a final presentation in twenty minutes and then I am done all but two of my classes. FEWF! Things have been going... okay. I lost it last night and kept my poor fiance up until 2am freaking out about school and my future employment prospects. I am miserable here. I hate it. I want to go home (and no this is not my home now.) So I have a choice to make. Suck it up and stick with the love of my life, or move home. I seriously waiver on this every day (... well maybe if I just went home until July I could work... etc. etc.) The truth is that I am very happy in my relationship and I in no way want to jeopardize it, but is it worth being miserable all the time? I keep thinking it will get better and I am trying to see this as an opportunity for growth, but I am feeling so trapped here that I freak out. There are good things about being here. I get to live with my amazing fiance and we...

Before... After... ***These are the EXACT same picture, but they photoshopped my butt off! (It's actually not my butt it is my jacket. It has funny darts in the back)****

So I have been very productive this weekend! I finished a paper and an Access Assignment, grocery shopped, cleaned, did the laundry and had some quality time with the fiancee! But I still have so much to do so the next three weeks will be a little insane as I am almost done with my program wrapping up and term projects sneaking up on me. Basically just bear with me! I may just post pics and a few random thoughts! Oh and I am officially 5.5lbs lighter since starting South Beach last Monday, I am happy to be seeing results, but I still have a long way to go! So anyway I guess I'll just show y'all some pics of my late horsie. I miss her, but I am glad that we had the time together that we did.

I am on the home stretch. I have two more papers, three presentations and three exams left to write and I am done. Eleven days of class left. Super super busy.... Had some random thoughts today... -Epiphany: When I was younger and I asked my parents if I could go to a friend's house and they said "no" I always thought that they had a good reason like it was bad for me for whatever reason... Now I realize that sometimes it was because they just didn't want to drive me! Sometimes they had no good reason... hmmmmm this throws my whole world on its head.... - three days into the diet. I'm gaining weight, but it will be okay... everything will be okay... - Octomom can suck it. - There's this show called "Being Erica" it's on the CBC in Canada. It's about a girl who keeps getting sent back in time to fix past mistakes. It's a super cute show and I love it. But it makes me think about what I would do if I could do certain things again......

So I felt that I needed to blog even though I don't really have too much to say. I haven't done much that's too exciting over the last few days except school and homework! I am almost done. I have two full weeks left and then I have another two weeks of classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am happy that I am going to be done all the projects and papers and exams, but then comes the job hunt and that is a painful process. It is never a fun process but then you take into account that I am living in a French province and I speak English and it gets a whole lot more complicated. Arg my head hurts just thinking about it... I have done really well in school, my grades from my first semester were outstanding with my lowest percentage being a 90%! I seriously rock at Human Resources, it is just something that I understand and makes sense to me. My mid-terms so far for this semester have been great too, so I am very happy with that. Our house purchase has gone through and so ...

I am convinced that my cat knows what time I get home because every day I open the door and he is sitting in the entryway waiting for me. I have always suspected that he has just jumped off the couch (he is not allowed on the furniture) because he is always positioned in such a way that it looks like he has just come from that direction. Well today I got home half an hour early and I snuck up to the door and opened it right away (I normally take my boots off first) and this is what I saw: Do those look like cat ears to you? Yup that's what I thought... Oh Harley you are sooooo BUSTED!!!!!

So this has been going around Facebook and I've been tagged about six times, but have refused to do it. Now that I haven't blogged in a while and have nothing else to say I will do it here. (Yes Courtney I totally ripped this off :P) 1. I have never cried as much as I have in the last few days. I feel so guilty for leaving my horse (temporarily she was meant to join me here in the spring because I thought she'd be safer at home and traveling in the spring. ironic) and now she's getting put down and I won't be there to say goodbye. I am going to miss her so so much. 2. I love movies. I am happiest when I am watching a good movie with someone (or someones) I care about. My favorites are the original Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Anytime I hear "Moon River" it makes me nostalgic. 3. I am not a cat person, but I have one and I am pretty sure that my cat is the cutest cat ever. 4. I hate olives. 5. I ha...