Happy New Year 2007!!

by snorkeldaddy on Flickr

Another year winding down, another about to kick off - how does time fly by so bloody fast?! This year has absolutely flown by, full of many amazing moments and moments of pondering and learning, too. Time to do some yearly reflections - thinking about what I've accomplished this year and who I've become, about who I want to become before our next new year's eve. 2007 is already fully booked with family visits and a trip to England in December - it's a bit daunting really! Maybe we'll get married or pregnant in there as well. All in the works so watch this space!
Swirly Girl suggested choosing a theme for the year . 2006 was my year of Creativity - I definitely opened my mind up to a new way of thinking and am loving that my creative side is awake again. I can't wait to see what I come up with this year. I can't decide what theme I'd like for 2007 - I'm thinking of it being My Body, being more loving and accepting of it while also taking much better care of it, getting it ready for babies - but for some reason that feels like a selfish theme. Or another way to beat myself up or get negative - but I guess that would be what I was working on, right? What's your theme for 2007 going to be?

A few of my favorite things from this past year have been:

Getting Engaged!!!

R getting his work permit

Little Miss Sunshine

Pride and Prejudice (I discovered it this year)

An Inconvenient Truth

Nacho Libre ("Nachooooooo!")

The Birth House, Ami McKay

books by Isabella Dusi

My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult

Casino Royale

Discovering Grey's Anatomy and Friday Night Lights

snowshoeing

going up to the mountains

summer in Vancouver

working on Granville Island

our time with R's parents

seeing my family's faces on the webcam (first time in a year and a half!!)

my new bike!

painting

rediscovering knitting

laughs with our Argentinian friends

I could go on and on, but dinner is calling. R is making homemade lamb korma and it smells divine. I got him a curry cookbook for Christmas, so he's trying it out. Even using a pestle and mortar! Yummy!!!

I hope 2007 brings us R's Permanent Residency, new levels in our own relationship (wedding and baby planning), more fun and experiences at my wonderful job, and lots of time with our family and friends. Happiness and health and laughter galore. And the same for all of you!!

Happy Christmas!!

Happy Holidays everyone!! We hope you are having a wonderful day with your family and friends. We're off for a walk in the sun while it's here, then back to talk on the webcam with our families all afternoon!! Chili and Lime Roast Chicken's on the menu with roast veggies and fresh pineapple for dessert. My mouth is watering already.
I'm missing my family, but being able to see them on the computer is helping a whole lot. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday where ever you are!!
We have the fireplace station on the tv, so it feels all cozy in here!! love it!

Happy Birthday...

To my Love. How lucky am I that he was born today!! I don't know where I'd be without him. My support, my shoulder, my entertainment, my sound board, my creative counterpart, my Mr. Fixit, my warm fuzzy, my travelling companion, my partner in crime, my Richard.

We're off out for dinner and to pick up some Christmas/Birthday packages at the post office!! This is/was the same day as my Grandmother's (Gan Gan we called her) birthday, so it's nice to know I will always think of her.

Many happy returns!!

Loving the box again

I am giddy over TV. This hasn't happened for years, but there are actually a couple shows on right now that I cannot wait to watch each week! Tonight, it's Friday Night Lights - I LOVE this show. I feel like a teenager again when I watch it, but it is so much better than the old BH 90210 type shows I watched then. It is a show that I think is well done, in the acting, the story lines, the way its shot - it's original and totally addictive! If you haven't seen it yet, it's on NBC and is about a small town highschool football team. The whole town is completely obsessed with football and the lives of their team. We get to see what happens with the coach and his family and with certain team members. The first episode, the star quarterback ended up paralyzed, I almost gave up there, but it has completely reeled me in. I even get excited when I remember its on while I'm sitting at work! What is going on!!?

I am also enjoying Heroes, another NBC newbie. It too was one I wouldn't have bothered with, but once I did, totally hooked. Of course there's Grey's Anatomy as well, something I got into over the summer and still am a big fan. I totally zone out when these shows are on, Rich can be talking to me and I honestly don't hear him. I'm so becoming my mother! We even got a bigger tv just so we can enjoy it more - I can even see properly now with my glasses on!

I am not a reality tv fan, never have been, so I'm very happy to see new shows popping up that are brilliant to watch. That are interesting, that help me detach from my own reality, but that also make me think.

I've heard that Ugly Betty, Men in Trees, and Sisters and Brothers are good shows as well, so I may have to check them out too. CSI is always a goodie, but we're not staying up that late these days. I think because its the winter, I love cuddling up on the couch after a busy day, being entertained, and ignoring the rain, dark, and cold that's going on outside.

What do you like to watch? Or what's your favorite distraction from winter?

Fun in the Snow!!

Winter has always been something I wish I could avoid-I don't like the cold or the ice or driving very far in wintery weather, I even lived in the southern hemisphere for a few years just to avoid it! But this year we decided we were going to embrace it. And we even decided this before we got our unusual snow storm last week!! We wanted to go up into the mountains more often, to escape the rain and bleakness down here, go cross country skiing and snowshoeing, and take advantage of the fact that we live within 30 minutes of 3 different ski fields. After talking about it for weeks, we finally made it on Saturday!! We hopped on the shuttle bus to Cypress Mountain. They have a Nordic centre and a downhill/snowboard centre. We got all kitted out in our cross country skis and headed out. We were surrounded by beautiful blue skies, bright sunshine, trees trembling under the weight of all the snow (250cms!!), and we could actually see back down to the city once the clouds finally lifted. It was magic. I had cross country skied when I was younger, but it was Rich's first go at it and he loved it! We laughed so much, he was crying at one point he was laughing so hard. It wasn't too hard, but was definitely a great workout and we cannot wait to go back up again! Snowshoeing will be the next adventure. I had no idea how much they had evolved - I had the old fashioned wooden ones in my head, but now they are quite fancy. I even have a few friends at work who already snowshoe, so this could even turn out to be a way to make more friends! Imagine that, winter in a positive light, I can't believe it!!