Can you believe it's freakin' JUNE already????
I am to be wed in two months!!!! Aghhh!!!!! That's 60 days people. 60. Freakin'. Days.
Okay here's my lazy bimonthly recap for all you ponderers out there!
So once in a while, I'll let myself have a lazy day. On such days, it's just me and the gazelle. And Ellen DeGeneres. Obvi.
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| Couch partner. He knows he's not allowed to have all four paws on the couch. |
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| But he'll plop his head down. |
I've pretty much been making a to do list of five things everyday to complete in order to keep myself from slipping into total bumhood. My current to do list looks like this:
- Call Kati to confirm florist for the wedding.
- Study for GREs
- Follow up with nursing jobs
- Rehearsal dinner invitations!
- Thank you cards!
- Schedule appointment with immigration lawyer!
Not too shabby for a certified bum if I could say so myself. I have gotten a few more leads regarding potential jobs so keep your fingers crossed folks! Potential RN recruiters out there! HIRE ME! It'll be the best decision you ever made! :)
Doug's birthday was on the 24th, so Jane being the wonderful wife and mother she is, whipped up a delicious chocolate cake! She's such a great domesticated role model! Observe!
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| Momma Jane bakin' up Doug's 30th Birthday Cake! |
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| Beautiful! |
Can you say STUNNING?!?!!? I LOVED THIS CAKE! It was soooooo moist and deeeeeeeelicious! And that's saying a lot especially since I'm not much of a chocolate fiend (I know I know, such blasphemy!). It was certainly a hit with the birthday boy!
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Happy 30th Doug!
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Of course it never hurts to throw in some birthday bruschetta.
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| Birthday Bruschetta |
Then Jane introduced me to some new greens. I present to you -- FIDDLEHEADS! Check these crazy things OUT! -- WILD!
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| My first encounter with these creatures. |
I was surprised by how mild they tasted. They honestly taste like... green... stemy..... plants. Sauteed with some olive oil and salt. Yum yum yum!
On Friday of Doug's birthday week, the roomies, and Brian and I went to Bon Iver's concert at Deer Lake Park. Amazing amazing amazingggggg concert! And the venue was impeccable. As well as the weather! It was such a beautiful day!
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Stunning park. Stunning venue.
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| Bon Iver Concert at Deer Lake Park! |
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Roomie rockin' out!
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| Happy at Bon Iver show! |
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| Couple numero dos! Cherise and Dan! |
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| Couple numero tres! |
Bon Iver is great live and he always plays with so much passion and soul, it kills me how good he is! My only regret was that the show was under two hours long because the park had a 10pm curfew which totally blows for a Friday night -- and for a Bon Iver concert! I could have listened to him croon for hours and hours....
Saturday was another beautiful sunny day. It was PERFECT for a picnic on the beach! So Brian and I packed up a lovely meal of spaghetti, popcorn, pears, carrots, almonds, and pepero and hit up Kits Beach! We spent a few hours just basking in the west coast sun, read snippets from "Fifty Shades of Gray" (Which Brian refused to continue to partake in after the first few pages) and then met up with some family and friends for gelato and sunset Kits Beach busking.
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| Picnic at Kits Beach! |
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| Kits Beach |
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Great gelato marketing.
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Kits Beach entertainment.
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Sunday morning was just as nice as the other days so we took the opportunity to take Arthur to the park that is conveniently located directly in front of the house. Arthur's grandmother Heather was in town and joined in to do some grandson bonding.
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Lady Bug + Babies = Deadly cute combo
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| Mulchy times. |
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| Hangin' with Gia! |
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| Happiness. |
Jane's been eying Arthur's hipster baby 'do with some disdain so she finally mustered up the courage to do something drastic about it. I must say, she did a pretty darn good job at chopping off his locks! He looks like a little boy now! Like a mature 1 year old! So handsome!
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| Haircut! |
During the week, I try to take every opportunity to get outside when the weather is anywhere decent (pretty much meaning it's not pouring outside). My favorite type of hike? Baby backpacking! My favorite backpack? Arthur! He's an awesome hiking buddy! I can't neglect Dalton as well. They both are amazing hiking company and believe you me, they give me a GREAT workout. I'm usually sweating my brains out by the time we're done. I daresay that Arthur enjoys the walks a touch more than I do.
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| Backpack baby. |
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| Hiking buddy. |
Now that summer is pretty much in full swing here in the city, there are lots of things going on. One of my favorite summer events is the Richmond Night Market. Brian and I went to it last year and had a great time perusing through all the kiosks and vendor stands. The best part about these night markets has got to be the FOOD. Hands down. This year, the Chinatown in downtown Vancouver started its own night market for the first time. Of course Brian and I had to scope it out. We learned that a night market isn't a night market without.......
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| CHINATOWN NIGHT MARKET IDOL. |
That's right. A singing contest. In Chinese. With older contestants. In sequined suits. Oh. Yeah. The talent wasn't too shabby for being in the middle of the street. But like I said, the entertainment is great and all, but I'm there for the FOOD. And I wasn't disappointed. What's better than a corndog from a street vendor? A DEEPFRIED BATTER COVERED GARLIC AND PARMESAN FLAVORED CORNDOG from a street vendor! Oh YEAHHHHHHHHHH!
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| Deepfried corndogs.... Mmmm.... |
So this past weekend was the day of my SECOND West Coast Bridal Shower and what a GLORIOUS shower it was! We arrived on the Island on Saturday and indulged in a lavish wedding wine tasting with the
FSIL and Momma Gregg. Me, having the curse of alcohol intolerance, volunteered to be the unbiased judge and poured the mystery drinks for everyone to taste and comment on. In the end, Momma Gregg's wine selections won best taste awards and wines have officially been decided!
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| Wine tasting in Victoria. That's right. Some of these will be yours at the wedding you lucky guests you! |
Sunday (yesterday) was the day of the bridal shower so Brian and I got up early to attend church with Momma Gregg and then stopped for a nice chai break at a local cafe while waiting for the festivities to begin.
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| Chai times. |
And what a festive shower it was! I was quite overwhelmed by the number of people that showed up, especially since I didn't quite know the majority of the guests there! Once I found that I recognized a few faces (and had the worst time remembering names!) and had some of the yummy yummy food, I got into my usual diva mode and had no trouble donning a crown, strapping on the biggest bra I've ever seen in my life, and basking in the center of attention. The gifts were countless, the laughs filled the room, and my shower bra blossomed into a beautiful bouquet of bows and ribbons. I was totally in my element!
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| West Coast Bridal Shower! |
Did I mention that there was the most splendid cake I had ever laid my eyes on? It's from a local bakery called
Murchies and it is just DIVINE. The cake is layered with marzipan (which I like wayyyy better than fondant) and had raspberries, cherries, and other sweet yummy goodness in it. It was a piece of heaven!
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| Marie Antoinette Cake from Murchies! |
The two hosts were absolutely wonderful. Jane and Anna were complete strangers to me but managed to throw me a shower that made me feel as if I was at home with my family! And I can't forget the efforts and labor of Momma Gregg and my fabulous FSIL! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Not every bride gets to be so lucky as to experience TWO bridal showers!
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| My lovely hosts! |
So it's Monday and Brian and I are getting ready to catch the 5 o'clock ferry back over to the mainland. It was a fantastic weekend and I am feeling slightly guilty over my negligence to my GRE studies but tomorrow is a new day and I'll be back on the grind!
I'm wishing everyone out there a fabulous week! YOLO people, YOLO! :)
